ZAGREB, May 14, 2020 - The anti-epidemic activities continue to be performed, and we can be satisfied with them, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic, who heads the COVID-19 crisis management team, said at a government session on Thursday.

Bozinovic said that in the period from 6 to 13 May, 58,000 businesses and open public spaces in Croatia were monitored, and 14,000 irregularities were registered. He said that in most cases they were a matter of non-compliance with epidemiological measures related to gathering restrictions and not using protective equipment, because of which verbal warnings were issued.

Referring to passengers in cross-border traffic, Bozinovic said that from 10 to 14 May, 68,688 passengers entered Croatia, while 67,272 passengers left the territory of Croatia. He added that of the 55 previously mobilised quarantine facilities, only nine remained active, currently accommodating 44 people, of whom 35 are Croatian citizens.

In the past week, 209 Croatian citizens were repatriated, and since the beginning of the pandemic a total of 2,285 have been repatriated, Bozinovic added. 

ZAGREB, May 14, 2020 - The public vilification and lynch threats against Sarajevo Archbishop Vinko Puljic, over a mass for the Bleiburg victims to be held in Sarajevo, suggest that the position of the Croatian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not as it should be, Croatia's Foreign and European Affairs Minister said on Thursday.

Gordan Grlic Radman told reporters that he had expressed support to Archbishop Puljic, a man who had stayed in Sarajevo during the war and is "a shining example of coexistence, multiculturalism."

"This vilification, the lynch, in a way suggest that the position of the Croatian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not as it should be," the minister said.

He talked to Puljic on the phone and supported the celebration of a mass in Sarajevo to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Bleiburg tragedy. The announcement of the mass, scheduled for 16 May, was met with harsh criticism in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

ZAGREB, May 14, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Thursday commented on the 75th anniversary of the Bleiburg tragedy, saying that a truly tolerant society could be built only by soberly looking at past trauma and by respecting every victim.

"Today, three-quarters of a century later, we remember that difficult chapter in Croatian history and we remember all victims. Today that is a moral obligation for the modern Croatia, which was built on the harmony and unity of the Croatian people in the Homeland War," Plenkovic said at a cabinet meeting.

We will be able to build a truly tolerant society only by soberly looking at past trauma and by respecting every victim, which was one of the main political messages of Croatia's first president Franjo Tudjman, who participated in Croatia's antifascist movement, Plenkovic said.

In Western Europe, the victory over fascism 75 years ago was key for establishing democratic orders which, in the post-war years, embarked on reconciliation, economic recovery and unification to bring Europe lasting peace and prevent any future conflict, he said.

In Central and Eastern Europe, the end of WWII brought the defeat of the fascist terror and horrors of war, yet it did not bring democracy but new totalitarianism, i.e. communism, which was defeated only with the fall of the Berlin Wall, Plenkovic said.

In 1945, after the defeat of the Independent State of Croatia, which was also Croatia's fate, which was deprived of freedom and democracy for another 50 years, he added.

While the end of WWII in Western Europe marked the end of unprecedented horrors of war and fascist crimes, in which the Holocaust holds a special place, in Croatia May 1945 was also synonymous with horrible post-war communist crimes, Plenkovic said.

Tens of thousands of people, disarmed defeated troops, as well as many civilians who were running away from the establishment of the communist regime, were killed without trial and buried without a grave from Bleiburg to Tezno along the Way of the Cross, he said.

That happened also after the official end of WWII and that mass crime, as well as the persecutions and arrests of all so-called class enemies and persons of different views and reprisals against the Catholic Church, caused anxiety and fear among a large part of the Croatian people, Plenkovic said.

The rigged post-war trial of the Blessed Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, although he spoke up many times against all forms of discrimination and personally saved many Jews and Serbs, additionally compromised the then authorities and principles of justice, he added.

That is why in present-day Croatia, the relationship towards that fraught and multi-layered period of Croatian history is painful and traumatic, despite it being clear that thanks to the antifascist movement and resistance against Nazism, Croatia came out of WWII as a winner, the prime minister said.

It is up to us to build on those foundations a European Croatia founded on democratic values, to build a society that promotes the culture of remembrance, tolerance and mutual respect, he added.

"We owe it first and foremost to ourselves and especially to our youth so that, with a composed look on the past and optimism for the future, unburdened, we can build an even better Croatia."

ZAGREB, May 14, 2020 - Croatia's results in fighting the pandemic speak best of the citizens' trust in this crisis management team, the head of the national civil protection authority and Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said on Thursday.

Asked if the authority had considered reducing the number of their regular press conferences, Bozinovic said that they would consider the proposal. He added that under the law on public assembly and epidemiological measures there was no ban on public assembly "nor a ban on protests in that context."

Talking about crossing borders and entering Croatia, Bozinovic said that Croatia was following a recommendation by the European Commission to extend the ban on third-country nationals entering the European Union by 15 May, with some exceptions.

"Since the moment the relaxation of measures started, we have been speaking of recommendations because we think that citizens received enough information on the infection and how to protect themselves in the first stage. It is a fact that this helped us leave the first stage in a way that we minimised risks and damage, which allowed us to relax measures," Bozinovic said when asked if the safety measures were merely recommendations.

May 14, 2020 - Some useful information about tourist fee payment relief in English for the first time, with thanks to Vivian Grisogono from Eco Hvar for the initiative and the translation.

Due to the effects of the Covid-19 virus, the Ministry of Tourism has announced relief measures for those engaged in the tourist industry.

Private renters will not have to pay the tourist fee lump sum (paušal); payment of any outstanding flexible part of the 2019 concession fee is cancelled, and payment for 2020 deferred; the relevant changes in the laws (NN 36/2020) can be seen on the following link (in Croatian): https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/full/2020_03_36_764.html

People offering tourist rentals in private accommodation and on family farms are excused half of the annual tourist fee for 2020 which would normally be due for the main bed and parking spot in a camp and holiday camp, or according to the capacity of 'Robinson' accommodation run in accordance with the special regulations governing tourist rental activities. Furthermore, tourist fee in 2020 for camp beds ('pomoćni kreveti') will not be charged.

These measures only apply to people offering accommodation in private properties and on privately owned farmland.

The aim is to soften the financial impact of the economic burden created by the Coronavirus epidemic. Because the tourist fee is administered per bed, rather than per night's stay, it is clearly unfair and untenable in the current situation.

The responsible authorities for these measures are the Ministry of Tourism and the Croatian Tourist Board. Information about the measures will be available through the eVisitor internet system. Further information can be obtained if needed from the Ministry of Tourism by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Payment of any outstanding amount due for the 2019 concession fee in respect of the use of tourist land in camps is waived, and the payment due for 2020 is deferred. The applicable law (NN 31/2020) can be seen (in Croatian) on the link: https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/full/2020_03_31_674.html

In view of the exceptional situation caused by the Coronavirus, outstanding payments due for the 2019 concession fees for camps will be charged at 1 kn, and not at the standard rate, and payments due for the fixed concession fee for 2020 will be delayed from August 31st to November 30th 2020. The measure applies to commercial agencies offering tourist services on the basis of seeking concessions for camps on communal land in the Republic of Croatia according to the law (NN 92/10). Details of the charges will be made available by the Ministry of Tourism, and further information, if needed, can be obtained by email from the Ministry: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The same measures apply to those holding concessions on land owned by local authorities, and the applicable law (NN 41/2020) can be read (in Croatian) on the following link: https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2020_04_41_853.html.

The Croatian Law on Providing Tourist Services (NN 42/2020 -887) has been amended and can be read (in Croatian) on the following link: https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2020_04_42_887.html. The changes include the following:

- in order to prevent the operation of unregistered rental accommodation, internet sites must quote the tax identity number (OIB) of any advertiser offering tourist services in the Republic of Croatia;

- during this exceptional situation, tourist agencies will be allowed to employ people without the normal required certificates in order to keep operating, so that knowledge of foreign languages or Croatian do not have to be demonstrated, nor is it necessary for such employees to have a minimum of one year's experience in the tourist industry. These employees can remain in employment for a maximum of six months after the end of the special measures.

- contracts for package tours which were booked to take place after March 1st but cancelled are to be varied as following: the traveller has the right to cancel the package tour 180 days after the end of the exceptional situation caused by Coronavirus, and the tour operator must issue a voucher or moratorium on the cancellation of the contract for the same period; if the client decides on a refund, the tour operator must return the amount paid within 14 days after the period of 180 days following the end of the exceptional situation has elapsed.

- people providing tour guide services will no longer be entered into the Central register. This aims to allow more people to earn money from tourist services, such as students, pensioners or the unemployed.

The Law on Providing Accommodation Services has also been amended (NN 42/2020-888), and can be found (in Croatian) on the following link: https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2020_04_42_888.html
The changes are as follows:

- temporary permits for rental premises will be extended to the end of 2021. This applies to properties which have not yet been legalized although the application for legalization was submitted at the right time.

- the Minister is empowered to vary the conditions regarding the requirements for people in the hospitality and rental businesses.

- the deadline for re-categorizing hotels and camps is extended. Applications will start from 1 year after the end of the Covid-19 special measures situation, instead of after 4 years from the original permit.

- hotel and camp operators who have been granted a temporary operations permit for the type of operation, but not yet for the category of the premises, are granted an extension of one year following the end of the Covid-19 special measures in the Republic of Croatia.

- for renters whose categorization permits were issued before September 1st 2007, and for those who wish to retain their existing level of category (star rating), applications for new documents must be made before the following deadlines:
8.4.2022 – for permits issued before 31.12.2000.
8.4.2023 – for permits issued between 1.1.2001 and 31.12.2004.
8.4.2024 – for permits issued after 31.12.2004.

The Law Governing Tourist Boards and the Promotion of Croatian Tourism has been amended to alleviate financial constraints caused by the Covid-19 epidemic. You can read the amendments (NN 42/2020-885) on the following link (in Croatian): https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2020_04_42_885.html

The Law on the Tourist Fee has been amended, (NN 42/2020-886) and can be read (in Croatian) on the following link: https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2020_04_42_886. The amendments are as follows:

- during the Covid-19 special situation, the Croatian Government is empowered to vary the system for determining the level of the tourist fee and the deadlines for its payment.

- the Croatian Government is also empowered to repurpose resources from the Fund for Insufficiently Developed Inland Areas and the Fund for Associated Tourist Boards.

- while the special conditions caused by the Covid-19 epidemic last, inspectors will not issue fines or penalty notices, or institute legal action in the case of contraventions.

If you need further information, contact the Ministry of Tourism by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For the latest on the coronavirus in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

If you need further information, contact the Ministry of Tourism by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

May 14, 2020 - The Croatian National Tourist Board explains those unusual tourist statistics and updates its travel page.  

Earlier today I published an article called There are 41 Days in April in the Kingdom of Accidental Tourism, which took a more detailed look at the very unusual tourism numbers reported for April. 9,453 arrivals generated 391,628 overnight stays, meaning that each tourist stayed for an average of 41 days over the 30-day period of April, 2020, which is clearly absurd.  

I sent the Croatian National Tourist Board some questions about the statistics, also asking about their plans to update one of their travel pages, as well as clarification on why Jelsa has both a seaplane port and an airport (the latter of which I never found in my 13 years living here). As always, the Croatian National Tourist Board was quick to respond, and I am publishing the response in full below, so that people can see the explanation without my commentary and draw their own conclusions. 

Dear Mr. Bradbury,

In response to your inquiry, please find a brief overview below, as well as responses to your specific questions.

In April, we recorded a very small number of arrivals and with a seemingly "disproportionately" large number of overnight stays (only 9,453 arrivals with 391,628 overnight stays). Considering that this is a report for the period of April, the arrivals of tourists and guests who spent any night in April in Croatia arrivals were recorded in an earlier period and spilled over into April, namely March or February, or in any case prior to April 1, 2020.

If you look at tourist traffic by type of accommodation, which is also available in the report cited, then the reasons become even clearer - 59% of overnight stays were realized in the non-commercial segment, i.e. by "weekenders". Perhaps due to the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, they decided to spend time outside their place of residence – which received lots of media coverage in articles at the start of the epidemiological crisis and again after the earthquake in Zagreb. Their arrivals were recorded in March, and with some perhaps even earlier. Furthermore, 35% of overnight stays were realized in household facilities where we assume that some of the guests who decided to stay in Croatia at the beginning of the crisis were accommodated.

There are only 30 days in April, yet tourists stayed on average for 41 days. Can you explain how this is possible?

Arrivals were registered before April 1st and therefore not counted in April’s arrival numbers, but are recorded as overnights.

There was only one South African who stayed for 149 nights in April. Can you explain how this is possible?

There were South Africans staying in Croatia in April whose arrivals were registered before April 1^st.

There were no tourists from Belarus, Indonesia, Estonia, Morocco and Thailand, and yet they all recorded overnight stays. Can you explain how this is possible?

Arrivals of those guests were registered before April 1st.

I lived on Hvar for 13 years and am aware of the Jelsa sea port and the Stari Grad air field. Can you tell me where the second airport in Jelsa is please? Is the Hvar airport the one in Stari Grad or is there another?

All information provided regarding airfields was provided by the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency and includes commercial airports as well as airfields which are used for non-commercial purposes. Unfortunately, a typo occurred when transferring the information to the website, as this is Jelas – an airfield near Slavonski Brod. Thank you for pointing out this typo.

Do you plan to add any information to this page to help visitors with current info, or is talking about Croatia Airlines and listing airports from the Official Gazette sufficient info for tourists wanting to fly to Croatia?

The CNTB has a section dedicated to current Covid-19 travel advice, whereas currently Croatia Airlines is the only airline actively flying, information pertaining to such is highlighted.

The current information on the website is provided below, while unlike news portals, our information is updated only when official communication is made available to us by the service provider. And as such, with no other airlines currently flying, the advice is to contact these airlines directly. Should this change, as stated below, we will provide updates accordingly.

Are there flights to Croatia?

Croatia currently maintains one daily return flight: Zagreb – Frankfurt – Zagreb operated by Croatia Airlines. Croatia Airlines is currently in discussions about reinstating other flights, such as Amsterdam, Brussels and London, but all are pending further approval. For more information on Croatia Airlines flights, please check their website.

Once official information on other commercial airlines and/or any flights resuming becomes available, an update on these flights will be provided. If you already have tickets for upcoming travel and/or have a question regarding travel with a specific airline, it is best to contact the airline directly as most are updating their flight schedules on a week by week basis. Should you be unable to use your current flight ticket we recommend postponing your travel to a later date.

All other information on the website Travel section has been updated to direct travellers back to the Covid-19 travel section: *The information provided below is valid under normal travel conditions, for current travel guidelines due to Covid-19, please find specific guidelines here.

And just as the Croatian National Tourist Board was quick to respond, so too it was quick to update the flight page according to the parameters it chooses to inform people. Jelsa had two airports this morning, now it has none. And one more obscure reference to an article in the Official Gazette has gone. 

Change is slow, painful and embarrassingly public in Croatia, but it is happening. Just this week, the Ministry of Tourism upgraded from fax numbers to email (the year is 2020), and someone at the Croatian National Tourist Board seems to understand that obscure references to articles in the Official Gazette are not the first thing tourists are looking for when they click on pages claiming to tell them how to get to Croatia. 

May 14, 2020 - Croatian Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli has revealed a new slogan about where tourists can stop to refuel or buy food on the way to their Croatian destination.

Index.hr reported that the European Commission has recommended the gradual and coordinated lifting of travel restrictions between the Member States or regions within them that have a similar epidemiological situation to save what can be saved from this year's tourist season.

Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli said in the show U Mreži Prvi on HRT that Croatia has very well and precisely prepared measures, in agreement with epidemiologists and associations of tourism workers, and that they have been incorporated into the guidelines of the European Commission.

"We were the first to mention bilateral. Opening borders depends on each individual member state, which will primarily negotiate with its neighbors, so we are talking to several countries, primarily Slovenia," Cappelli said and added that corridors have already been created that are recommended to tourists who come to Croatia, and these recommendations relate to where they can stop, refuel or buy food on the way to their destination.

"We have called this slogan 'From home to the destination'. From the moment they book a stay, they will receive this information," the minister said.

The Head of the Border Administration, Zoran Ničeno, emphasized that a difficult period is behind us in which, according to EU recommendations, we blocked traffic across the state border, which was great for a tourist country like Croatia.

"We have established coordination of police directors of countries in the wider region, namely Croatia, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, BiH and Serbia. We have video conferences every week in which we agree on exactly how the police will react in the new measures, and that refers to border crossings and returns back to the country," Ničeno said, adding that this is very important because each country has its own specifics.

He pointed out that not all measures had been lifted. Every person who enters the country is recorded and their personal data is taken, and they are acquainted with all the epidemiological instructions they receive at the border crossing.

"The borders are not open as before, but entering the country is under great epidemiological control," he stressed, adding that these measures will lead to significant congestion at the borders.

Cappelli also spoke for N1.

"Given the conditions, Croatia could have allowed flows at the border. With some limits. They can enter for a reason, provided we know where they are, what their address is. We have been waiting for EU instructions; our proposals have been implemented. We have hundreds a day, thousands of inquiries to enter Croatia," Cappelli told N1.

Upon returning to the country, Slovenes have to isolate themselves for seven days. The minister says negotiations are underway with Slovenia.

"I think that this will be resolved in the coming days by ministerial meetings, so that we will have a clear situation next week. Our epidemiologists have found each other, both have proposals. It will take 15-20 days to go through all this. It is realistic to expect that at the end of the month, we will have the right tourist flow, and without delay," said Cappelli, who spoke about this with the Slovenian minister.

"He begged me to find solutions. They have 110,000 homeowners and boats in Croatia. I don't see the difference when someone leaves Pozega and Zagreb or Novo mesto in Slovenia; the situation is unique," Cappelli said.

"We started because we have had very precise recommendations for all types of tourism for a month now. I warned that we would have quality, but not rigid measures. We made it known. We proved that we are very ready, maybe more than a lot of countries in the EU," Cappelli said.

He said we could generate up to 30 percent of last year’s revenue this year. Next year, he says, they could be at the level of 2018, and in 2022 the same tourist success could be achieved as in 2019.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

As Morski writes on the 14th of May, 2020, despite the coronavirus pandemic which has paralysed a significant part of economic activities across not only Croatia but the world, work on infrastructure projects on the islands of Zadar County is progressing according to plan.

On that occasion, Zadar County Prefect Bozidar Longin, accompanied by his associates, visited the construction sites of port infrastructure projects on the islands of Pasman and Ugljan - the new ferry port in Tkon, the rehabilitation of the waterfront in Mrljane, a fishing port in Vela Lamjana and the re-doing of the promenade and the Artina beach in Kali.

The Zadar County Port Authority is building a new ferry port in Tkon, which carries a total value of 45 million kuna. The third phase of construction, which is now underway, is worth about 30 million kuna alone, and this is the first port infrastructure project in the Republic of Croatia to be financed from European Union funds through the Competitiveness and Cohesion operational programme.

''The new ferry port will mark a significant step forward in the quality of transport for all residents and guests of the island of Pasman. The works should be completed by the end of 2021, with summer breaks included, and it is very important that there are no interruptions during the coronavirus crisis. Everything has been being carried out in full compliance with all of the prescribed epidemiological measures,'' said Prefect Bozidar Longin.

''This is one of the key development projects for the entire island of Pasman. With the new ferry port, we'll significantly raise the standard of the service provided, which will certainly be an additional contribution to the quality of life of the island population and the development of tourism,'' added the mayor of Tkon, Goran Muscet, who praised the level of cooperation with the Zadar County Port Authority and the contractors engaged in the work.

''In the new Tkon ferry port, a loading and unloading area and a boarding station will be built, a plateau of the pier that enables the loading and unloading of vehicles, an underwater culvert for sea water circulation between the outer and inner waters and a plateau for the boarding area and the car park,'' added Davor Skibola, the director of ZLU Zadar which, in addition to the works taking place in Tkon, is also implementing a European Union project to upgrade the port of Sali in the amount of 56.8 million kuna.

On the island of Pasman, the Zadar County Port Authority is also doing up the port of Mrljane, which is co-financed by the Municipality of Pasman and two national ministries - that of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, and the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds.

''The works started in 2019, and the total value is 4.2 million kuna. With great cooperation with Zadar County and the ministries of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, we're continuing this development cycle and creating new preconditions for the well-being of our residents,'' said Kresimir Cosic, Mayor of Pasman.

Bozidar Longin, accompanied by Kali's Marko Kolega, visited the works taking place at the fishing port in the bay of Vela Lamjana. It's worth noting that with the help of European Union and national funds, the fishing ports in oth Kali and Gazenica will be modernised and upgraded. The works in Kali have been going on for a little over a year now, and the public procurement procedure for the works in Gazenica is expected to be completed soon. Both projects are being implemented by the Zadar Port Authority, and are worth almost 60 million kuna.

''We're leading in the Adriatic sea in catching fish, but also in fish farming, and we bear the name of the Croatian county which fishes the most with very good reason. We want to take an additional step forward in improving the conditions for our fishermen, so we started building more modern infrastructure. With concrete examples, we're supporting the further development of fishing here, which has a long tradition in Zadar County, and is especially important to our islanders,'' emphasised the Zadar County prefect.

In addition to the fishing port, several other infrastructure projects are being implemented in Kali. Works on the promenade and Artina beach worth 2.7 million kuna are also in progress.

''With the project of the Artina promenade, we'll arrange a car park, a rest area for cyclists, and a promenade with a green belt and ecological lighting. This will be followed by the 'doing up' of the beach where we'll set up smart benches, playgrounds for children, and a ramp for the disabled. The works should be completed by July, and we're financing these works with our own funds and with the help of the Ministry of Regional Development, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, and Zadar County,'' said Marko Kolega, who announced that the construction of a roundabout in the area of Batalaza this autumn, which will be worth 3.9 million kuna.

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