ZAGREB, 17 Dec 2021 - Most Croatians plan to spend up to HRK 500 on Christmas presents, a survey carried out by Ja Trgovac magazine and the Hendal market research agency shows.

The survey, conducted in November on a representative sample of people aged above 16, revealed that 31.6 per cent of respondents would spend up to HRK 500 (€67) on Christmas gifts and 24 per cent up to HRK 200 (€27).

Nearly 21 per cent of those interviewed said they were not planning to buy any Christmas gifts this year, similar to last year when 22 per cent said the same.

This year's survey showed an increase in the number of people who would spend less on Christmas presents than last year, as 36.6 per cent of respondents said they would spend less for that purpose, compared to 33.5% in 2020.

On the other hand, the number of those planning to spend more also increased, from 3.9 per cent last year to 6.2 per cent this year. However, the proportion of the largest group, who say that they will spend the same as the previous year, fell from 62.6 per cent in 2020 to 57.0 per cent in 2021.

Around 59 per cent of respondents plan on buying Christmas gifts online, compared with 55 per cent last year.

The survey also showed that fewer and fewer people found pleasure in Christmas shopping. This year 41 per cent said they enjoyed it, down from 48 per cent last year.

The proportion of people who find Christmas shopping stressful increased to 22 per cent, while 37 per cent said that it gave them both stress and satisfaction.

About 10 per cent of those interviewed said they were planning on going on winter holidays or skiing trips, the same as last year.   

For more on lifestyle, follow TCN's dedicated page.

December 17, 2021 - Ever been to a party where the host is suing you? A foreign perspective of the annual Days of Croatian Tourism - aka Days of Croatian Self-Congratulation - conference, which reveals a lot about the way tourism in Croatia is run. 

I am not sure how to describe the annual late-season event known as Days of Croatian Tourism, which usually takes place in October at the end of the season, bringing together the great and the not so good of the official tourism bodies. The event almost always takes place on the coast in one of Croatia's top destinations (unless someone annoyingly pushes for it to be held in Slavonia, as happened in 2019).  The programme consists of a few (but not many) presentations (usually high-quality international speakers and topics) which are barely attended, nice hotels (which are full of tourism workers), dinners and cocktail parties, which are VERY well attended, and an evening of awards and self-congratulations broadcast live on national televsion. 

I find the event addictive and unmissable, as you can learn SO much about the realities of Croatian tourism from the way it is run, and who attends what.

And it is the only event I can think of where I learn about a new tourist 'destination' each year, as seemingly the most obscure village in Croatia will win a self-congratulatory award for something. 

Hardly anyone attends the actual quality presentations - why would you when there is coffee in the sun to be enjoyed - but I try and attend every one, as they are very instructive - for example Croatia Travel Trends for USA Market: Al Merschen Presentation on Hvar at Days of Croatian Self-Congratulation in 2018. 

For me personally, I find the event a strange one to be at. Apparently, I am seen by some as a divisive figure in Croatian tourism, and nowhere is this more in evidence than at Days of Croatian Self-Congratulation, which is co-organised by the Kingdom of Accidental Tourism, The Croatian Chamber of Economy, HRT television, and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, according to the official website.  

I will never forget entering the courtyard of Eltz Palace in Vukovar to the welcome drink at DCS-C 2019 (photo above), where I enjoyed the same three reactions I had encountered in Hvar Town the previous year. Many looked away to avoid me altogether, some who appreciated our work came to say hi, and a sizable group of official tourism workers who are normally very friendly and supportive looked the other way to avoid any contact in front of prying eyes. I am totally fine with that, and I don't judge. I have lived in Croatia long enough to know how things work. 

The Gala Awards night is unmissable, and it gives you an inkling of what a North Korean party convention must be like. So much self-congratulation and bombastic statements. Here is my favourite of the lot, from the legend that was Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli, who declared to the adoring faithful that...

Croatian is the best tourist destination in Europe! 

Huge cheers on this incredible success which was based on nothing more than the minister making up a soundbite. And while everyone else was cheering, I only caught sight of one other person prepared to make eye contact with me and mouth

What the F...?

Such things are normal at Days of Croatian Self-Congratulation. 

This year's event was announced late, very late. So late in fact that by the time it hit the official website (or at least very soon after), there were no places left. COVID measures were the reason, of course, but a number of hotels expressed their frustration to me that they were not even informed that the event was taking place until it was too late to apply. The only way to go was as an accredited journalist. 

I hesitated. 

This year's event was the other side of Dubrovnik, but I knew that I would be able to have some very productive meetings all in the same place with potential partners for our CROMADS project. But given that I was currently being sued by the Kings, who were one of the hosts of the event, how unpleasant would the reception be this time?

I decided to apply. Not surprisingly, there was no reply. 

When there was no reply the next day (the event was 4 days away) and no answer to my calls, I made a couple of phone calls and pulled in a favour and was told that of course I was welcome to come and that the Croatian National Tourist Board would be contacting me to confirm. And I did get an email from the official event email. It went like this:

Dear Sir,

you have already been put on the list to participate or otherwise you would have been notified. Registration is closed only for other participants and not media representatives.

I see. Welcoming official Croatian hospitality at its finest.

The programme was much more limited this year, but I decided to attend the seminars, especially as the first panel had some interesting speakers from TUI Nordic, easyJet Holidays, and Expedia. The theme of winter tourism in Split was an ongoing discussion on TCN. I doubted that I would be allowed to ask a question, but perhaps I could mingle with the speakers afterwards. 

As usual, the number of attendees was minimal. There was actually lots of space in the front row, so I placed myself there, so as to give myself a better position in the event of opportunities for questions.  

It was a fascinating panel, or at least I thought so. I found myself inadvertently sitting next to the Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, who spent most of the time on his phone before walking out of the panel halfway through.  

All this gave me an opportunity to ask questions after all. Nobody else had anything to ask, and so I got to ask a couple of questions on winter tourism. 

That led to some interesting discussions at DCS-C, which led to more discussions and the formulation of a plan.  

That plan resulted in this week's TCN Split Winter Tourism Roundtable at CHOPS Grill in Split, a high-energy event which was attended by (among others), the Mayor of Split, State Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the Split and Central Dalmatia Tourist Board directors, Split Airport, the Croatian Chamber of Economy, GMs of 5-star hotels, as well as tourism consultants and representatives from the hotel, hostel, restaurant and MICE sector. You can read more about it in Reflections on the First TCN Split Winter Tourism Roundtable. 

A positive initiative between the public and private sector. We all meet again next month.

I should point out that this lack of attendance listening to international experts who have been flown in at great cost is a normal thing at Croatian conferences. 

I pointed this out at the 2019 Croatia 365 conference in 2019. Above you see what they want you to see - the official photos from the opening session which accompany the press release. 

And this is the reality during the second session and the rest of the conference (Photo copyright Annoying Fat Blogger, the beneficiary of two ongoing SLAPP lawsuits). Read more in Creativity, Best Practices & Absenteeism at Croatia 365 Conference in Zagreb.

It was time to go the 2021 DCS-C first-day cocktail party. With a couple of pints in the system, I was ready to be the pariah in the room, knowing I could count on at least 3 people in the room if everyone turned their backs on me. It is poor form to socialise with a chap being sued by the host, after all. 

The first person I saw in the room was State Secretary for Tourism, Tonci Glavina (who also made an immense contribution to our Split roundtable this week), and he greeted me warmly, saying that Minister Brnjac wanted to say hello. 

And she did, and was very friendly. I let her get back to her duties, and I look forward to meeting her shortly to discuss certain initiatives by TCN, such as the Vukovar Card. 

I was very grateful for her support, and it was part of something interesting in that room. The number of people turning their backs on me this year was signiicantly less than before. Indeed, there were some tourist board directors I have never been able to speak to who came over to say hi and learn more about the CROMADS project.

Have you seen the CROMADS promo video yet?

Or the presentation of the CROMADS platform at VIP Day at Digital Nomad Week based in Bali last week? A new, sustainable approach to Croatian tourism, based on authentic experiences all over Croatia, 365 days a year.  

The level of support for the CROMADS platform at DCS-C was highly encouraging, both in words and financial commitments. But the other thing I noticed as I walked around the room talking to people is how little regard the national tourist board is held in these days by official tourism workers. A lot of people think that when I am criticising Croatian tourism bodies, I am attacking them all. I am not at all. The main focus of my criticism is the institution which is suing me - the Croatian National Tourist Board. To go to this year's event and hear not one good word said about the work they do (and plenty of complaints) tells its own story. 

Next year, I plan to start a new series on TCN called The Emperor's New Clothes: the Truth about the Croatian National Tourist Board. Some of the stuff I am learning is really quite extraordinary. It will probably result in more SLAPP lawsuits, but as I have the Legendica Extraordinaire, Croatia's leading media lawyer Vanja Juric on my side and providing me with excellent legal advice (including this article), I am not worried about those any more. 

And Vanja is also putting my lawsuits to good use. Here she is as a guest lecturer at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Zagreb recently, talking about the joys of representing journalists, publishers and fat bloggers. I did feel a little bit proud that she is using what one journalist called 'the biggest PR own goal in the history of the Croatian National Tourist Board' to good use as a case study. 

You can follow our legal journey in Diary of a Croatian Lawsuit here. The latest installment, Diary of a Croatian Lawsuit: Substitute Lawyer Miraculously Appears! is truly epic.

See you at Days of Croatian Self-Congratulation 2022! 

December the 17th, 2021 - The second largest city in Croatia, Split, has been placed on the La Dolce Vita Orient Express route, which will be excellent further exposure for the Dalmatian port city and the home of Hajduk.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, the La Dolce Vita Orient Express train, which is a luxury vehicle, launched 150 years ago by Georges Nagelmackers, will soon return to function in tourism, and Croatia will be on one of the future routes from Italy through as many as eight countries.

It is a luxury railway tourism project that is being realised in cooperation with the investors Arsenale SpA and the hotel Accor group, and the first train, La Dolce Vita, will welcome its first passengers in 2023.

The six trains will offer several itineraries, including three international destinations from Rome to Paris, Istanbul and Split. The concept of the new La Dolce Vita Orient Express trains pays homage to the historical period of glamour, joie de vivre and the famous artistic glow which encompassed Italy during the 1960s, and the journeys will be complemented by Accor Group hotel facilities at various train destinations.

Thus, the first Orient Express Minerva hotel will open in Rome in 2024. In Split, guests will be greeted by two Accor hotels, the boutique Hotel MGallery Fermai, which opened earlier this year, and the first Mövenpick hotel in the country, which plans to open with about 150 rooms in the spring of 2023 and will be ready for Orient Express train guests.

The Rome-Venice-Split route includes a trip along the coast, from Venice to Trieste, along the Dalmatian coast to Split, meaning that the La Dolce Vita Orient Express route will follow part of the historic route it once took. "The journey continues along the Dalmatian coast, overlooking the Adriatic sea and surrounding islands, and finally the train will arrive in the City of Split, a city known for its fine arts and culture," reads the announcement of the organisers.

The train, which is primarily designed to promote everything that bears the stamp "Made in Italy", is also promoted as an environmentally friendly adventure of "slow tourism", which explores forgotten roads, discovers hidden treasures and stunning architecture. Sustainability will also be implemented with the use of green and innovative technologies, such as hydrogen energy to reduce the impact on the environment, and the gastronomic offer will offer local products and wines.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

December the 17th, 2021 - A group of Sisak residents were left disgruntled and likely with weakened immune systems after attempting to do their civic duty and get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus but being told to go home after two hours standing in the cold and rain.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, a rather embarrassing situation occurred regarding vaccines for some Sisak residents recently when coronavirus vaccines ran out at one of the vaccination points on Saturday. This means that a good part of the people who came home for their second dose went home unvaccinated, as was told by an angry Sisak resident. The County Public Health Institute explained what happened.

Some people who came to get vaccinated at the mass vaccination point near in Sisak received a cold shower instead of their coronavirus vaccination. After more than two hours of waiting in the rain and cold, they were told the vaccine was gone.

"I was waiting for two hours only to finally come to the door and they tell me - there are no more vaccines. I didn't want to leave until they brought out a vaccine for me,'' a bitter young man from Sisak, who was supposed to receive his second dose on Saturday, told Dnevnik.hr. He arrived at the time he was given to come and be vaccinated, but it made no difference as he went home with still just the first dose having been injected.

"I told the lady who was vaccinating people there that they had written to me telling me to come that day. I had been waiting in the rain, wind and cold only to find out that there would be no vaccine. If I got my first dose on November the 13th, how can it be that ''my'' second dose wasn't waiting for me on the date they wrote down themselves? She told me it's not her fault, alright, but am I to blame either?'' asked this irritated Sisak local rhetorically.

Vaccination was eventually postponed

The epilogue of the story, says the young man, is that the vaccine for them will arrive - only next weekend.

"About ten of us are still standing here, I said to the epidemiologist - come on, here we are, just ten of us, write down our names, surnames and phone numbers and let us know when the vaccine comes for us. Tell these people to come at 08:00, 08:15 (it starts at nine otherwise) and we'll come. She said she can't do that. I said you see you can help us, but you don't want to. One of the people said the vaccine is coming on Wednesday, the other said they don't know if there will be a vaccine until Saturday,'' he concluded.

For more, check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

December the 17th, 2021 - The state has provided the Croatian Jadrolinija ferry company with a very handsome cash injection of 52 million kuna in order to try to get its severely hit liquidity and profitability back up given that the company has also fallen victim to the pandemic.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Suzana Varosanec writes, another victim of the global coronavirus pandemic has been the liquidity and stable business of the Croatian Jadrolinija ferry company, which the government saved with a recently made decision. It intervened with approved state aid of a massive 52 million kuna for the maritime company's uncovered fixed costs.

This will prevent the majority of negative effects being felt by the population and the economy, the maritime and tourism industries will feel it indirectly, while the positive effects will indirectly spread to other industries, the decision claimed.

The money is provided by the revised state budget for 2021 and projections for 2022 and 2023, within the position of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, the programme of state aid to the maritime sector, transport, transport infrastructure in the coronavirus pandemic, and subsidies to public companies facing ongoing difficulties. The aforementioned ministry has reported state aid to the European Commission (EC) and will allegedly then need to prove the compatibility of state aid with the rules on it.

The fact that the Croatian Jadrolinija ferry company is proverbially ''burning'', which was the word used recently, is an indication of the need for the urgent implementation of measures, and it has been pointed out that state aid should be granted by the end of 2021 to address the needs of Jadrolinija, in terms of immediate liquidity that has emerged in recent months due to the pandemic, when normal market functioning was severely disrupted by this public health crisis.

According to Minister Oleg Butkovic, this has all resulted in the lack of funds for regular business and maintenance operations for this company.

For more, check out our dedicated business section.

December the 17th, 2021 - The well known Rijeka JGL pharmaceutical company has been busy developing an innovative cold spray which various substances targetting rhinovirus, the predominant cause of colds in humans, which haven't ever been used before.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, the Rijeka JGL pharmaceutical company has teamed up in a partnership with the Centre for Proteomics of the Medical Faculty in Rijeka and with the scientific support of Biosens from Zagreb. This togetherness has resulted in the developing of an innovative ''Rino'' cold spray, with substances that have never been used in nasal sprays previously. The total value of the project stands at a massive 34.9 million kuna, and it is being co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund in the amount of 13.87 million kuna.

"This is a step forward for our company, since for the first time we're developing the product from the very beginning with substances that haven't been used in nasal sprays before, and which contribute to reducing the symptoms and progression of colds caused by rhinovirus, which is why we called it Rino spray. The project is also important because, as part of the strategy of ''smart specialisation'' of the Republic of Croatia, the thematic priority area "Health and Quality of Life" was chosen as one of the five key areas for the development of the Croatian economy.

With this project, we want to strengthen the position of our country, position ourselves as a European centre for the development and production of innovative health products through cooperation between production and research capacities of the private and public sector,'' said Masa Safundzic Kucuk, the director of research and development at the Rijeka JGL pharmaceutical company who is also the project manager. She also said that thanks to the help of the aforementioned fund, such projects don't put much pressure on the company's normal operations.

In-vitro product concept validation activities are underway to prove its safety and effectiveness, and experts from JGL and the Rijeka Medical Faculty are hoping for a roaring success in their product which will target the pesky rhinovirus, which is all too common of a bedfellow in winter.

"A team of scientists from the Centre for Proteomics of the Medical Faculty in Rijeka has been conducting scientific research in the field of immunology, virology, as well as research of new vector vaccines and immunotherapeutics, it's also participating in numerous national and international scientific projects with ambitious biotech and pharmaceutical companies like JGL. I'm convinced that the continuation of cooperation between the Faculty of Medicine and the Rijeka JGL pharmaceutical company on projects like this, as well as the expansion of cooperation in the direction of developing new immunotherapeutics will be of strategic interest to both partners.

Achieving this goal requires not only new investments through joint projects but also a vision of development based on the use of basic research results in creating new therapies or medical procedures,'' said Stipan Jonjic, head of the Department of Histology and Embryology and head of the Centre for Proteomics at the Medical Faculty of the University of Rijeka.

For more, check out our dedicated Made in Croatia section.

ZAGREB, 16 Dec 2021 - EU leaders on Thursday underlined the importance of vaccination in the fight against COVID-19, including a booster shot given the worrying Omicron variant.

The vaccination of all and receiving a booster shot is crucial and urgently necessary, according to European Council conclusions on the pandemic.

EU heads of state or government said it is crucial to overcome the suspiciousness about vaccination and to fight vaccine disinformation.

As to travel restrictions, the European Council called for coordinated efforts to respond to the situation based on available scientific evidence, and for imposing travel restrictions based on objective criteria, without undermining the single market or disproportionately disrupting free movement within the EU.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković told the press COVID certificates facilitated free movement this past summer and that this helped Croatia to record 90% of the numbers logged in the record tourism year 2019.

EU leaders called for the updated travel recommendations within the EU that the Commission published last month to be updated as soon as possible.

The Commission recommended a person-based approach, i.e. that a person with a valid digital COVID certificate should not be subjected to additional restrictions such as testing or quarantine.

Persons without a certificate could be required to get tested before or upon arrival.

The Commission also recommended that the certificates be valid nine months after the last vaccination.

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated section and select your preferred language if it isn't English.

Frane Selak was a music teacher from Croatia whose extraordinary fate gained him the nickname of the 'luckiest unlucky man on Earth'. The story of a man who cheated death seven times

How do you define luck? Surviving an accident, winning the lottery? Some would say it’s being at the right place at the right time, or perhaps, the wrong place at the wrong time and getting out unscathed anyway. There’s a man who’d been through it all - and then some.

Frane (Frano) Selak was a music teacher from Croatia whose incredible life story gained him the nickname of the luckiest unlucky man to have ever lived… or maybe the other way around. His fate was so extraordinary, the fact he married six times seems like a footnote in comparison to everything else he faced in his lifetime.

Selak was known as the man who looked death in the eye and lived to tell the tale… again and again, seven times in total.

Over four decades, Selak got into accidents involving almost every mode of transport known to man. Except a boat - in fact, that’s where he was born in 1929. His parents went fishing near Dubrovnik; his mother, seven months pregnant at the time, went into labour prematurely and gave birth on the boat before they could get back to the shore.

From that point on, facts get a little murky. Selak’s life story has been shared online often and becomes more colourful the more you look into it, but given the nature of the events at hand, it’s understandable that a few details might have been a bit exaggerated at times.

Even so, it’s a fascinating tale which mostly holds true and we’re not here to nitpick the man’s legacy - here’s how he claims it all went down:

Frane Selak had his first brush with death in 1957, when a bus he was on swerved off the road and into a river. Both Selak and the bus driver managed to get out of the bus and they swam to shore. Selak later stated that Ahmet the driver never got behind the wheel without half a bottle of rakija in his system, but was an excellent driver nonetheless. In fact, they both had a shot of rakija before they boarded the bus, and the purpose of the trip was to go get a couple more rounds in the first place. They both survived the accident with a few minor cuts and bruises.

Disaster struck again in 1962 on a train ride from Sarajevo to Dubrovnik. A boulder fell on the tracks, causing the train to jump off the rails and crash into the icy river Neretva. Selak managed to break the compartment window and get out of the coach, also saving the life of an acquaintance who was travelling with him. Both were pulled out of the river by the residents of the nearby village and Selak only suffered a broken arm and hypothermia. Seventeen other passengers died in the wreckage.

In 1963, Selak got on a charter flight from Zagreb to Rijeka to visit his mother who had fallen ill. The flight was fully booked, but he explained he was having a family emergency and managed to convince the crew to take him on. He was sitting in the rear of the plane, next to a flight attendant named Rozika.

Not far from the destination airport, the plane suffered a technical malfunction and started losing altitude, finally crashing into a boulder.

The plane door was blown off before the crash, and Selak got sucked out of the plane at a height of 800m - despite all odds, he landed in a haystack which saved his life. Rozika survived as well, while all other passengers died in the crash. Selak, quite understandably, never got on a plane again.

Forgoing public transport didn’t help. In 1970, Selak was driving a car when it suddenly caught fire. He managed to leave the car and get to a safe distance seconds before the flames reached the fuel tank.

In 1973, another car ride went awry. While Selak was driving, a malfunctioning fuel pump leaked hot oil into the engine, resulting in flames which shot up through the air vents. While most of his hair was singed away, Selak did not sustain any other injuries.

In 1995, he was hit by a bus in Zagreb. Again, no serious injuries.

A year later, a UN truck almost crashed into Selak’s car on a mountain road. Selak avoided the collision by swerving at the very last moment and crashed into a guardrail. The fence gave way and his car fell into the ravine, some 100 metres below.

Selak, however, wasn’t wearing a seatbelt at the time - he reportedly never used one again after the tragic plane crash. He jumped out of the car window, clinging onto a tree on a slope right before the vehicle tipped over and crashed.

This was the last of near-fatal disasters Selak experienced in his lifetime, but not the last time he pushed the limits of fate. You see, Selak chanced playing the lottery after everything he went through. Turns out, Fortune really does favour the bold.

A few days after he turned 73, Selak won a 6,5 million kuna jackpot (around €900,000). He bought a house and a holiday home, then generously shared the rest of his winnings with friends and family. He reportedly bought and gifted 25 cars and lent money to a lot of people - most of which, as it usually goes, he never saw again. It didn’t turn him bitter, and he occasionally joked he didn’t really have a business mind.

He passed away in 2016, at 86 years of age. In the last decade or so, Selak became somewhat of an internet celebrity, and you’ll see his life story resurface every couple of years. Apart from the Croatian media, Selak’s incredible fate was picked up by the BBC and The Guardian, as well as many smaller blogs and forums.

A YouTube channel called This & That Visuals turned his life story into an animated feature which was seen over 3 million times since the video was published in 2014. This particular instance seemed to have irked Selak the most, as he didn’t like how the video was done and wasn’t happy that others were profiting from the hard times he’d been through without his input. He said at the time, ‘Americans have no clue. They gave me a moustache and got all my accidents mixed up.’

On our part, we hope we didn’t get anything mixed up in this feature. All the events are listed as Selak himself described them in an interview with Jutarnji in 2014, and we hope we did justice to his extraordinary tale.