July 13, 2021 - The largest tourism project currently being built in Croatia, Petram Resort and Residences, is located at the northernmost point of the Croatian coast, on the border with Slovenia and Italy, at the Alberi location in Savudrija in northwestern Istria.

However, this is also a huge real estate project, reports Jutarnji List.

The complex will have 252 luxury properties - 55 tourist villas, an aparthotel with 179 holiday apartments, and 18 residential apartments. According to the announcements, everything is conceived on top design ahead of trends, sustainable construction, new materials, fragrant Mediterranean horticulture, and open views, combined with an innovative concept of resort maintenance and real estate management. It is the first resort for housing and vacation of its kind in Croatia and the region.

"It will be possible to leave the care of the property completely to the resort and thus ensure a carefree vacation, but also to improve and return the investment. It will be a ubiquitous, almost invisible service worthy of a five-star hotel," announced investors MK Group and Aleksandar Group.

This resort will offer a closed community holiday with all amenities and services at your fingertips and concierge service 24 hours a day. It will offer a combination of sea, greenery, thoughtful and top design, sports facilities, and wellness. In addition, it will have a striking infinity rooftop pool, garden pools, swimming pool, children's park, and restaurants.

3D MODUS

Surrounded by the sea as far as the eye can see, Petram Resort & Residences will be an ideal location for hedonists. The big advantage is good connections, as it is close to several airports and a few hours drive from many cities.

"We are talking to LAD 1 studio architects Lotus Group Maja Bručić and Eva Cotman. We were interested in the contents of the resort because a large infinity pool on the roof is mentioned as an attraction. It will be the largest and most beautiful outdoor roof pool you can imagine, 105 meters long, the second-longest in the world, on which our top statisticians worked," says Maja Bručić.

There will also be a fine-dining restaurant on the roof of the aparthotel. The garden pool is located next to a modern Italian restaurant on one side and a steak house with Istrian specialties. There is also a swimming pool surrounded by Mediterranean scents created for lazy mornings, active days, and afternoons full of sun and relaxation, an outdoor swimming pool and children's park, swimming pools with facilities for children, and golf courses nearby.

3D MODUS

"The resort will have 55 tourist villas, 12 of which with their own infinity roof pools and another 43 modern villas perfectly blended into the Mediterranean climate in which they are located. High construction standards will allow immersion in a beautiful environment and ensure privacy, luxury, and peace. The buyer of the villa chooses one of the three types of decoration, the one that best suits their sensibility," explains the architect Bručić.

In addition to villas, there are 18 apartments in apartment buildings and 179 tourist apartments in the main building, the apart-hotel, ranging from studios to three-bedroom.

"Flats and apartments will be modern, with open views and the right dose of luxury and privacy, which will allow undisturbed enjoyment of all occasions. Each property will choose an interior design package that suits the style and sensibility of future owners. It will also be possible to choose a maintenance package," explains Eva Cotman.

Apart from the fact that the architects were committed to using top local materials that are in harmony with the climate and originate from it, they also paid attention to horticultural landscaping that is indigenous, lush, and full of colors.

"We strived to achieve the ideal combination of respect for Mediterranean construction and horticulture while leaving a sufficiently open view of the sea and the environment that surrounds us, which reflects our commitment to sustainable construction. The whole complex is energy class A+, with quality thermal insulation and renewable energy sources. The heating and cooling and hot water preparation system are designed with cranes that use energy from renewable sources and thus significantly increase energy savings and reduce the harmful impact on the environment, especially air and water," says Maja Bručić and adds that they pay attention to sorting and separate waste collection and use waste air recovery.

Schuco brand windows and doors are made of aluminum frames with an interrupted thermal bridge, with double-glazed insulating glass, which is also low-energy and has a thermoreflex coating. This allows the residences to have large glass surfaces with open views without affecting the increased energy consumption.

The investor, Čista voda project, is an Istrian company, and the Petram Resort and Residences project is implemented in cooperation with well-known investors MK Group and Aleksandar Group. MK Group is one of the leading holding companies in agriculture, tourism, and banking in Southeast Europe. In its more than 25 years of operation on the Serbian market, Aleksandar Group has built hundreds of thousands of square meters of residential and commercial space. LAD 1 studio is in charge of designing, supervising, and managing the project, and the Lotus Group is the brand of that company.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

July 13, 2021 -  The Ultra Europe return may happen as soon as next year, as organizer Joe Bašić speaks of its importance to Split. 

If the Ultra Europe festival had not been postponed for the second time in a row last weekend, Split would have been the center of international entertainment again, according to the organizers of this festival, which brought world-famous DJ stars and thousands of guests to Split.

Ultra Europe could be organized next year, however still under special measures. This was announced by the organizer of the Ultra Europe music festival, Joe Bašić, who also told Radio Split that DJs are working hard in the studios in the meantime, reports Slobodna Dalmacija.

"Considering everything that is happening in the world, I think that we will definitely bring Ultra back to Croatia next year. I am convinced that the pandemic will be under control and that these measures, COVID passports, testing, and more will be part of our story, but will enable us to hold the festival still," said Bašić about Ultra in Split.

The pandemic has thwarted plans for the festival again this year, but intensive preparations for 2022 are already underway.

"We will certainly pay more attention around the guests themselves; the measures will play a big role. I am convinced that through this year, all the countries of the world will prepare for such a life, we will not get rid of COVID, but we will have to learn to live with it. We, as the organizers of the largest festival in the world - Ultra, have the opportunity to prepare everything at a level that will enable the arrival of this large number of people again in Split," he said.

He also commented on the significance of the festival for Split, but also for the whole country.

"Ultra Europe was the engine of development of Split and Croatia, as far as the destination is concerned. It also attracted people who would not otherwise come to Croatia. However, I think that there is definitely a shortage of guests worldwide, especially in Split. Renters, hoteliers, and the airport all comment on how much Ultra is missing and that it is essential to return those numbers from 2019," claims Bašić.

Meanwhile, he says, the performers are not resting.

"We are in touch with all the DJs and artists we work with. They definitely miss live performances. Now they are more in their studios, but they can't wait to come to Croatia again for Ultra Europe. We will do our best to bring the Ultra Europe Festival back to Croatia in 2022; I believe in that. The energy that we have all experienced in the last seven years in Split, I believe that it will return, that the whole world will dance with us again in Croatia," concluded Joe Bašić.

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

July the 13th, 2021 - As many as 25,000 Croatian employers have returned the job preservation grants provided to them by the government in an attempt to minimise economic damage caused by the ongoing pandemic.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, there is an ongoing debate here in Croatia as to how the government intends to implement its intention to link the payment of job preservation subsidies for the month of July to vaccinations, ie COVID passes/certificates.

The proposal has been unpopular to date, as it seems difficult to imagine that the powers that be might leave those who haven't yet been vaccinated out in the cold financially as a way to turn their hand.

There are still many unknowns about how the government intends to actually implement its plan. For example, there is no clear answer to the question of what one does with a worker who has a COVID certificate at the time of an inspection because they have a valid negative test, and not because they've been fully vaccinated or have evidence of recovery.

Since March last year, when it made the decision on providing very generous aid to the economy, the government has moved the goalposts, both in the sense of the conditions and the amounts. Given that the measure was adopted urgently, the conditions under which the support could and couldn't be obtained, or if Croatian employers would have to repay it had to be determined along the way.

The reimbursement of aid was a factor each time a new obstacle to its use was added, and 25,154 Croatian employers have had to repay the aid in part or in full from the beginning of its use to date.

By the middle of last week, a total of 11.034 billion kuna had been paid out to Croatian employers in the form of aid for job preservation, and more than 25,000 such employers had returned almost 255.8 million kuna of that same aid, according to data that Novi list received from the Croatian Employment Service.

This means that so far, Croatian employers have returned 2.3 percent of the state aid or every 43 kuna provided by the state to help them during the pandemic.

For more, make sure to follow our dedicated busness section.

July the 13th, 2021 - Croatian tourist agencies have been among the hardest hit in the country throughout the pandemic, with forced closures, difficulties with travel and tourism on a global scale and feeling forgotten about by the government when it comes to aid. The latter is finally about to change, and not a moment too soon.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, on Friday last week, the Ministry of Tourism and Sport announced a public call for small grants to help out Croatian tourist agencies and travel organisers, for which 36 million kuna has been provided from the state budget.

The grants are being given to Croatian tourist agencies to reimburse part or all of their already paid operating costs, provided that the total amount of support doesn't exceed 10,000 kuna per employee in any given tourist agency, and compared to the average number of employees per year for 2020, as explained by the press release.

The Ministry noted that the Croatian Government has adopted a programme to help coronavirus affected economic activities from the transport sector, tourism sector and the cultural and artistic events industry to start and normalise current operations due to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic, continuing with various aid measures for affected sectors, including tourism.

The goal of the programme is, as previously stated, to contribute to the start-up and normalisation of current operations due to the pandemic, through a one-time state aid measure of small value.

These grants can be applied for and received by Croatian tourist agencies which suffered a decline in operating revenues compared in pandemic dominated 2020 when to 2019 of at least 75 percent, and which are categorised as small businesses (medium, small and micro companies outside of the public sector, as well as obrts (crafts).

For more on Croatian companies and other similar news, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

July the 13th, 2021 - Croatian vaccine problems are of course continuing. This time, thankfully, those who are NOT insured in Croatia (through HZZO) will be able to get their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on the 14th and 16th of this month. But, there's always a but...

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, people who turn up at the “Dr. Andrija Stampar'' School of Medicine (Zagreb) will be able to get vaccinated against COVID-19 on July the 14th and 16th, from 16:00 to 19:00, without needing an invitation or booking in advance, and on Wednesday, July the 14th, after vaccination, they will be able to enjoy a free concert by Tango Appassionato if they so wish.

Those who need to receive their second dose can also come for vaccination in this way, and, perhaps more importantly, those who are for whatever reason not insured by HZZO can also come to receive their first or second dose. 

The above marks a turnaround from the previous attitude of only those who are insured by HZZO being able to get the vaccine. There are many reasons a Croatian citizen or legal resident might not be covered by HZZO due to the obstacles and issues many people face when trying to straighten out their health insurance, and it's refreshing to see that the powers that be who are providing the vaccine during a global pandemic understand that this should absolutely not be a prerequisite to receive it.

Those who are in limbo in regard to HZZO will now be freed from that one Croatian vaccine problem, but might face another in the form of, you guessed it, paperwork.

"Everyone who came for their second dose has how had their second dose. We're also vaccinating those who don't have Croatian health insurance (HZZO) now, but they cannot get a covid certificate at this moment in time. At the moment, those certificates can only be obtained by HZZO insured persons, but I believe that the regulations will do their job. Those who are vaccinated will be entered in the records, but they just cannot get a confirmation yet,'' said Dr. Mirjana Kujundzic Tiljak.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and choose your preferred language.

July the 13th, 2021 - The Zadar region has been deemed a potential risk as Austrian tourists are warned to be careful by a popular Austrian publication.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, under the headline “Atlas for a holiday trip”, the Österreich newspaper provides its readers with an overview of the epidemiological situation and the current coronavirus figures for coronavirus and its various different strains for all EU member states, as well as for the US and Turkey.

On Saturday, under the headline "Holidays in danger" and the subtitle "Croatia-Alarm in the Zadar region", the paper warns Austrian tourists to properly inform themselves before taking a trip to Croatia and other popular sea holiday destinations about the situation in the specific region they have chosen, writes Vecernji list.

''While the incidence in Istria is somewhere close to zero, Germany has assessed the Zadar region as a high-risk area. In general, the share of the delta coronavirus variant in new cases of infection is already around 54.5 percent, which is worrying,'' writes Österreich.

The publication further informs Austrians that Spain has reintroduced its curfew, that the number of new cases of infection with new strains in Portugal have "exploded", that Cyprus is again a high-risk area, that Turkey is inaccessible, that Greece is struggling with an increase in incidence, while Italy has already cancelled their previous British welcome thanks to the delta variant's introduction into the country.

Under the headline "Croatia: One region with increased numbers" on Sunday, the Austrian daily again writes about the "slight increase in cases of delta infection in the Zadar region" which, as repeated, already accounts for 54.5 percent of all new cases in that entire Dalmatian county.

Not only the Austrian media, but also the authorities in the Austrian Government are closely monitoring the development of the situation with the spread of the delta variant in their immediate neighbourhood, but also here in Croatia, the most popular tourist destination for Austrian tourists.

They're more than aware that the most troublesome situation with regard to coronavirus in Croatia is indeed in the Zadar region, but they are also following epidemiological measures taken by the Croatian National Civil Protection Headquarters to prevent the spread of the delta strain through the Zadar region and its surroundings, such as a ban on concerts and similar events without visitor control.

For more, follow our travel section.

July 12, 2021 - Sonus returns to Croatia with a packed lineup on Pag next year!

At Sonus, the music runs from dusk till dawn for five days and nights. You dance by the beach, gaze out to sea and have a gorgeous sun beating down from above before the sky turns to flames and darkness falls. After two Covid-enforced years off, one of Europe's most iconic summer festivals finally returns from 21st - 25th August 2022 with its most alluring line-up yet.

Once again you can expect world-class international guests like a special, mouthwatering back-to-back set between the dream team duo of Ricardo Villalobos and Zip. There will be first-ever Sonus sets from Bulgarian KiNK who plays live, as well as DJ sets from global hitmaker FISHER, UK tastemaker Michael Bibi plus Giorgia Anguili (live), and 999999999. There will be edgy new-school stars like Kobosil, Reinier Zonneveld (live), IMOGEN, and Paula Temple all present forward-thinking techno. Ever reliable global headliners such as Amelie Lens, Sven Väth, and Dixon bring their years of knowledge and skill, and there are more than 30 other names including Loco Dice, Maceo Plex, Patrick Topping, Chris Liebing, ANNA, Rødhåd, Ben Klock, Jamie Jones, Sonja Moonear, Richie Hawtin and Seth Troxler also set to headline. 

Sonus is presented by Time Warp and We Love Sound. World-renowned for being one of the most carefully considered Summer underground festivals, It always attracts an in-the-know and international audience of real music lovers. This highly anticipated eighth edition will go down across the lively Zrce Beach in Novalja, Croatia. This is a naturalistic haven and untapped beauty spot with a rich array of local cultures and customs and breathtaking scenery as well as plenty of more quiet spots to explore and enjoy between dancing. 

Three coastal clubs Aquarius, Kalypso, and Papaya provide the locations for endless dancing, with world-class sound systems, open-air dance floors, lush sun-loungers, and uninterrupted views of the calming sea and meandering coastline. Of course, you can also expect some famous boat parties for up close and personal parties as you sail atop the twinkling seas. 

The countdown is finally on to Sonus 2022. It is a unique five days where classy electronic music, welcoming music lovers and a beautiful location all make for an unforgettable experience. 

Tickets, Accommodation & Information: 

https://www.sonus-festival.com/

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

ZAGREB, 12 July, 2021 - Introducing mandatory vaccination against coronavirus has more and more often been mentioned in public, and some of the left-of-centre Opposition lawmakers have hinted at their possible support to the relevant legislative solution, the Večernji List daily reported on Monday.

Peđa Grbin, the leader of the SDP, the strongest opposition party, was quoted by the VL daily as saying that the good wording and explanation of the legislation based on the scientific findings, would probably convibce him to raise his hand for the legislation introducing the compulsory vaccination against this infections disease.

President Zoran Milanović has already said that he will find the mandatory vaccination acceptable provided that it is supported by a two-third majority in the parliament.

Sanja Barić, a law professor specialised in constitutional jurisprudence,insists that before adopting such law by supermajority it is necessary to declare a natural catastrophe which will make it possible for the parliament to adopt a law concerning the restriction of the human rights in extraordinary circumstances.

On the other hand, members of the parliament from the Opposition conservative parties -- the Bridge and the Homeland Movement -- seem to be disinclined to support the introduction of compulsory vaccination against COVID-19.