July 7, 2021 - One of the most moving stories about a father's promise to his son adds a new chapter to its pages, after a year on hiatus from the pandemic. ''Ribafish'' has started in Brodarica the second stage of the heartwarming project RokOtok, in memory of his son Rok.

After last year's break caused by the pandemic, this weekend started the second phase of the famous praiseworthy project RokOtok, a cheerful summer swimming and educational marathon Domagoj Jakopović Ribafish launched two years ago in memory of his prematurely deceased son Rok. ''Ribafish'' decided to fulfill the promise he made to Rok: that he would visit all 50 Croatian inhabited islands. But he also fulfills the promise he made to himself that he would swim to all our islands and hang out with the children and educate them.

"When I swim, he is with me and it's easier that way. RokOtok is dedicated to my son Rok and when the body can no longer and when the brain can no longer, there are emotions, I swim for him. I promised him that we would visit all 50 islands together and with this, I am trying to fulfill that promise", said Domagoj Jakopović Ribafish on Saturday, a few moments before the start of the second stage of the RokOtok project.

Domagoj Japoković, better known as ''Ribafish'', last Saturday in Brodarica before starting the second stage of the RokOtok. (Dusko Jaramaz/PIXSELL)

RokOtok received an award from the Ministry of the Sea, Transport, and Infrastructure for its contribution to the promotion of maritime culture, and was named the most beautiful story of the summer of 2019. This year, the story goes further. The second of the three phases of the project began on July 3 at 9 a.m. with departure from Brodarica for the island of Krapanj. This year's planned stage will be about 60 kilometers long, will connect 17 islands, and finally end on July 27 at 6 pm in Ugljan. After reaching the island, Ribafish will convey to large and small residents of the islands of Šibenik-Knin and Zadar County why it is important to protect nature and the environment, will organize beach cleaning, and an interactive and stimulating search for "treasure". Educational games in nature have also been designed to raise awareness of the problem of spending too much time in front of screens and mobile phones.

When this project was launched two years ago, not so many positive reactions were expected at the locations it swam to. In the first phase, he swam all the planned sections in the length of a hundred kilometers and connected 17 islands. On some of these islands, he was not even experienced, and somewhere he was greeted like a rock star.

In the first strokes of this year's route, Ribafish was accompanied by Dubravko Dudo Šimenc, a celebrated member of the water polo team, in a dual role. Not only are they friends, but Šimenc was also there as a representative of the Croatian Tourist Board.

The first two stages of this year's venture were organized in partnership with the associations "Tatavaka" and "Together for Krapanj" which, together with the City of Šibenik and island tourist boards, launched the initiative "For an archipelago without plastic". The successful project "Zlarin without plastic" is spreading to other islands, and Domagoj Jakopović Ribafish becomes an ambassador and supporter of this initiative.

The section from Brodarica to Krapanj with Ribafish was swum by about sixty people, and about 120 kids gathered at the reception on the beach in front of the Spongiola Hotel. (Dusko Jaramaz/PIXSELL)

At dawn, Ribafish from Krapanj continued towards Zlarin in the company of Tonći Lokas, and upon arrival in Zlarin, they were greeted by about seventy children. On the third day, Ribafish swam to the island of Prvić, the island of the visionary Faust Vrančić, where he was greeted by about fifty children, and on Tuesday he swam a very demanding section from Prvić to Kaprije.

Ribafish invites all residents of the islands of the Šibenik and Zadar archipelagos to join it this summer in another edition of RokOtok, but also to adhere to the epidemiological measures set by the Croatian Civil Protection Headquarters. He tells everyone to stay in nature as much as possible, to protect it and not to further "injure" the only planet that allows us blue skies, green grass, clear water, and fresh air.

The second stage of the #RokOtok project was supported by many sponsors, the Zadar County, and the Croatian National Tourist Board. More information about the #Rokotok project, plans, and activities, the second stage, or volunteering and promotion, can be found on the official website of the association.

Source: Turističke priče

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July 7, 2021 -  Three new routes are postponed while the number of rotations on two existing lines to the UK is reduced at the Ryanair Zadar base. 

Although Ryanair officially opened its base in Zadar at the beginning of July, announcing 78 weekly flights to 37 destinations, 17 of which are new, by the middle of the first working week, the largest European airline had to postpone the start of three new routes and reduce the number of rotations on two existing lines to the UK, reports Zadarski.hr.

The lines to Edinburgh, Newcastle, and Liverpool, which were supposed to be established from the first of July, have been postponed until the beginning of September, and the number of rotations on the lines to Manchester and London Stansted has been reduced from four to two a week.

Ryanair did not publish the information on postponing the lines on its official website, though it was learned by people in Zadar who booked tickets for Edinburgh in July and August. The company informed them that the lines were canceled, and reservations were not accepted until September.

"Ryanair has postponed the start of certain routes to the UK, so instead of July 1, the routes to Edinburgh and Liverpool, which were supposed to fly twice a week, and Newcastle, which was supposed to go once a week, will start on September 1. In addition, the lines to Manchester and London Stansted are already running but have been reduced from four to two weeks of rotation," confirmed Nikola Barač from Zadar Airport.

Although they are not sure at Zadar Airport why there was a delay and reduction of flights to Great Britain, they assume that the reason is the epidemiological restrictions that await all passengers upon arrival.

"Ryanair has not informed Zadar Airport of the reasons for the reduction of flights to the UK. However, since passengers must be in a ten-day quarantine upon arrival in the UK, it can be assumed that the cause of the decline in interest in these flights is the epidemiological measures in force in the UK," Zadar Airport points out.

The news of postponing Ryanair's flights to Great Britain in July and August resonated negatively in the Zadar area, which has been developing its tourist offer for the last ten years thanks to the guests of low-cost airlines. The Association of Private Accommodation Landlords president in Zadar, Daniel Radeta, was surprised by the information.

"It is definitely a blow for this tourist season in which we have already gone deep. There is no going back. This is devastating information given the circumstances, more precisely the new bans introduced by the Civil Protection Headquarters, and concern only Zadar County," said Radeta, adding that "northern" tourists are among the best when it comes to spending power. He believes that the delay in flights will definitely lead to the cancellation of reservations in private accommodation.

"When it comes to Zadar County, the British make up a substantial share of tourists precisely because of the connection via airlines. In addition, they are among the largest consumers, so the delay of flights in July and August, the two strongest months of the season, will definitely affect the season result. It will certainly not be what we thought," Radeta points out, adding that this move by Ryanair is not only a blow to renters but the entire tourism sector in the area of ​​Zadar, but also neighboring counties where Ryanair's guests went. Therefore, he points out that the tourist boards should have put more effort into facilitating the arrival of guests in Zadar and how to ensure their safe arrival and departure, at least in the form of a rapid antigen test. "This would make a difference compared to other destinations in the country," says Radeta, who also referred to the latest decision of the Headquarters on the ban on holding concerts and similar events in places where it is not possible to keep records of guests.

"Such decisions greatly affect tourists who thought to visit our county. Before arriving at a destination, tourists read about what is happening there, and according to the headquarters' decisions, they think that we are falling on the road because of COVID-19. The tourist community now only cares about its program, which until recently they did not even have, and they should worry about attracting tourists to our destination. Now the most important thing for them is that their festivals are held at the Forum. Some have the right to everything, and some to nothing," Radeta estimates.

The Zadar County Tourist Board director, Mihaela Kadija, did not have information about the cancellation of lines for Great Britain during the two peak summer months.

"I am sorry, but I am not surprised by such a decision of the airline due to the epidemiological restrictions that some countries have for their own and other citizens. Even before July 1, when they officially opened their base in Zadar, Ryanair had 13 open flights from Zadar. Still, the aviation industry is specific, and in such pandemic, conditions are susceptible to any changes," said Kadija, who does not think that due to fewer arrivals, guests from the UK season be less successful.

Guests from the UK are always welcome, but I don’t think they will significantly affect the season's success. Our traditional markets are Germany, Austria, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Poland. Those markets are stable for now, and I don’t think this flight delay will have an overly negative impact on this year’s tourism results.

The introduction of restrictive measures by the Zadar headquarters due to the growing number of new cases is also welcomed.

"That was the right and the only possible decision in the current situation of increasing the number of newly infected. When we had about 20 patients daily, Germany put us on the orange list. After that, the number of patients per day rose to 40 and more. Normally we should not allow such a spread of infection because our guests are looking for safety, not risk, and places where measures are not being followed. That is why I welcome the decision of the staff. If people adhere to the measures, we have the opportunity to have a great season," said Kadija, emphasizing that the number of guests in June was over 40 percent higher than last year at the same time. July.

As of July 1, 37 destinations were available from Zadar on Ryanair's direct flights, of which 17 were new.
Austria: Vienna; Belgium: Brussels Charleroi; Czech Republic: Prague; Denmark: Aarhus; France: Paris Beauvais, Marseille; Germany: Berlin, Bremen, Cologne, Dusseldorf Weeze, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Memmingen; Hungary: Budapest; Ireland: Dublin; Italy: Bari, Bologna, Milan Bergamo, Naples, Rome Ciampino; The Netherlands: Eindhoven, Maastricht; Poland: Gdansk, Krakow, Poznan, Warsaw, Wroclaw; Romania: Bucharest; Sweden: Gothenburg, Stockholm Skvasta, Vaxjo; United Kingdom: Edinburgh, Liverpool, London Stansted, Manchester, Newcastle.

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

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

July 7, 2021 - HRK 8 million has been allocated for Croatian promotion through international sports events and Croatian athletes. 

Members of the Croatian National Tourist Board at the 79th online session adopted a Decision on selecting partners and approving funds for marketing cooperation with organizers of international sports events and top Croatian athletes in 2021. HRK 8 million gross has been approved for the implementation of mentioned collaborations with selected partners. The session was chaired by the Minister of Tourism and Sports and the President of the Croatian Tourist Board Nikolina Brnjac in the presence of the Croatian Tourist Board director Kristjan Staničić, reports HRTurizam. 

As director Staničić pointed out, out of the total of 8 million, the amount of 4.3 million was approved for cooperation with top Croatian athletes and national sports federations, while 3.7 million was approved for marketing cooperation with organizers of international sports events.

"In addition to maintaining a high level of security, which in these circumstances is a basic prerequisite for the realization of tourist traffic, a very important part in creating content in destinations is having quality and attractive events. To this end, funds will be allocated for marketing cooperation with organizers of sports events that bring a large number of competitors and audiences to Croatia, as well as Croatian athletes and sports federations whose successes and performances around the world significantly contribute to the promotion and visibility of Croatia as a tourist country," said director Staničić.

Thus, in the category of athletes and sports federations, cooperation was approved with the Croatia water polo team, volleyball team, judo team, brothers Martin and Valent Sinković, brothers Šime and Mihovil Fantela, Sandra Perković, Tonči Stipanović, Dino Levačić, and others, while in the category of organizers of international sports events, the cooperation was approved for ATP Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag, CRO Race, Pannonian Challenge, WACT Zagreb 2021, Hanžeković Memorial, and Ivan Ivančić Memorial.

“With this Decision, we approved 18 collaborations in the category of organizers of sports events and 12 in the category of top athletes and sports federations. By providing support to sports events, athletes, and sports federations, we emphasize their value for the promotion of the Republic of Croatia. Apart from the sporting significance, all these events contribute to the quality and diversity of the tourist offer, while the successes of our athletes are an additional invitation to come to our country. I call on all event organizers to take maximum responsibility and respect for epidemiological measures because a good epidemiological situation is a key to the further interest of guests and the success of the tourist season," said Minister Brnjac.

Members of the council also adopted the decision to extend applications in the category of TOP events of the Call for expressions of interest for marketing cooperation with the organizers of TOP events in 2021, which will be open from July 7 to 21, 2021.

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE. 

July 7, 2021 - Croatian duo Nikola Mektić and Mate Pavić are in the Wimbledon doubles semifinals! 

The best doubles team in the world, Nikola Mektić and Mate Pavić advanced to the semifinals of Wimbledon after a big turnaround and a 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory against the winner of this 2017 tournament, Polish player Lukasz Kubot and Brazilian Marcelo Melo, after three hours and 40 minutes of play.

Mektić and Pavić, who have already won seven tournaments from nine appearances in the finals this year, remained in the game to win their first joint Grand Slam title. Recall, the Croatian team was stopped in the semifinals in Australia and didn't play at Roland Garros due to positive COVID-19 tests. And after the first hour and a half of this duel, it looked like their trip to Wimbledon would end in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, both of them struggled when serving and often made double faults. Pavić lost the serve in the sixth game of the first and Mektić in the third game of the second set. 

It was enough for Kubot and Melo to take a 2-0 lead in the sets as they were not faced with a single break point in the first two sets.

However, in the third set, the situation began to change. Pavić saved the break point at 3-3, and Mektić two at 4-4, after which they had a break to secure the third set. Mektić brilliantly hit the return on Kubot's serve on the set point. It was a sign that Mektić and Pavić became a better duo on the court.

There were no breaks in the fourth set, although Mektić and Pavić had as many as five chances with the 4-3 lead on Kubot's serve, three of which were played. However, in the tie-break, Mektić and Pavić made it 5-0 and calmly brought the match to an end.

Mektić and Pavić were 4-4 at the beginning of the 5th set and Mektić brought the duel to an end with his serve.

In the semifinals, Mektić and Pavić will play against the winner Juan Sebastian Cabal / Robert Farah and Rajeev Ram / Joe Salisbury.

Source: HRT

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE. 

July the 7th, 2021 - The Croatian private accommodation sector is slowly but surely recovering from the horrific blow the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the travel restrictions dealt it. That being said, there's an extremely long way to go yet.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Jadranka Dozan writes, among the many economic indicators that signal a solid pace of economic recovery, the most recent picture is provided by the weekly updates of fiscalisation data.

The latest data from the Tax Administration claims that last week, the value of receipts issued across all activities within the fiscalisation system stood at 19 percent higher than in the same week last year, two percent behind the comparable week of pre-pandemic 2019.

The latest figures clearly reflect the approach of the peak tourist season. Namely, in the week of the transition from June to July this year, 54 percent more receipts were reported in the tourism and hospitality industry than were reported last year. As such, when it comes to these activities, 804 million kuna of weekly turnover was reported through fiscalisation, but compared to pre-crisis 2019, that figure is still 15 percent less.

In order to get a better picture of the impact of the pandemic, the Tax Administration also offers comparisons of fiscalised turnover for the period since last year's outbreak in Croatia.

They point out that from the end of February to the end of last week, the total fiscalised turnover was 22 percent or 12 billion kuna higher than it was back during the same period last year, and two percent lower than the year before.

However, while in trade the pre-trial traffic was exceeded by four percent, in tourism and catering, the value of receipts issued in the observed more than four months is still lower by about 40 percent.

What do things look like in terms of the recovery of fiscalised turnover when we look more closely at individual activities at the level of the first half of the year?

For example, in the first six months of 2021, 1.74 billion kuna in cash turnover was recorded by the Croatian private accommodation sector (which, in addition to payments with banknotes, includes cards, cheques, etc) which is 700 million kuna more than last year, but quite far from 3.32 billion kuna from the first half of 2019. Cafes and restaurants issued invoices worth 3.75 billion kuna in the first half of the year, which has not yet caught up with 2020's realisation with slightly less than 4 billion kuna in fiscalised turnover, and the gap in relation to the semi-annual turnover from pre-pandemic 2019 stands at more than 2.9 billion kuna in total.

Among the activities that are still well behind the pre-crisis levels of activity is the category of Arts, Entertainment and Recreation, in which, after last year's 250 million kuna, the value of issued receipts recovered a litte, reaching 313 million kuna, but it is still 38 percent less than the 502 million kuna recorded in the comparable period of the last pre-crisis year of 2019.

The same applies to activities in the category of Transport and storage. After the growing cycle in 2019 resulted in more than 1.3 billion kuna in annual fiscalised turnover, last year, enterprises from these activities reported less than 770 million kuna, and the beginning of recovery this year was reflected in an increase in the value of invoices issued to 843 million kuna. Entrepreneurial niches related to tourism and travel generally fared worse than others, which shouldn't come as a particular surprise to most.

According to the NCEA, a part of these enterprises is classified in Administrative and support service activities in which fiscalised turnover is still more than half lower than in the pre-pandemic area. In the first half of the year, they reported less than 290 million kuna, or slightly less than last year's 300 kuna, while the year before, 884 million kuna in turnover was fiscalised in these activities.

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

July the 7th, 2021 - The new Ryanair Zagreb route looked as if it was set to put not only Croatia Airlines, which many complain is far too expensive, but British Airways, which hadn't been present in the Croatian capital for months, out of work. With air traffic for the Zagreb on the rise, just how is this wildly popular Irish carrier doing?

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, after several months of falling and stagnant air traffic, Zagreb's Franjo Tudjman International Airport is recording a trend of gradual recovery, in the summer months they expect continued acceleration of growth, which will peak at the end of the summer season, when the Ryanair Zagreb base is expected to open.

After two US companies (Delta Airlines and United Airlines) launched direct flights to Dubrovnik, Hungary's Wizz Air, one of Europe's fastest growing airlines, yesterday marked the launch of flights from Dubrovnik to Rome, Warsaw and Vienna. At the same time, Zagreb Ryanair flights were cancelled, which can only be assumed is the result of the apparent low interest of passengers.

Compared to the second quarter of 2020, during the lockdown, the traffic at Zagreb Airport is 3.5 times higher. This year’s figures are currently at 220,000 passengers, and June alone closed with more than 100,000 passengers. From July, Croatia Airlines will fly from Zagreb on 14 international and 5 domestic routes, and will have a total of more than 150 weekly departures. They expect a significant contribution to the recovery of traffic in Zagreb from Ryanair. At the Franjo Tudjman Airport, the plan is to serve between 90 and 100 daily air operations during the peak period of the summer season, and Zagreb will be connected with 6 domestic and 42 international destinations with regular lines.

However, experience shows that things are not going quite so smoothly yet, as the Croatian Aviation portal published the testimonies of passengers whose flights were cancelled by Ryanair.

On June the 17th, the Irish carrier launched its second of 15 planned routes from Zagreb to Bergamo, an airport near Milan. Since then, planes have operated on this route four times a week, but the portal received a number of passengers who bought tickets for flights in August, only to receive a notification from the company that their flight had been cancelled. It turned out that all 18 flights were cancelled in August, and the passengers were notified in the email that the cancellations were due to new restrictive measures for tourist trips between Croatia and Italy.

This is not clear at all, however, as nothing has changed in terms of restrictions between these countries. Moreover, Ryanair has announced the Rome - Zagreb - Rome route in August, Ryanair flights from Zadar to Milan have not been cancelled, nor have the other four routes between Zadar and the Italian destinations operated by this airline. Croatia Airlines, Vueling, EasyJet, Volotea and Wizz Air also didn't cancel flights scheduled to fly to Italy in August.

It's difficult to understand what is really going on here, given the lack of clarity that has dominated flights ever since the pandemic began at the beginning of 2020, but with tickets as cheap as they are and with Croatia Airlines being the other option, it's hard to imagine the Irish carrier suffering a great deal as a result.

For more on Ryanair Zagreb flights, make sure to follow our dedicated travel section.

July the 7th, 2021 - The ongoing coronavirus crisis is continuing to take a toll on the travel and tourism industry, on which Croatia relies very heavily. Croatian tourism growth is finally visible, but the results of record, pre-pandemic 2019 are quite logically a universe away.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Suzana Varosanec writes, the global public health crisis strongly affected the operations of the Hvar-based Jelsa Group hotel company, and after positive operations in the last pre-pandemic year, and with a devastating loss of 5.144 million kuna in 2020, they recorded a decline in EBITDA of 312,433 kuna, and in their own commentary on the matter, their EBITDA saw a gain of 3,767 million kuna. According to them, this difference is precisely the result of a larger reduction in revenue items, compared to the reduction in cost items, primarily related to the pandemic, and things absolutely won't return to 2019's levels this year either.

Last year's total revenues amounted to 14.657 million kuna, which is as much as 52% less than in pre-pandemic 2019. This, they claim, is the result of a decrease in the revenues of subsidiaries related to pandemic-induced issues. The company's total expenditures stood at 19.801 million kuna, 33% lower than in 2019. Considering the seasonality of hotels, hospitality and catering services, the revenues of which are usually highest in the third quarter, revenues are as much as 63 percent lower than in previous years.

They also state that of the remaining revenues in 2020 of 4.416 million kuna, the largest part relates to aid for job preservation, with which the Croatian Government intervened in the height of the crisis in an attempt to mitigate the negative consequences, as well as to provide support to island employers.

The balance of all short-term and long-term liabilities of the group to affiliated companies at the end of 2020 stands at 41.347 million kuna. The Jelsa Group consists of the joint stock company of the same name and Fontana Hotel Apartments (Hotel Fontana with 234 rooms and Fontana Apartments with 112 apartments) and Hotel Hvar with 205 rooms, which are 100 percent owned by it.

According to the decision of the General Assembly from March, the profit of around one million kuna from 2019 was distributed to retained earnings. With a much anticipated drop in Croatia's infection rates back at the end of May, there was a significant increase in provisions, and the Jelsa Group expects a 30 percent increase in business when compared to 2020, which will contribute to better liquidity, but overall, they claim, despite slow Croatian tourism growth, everything is of course still worse than it was back in 2019.

For more on Croatian tourism and Croatian tourism growth, follow our dedicated business and travel sections.

July the 7th, 2021 - ITB Berlin, which has been on a two year break owing to the outbreak of the global pandemic, is set to return, and partially as normal (in live) next spring. The move is a boost to the Croatian tourist industry for which this fair is of significance.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, ITB Berlin is partially returning in live in the spring of 2022, so a combination of a live fair, hybrid stands and online meetings will take place, ITB reported yesterday. The Berlin Fair is one of the most important for the overall Croatian tourist industry, because it is also the largest event from the German emitting market, from which the most foreign guests come.

''With this year's online edition of "ITB Berlin Now", we were able to offer the industry a sophisticated alternative fair format. However, it also became clear to all of us that nothing could compare to a face-to-face meeting. We're therefore pleased to welcome the global tourism industry in Berlin live and physically in 2022. In addition, our extended virtual formats that include livestreaming and Digital Business Days will take the fair to a new level, combining the best elements of the physical and virtual worlds,'' said David Ruetz, Head of ITB Berlin.

The fair will be held from the 9th to the 13th of March 2022 and will take place in three stages, before the fair there will be live meetings, after the fair there will be a virtual event called "Business Days" with virtual meetings and live broadcasts, and the fair will have both physical and hybrid stands. As early as February 2022, access will be available to a virtual fair platform where exhibitors, visitors and the media can make contact in advance and find relevant content.

In particular, on Wednesday, March the 9th, the exhibition space in the German capital of Berlin will finally open its doors to exhibitors, visitors and the media, respecting the latest hygiene rules and safety concept that ITB Berlin will harmonise with local authorities and test people beforehand. On Saturday, March the 12th and Sunday, March the 13th, everyone from the Berlin/Brandenburg region eager to travel will also be invited to the exhibition halls, where they can get some ideas and inspiration for their next holiday, the ITB said in a statement.

Anyone who wants to attend ITB, but due to travel restrictions cannot be in Berlin, can join the fair live by booking one of the new remote hybrid stands.

For more on the Croatian tourist industry, make sure to follow our travel section.