March the 12th, 2021 - Slovenian and Croatian 2021 travellers face the same questions and the same threats. With the coronavirus pandemic raging on and the vaccination rollout going slowly, what might we expect from foreign leisure travel this summer?

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Sergej Novosel Vuckovic writes, spring is just around the corner, summer is coming, the tourist season is rapidly approaching, and most of us are far from preparing to go on holiday somewhere abroad. The coronavirus pandemic continues to reign strong, plans are almost impossible to make, talk of covid passports, EU restrictions changing in the blink of an eye, airlines scrapping routes at the drop of a hat and potentially getting stuck somewhere are all too much for many.

However, it doesn´t cost us anything whatsoever to sit down and think about whether we´ll travel outside of Croatia this summer season at all, and when it comes to that, it seems that the Croats are at the top of the world, as are the Slovenes. As the research undertaken by WIN International, the leading global market research association, suggests, Croats and their neighbours are among the most reassured of all when it comes to the idea of going off somewhere abroad this year.

The results of this global scan of attitudes and beliefs towards coronavirus vaccines, the ability of governments to resolve the ongoing public health crisis, the capacity of healthcare systems and the likelihood of travel in Croatia this year were published by the Mediana Fides research agency.

“Globally, when it comes to travel for either leisure or for work this year, 65 percent and then 77 percent of respondents consider the idea unfeasible. The survey was conducted in late 2020 on a sample of 26,579 people across 32 countries,” they stated from Mediana Fides. It turned out that in Croatia´s immediate region, the Slovenes are the most optimistic about foreign travel for their holidays (with 58 percent of respondents considering it very likely or probable), followed by Croatian travellers (with 43 percent of respondents saying that such a trip in 2021 is very likely or probable), followed then by Serbia (37 percent).

When it comes to the old "business, not pleasure" sort of trips, then those same three countries are in the same readiness for business travel - Serbia (22 percent), Slovenia (21 percent) and Croatia (20 percent).

As for the rest of the world, India and Nigeria have jointly taken the lead with scores above 50 percent in terms of the probability of going abroad. Mediana draws attention to the case of China: "It has one of the highest levels of people willing to get vaccinated and at the same time one of the lowest levels of intention to travel in 2021." From this it could be concluded that tourists coming from the Far East to Croatia this year probably won´t happen, be they vaccinated or not.

Across the world, according to the findings of the same piece of research, 7 out of 10 people, regardless of their gender and/or age, agreed with coronavirus vaccination. When looking at the level of education, it turns out that those with the lowest level of education and the unemployed are the least interested in getting vaccinated. When it comes to different parts of the world, the Asia-Pacific region with 80 percent of the population agreeing with and wanting coronavirus vaccinations is in the lead, and by countries it looks like this: Vietnam (98 percent), followed by China and India with 91 percent of their respective populations ready and willing to vaccinate against the novel virus.

Here at home in Europe, there is an unusual case with neighbouring Serbia, which boasts the second highest rate of vaccination of the population on the Old Continent, but there, a surprising 62 percent of respondents are still not convinced when it comes to coronavirus vaccination.

Here in Croatia, a similar thing can be said - 59 percent of Croatian residents don´t have much trust and would actually refuse to be vaccinated. As little as 13 percent of Croats have stated that they would definitely be vaccinated. France is at 56 percent, and in neighbouring Slovenia, 47 percent of people would not want to receive a vaccination against the novel coronavirus.

"Given that each country must vaccinate 65 percent of its population in order to achieve collective immunity, it is necessary to resort to informing the public and raising awareness of the importance of vaccination," they stated from Mediana Fides. This is somewhat correlated with the assessment of the surveyed citizens according to the ability of their governments to cope with the current health crisis.

In Serbia, they rate it the worst (only 30 percent of the population thinks that the Serbian Government has handled things well), 33 percent of people in Slovenia and 39 percent of people in Croatia believe that the work of their governing bodies in the fight against the coronavirus is positive.

It can also be read from the same survey that regarding the issue of the capacities of the healthcare system, only 36 percent of the population(s) of Serbia and Croatia and 46 percent of the population of Slovenia rate it as positive.

If vaccination against the new coronavirus becomes mandatory in any sense, it will be interesting to see how many Croatian 2021 travellers will be inclined to accept the vaccine despite their suspicions in order to have an easier life when crossing borderd and boarding planes.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages.

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March the 12th, 2021 - The AstraZeneca vaccine has been plagued with bad press almost from the very start, with bad reactions consisting of all sorts of symptoms being reported and some countries even putting a total stop to its use on their populations. How are things looking for the AstraZeneca vaccine in Croatia?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Denmark has temporarily suspended vaccination with AstraZeneca following reports of cases of blood clots, one of which has been reported in the country, Danish authorities said on Thursday.

Marija Bubas, assistant director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, told N1 that there are no plans to suspend the AstraZeneca vaccine in Croatia at the moment. She reiterated that this particular series of AstraZeneca vaccines has not yet arrived in Croatia.

"That situation is being investigated and is allegedly linked - we cannot confirm or deny such a thing. We will proceed how we will upon confirmation. We do not have that series of vaccines, and we have already used about 80 percent of the doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine we received, and everything happened without any consequences," said Marija Bubas. She added that in the case of a death in Croatia following the person having been vaccinated, it was later established that that unfortunate situation was in fact not related to vaccination.

"Such side effects are also possible with other vaccines, but they have been used for decades, so it is not talked about in such a bombastic way," said Bubas.

"When vaccination started with the Pfizer vaccine began, people reported side effects and people commented that Pfizer had many side effects, but back them, it was mostly only them - and there was no AstraZeneca," explained Bubas.

¨One-third of the people vaccinated with either one or two doses of AstraZeneca vaccine in Croatia had no side effects whatsoever,´ she added, emphasising again that there are no plans to put a stop to its use in the country in the fight against the novel coronavirus.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages.

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

March the 12th, 2021 - The location of the brand new Rimac campus has been revealed, and the condition of everything coming to fruition lies on one massive investment and a praiseworthy job creating promise.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Brnic writes, the door to the realisation of the new Mate Rimac campus investment project is finally opening up. Sveta Nedjelja, in which Rimac Automobili is situated, has announced a public tender for the establishment of construction rights on an area covering a total of 199 thousand square metres, for which the construction of a production and research and development campus is planned, and for which the annual fee would be at least 0.10 kuna per square metre.

The right to construct on that piece of land would be contracted for 69 years, which means that the investor would pay Sveta Nedelja almost 20 thousand kuna a year. These are assets that were transferred to the ownership of Sveta Nedelja, whose spatial plan envisages the construction of such a campus in the area of ​​the old Erdödy castle in Kerestinec.

The tender envisages, among other things within the realm of the Rimac campus, the construction of a production plant, a testing laboratory, a research and development centre, an information and educational complex with complementary facilities for both regular users and visitors, from restaurants, dormitories for short stays to offices, exhibition and sales premises, and even the the construction of a smaller hotel boasting up to 100 beds. It will also be possible to build sport/fitness and recreational facilities for Rimac campus employees.

A few years ago when he initially announced his intention to build a campus, entrepreneur Mate Rimac explained that it would be a win-win situation for everyone. "The castle would be renovated, and the company that is the flagship of Croatian industry would be even more representative," said Rimac at the time, whose facilities were already being regularly visited by interested people from all over the world.

The criteria for scoring bids show that a minimum investment of 100 million kuna needs to follow, which will create at least 200 new jobs and employ 50 new highly educated members of staff, and the tender conditions show that the further investment process will proceed quickly, because the plan is to conclude a contract within 30 days from the selection of the best offer, and in the following eight days, the investor will be introduced to property, and they then have exactly three years left to realise the investment in the Rimac campus. The start of the investment must begin within twelve months, otherwise Sveta Nedelja may unilaterally terminate the contract should it so wish.

The tender will remain open until March the 23rd, 2021, and the selection of the offer will be announced in the next thirty days, which means that the investor would have all the predispositions to start investing in the brand new Rimac campus by the beginning of June.

It is unlikely that Mate Rimac will have a competitor in this process, because he drafted the entire project a long time ago himself and announced that he was looking for a unique location like this one for his campus in the vicinity of Zagreb and Sveta Nedelja.

For more on Rimac and other Croatian entrepreneurs, follow Made in Croatia.

 March 12, 2021 - Could rapid antigen tests save the summer music festival season in Croatia? Croatian entertainment experts weigh in. 

Jutarnji List reports that Boris Johnson's opening plan could save Croatia's entertainment industry from bankruptcy this summer, that is, if Croatia implements rapid antigen tests.

Summer is at the door, and, unfortunately, “the next two weeks are still crucial.” It is still uncertain whether there will be any parties during the warmer months and, if so, under what conditions and protocols. However, festival organizers in Croatia and the region are cautiously optimistic. A little over two weeks ago, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced lifting all anti-pandemic measures as early as June, so a wave of festival announcements began.

There is still no vote from the Croatian government, but representatives of some of the most important regional and Croatian festival events had their say. 

"We are in the dark. We still do not have official conditions under which we could work," says Ivan Bušljeta from the Papaya group, which works on the popular Zrće beach.

They have five festivals on hold as part of the summer music festival season in Croatia, including Sonus, Hideout, and Fresh Island.

"These are festivals that would be held in five clubs and would accommodate about three to four thousand people. These are events with a long tradition and good tourists, but we still cannot answer a few key questions. Among them is whether we will be allowed to work all night. It is also important, for example, how much space will have to be provided for each visitor. We are proposing two square meters per person, which would certainly be more in the end, given that Zrće beach has one hundred thousand square meters," says Bušljeta, who has been involved in the work of the Voice of Entrepreneurs since the pandemic, fighting for the rights of employees in the event industry.

Bušljeta says that this year they plan to adhere to measures such as measuring guests' temperature, keeping records of visitors, minimizing the dance floor with bar stools and the like.

"But it is challenging for us to plan anything. We only hear speculations that our work will be banned, which we are appalled by! Our costs are there every day for production, marketing, and the like, and our future is uncertain. Someone from the economic and financial sector of the Government must urgently invite us for a discussion. Without help and instructions, we will all go bankrupt," says Bušljeta, who also says that the practice in other European countries is completely different: Britain, he says, published a timetable for easing measures two weeks ago, and countries like the Netherlands are conducting experiments to determine the behavior of the virus at music events.

When you consider the fact that vaccination is very slow, it is clear that the situation is not great.

"One of the potential solutions is for the state to provide rapid antigen tests for important tourist destinations so that those who arrive are tested already at the station, at the entrance to Zrće, or similar. Also, it would be essential for us to enable the vaccination of our staff," he says, emphasizing once again that without the help of the state, it will be difficult to achieve anything.

Last summer, Vedran Meniga of Positive Rhythm led Martinska in Šibenik, which was the only festival location in Croatia and Europe in the first pandemic summer. Five festivals and one concert were held there, and in 11 working days, i.e., six weekends, about 10,000 festivalgoers attended. The number of infected was - zero.

"We are planning and announcing a new festival season as if everything will take place, similar to last year. Dimensions and Outlook were not held last year because we couldn't welcome foreign tourists, but this time we predict that everything will go according to plan. If the situation remains similar to last year, we predict an increase of about 20 percent of visitors to those ten thousand people from last year," says Meniga. 

"For each weekend, i.e., festival, we asked for a special permit from the Headquarters. We are told that we have the green light for festivals as long as there is no infection at them. We complied with all measures and worked on additional innovations. We set up disinfection points next to each place where transactions occur, paying special attention to the toilets. After the end of all the festivals, we waited another 14 days before submitting the press release. When that incubation period ended, it turned out that there were no infected people either. Also, none of the visitors to the festivals came with a fever," he says.

Outlook, Dimensions, and Seasplash have already been announced, and additional information about Regius, Kanal Fest, Blast, and Slurp! will be released soon. Outlook and Dimensions are being held this year at The Garden Resort in Tisno, and the rest will be held at Martinska in Šibenik. Meniga hopes that the summer Seasplash club in Pula will work and that another version of Slurp! could take place in Istria.

"No one can predict anything, and we all work as if everything will happen. This causes a huge amount of frustration. So many working hours are invested, and everything is uncertain. Planning in our business takes longer than realization. We spend money on salaries and promotions. We invest," says Meniga.

He points out Šibenik as a positive diameter of the city in which more than 50 cultural events were held last year.

"From the International Children's Festival at the beginning of summer to the Festival of Dalmatian Chanson at the end, the number of tourists that passed through Šibenik is approximately equal to the number of inhabitants. And everything went well," he says and adds that in almost all cases, these are events that take place outdoors.

"And those aren't hotspots," he points out.

The epidemiological situation needs to be monitored every day until the summer music festival season in Croatia

"To that extent, there is understanding towards the Headquarters. But most people from the event industry are on the verge of nervous breakdowns and bankruptcy. What is most terrifying are the double standards. While we were under restrictions last year, we witnessed no tourist facilities and that the beaches and supermarkets are full. There are, of course, also religious facilities. These things leave a lump in my throat, especially since risk groups mostly gather in those places," says Meniga and adds that he should be responsible and smart when working, which the festival organizers and their visitors are aware of.

And yet, he is optimistic.

"Until two weeks ago, we did not plan to announce Outlook and Dimensions, but as the British government announced the opening, the Brits began to buy tickets en masse. Both festivals are almost sold out. It still doesn’t guarantee anything, but it instills hope. More than a third of the nation has been vaccinated there, and they expect to reach half the population by summer, covering all vulnerable groups. All in all, we have a whole series of unknowns ahead of us, including covid passports and questions about how performers will travel concerning Brexit. But everything can be agreed upon and resolved. If we succeeded last year when the panic was much greater, we would succeed now," concludes Meniga.

When Boris Johnson announced his plan, the announcements of seven festivals that will take place this year at The Garden Resort in Tisno began.

"People waited patiently for a year to come out and socialize, so Johnson’s statements definitely gave hope. Of course, everything can change, but we are convinced that with the right health and safety protocols we can ensure a safe environment in which people can enjoy the sun, sea, and music," says Nick Colgan from The Garden Resort and notes that "people need it for their souls." He mentions that in Britain, the Love Saves The Day festival, organized by the same people from Love International, sold 19,000 tickets in nine minutes. Colgan believes the music industry will be stronger than ever after opening.

They have already started pre-production for the summer music festival season in Croatia, although they usually start earlier, even in January or February.

"What we need at the moment are instructions and a response from the authorities. We work closely with the local municipality and the tourist board, and we have agreed on assistance with the British Consulate. We need directions because we have more than 20,000 people waiting for their musical vacation," Colgan says.

They are also waiting for an answer as to whether proof of vaccination will be required to enter the festival.

"That's what governments have to say. Most of our visitors come from the UK and have a great chance of getting vaccinated by July. Combined with negative PCR tests before the trip and possible rapid tests at the festival we will be fine. Also, all of our outdoor events are small in capacity, up to 3,500 people," says Colgan.

Will Brexit affect the summer music festival season in Croatia?

"To be honest, for me, it is a mistake of the century, which means complications with bureaucracy and higher travel costs. It’s like we’re traveling back in time. I’m not sure what the new protocols will look like, but I hope they can be processed online," he says.

What more can the Government do to help festivals?

"It is not only about festivals but also about hotels, private accommodation, taxis, restaurants, cafes ... Our events have a huge impact on the economy. We need to allow ourselves to plan. We need a specific timeline to get out of action, which would prevent at least part of our financial risk if we have to cancel the season again. We need the details of this moment! We, for example, plan to employ 120 people over the summer. We should hire them now," Colgan concludes.

Could rapid antigen tests save the summer music festival season in Croatia?  We will have to wait and see. 

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

March 12, 2021 - The latest flight news for Croatia as Air Transat cancels flights from Toronto to Zagreb, and Air Serbia stops selling Rijeka, Pula, and Zadar. 

Croatian Aviation reports that the Canadian leisure airline, Air Transat, has canceled all already announced flights on the Toronto - Zagreb - Toronto route for this year.

The well-known Canadian airline confirmed in January that it planned to re-establish the line between Toronto and Zagreb in the upcoming summer season, leaving the possibility of reducing or completely canceling the line if the demand is not satisfactory. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened. Air Transat has stopped selling all announced flights on this route for the upcoming summer season and sent a notice of flight cancellations to a small number of passengers.

Recall, the company established a direct line between the two cities in June 2016, continuously increasing the number of weekly flights from season to season until the summer season last year when the line did not operate due to the pandemic.

The first flight on this line was announced for May 11, until the end of October, with three flights a week at the peak of the summer season. A330-200 aircraft was announced on the route, and Air Transat was the only company that planned to send wide-body aircraft to Zagreb Airport in the upcoming summer flight schedule. Unfortunately, after the departure of Emirates, Korean Air, and Air Canada Rouge, Air Transat will also not fly to the Croatian capital this year. 

Thus, Croatia will be without a direct airline with Toronto this summer. Not so long ago in 2019, as many as 7 weekly direct flights were available between the two cities in the summer flight schedule.

Air Transat leaves the possibility of returning to Zagreb next summer with a new plan: a regular flight twice a week, without flights on Wednesdays that were available on this route in 2019.

With this, Zagreb was practically left without long-haul lines, and there will be no wide-body aircraft such as A330-200, B787-9 Dreamliner, B777-300ER, and B767-300ER, which landed in the Croatian capital every day in the summer of 2019.

Croatian Aviation also reports that the Serbian national airline has modified its flight schedule this summer, removing three destinations in Croatia.

Namely, Air Serbia no longer has three Croatian airports in its offer of destinations: the previously canceled Rijeka, Pula, and Zadar.

The Belgrade - Pula - Belgrade line was introduced in 2014 and has operated regularly every summer season since then, mostly with three flights a week. In 2020, the company did not operate on this line, and now it has been canceled for the summer season this year.

In the summer of 2019, two new lines to Croatia were introduced; Belgrade - Zadar, and Belgrade - Rijeka.

In the summer of 2020, the airline decided to permanently cancel the line to Rijeka, so there were no direct flights to Kvarner for this year, but only suspended sales on the line to Zadar were also introduced in the summer of 2019.

This summer, Air Serbia will have three destinations in Croatia: Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik, just as it was last year. Regular operations to Split and Dubrovnik are currently announced from the end of May, while the airline regularly operates to Zagreb.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages.

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March 12, 2021 - One of the most heartwarming Croatian diaspora returnee stories I have heard for some time, hear about Jose Alfonso's incredible journey from Lima in Peru to the new Total Croatia News intern.

 The Total Project started on the island of Hvar almost ten years ago, when I started a mission to provide information about Hvar to match its quality as a destination. In order to be 'Total', I did an article on every village, including one which was largely uninhabited and totally unpronounceable. I hadn't expected many people to read Introducing the 'Z' Village, Zastražišće, and I was stunned the next morning when the article had 150 Facebook likes, a huge number for me at the time. 

I spent much of the morning trying to find the source of my newfound popularity, and eventually, I came across a Croatian diaspora group in Chile, who were commenting wildly and with emotion about my article.

"Look, it is the church in our village. The village of my great-grandfather before he emigrated to Chile."

"Wow, this is so special. I have never seen photos of the village before."

It made me realize that the reach of Total Hvar, and subsequently TCN probably goes a lot further than I realize, and it is a service we are very happy to provide. Over the years, apart from the torrent of abuse I receive from my fans in Australia, I have had constant contact with Croatian emigres in Chile, Argentina, Peru, Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Brazil, and several other countries. That communication has helped me understand one more layer of the complexity of Croatia. 

And then, once every couple of years, I get a communication like this, which led to me learning about one of the most heartwarming Croatian diaspora returnee stories I have heard in a while, and to TCN welcoming Jose Alfonso to the TCN team. 

The initial email 

Dobro jutro, my name is Jose Alfonso Cussianovich, and I’m a Peruvian-Croatian currently living in Zagreb and studying the B1 level of Croatian Language. I was wondering if the intern positions at Total Croatia News were still open. If so, I am highly interested.

Lijepi pozdrav,

Jose Alfonso

We asked him to send a writing sample about how he came to Croatia. And Jose Alfonso sent us THIS.

About my family 

I’m 25 years old, and I was born in Lima, Peru. It was probably at the end of the 19th century that my ancestor, Pero Kusijanović, traveled all the way from Mokošica, Dubrovnik, to settle in Peru. He had two children there: Pedro and Mateo, and my bloodline comes from the latter. My family has always been aware of their Croatian roots, but little they knew about Croatia. I guess it was harder back then, for both Peruvians and Croatians, to know more about each other. Throughout the second half of the 20th century, Croatia was part of Yugoslavia, and Peru went through several political changes such as far-right dictatorships, socialist authoritarianism, hyperinflation, domestic terrorism, etc. It could be said that both countries were facing their most difficult times in parallel at the end of the 1980s and early years of the 1990s.

However, during the World Cup in 1998, it was the first time that people in Peru, including Croats there, paid more attention to this small country. Things were relatively better for both countries, and my father told me how he and my grandfather were pleasantly surprised by this unknown country that turned out to hold the roots to our origins. Two years later, my grandfather passed away, but his son had promised to learn more about our Croatian ancestors. And so he did, tracing down Pero’s birthplace and birth certificates. 

That’s how he, my two siblings and I, got Croatian citizenship. At that time, around 2002, when we were still very young and attending primary school, living in Croatia, or even visiting it wasn’t an idea in my parent’s head. Another reason to consider back then was the fact that there wasn’t a Croatian embassy in Peru, but only a consulate that worked also as a diaspora center for Croats in Peru. That’s why we couldn’t get a Croatian passport. The only one in our family that had it, was my father. The only way to apply for it was by setting an appointment in the embassy in Chile. Among the many reasons why we didn’t consider it at the time was because of the travel distance to Santiago, the travel expenses, our school responsibilities, the appointments were given for one year after the request and, of course, we never thought we were going to really need it in the future.

The scholarship

Nevertheless, we’ve always been very close to the Croatian community in Lima. We were always part of the events that commemorated and celebrated Croatian history and culture. Even my parents got married in the Croatian church in our city. In January 2018, we received an email from the Croatian embassy in Chile, notifying everyone from the community that they were sending a representative to help those with Croatian passports for their renewal, and to help those who wanted to apply for a new one. 

Me and my siblings got down to work almost immediately by getting all the papers and documents we needed to apply officially, and one of those documents was a letter of recommendation written by a representative of the Croatian community in Peru. In this case, it was the parish priest of the Croatian church in Lima and a close friend to our family, father Drago Balvanović, who helped us. During the meeting we held with him, he told us about this scholarship, promoted by the Central State Office for Croats Outside the Republic of Croatia, aimed at young people of Croatian descent who were looking to study the language in Croatia, in order to reconnect with their origins. The reason it sounded like such an attractive idea to us was that we weren't having a pleasant time in our country. Our financial situation wasn’t the best, the situation regarding higher education and job opportunities in Peru was decreasing, and finally, the growing insecurity in the streets threatened young people every day.

The first to join the initiative and apply was my sister, who at that time had just finished college. She applied for the scholarship to study the Croatian language and culture in Zagreb, and in August 2018 she moved there. My parents visited her a few months later and saw with great joy her daughter, a 25-year-old girl, totally rejuvenated and excited about the future. The weeks my parents traveled through Dubrovnik, Split and Zagreb helped them think of a big move in the short term.

In May 2019 it was my turn to apply since just two months later I was supposed to finish college. My brother, who was still not sure about the career path he wanted to pursue, also applied. Initially, and taking into account my sister's experience, we applied to Zagreb. I thought that studying in the capital would help me to adapt better and faster, and I also understood that the classes were more demanding there. 

However, we were told that there were no more places in Zagreb and asked if we would be interested in Rijeka instead. Honestly, I never felt a bit of disappointment when I received this news, and I confirmed my presence in Rijeka without hesitation. In the end, I could say it was one of the best decisions I made.

Moving to Croatia

In October of that year, I traveled to Rijeka and started my classes almost immediately. It was my first time in Europe, and although the first weeks were difficult being away from my family and friends, I must admit that it was thanks to my roommate and the city itself that helped me to adapt more easily thanks to their warm reception. To this day, I haven’t returned to my country. My intention, since I first found out about the scholarships offered by the Central State Office for Croats Outside the Republic of Croatia, was to start a new life here. Regardless of what I would leave behind.

Since then, I have had numerous experiences in Croatia and of all kinds. Clearly, the most anecdotal remains the same: the pandemic. Exactly a year ago, my parents completed the family move to Croatia. They managed to leave the country before the immigration situation worsened. In November of the previous year, my father invested in a couple of apartments in the Diocletian Palace for rental business. While they were searching for a place to live in Split, they decided to stay in one of those apartments. Little did we know...

I was waiting for my second semester of the scholarship to start, and just traveled to some places near Rijeka, as well as attending the opening of Rijeka 2020 and its famous carnival. Classes in the first week of March were postponed for a few days due to the uncertainty of the virus, and it was then that I decided to take advantage of that time to surprise my parents in Split and help them settle down. I would never have imagined that inter-regional travel would be banned shortly after that and I would spend the next three months with them and studying virtually. It was a great opportunity to get to know Split, but definitely not in the best way.

(Plitvice Lakes)

I returned to Rijeka in mid-June to take my exams, and after enjoying a few weeks with my roommate, his girlfriend, and other friends during the first weeks of summer, I decided to go back to Split with my parents. I knew they still needed help, and I considered that what I had learned about the language might be of some use. They were very tense months due to the virus situation, the fact that our investment plan was not taking off due to the restrictions imposed on tourists, and personally due to the fact that I could not get a job to help my parents and become independent. During August and September, I helped them manage the booking site of our apartments and hosted the few guests that arrived.

We moved to the town of Podstrana in July of last year, and that is where I have lived until a couple of weeks ago. In January of this year, I decided to apply for the scholarship again, but this time trying to get a place in Zagreb. My idea, as of today, is to be able to meet people who will help me continue to grow in this country, learn more about the language until I can speak it fluently and fully understand it, and hopefully find a job.

(Dad with distant relative Dužko)

About Total Croatia News

Going back to the time when I was still in Lima, I knew that the decision I had made was a very complex one. I felt that I needed to stay informed and aware of what was happening day to day in the country I was moving to. And not only through breaking news and daily events, but also reports and columns that could analyze in greater depth the current situation within Croatian society. I still did not know how to read or understand the language well, so I was lucky enough to find some media that presented their content in English.

But if it was one that I felt really hooked on, it was definitely Total Croatia News. I'm not a big fan of bad news, since it's basically the only thing you read when you live in Peru in these recent years; but I felt that life in Croatia goes beyond the rankings made by tourist magazines and photo galleries of the islands in the summer. And well, that's basically what I found in the rest of the media. We probably agree on this, but I think there should be a balance between the information that one shares with the population.

It's clear how important it is to motivate ex-pats to reconnect with their homeland, but it's just as important to be transparent and critical when news demands it. That is why I like to read Total Croatia News, and also because of the way in which they confront with great conviction those people who seek to discredit their content for the simple fact of denying information just because they do not agree or do not like it. Just as I saw the opportunity to start a new life in Croatia, when I saw the internship opportunities at Total Croatia News, I felt I had to step forward.

(With Dad in front of Diocletian's Palace in Split)

About myself

Before I entered college in 2013, my father told me that no matter the career I was pursuing, there’s always a way for us for improving someone else’s quality of life. To this day, I still keep that in mind. By that time, I felt the most effective job I could get to help people from a country that holds so many problems, was being a lawyer. However, halfway through my first year, I realized that even if someone’s good for something, you need to be passionate about it. And I didn’t feel passionate about being a lawyer. Shortly after, I knew that what really made me feel passionate and excited was to express myself, and I thought that it was through visual arts I could achieve this goal. I transferred to study Audiovisual Communications, in order to become a filmmaker. The best thing out of it is that I took subjects related to marketing, advertisement, graphic design, journalism, photography and, of course, filmmaking. So far, I haven’t given up on directing films; but I’ve found great interest in documentary filmmaking, journalism, and photojournalism. It might not be as challenging as being a lawyer, but I believe that it is possible to change the way someone thinks or feels for good. I think it is truly possible to have a great impact on a great number of people to change the world.

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Welcome to TCN, Jose Alfonso. We look forward to working with you to strengthen and develop ties with the Latin American diaspora communities, so that others may follow you in your journey to the Homeland. 

For more news from the Croatia diaspora, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

March 11, 2021 - Tottenham tops Dinamo 2:0 in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 tonight in London.

The Croatian champion returned to Tottenham for the first time since 2008 when they lost 4:0 in Group D of the then Uefa Cup.

Jose Mourinho's side has been in great form lately with four consecutive championship victories and a 13:1 goal difference. Tottenham is now in the fight for the first four spots leading to the Champions League, which allowed Mourinho to rest some of his starters, even though Harry Kane and Heung-min Son began from the first minute on Thursday. Gareth Bale was on the bench.

Dinamo also came to London in great form and full of confidence after a great Europa League season thus far. Mamic's team finished the group stage undefeated and topped Krasnodar in the last 32. Zoran Mamić did not make significant changes to the starting 11.

Starting lineups

Tottenham: Lloris - Davies, Dier, Sanchez, Aurier - Ndombele, Alli, Sissoko - Son, Kane, Lamela

Dinamo: Livaković - Leovac, Theophile_Catherine, Lauritsen, Ristovski - Ivanušec, Ademi, Jakić, Majer - Oršić, Petković

Tottenham v Dinamo Recap

Dinamo entered the match with confidence, and even though Tottenham pressured Dinamo's defense more in the first 20 minutes, the Zagreb side held their own. 

That is, until the 25th minute, when Lamela danced through Dinamo's defense, hit the post, only for Kane to finish for 1:0 Tottenham. 

Tottenham ended the first half with 67% possession, though they had only two more shots than Dinamo (6/4), and Dinamo had more shots on goal (2/3). 

While Tottenham maintained their momentum at the start of the second half, Petković had Dinamo's best chance in the 59th minute, shooting just near post to keep Tottenham in the lead. 

Tottenham increased its lead in the 70th minute. Theophile-Catherine weakly cleared the ball out of the box to Kane who scored his second goal for 2:0. Dinamo was unable to come back. 

Dinamo and Tottenham will meet in the return match at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb on Thursday, March 18. 

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

ZAGREB, 11 March, 2021 - After a slight drop on Wednesday, the Zagreb Stock Exchange (ZSE) Crobex index rebounded on Thursday, increasing by 0.12% to 1,864.90 points, while the Crobex10 continued its upward movement for the fourth day in a row, closing up 0.25% at 1,166.04 points.

Turnover at the close of the trading session reached HRK 7.3 million, about 2 million less than on Wednesday.

The highest turnover, of HRK 2.25 million, was generated by the stock of the HT telecommunications company. It closed at HRK 192 per share, up 2.13%, its highest price since June 2013 when it closed at slightly over HRK 200 per share.

The only other stock to pass the turnover mark of one million kuna was plastic car parts manufacturer AD Plastik, turning over HRK 1.2 million. It ended the day at HRK 185.50 per share, up 0.27%.

A total of 44 stocks traded today, with 18 of them recording share price increases, eight registering price decreases and 18 stagnating in price.

(€1 = HRK 7.582776)

For more about business in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.