As Coronavirus Measures Bite, Croatian Hospitality Sector Worries Intensify
October the 20th, 2020 - More measures have been introduced across the country in an attempt to further curb the infection rate which has risen to record numbers over recent days. As a result, the Croatian hospitality sector is growing ever more concerned about what that means for business and revenue - or indeed a lack of both.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 19th of October, 2020, it has now been a week since the introduction of new epidemiological measures in Croatia. The drop in traffic in cafes and restaurants is steadily increasing, and attendance in some places is a worrying 80 percent lower than usual, reports RTL.
The guild of caterers is aware - the measures must be respected for the health of everyone, but they say that if this continues, they're simply not going to be able to survive. Despite Plenkovic having stated that he has no plans to introduce another lockdown like the one we experienced back in spring, how does the Croatian hospitality sector view the threat of such a move?
After the introduction of new epidemiological measures which regard places like cafes, the owner and the so-called ''corona warden'' was nearly forced to put the key in his facility's lock after thirty long years of operation.
"I specifically told my staff to serve the guests, put whatever they order on the house and then just close the place down. One waiter cried and begged for that not to happen, there's a lump in my throat as I talk about this... he asked me if we can stay like this for thirty more days and adjust to all of the measures,'' said Franz Letica from Zagreb.
Letica's glass is far from half full these days, as he is among those in the Croatian hospitality sector whose traffic and therefore revenue has dropped drastically.
"There's no work, there's no traffic, the bar is empty, I had to fire two people in the meantime," Letica said.
However, Zagreb's Mayor Milan Bandic joined in solidarity with Zagreb's hospitality workers two days ago. The city continues with subsidies - reducing the payment of rents, utilities and abolishing the payment of fees for terraces.
"It will carry on until least until the end of the year, if God forbid it's still necessary, we'll protect our hospitality workers and our entrepreneurs," assured a worried Bandic. A slightly more optimistic picture can be found on the terrace and inside the Split restaurant, but when things are looked at on a monthly basis, it's far from last year's figures.
"For September there was a drop of about 80 percent, for October it will certainly be more than 60 percent, and for November... I don't know what to tell you, it all depends on what the weather will be like, everything depends on that,'' Domagoj Curkovic, a restaurant manager in Split explained.
The Guild of Caterers says that without the repeated help of the state, a large number of cafes and restaurants will be forced to close down.
"It's very difficult to endure it all in this way. If the number of positive people grows, we can expect closures, and without the help of the state, then tax measures aren't enough, we'll also need non-refundable funds ", said Joso Smojic from the guild of caterers and tourist workers of HOK.
A new lockdown is not an option at this time.
"We're aware of what closing the economy means. For now, we have no plans for any new lockdown, it is not on the agenda,'' assured Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.
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Fancy a Hilton Office? Valamar Also Offers "Long Stay" Possibilities
October the 20th, 2020 - Fancy ditching your ''home office'' with washing machines going, kids running around and pans boiling over as you try to work for a rather more relaxed approach? A Hilton office might help tune the work-break balance that has lacked so much throughout 2020.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes on the 19th of October, 2020, with the new wave of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that hit most countries in the first days of autumn, the filling up of hotel rooms is again in question, as well as the return of millions of workers to their offices - for those who had a summer break, the "home office" returns, with all the disadvantages it brings with it.
The combination of dire pandemic-dominated circumstances has inspired the hotel industry globally to a stronger and better supply of jobs in the safety and quiet of their hotel rooms, along with all the other benefits a hotel has to offer.
The model is being developed either independently or in collaboration with coworking companies, and is being developed by many global hotel companies, including Hilton, MGM Resorts, Mandarin Oriental, and CitizenM. This is followed by the growing trend of extended stays in hotels, which came to life before the pandemic took the world by storm and is now continuing to flourish.
Despite the fact that the Croatian market, and the more specific market of Zagreb can't possibly be compared in size with the markets of San Francisco or London, the ''long stay'' trends are slowly coming to the domestic market, and for those who'd like to trade their kitchen table and a view of mildly rotten fruit in the fruit bowl for a Hilton office, that possibility is now available.
Zagreb's Hilton hotels introduced their "work place" offer back in the spring, from the end of the lockdown onwards, confirmed Josipa Jutt Ferlan, the director of Zagreb City Hotels and cluster general manager for Hilton in Zagreb.
“We give guests a special, more comfortable work chair so that they can work more easily at a table, a higher level of internet, a discount on their laundry. Our guests also have a discount on a la carte restaurant services, a limousine with a driver for meetings, and a discount on spa services. We motivate them and reward them with points in our loyalty programme. The offer is being carried out at the global Hilton level,'' revealed Jutt Ferlan.
The price of Hilton's packages isn't unique, and it all depends on which services guests want to include.
"The so-called ''long stay'' has become very popular, there are mostly businessmen, IT people, consultants. We had one whole family from the US who lived at the Canopy for as long as four months. We have business people from London who normally have a home office, as well as Germans. They say that the climate is better in Croatia and that the number of infected people isn't the same as in their countries. And of course, because of the chain and the brand, they trust us to stick to all the measures,'' said Jutt Ferlan.
Along with the Hilton office possibility, the respected Croatian company Valamar Riviera also decided on introducing the "long stay" option this autumn. As of this year, two camping resorts in Valamar will remain open to guests all year round. These are the Istra Premium Camping Resort in Porec and the Jezevac Premium Camping Resort on the island of Krk. Valamar has also introduced a rental service for a longer stay of at least one month in these two camps, which is valid for the period from September the 30th, 2020 to March 31st, 2021.
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Plenkovic: Milanovic's Behaviour is Bizarre
ZAGREB, October 20, 2020 - Prime Minister and Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader Andrej Plenkovic said on Monday that President Zoran Milanovic's conduct over the past few months had been bizarre.
"The thing that I consider to be crucial is to recognise three fundamental points in this truly bizarre behaviour by President Milanovic over the past few months which I consider to be problematic, not just from my aspect as prime minister but from the aspect of society overall," Plenkovic said ahead of a meeting of HDZ's leadership when asked by the press to comment on Milanovic's behaviour.
In that regard, he recalled Milanovic's statement which could have affected the trust of a certain portion of citizens in "what the government has been doing and what the national covid response team and epidemiologists and physicians have been doing."
"If someone says something like 'coronavirus can be compared to tooth decay', then I consider that to be undermining the trust in those who are serious and committed to their work in hospitals and welfare institutions every day so that the most fragile do not become ill and what is worse, die," he said.
Observing the situation in Europe and the world, there is no one left who is downplaying the novel coronavirus.
Milanovic's behaviour is also highly unusual in reference to the activities by the DORH prosecutor's office, USKOK anti-corruption office and police regarding Janaf and other scandals, the premier said.
"The president's comments on the work of DORH, USKOK and the police are unbelievable," said Plenkovic and wondered whether Milanovic may have a problem because those institutions were fighting corruption.
"The fight against coronavirus - it seems he is opposed to it, the fight against corruption - he seems to have a problem with it. I don't believe that he is against it exactly but it's obvious he has a problem with it," said Plenkovic.
Referring to the attack on Government House and the grave wounding of a police officer, Plenkovic said that some people are downplaying that event. "Downplaying that event means minimising it and that's not good," he added.
Asked whether President Milanovic called him after the attack on Monday, Plenkovic confirmed that he did.
"He called, that's correct.We spoke briefly and that was all. I did not experience that as some sort of support nor do I need it," he said.
Asked whether a meeting of the National Security Council would be convened as suggested by President Milanovic, Plenkovic answered briefly: "We'll see."
Plenkovic added that he cannot see any cooperation or support that Milanovic has spoken about.
Trut: Croatia has Sufficient Hospital Capacities and Protective Equipment
ZAGREB, Oct 20, 2020 - Assistant Interior Minister in charge of civil protection, Damir Trut on Monday said that Croatia has sufficient accommodation capacities and epidemic protection equipment to treat covid-19 patients.
Trut, who visited the civil protection warehouse in Jastrebarsko, told the commercial RTL broadcaster that erecting accommodation capacities in sports venues would come as the third stage in increasing capacities.
First we will fill accommodation capacities in defined hospitals and then the next level will be in rehabilitation centres such as Biograd and Topusko and then the third stage would be sports venues as was done in the spring when we prepared the Arena Zagreb hall, he explained.
If health workers request that capacities be extended, we will be ready within 48 hours to erect a field hospital at any location, he said.
Trut added that there is sufficient equipment for a certain period.
There are some 13 million various articles in the Jastrebarsko warehouse including 5.4 million masks and 1,200 tonnes of protective equipment. That is distributed to regional warehouses and then from there to hospitals, care facilities and other beneficiaries, he explained.
Trut said that over the weekend 346 inspections were conducted, 38 verbal warnings and three infringement notices were issued and one pecuniary fine was imposed.
Milanovic First President to Visit Roma Settlement Parag
ZAGREB, Oct 19, 2020 - President Zoran Milanovic wrapped up his one-day trip to Medjimurje County on Monday by visiting Parag, the largest Roma settlement in Croatia.
The president met with Roma representatives, including Parag official Radovan Balog and the president of the county council of ethnic minorities, Matjaz Orsos.
Milanovic inquired about Roma employment and education as well as about Parag's infrastructure.
The president's arrival was a big deal, with Parag residents saying he was the first president to visit their community.
According to the 2011 census, Parag had 1,170 inhabitants. It is believed that the current population exceeds 2,000.
100 Million Euro Matalda Golf Course on Cres Island Back in Spotlight
October 20, 2020 - The Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development has launched an environmental impact assessment procedure for the Matalda golf course on Cres Island.
HRTurizam reports that it is a long-awaited project for constructing a golf course, with a total value of over 100 million euro, and whose investor is Jadranka d.d. from Mali Lošinj.
As it is pointed out in the public invitation, the construction of a combined golf course in five phases is planned and facilities for catering and tourist facilities and other facilities on about 324 hectares.
Thus, two golf courses with a total of 36 holes are planned, as well as two hotels, a winery, and 20 villas in two zones. The hotel will have a total of 122 accommodation units with 260 beds, while another hotel is planned with 57 accommodation units with 126 beds. Both hotels would have indoor and outdoor pools. Villas in zone A will have a total of 92 beds, and villas in zone B, 80.
In addition to the accompanying buildings and facilities, it is planned to build a winery with a tasting room for guests on three floors, which will offer local wines. In addition to the construction of roads and piers for maritime transport, the complex would also have a heliport. What is important to emphasize is that the irrigation of the golf course plans to use water from the lake, which would be carried out on an area of 3ha with a capacity of 165 000m2.
Jadranka d.d.
The public invitation points out that it will organize a public debate on the study on the Matalda golf course's environmental impact on the island of Cres, which must not be shorter than 30 days. Notice of the place and time of the public hearing will be published on the Ministry's website.
The entire preparation of the project started back in 2014. In December 2018, the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Assembly accepted targeted changes to the spatial plan. The same project was included among the "Buildings and interventions of the county and state interest."
According to previous announcements, Jadranka d.d. intends to invest around 100 million euro in this golf course project. The design of the course is signed by Ernie Els, a world name that attracts big and famous players to golf destinations.
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Flights to Croatia: Air France Operates Five Times A Week to Zagreb in November
October 20, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Air France operates five times a week to Zagreb in November from Paris. A look at the winter schedule.
Croatian Aviation reports that in the announcement of the winter flight schedule, on October 2, Air France announced daily flights on the Paris - Zagreb route. The company has reduced the number of weekly flights on this route for November.
Air France returned to Zagreb on July 1 and has since operated regularly between Paris and Zagreb, changing the number of weekly flights on this route from month to month, depending on demand and travel restrictions between the two countries.
In the first week of October, the company announced daily flights on this route in the winter months ahead, but in the last week of October, from October 26 to 31, the company will operate between Paris and Zagreb three times a week (Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays), as announced earlier.
From November 1, Air France offers five flights a week on this route, every day except Tuesdays and Sundays, which provides passengers from Zagreb with a large number of connections via Paris to further destinations in Europe and the world.
Terminals 2E, 2F and 2AC are currently in operation at Charles de Gaulle Airport, from which all domestic and international traffic takes place. The airport will put the other terminals back into operation as needed, following an increase in aircraft and passenger operations.
In November, E190 aircraft with a capacity of 100 passengers in the fleet of this carrier will operate on the Paris - Zagreb route. Five flights a week is currently a satisfactory weekly frequency that allows passengers from Zagreb with one stop in Paris to continue their journey to more than a hundred destinations across Europe and the world.
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Krunoslav Capak Announced Measures that Could be Introduced Next
October 20, 2020 - In an interview on Monday evening, Krunoslav Capak announced measures that could be introduced next in Croatia if citizens do not adhere to the measures already in place.
The director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health and a member of the National Civil Protection Headquarter Krunoslav Capak, spoke about a plan for the worst-case scenario and what would happen if there were not enough doctors and nurses to replace the infected health workers.
In an interview with Dnevnik Nova TV, Capak said:
"Although we do not expect such a scenario and we hope that it will never happen, we are preparing for it. We have more than 1,100 intensive care physicians who can work on ventilators and intensive care for COVID patients and flu patients.
However, we are also preparing for the scenario that other colleagues who are close to the profession will be educated and can learn the basics of intensive care relatively quickly. This also happened during the Homeland War," Capak explained. He added that young doctors were taking emergency courses at the time.
"The Ministry of Health, in cooperation with hospitals, will prepare such courses, but we hope that this will not happen," he said.
When asked how many newly infected patients Croatian hospitals can handle before the worst-case scenario, Capak said that we are "far from completely filling the health care system."
He also revealed that he is not considering the introduction of a curfew.
"We have not talked about it so far, nor do we plan to introduce it," said the Croatian Institute of Public Health director.
He says he does not think a new lockdown is needed, but it is necessary "for people to stick to the measures".
"There are a number of other possibilities. Further shortening of working hours, reducing the number of gatherings, even in families," he said and pointed out that it seems to him that Croatia is among the most liberal countries in Europe.
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One of the Most Beautiful Houses in Gorski Kotar On Sale for €1m
October 19, 2020 - One of the most beautiful houses in Gorski Kotar, and Croatia, was recently put up for sale for almost $ 1.2 million. In the meantime, the New York Times also reported on this sensational house in Hlevci.
As Telegram writes, the house is advertised under the name Villa Foresta on the famous luxury real estate sales page Sotheby’s, where it is offered for 1,170,102 dollars, or 7 and a half million kunas.
Villa Foresta spreads over three floors, has three bedrooms, an outdoor pool, a wine cellar, and a sauna. The complete area of the house is 200 square meters, and the whole side is a huge glass wall. The rest of the house is made of wood. This holiday home was fully completed in 2019.
The New York Times mentions the fact that materials from Croatia were used for the construction as one of the special features of the house. They write that the primary materials are Siberian larch and iron from local sources.
Namely, the owner of the house wanted it to be made of sustainable materials from local suppliers. Thus, the furniture and shelves were made by local craftsmen from solid wood.
Although the owner told the New York Times about the house, he wished to remain anonymous.
"My guiding idea was longevity and resistance to the extreme weather conditions because it’s Gorski Kotar after all. But I wanted it to be as natural as possible, with as few chemicals as possible, so that it blends into the pristine nature of the area," said the owner for NYT.
The house is decorated in a minimalist Scandinavian style. You can enter through a garage that leads to a social space, sauna, bathroom, and wine cellar, which is decorated in the style of Croatian taverns.
"The second floor, which cantilevers slightly over the deck, has three bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, the largest of which looks out to the forest through a wall of windows. A fire pit, barbecue, open dining area, and garden are in the backyard," reads the description of the house.
While the New York Times article lists nearby tourist attractions (Plitvice Lakes, Risnjak, Rijeka…), it also mentions that Croatia responded to the coronavirus in March with restrictive measures, which they say brought the epidemic under control. But they did not fail to write that the tourist season has started a new wave of infection.
The Sotheby’s agent in charge of this house, Mirjana Mičetić, who says the house is "truly a Croatian product", notes that the market is stable.
"The market never actually died. My feeling is that it was pushed back by two to three months," Mičetić said, adding that during the lockdown she had virtual tours of the house, and potential buyers planning to come in the spring postponed the visit to June, July, and August.
Forest of Gorski Kotar, Croatia / Copyright Romulić and Stojčić
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Six EU Grant Agreements Presented in Istria
ZAGREB, October 19, 2020 - Regional Development and EU Funds Minister Natasa Tramisak on Monday presented six grant agreements for Istria County, and they were awarded to the City of Vodnjan, the Municipality of Barban, Juraj Dobrila University and Istrian Development Agency.
Recalling that these were grants for the tenders for projects valued at HRK 75.16 million of which HRK 55.7 million is in grants under the Interated Territorial Investment (ITI) schemes, Minister Tramisak said that the agreements on the most part related to economic development in the broader area of Pula and surrounding local communities.
"The agreements are supposed to help boost the development of entrepreneurship, institutions in business zones and revitalise cultural heritage or investments in brownfield locations," the minister said.
"We expect exceptional results from these six valuable projects related to the further development and promotion of entrepreneurship and strengthening the business climate," she underlined.
She in particular pointed out the agreement with the University of Pula and its further development of teaching and research activities. The Juraj Dobrila University will manage a project to repurpose a former navy hospital into a new academic centre in the city and the first phase of that project alone is worth HRK 20.7 million.
(€1 = HRK 7.57376)
