Croatia Remembers the Kornati Tragedy 13 Years Later
August 30, 2020 - Croatia remembers the Kornati tragedy, which occurred on August 30, 2007, when a group of firefighters fell victim to a blaze on the island of Kornati. Of the 13 firefighters at the scene, 12 died on the spot or in hospital, and only one survived - Frane Lučić from Tisno. The event is considered the worst disaster since the Croatian War of Independence, with officials dying on duty.
“An unprecedented firefighting tragedy happened on the Kornati Islands in Dalmatia, Croatia on August 30, 2007. This is the worst disaster since the Croatian War of Independence, with officials dying on duty. The underbrush on the barren, uninhabited side of the island caught fire, and firefighters were called to help. As the summer is the season of fires, Croatia had lent a firefighting plane to Greece to help fight their fires. So there was an urgent need for another means of transportation, and a military helicopter was used to transport firefighters and a water container. The MI-8 MTV-1 helicopter disembarked the water container at one spot, the firefighters at another, and left. That military helicopter has remained the issue of later speculations. Namely, in “Novi tjednik,” a Dalmatia daily, a shocking article by journalist Jelena Devcic was published entitled “Proofs buried, cleaning fluid on the ground.” It has been speculated that the helicopter hit a rock during maneuvering, and besides a blown tire, the tank was damaged with oil and petrol leaking because some oily stains were found on the rocks. The firefighters were soon surrounded by burning underbrush, and they burned.
According to the official expertise that was done later, it was concluded that a burn-out of an inhomogeneous gas mixture occurred by burning vegetation accompanied by strong winds. A similar rare phenomenon was described in Australia in 2003 near Canberra and Corsica in 2000 near the place Palasca. Besides our leading forensic experts, the leading world firefighting experts were invited to the Republic of Croatia who came to reconstruct the disaster, to find out the dynamics and kinetics of fire, its speed and direction it spread, height and position of the flame and to assess the freed thermal energy,” reads the official report from Hrvoje Lalić, Professor, Specialist in Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Rijeka Medical School.
Six firefighters from the Sibenik fire department were killed - Dino Klarić, Ivica Crvelin, Ivan Marinović, Marko Stančić, Gabrijel Skočić, and Hrvoje Strikoman, and seven more survived with severe body burns. Five were transferred for treatment in Zagreb (Tomislav Crvelin, Ante Crvelin, Josip Lučić, Karlo Ševerdija, and Marinko Knežević) and soon died from the severity of their burns. The only surviving firefighter, Frane Lučić, was discharged for home treatment after recovering at Split Clinical Hospital.
County Fire Commander Dražen Slavica was the only one charged with the Kornati tragedy, as the only potential culprit for the death of 12 of his colleague. DORH charged the then fire commander with numerous failures in organizing the intervention, appointing minors to the fire, delaying assistance to the victims, and more. At the end of April 2018, he was finally acquitted of all guilt in a repeated trial.
An eruptive fire is an official explanation initially presented to the public as the cause of the accident.
“It has been shown that the temperature at the fire site was over 1200°C, and it explained the cause of such a sporadic fire. The cause was the burn-out of an inhomogeneous gas mixture due to the burning of vegetation, carried by a strong wind that swept over the firemen.
The idea that the kerosene from the army helicopter caught fire was discarded as unfounded and improbable. It was the seasonal receptionist at the Kornati National Park, whose cigarette butt started the chain of unfortunate events.
The last question refers to the events after the disaster – why did it take hours to transport the casualties from the island to the mainland, late at night by a naval vessel? Only one fireman survived. Because he developed PTSD and was undergoing treatment, he could not comprehend the whole event, but is aware of his colleagues´ death. He was transferred to Bratislava, Slovakia, to have his skin grafted. He wishes to return to everyday life but has a long rehabilitation ahead of him. In principle, most patients return to work after burn injuries. Of course, it depends on the type and severity of the injury, which often requires a long and intensive hospital therapy and other out-of-hospital treatments. Major burns consequentially lead to the failure of organs, sepsis, and shock. The survivors often get damaged muscle-skeletal and circulation systems, but also mental disorders. Deformities, loss of body parts (like the Kornati survivor with a handicap finger), may trigger serious psychological problems. Social support, the role of family and partners is of great importance. It is not only the direct victims that are mentally scarred. Three weeks after the Kornati tragedy, the volunteer fire company secretary hanged himself. He was a high-school teacher and knew the young victims who used to be his students. The volunteer fire company captain needed psychiatric treatment,” Hrvoje Lalić continued in the official report.
It took ten years for the state to settle with Frane Lučić. It was decided that the compensation would be 1.75 million kuna, that he would be paid two monthly rents - 1500 kuna for medical preparations and food and 4500 kuna for help and care. He was also reimbursed for 617 thousand kuna in court costs, all of which, with default interest, amounted to around 5 million kuna as of 2009.
In September 2009, the government commissioned the Ministries of Culture, Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Construction and Physical Planning to announce a call for proposals for the Kornati tragedy memorial's conceptual design, so that it would be completed by the anniversary in 2010. On January 29, 2010, it was announced that Zadar architect Nikola Bašić would design the memorial. The plan was to have crosses made of stones as found on the island, which would fit into the landscape. The memorial crosses on Kornati were completed on May 23, 2010.
Due to the announced strong southern winds, the commemoration for firefighters will not be held on Sunday, August 30, but on Tuesday, September 1.
The commemoration will begin with a service of words for the fallen firefighters in the Chapel of St. Florian at 10 am, after which the envoys of the President of the Republic of Croatia, the Croatian Parliament, and the Government will lay a wreath.
Representatives of Sibenik-Knin County, the cities of Sibenik and Vodice, the municipalities of Tisno and Murter-Kornati, the Croatian Fire Brigade, the Sibenik-Knin County Fire Brigade and the Kornati National Park will light candles.
Today, we remember Dino Klarić, Ivica Crvelin, Ivan Marinović, Marko Stančić, Gabrijel Skočić, Hrvoje Strikoman, Ante Crvelin, Tomislav Crvelin, Josip Lučić, Karlo Ševerdija, Marinko Knežević and Ante Juričev Mikulin. Twelve lives gone too soon. May they never be forgotten.
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Flights to Croatia: Croatia Airlines Reduces Zagreb Services to Copenhagen, London, Dublin
August 30, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates for Zagreb. A look at how Croatia Airlines reduces Zagreb services in September.
Croatian Aviation reports that Croatia Airlines will continue to operate to Copenhagen, London, and Dublin in September, but the weekly traffic will be lower than in August.
Denmark and the United Kingdom have reintroduced strict measures for all travelers coming from Croatia. Such decisions result in the cancellation of direct flights. An example is certainly British Airways, which canceled three of its four flights to Croatia.
In August, it was possible to travel directly between London and Zagreb with two airlines - British Airways and Croatia Airlines. Both companies operated to Heathrow Airport. As we mentioned earlier, British Airways will cut off traffic on the route to Zagreb from September 6, and according to the latest information, Croatia Airlines will reduce the number of weekly departures on this route.
The Croatian national airline has so far operated three times a week between London and Zagreb, and from September 7, there will be only one flight a week on this route - every Monday. This is a big drop in the number of seats offered, with 10 direct flights a week in August to 1 flight a week in September!
Croatia Airlines has two other flights a week on sale (Wednesdays and Fridays) from September 16, but they should be taken into account with caution, given that their cancellation is still possible (it will depend solely on booking).
Zagreb - Dublin
Two days ago, we announced the cancellation of the Dublin - Split line by Aer Lingus, though direct flights from Dublin to the coast will continue to operate by Irish Ryanair. Changes are also taking place on the Zagreb-Dublin line.
In September, Croatia Airlines plans to operate on this route three times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays), but from September 10 to 24, flights were canceled on Thursdays. In the last week of September, three flights a week have been announced again, but their traffic will depend exclusively on the booking status for each individual flight, so further cancellations are also possible.
Zagreb - Copenhagen
Croatia Airlines launched the Zagreb - Copenhagen route on June 1, and it was, at that time, only the third international destination of the national airline after a complete "lockdown". Until now, the company has operated on this line on a daily basis.
Despite the introduced measures, Croatia Airlines will continue to operate on this route, but certain flights have also been canceled. From September 7 to 13, there will be six flights a week on the route (flight canceled on Saturday, September 12), while from September 14 to 20, two flights will be canceled (Wednesday, September 16 and Friday, September 18). Further cancellations are also possible.
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Six Measures Against Crisis Announced by Croatian Government
As Novac/Goran Penic/Marina Klepo writes on the 29th of August, 2020, the worst coronavirus-dominated economic forecasts have unfortunately come true: Croatia's GDP sank 15.1 percent in the second quarter, and among EU countries, according to the data released so far, Croatia recorded the fifth worst result, after Spain, France, Italy and Portugal. The Croatian Government has some tricks up its sleeve.
Historically, Croatia has never seen such a sharp decline in its economy, and CBS data from 1996 shows that the biggest quarterly decline so far was at the beginning of 2009, at the outbreak of the financial crisis, which stood at 8.8 percent. The lockdown to curb the spread of the new coronavirus has resulted in a much worse drop.
Due to the absence of the pre-season, CBS data shows that export of services fell by as much as 67.4 percent. The export of goods, meanwhile, fell 10.4 percent, household consumption fell by 14 percent and investment fell by 14.7 percent. The fact that household consumption was reduced during quarantine doesn't come as a surprise, but investments have sunk more than expected. Of the total investments in the country, as was explained by the Minister of Finance, Zdravko Maric, 52 percent refers to construction, and it recorded a slight plus.
Big challenges lie ahead according to Zdravko Maric...
''We believe that the procurement of equipment led to the fact that total investments fell more than expected. We also had a physical barrier regarding the procurement of equipment due to the pandemic,'' said Maric, saying at the same time that "challenges lie ahead". Of all the components of GDP, the only exception in terms of the drop is government spending, which increased by 0.7 percent.
Goran Saravanja, the director of the Imelum consulting company, pointed out that the worst is over, although the recovery will be long and uncertain, and he expects GDP decline this year to be less than 10 percent "due to a better tourist season than what was expected". But he doesn't expect a more pronounced recovery in terms of personal consumption. Zrinka Zivkovic-Matijevic, an RBA analyst, has more pessimistic expectations, believing that the latest announcement confirms that the fall in GDP will be above 10 percent this year, and growth of only three percent can be expected next year.
If we want to mitigate the economic downturn and prevent significant layoffs, the finance minister said, the government faces major challenges. Although it launched a very generous job preservation package in the spring, there is a real danger that many will find themselves in a thankless situation after the measures expire. When asked what he thinks the government could or should do to prevent the worst-case scenario, Zivkovic-Matijevic singles out "working on strengthening the institutional capacity to withdraw the planned European Union funds'' as something of significance.
The first payments of the agreed 22 billion euros from the EU are expected this autumn, and that money should mitigate the consequences of the coronavirus crisis, accelerate domestic economic growth and make things a bit more sustainable. But to what extent Croatia will be able to offer quality programmes in order to make really good use of the large amount is still something which is yet to be seen.
According to Saravanja, the Croatian Government would mitigate the decline in domestic demand the most if it could accelerate the start of infrastructure projects, ie capital investments that are in a high stage of preparation, especially projects with an EU financial component. He adds that those in charge should absolutely not lose focus on structural reforms.
The third quarter
Croatia's GDP, when viewed over the first turbulent six months of 2020, fell by 7.8 percent, which is actually slightly better than the EU average where the decline stood at 8.3 percent. Owing to the fact that Croatia had a slightly better first quarter, and since Croatia recorded 53 percent of overnight stays in tourism compared to last year until this August, and planned for a massive 70 percent decline, the Government expects that in the third quarter, the predicted decline will be slightly lower, and ultimately at the end of the year - GDP decline will be slightly less than planned.
''Even under the theoretical assumption that by the end of the year we have no more tourists, overnight stays will be at over 40 percent of what was recorded last year, which will reflect GDP trends and a correction of the fall in the third quarter and by the end of the year,'' said the Prime Minister's Adviser for Economic Affairs, Zvonimir Savic. When it comes to further measures to mitigate the consequences of the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the Croatian Government is counting on generous funds from the EU for liquidity of the economy, the preservation of jobs, as well as for reforms and investments.
A few days ago, we received confirmation that we will have one billion euros of soft loans from the SURE programme at our disposal, with which the government will compensate the current cost for co-financing salaries during the lockdown, but also for further measures. According to Savic, the measures will be targeted towards activities that are the most affected by the coronavirus crisis, in the sectors of tourism, catering and transport. This money will then be used to finance the measure of a shortened working week and other things. The tourism sector is demanding that the measures last until the beginning of next season.
The second thing that is planned, according to Savic, is to maintain the liquidity of the real sector through favourable loans from HAMAG BICRO and HBOR for small and medium-sized enterprises.
''The concept of the Covid loan goes further with a grace period, five years of repayment and an interest rate of 0.25 percent. It is estimated that this year alone, we'll have 100 to 200 million euros, and in two years a total of 700 to 800 million euros,'' added Savic.
The most significant funds lie in the mechanism for recovery and resilience of the economy - over 6 billion euros that can be used over the next three years. EU countries must draw up national recovery plans in the next three months, and through this mechanism, all reforms and investments related to strengthening the economy in the pandemic can be financed. These are projects for environmental protection, infrastructure, digitalisation and the reform of public administration, the judiciary, and as has since been found out, Croatia has negotiated that the funds be used for the reconstruction and construction of school buildings after the Zagreb earthquake, and the same is being negotiated for health and cultural facilities.
Wage growth
''These are non-refundable funds with which we can renovate public buildings, and this is then an opportunity for the construction sector, but also for companies that will equip schools and hospitals. We can also justify the costs of distance education,'' said Savic, noting that the programme has been in force since back in February. There is also a tax relief that will come into force next year, and which, through a reduction in income and profit taxes, will bring citizens higher salaries and business owners higher incomes, which should encourage more consumption.
The Croatian Government is also counting on negotiations with the unions about the agreed increase in salaries in the public and state sector. As we have learned, the dynamics of wage growth will be negotiated with regard to the situation. There will be either a delay for a while (for two years, for example) or a slowdown in growth (minor increases) on the table. The government wants a compromise, it doesn't want to cause friction, and it hopes that the unions are on the same wavelength as them in terms of awareness of the velocity of the coronavirus crisis we're all trying to wade through together.
It wants to speed up investments as well. At the moment, over 20 billion kuna are involved in various projects financed from the EU, and state-owned companies are expected to invest more.
Urgent moves by the Croatian Government to get out of the coronavirus crisis are as follows:
1. A shortened working week
The government will help activities in tourism, catering and hospitality and transport with co-financing of 2000 kuna per worker for a shortened working week. The criteria and duration of this measure are still being agreed on.
2. Favourable loans for business owners
HAMAG BICRO and HBOR will continue to provide loans with interest rates of 0.25 percent to maintain the company's liquidity.
3. The construction of schools and hospitals in Zagreb
Croatia has 6 billion euros of grants at its disposal that can be used for various projects which involve environmental protection, infrastructure, digitalisation and the reform of public administration, the judiciary and so on. The funds will be used for the reconstruction and equipping of schools, as well as health and cultural facilities after the Zagreb earthquake, which will boost the construction sector.
4. Tax relief
A new tax reform will take effect on January the 1st, 2021, reducing income tax rates from 24 to 20 percent and from 36 to 30 percent, as well as income tax from 12 to 10 percent for small and medium-sized enterprises. Salaries should thus increase by 100 to 800 kuna. The Croatian Government once again wants to encourage consumption.
5. Negotiations with trade unions on the increase of salaries
The Croatian Government wants a compromise to either freeze the agreed wage increase until GDP starts to rise, or to make the increases smaller than agreed.
6. Investments
It wants to accelerate investments financed from EU funds, as well as payments from the EU budget, and encourage state-owned companies to have more investments.
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Split's Mediterranean Book Festival to Go Ahead Despite Coronavirus Crisis
As Morski writes on the 29th of August, 2020, the Mediterranean Book Festival, which will take place from the 2nd to the 6th of September in Split, more precisely in Gripe, is set to offer a rich programme for all lovers of the written word, but also send out an important message - that economic and cultural life must continue despite the iron grip of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
This festival will be a demonstration exercise on how to behave and how to carry out the demanding organisation of such a cultural event in a crisis situation, such as the unprecedented one we're currently in. It will send out a picture of the new normal in Split, as well as how people can be ''treated;; with books during the coronavirus epidemic,'' said the mayor of Split, Andro Krstulovic Opara.
Among other things, disinfection points for feet and hands await the festival's visitors at the very entrance to the Gripe Sports Centre. Of course, it won't be possible to enter without wearing a mask and agreeing to a temperature measurement, and special visitor counters will make sure that the area of 1800 square metres isn't too crowded. All vendors at the stands will have a visor over their faces, the distances between the stands will be increased, and because of all this, the working hours of the festival have been extended (from 10:00 to 21:00).
''We know that we'll be under a magnifying glass, but we decided to break the ice and create a frame in which all visitors will feel comfortable and safe. Although social distancing will be kept in mind, IFC is an opportunity for readers to meet the authors in person after a forced break of months and for cultural life to begin to return to normal. For us publishers, the festival is of great importance from an economic point of view, which can be seen in the response of the publishers. About 90 of them will offer visitors over 10,000 titles in the field of journalism, fiction and children's books,'' said the president of the Association of Publishers and Bookstores of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Slavko Kozina, adding that this festival is important as a guide for future cultural events, even under these coronavirus-dominated circumstances.
Everyone who decides to go will be able to enjoy a rich programme, from numerous book promotions, through expert panel discussions to workshops for children. Special attention will be paid to children and young people and numerous workshops will be organised which will include creative storytelling, drawing comics, robotics, writing stories and more.
The festival is organised by the Association of Publishers and Bookstores of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, Split-Dalmatia County and the City of Split, with the support of numerous partners, and the project will be held in accordance with all of the recommendations of the National Civil Protection Headquarters and all of the current epidemiological measures.
Admission to the festival is free and you can find out more about the programme, registration for workshops, the prize draw and the festival's STOP COVID-19 measures on the official website.
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Tax Administration Confirms 25% Tax on Parcels from Third Countries in 2021
The tax administration isn't exactly the most popular institution in Croatia, and it will likely become even less popular for those who are fans of ordering cheap goods from China, as a 25 percent tax is about to be slapped on each parcel entering the Republic of Croatia.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 29th of August, 2020, as of next summer, more precisely from the 1st of July 2021, every single shipment ordered from third countries - including the production giant China, will have have a 25 percent value added tax paid on it.
As things currently stand here in Croatia, small shipments worth less than 22 euros are exempt from the payment of any VAT, but in less than a year such shipments will require the payment of both VAT and customs duties, so will small, ie cheaper packages ordered from the likes of China, marking an increase in price by 25 percent.
The increase in the price of shipments from third countries has been talked about for some time now, and yesterday the Ministry of Finance and the Tax Administration officially confirmed this to the journalists of Bug who sent them an inquiry on the matter.
Among other things, the reply from the Tax Administration states: Alignment with these directives will take effect from the 1st of July 2021, with the aim of simplifying certain rules regarding the supply of services and the distance selling of goods and ensuring a level playing field for European Union taxpayers in relation to taxpayers from third countries, given the fact that the VAT exemption for small consignments imported into the European Union with a value of less than 22 euros is abolished.
From next summer onward, we will pay 25 percent VAT on packages sent from China and third countries worth less than 22 euros (160 kuna), which will be charged directly to the seller of the imported goods.
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HGK: New Measures Final Nail in Coffin for Croatian Congress Tourism
As Morski writes on the 29th of August, 2020, the unexpectedly good results of the tourist season in July and August unfortunately don't apply to Croatian congress tourism. Congress organisers and travel agencies have fared terribly during the coronavirus crisis.
The Croatian congress tourism industry realises its income almost exclusively in the pre- and post-season, which means that in the most intensive period for this industry, the spring months, operations were entirely prohibited, and given the latest measures, the same will happen in once again in autumn.
''Yesterday's decision of the National Civil Protection Headquarters, which was sent to all health institutions and which postpones the holding of congresses, symposia, workshops, lectures and other forms of professional training for health workers, is actually the final nail in the coffin for Croatian congress tourism,'' warned Jasmina Kanas, president of the Croatian Business Tourism Association of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK).
She claims that gatherings of the medical community make up the majority of all such gatherings in Croatia. "In our organisation, health protocols can be fully respected, and the participants are those who are used to applying much stricter anti-epidemiological measures because their jobs depend on doing so. They can't be compared to similar public gatherings because this is education with a special emphasis placed on professional development and knowledge exchange where there is no place for entertainment. This is especially true for medical gatherings which, according to a strict codes of ethics, aren't allowed to engage in entertainment or have it in a very limited scope,'' she explained.
However, the HGK Association points out that they aren't blaming anyone and that everyone understands the current difficult epidemiological situation and the implementation of measures.
''We're aware that various events are the first target when measures are taken. But we hope that there will be equal understanding on the part of the government, given that our revenues this year are zero kuna as a direct result of these anti-epidemiological measures. So, this year we're not allowed to earn money on our own and get away from the burden of the state, and we aren't used to living on help,'' continued Kanas, adding that she believes that they cannot be treated in the same manner as others.
"We'll feel all this for years to come because employee education, team building programmes, incentives and business travel are the first cuts companies make in a recession even without there being a health risk. After the recession back in 2008, the recovery of Croatian congress tourism took almost five years,'' added Kanas.
In addition to the measures for jobs that they expect in the same amount of 4,000 kuna, which have so far "kept their heads above water", this community from the Croatian Chamber of Commerce is proposing additional grants in the amount of, for example, 10 percent of the turnover in 2019 compensated to congress organisers, given the fact that a similar move was made in Denmark. The uncertainty posed by the impossibility of determining when the pandemic will end is greater with the fact that measures to support job preservation are defined from month to month, making it impossible to plan a long-term strategy to overcome this unprecedented crisis. Therefore, they hope that the next decisions made by the Croatian Government will go in the direction of adopting CES measures until April 2021.
The Croatian congress tourism industry and all business travel in general are an extremely important segment of the country's tourism, but also of the overall Croatian economy because its consumption and long-term stability is a significant generator of inflows to domestic hotels, congress centres, restaurants and transport companies, all of which are among the most affected by this pandemic. The average delegate spends significantly more on professional training than typical tourists do, sometimes up to 5 times more, so the loss of income from this type of tourism is all the more damaging.
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Corona Pandemic Has Devastating Consequences for Conference Tourism
ZAGREB, Aug 29, 2020 - Better-than-expected results in the tourist season in July and August in Croatia cannot be applied for stakeholders in conference tourism and tour operators that rely on doing business in shoulder seasons, the association of business tourism within the Croatian Chamber of Commerce said on Saturday.
The association recalls that total coronavirus lockdown was imposed this spring, a period when business tourism usually has the most intensive activities, and this HGK group also fears of the imminent restrictions in the post-season when this type of tourism should resume its activities.
Jasmina Kanas of the HGK business tourism association says in a press release that Friday's decision made by the national COVID-19 crisis management team whereby all healthcare institutions are supposed to postpone congresses, symposiums, conference, workshops, lectures and similar gatherings until further notice is "the last nail in the coffin" for business tourism.
Kanas recalls that a majority of gatherings organised by business tourism stakeholders are in the field of medicine.
Public healthcare protocols can be fully complied with at events organised by our businesses, and participants in such events are people (healthcare workers) who have got accustomed to applying even stricter epidemiological measures, Kanas says.
The HGK group also underlines that it does not blame anyone for the latest developments and that protagonists have the full understanding for the epidemiological measures in place.
We hope that the government will also show understanding, given that our revenues in 2020 are equal to zero, as a direct consequence of the epidemiological measures.
Kanas says that stakeholders in business tourism cannot be equally treated as businesses in other types of tourism that have manged to secure some earnings.
Therefore they request some incentives to overcome this year, such as non-repayable subsidies equal to 10% of their turnover in 2019.
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Thirteen Foreigners, Presumably Migrants, Found at Slunj Military Range
ZAGREB, Aug 29, 2020 - Thirteen foreign citizens have been found and identified at the Eugen Kvaternik Military Range in the central Croatian town of Slunj, and they have been handed over to police for further action, Croatia's Defence Ministry (MORH) said on Saturday.
A group of thirteen foreign citizens who had illegally crossed the Croatian border was identified and detained at the Eugen Kvaternik Military Range on Friday at about 6.30 pm.
The group then reported that a female child aged 12 had gone missing from the group, the ministry's press release said.
Since the disappearance was reported, members of the Croatian Armed Forces have been intensively searching for the missing girl around the Eugen Kvaternik Military Range.
The Croatian police were immediately informed about this and they took over the foreign nationals and are also conducting an intensive search, MORH added.
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Goodbye, Summer: 60,000 Passengers Expected at Split Airport and Ferry Port this weekend
August 29, 2020 - During the last weekend in August, the number of passengers at Split Airport decreased significantly, and on Saturday and Sunday, 150 planes should land at Resnik, bringing 20,000 passengers.
Mate Melvan from Split Airport says that in August, the traffic will be at the level of 40% from the same month last year, but that, given the situation around the coronavirus and the measures taken by individual countries, they are extremely satisfied with the results, reports Dalmatinski Portal.
"We expect to be at 550,000 passengers in the first eight months of this year, which are excellent results when we take into account that we had 30,000 passengers in April, May, and June," said Melvan.
As for the forecast for September, some carriers have already canceled the planned flights, and 30 carriers from 50 destinations should fly to Split.
"It is very difficult to predict what will happen in September due to the measures adopted by the Civil Protection Headquarters. However, we can say that we have a large number of flights in the announcement, but it all depends on how much the recommendations of other countries to come to Croatia will affect the decision of passengers to decide to travel," added Melvan.
That this year's season is slowly coming to an end can also be seen at the Split Ferry Port. This is the first weekend in which there are no extra lines to the islands, and it is expected that about 40,000 passengers and 10,000 vehicles will pass through the ferry port this weekend.
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Ivan Vukovic - Death To Dubrovnik’s Overpriced Coffee, Long Live The Local Experience
August 29, 2020 – In a time when Dubrovnik is usually crawling with tourists, it is tourist guide Ivan Vukovic who thinks that the city needs to be free of the hundreds of tourist groups that stay in the city just for a couple of hours. The movie tours, local insight, and the cross-section of the past with the present – meet Dubrovnik's beloved tourist guide.
Ivan gives tourists a different perspective of the Pearl of the Adriatic. As a traveller himself, he noticed how a lot of destinations offer film tours. And people love it. Besides, as he states, film and series are a medium that does good to the local economy, and it is easy to create marketing from this. Since he started to representing Dubrovnik in a different way back in 2012, this brought him a lot of attention from TV companies and foreign journalists, so through them, he got a lot of marketing, connections, and references. The Austrian national ORF, German RTL Taff, The Times, Telegraph, Zeit, The Economist, Forbes, are just a few big names that featured his work.
“2012 turned my life upside down because this business started. My life was like a spin cycle on a washing machine,” says Ivan, for whom this coronavirus-year is now like a little break.
Many people wanted to discover Dubrovnik through the Game of Thrones stories, but Ivan had to reduce the number of people to 10 per group, in order to give them a quality tour. “Nobody will enjoy the tour when there is a terrible crowd, combined with hot and sweaty weather. This is why it's best to visit Dubrovnik during the winter.”
But besides the places where Star Wars: The Last Jedi was filmed, Ivan gives people a local experience. “I inserted a wanna be Croatian tour to give guests a sense of the city. I introduce them to the locals on the tour and gave them a cross-section of the past with the present,” says Ivan, who always picks a different local person to introduce to tourists.
Those stories include statements that rakija cures everything, that propuh is the silent killer, but coffee in a slow, Dalmatian way is a must. Usually sitting on the stairs with a cigarette between their fingers, elderly locals tell tourists that it was way better before. They say that life inside of the walls with so many apartments is unbearable, even though each of those locals has two apartments themselves.
“With all the overtourism, there were a lot of people selling themselves as a local experience which was not true so I want to somehow correct that with these ideas.”, says Ivan. “The tourists appreciate it and it isn't a tourist trap because they get local tips along the way.”
As the one with many experiences, a knowledge of history, and years of giving people the very best of Dubrovnik, it is safe to say that Ivan is among the people who know this city best. That's why he keeps saying that Dubrovnik is not just the walls around it. “The city is beautiful outside the walls, too. A path to the church on Orsula, a walk on Petka hill, or simply a walk on Kono which still has that Dubrovnik charm of garden architecture. And every corner carries its own story - a historical one or one from childhood.”
Dubrovnik is breathtaking, but it certainly isn't a city to visit for just one day. “This city has that wow effect, those old Dubrovnik captains who sit on the stairs in the shade, drink coffee for hours, read the newspapers and never like the weather forecast. It still has that local verse. Not all is lost,” says Ivan, who would prefer this town without so many cruisers.
After months of giving himself to tourists, it’s time to pack his things and return to his beloved Africa. “It has somehow become my second home. The African bustle is life, emotion, and survival,” says Ivan, who worked as a humanitarian aid after the ex-Yu conflict with children from Bosnia and Croatia. His mother, who is a teacher, conveyed love to him to help those in need.
After he got a chance to go to Kenya, he developed a depth of emotion for it that words cannot describe. “I was a stranger to the children in the orphanage, and then I became their friend with whom they grew up. During a long period of 7 years, I watched all the struggles those children went through. For us, it’s normal to have the basics like water, electricity, asphalt, education, but that isn't the case for them. And now they have grown into serious people. That's my medal. And I know I will always come back there. And I will always leave them sad and travel back to Croatia with a lump in my throat.”
The number of countries he visited climbs to an incredible 123 in total. Currently, he is planning where to goes next to experience travelling in the coronavirus era, as well. As a fan of the Middle East, the propaganda doesn’t have any influence on him. “Maybe people are telling different stories, but I love the heartiness of those people,” says Ivan, advising everyone to go there and experience the Middle East’s charms.
Besides working as a tourist guide in crowded Dubrovnik and exploring the world, Ivan works as a photographer for the Agence France Presse, an international news agency based in Paris. His photos were also in the Croatia Airlines magazine, as well as those for Transavia and Aer Lingus, on the web for Travel agency Croatian Passenger Club, Laus Travel, and sometimes for foreign agencies such as Topdeck.
Still, one of the photos he lacks is one of the old Dubrovnik captains. They are always a bit grumpy, with grey hair showing under the cap. “They never want to be photographed,” says Ivan, who believes that they're the real spirit of this old town.
This traveller by passion, photographer by love, and tour guide by profession, creates the balance in his life by combining Dubrovnik’s rush and Africa's peace. “It's hard to explain to anyone here that life in Africa takes place on the street and that life isn't worth much there. But the African plateau is where I find peace. It’s a place where I listen to the silence. And I realise how happy I am.”
Check out Ivan Vukovic's amazing photos on his Instagram profile: dubrovnik_tourist_guide. If you want to book his tour, you can do this here.
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