August 24, 2020 - The main tourist season in Croatia is over. Still, since tourists want to come despite tightened measures in some countries, the post-season could last, says the director of the Croatian Tourism Association (HUT), Veljko Ostojic.

Glas Istrereports that commenting in an interview on achievements in Croatian tourism this year, especially in hotels and camps of member companies of the Croatian Tourism Association (HUT), which are among the largest and leading in Croatia, Ostojic emphasizes that the foundation of success this season is safety and that Croatia is the winner of the Mediterranean this summer.

"We can all be proud of that, we had a quality epidemiological situation at the beginning of the main tourist season, thanks to the great efforts of epidemiologists, staff systems and the government, and we recorded great interest from tourists. But now, with the worsening of the epidemiological situation, we find ourselves in trouble over the continuation of the season," says Ostojic, adding that everyone in tourism warned that due to several clubs and weddings, the whole season should not be questioned, but that is exactly what happened in the end.

However, even now, after some countries put Croatia on the red list, Ostojic says that we should not give up the rest of the season, because tourism accounts for about 20 percent of domestic GDP and "giving up tourism revenues in September and October would not be responsible neither from us in tourism, nor from anyone in Croatia".

With epidemiological improvements, the postseason may take some time

On the other hand, he points out that "most countries that have tightened travel rules for their citizens in Croatia have clearly communicated the numbers we need to return to in order to go back to the category of safe countries, without restrictions. This should also be seen as a result of the continuous work of our institution, because when things are clear and transparent, then you know what needs to be done".

All this means that by the end of August, September and the future period, as well as the current tourist season, will determine the epidemiological situation in the country and individual counties and regions.

"If in the next ten days we manage to improve the epidemiological situation significantly and as a result change the travel rules from certain countries, we can expect that some hotels and camps will work until the end of October, possibly one in the destination will be open all year," he says. Ostojic, noting that hoteliers have no expectations from the congress post-season, for which they will have to wait for better times.

He also believes that the CNIPH, national and local headquarters have invested a lot of effort since the beginning of the epidemic, and the HUT has cooperated well with everyone, as well as that more can always be done, especially in communication. But instead of criticizing, he keeps looking for solutions more correctly.

Due to increased transparency and showing that the epidemiological situation is not the same in all parts of the country, HUT launched the COVID-19 regional tracker website this summer, updating data from headquarters, which was viewed by about 350,000 people.

They also published 12 weekly newsletters with the most important tourist information, which they sent to more than a thousand addresses and communicated daily, although this is not the main purpose of HUT, with domestic and foreign media, tour operators, individuals with the sole aim of making the season in Croatia better.

High occupancy of camps and hotels, but lower revenues

For the occupancy of facilities in the peak season, it reveals that it was the best in campsites, more than 80 percent, while hotels utilized more than 70 percent, in these categories of accommodation, the best occupancy was recorded by large facilities, both camps and hotels with more than 50 beds, with the fact that, as he points out, it is clearly shown that occupancy increases with the number of stars or quality.

Hotel houses in the northern Adriatic worked best, which was expected considering that this is the year of car guests, because everyone wanted to avoid the risks of joint transport, distant destinations, possible sudden repatriation and the like.

State assistance and ‘quick’ measures needed by the end of August 

However, the financial results, says Ostojic, will be lower than the physical ones, which is also expected, and the realized revenues will definitely not be enough to cover winter. Help from the state will be needed, as it was from March to August.

"We expect the measures to be defined quickly. HUT has given its proposals to the relevant ministry and we expect answers by the end of August at the latest. Otherwise, the process of taking care of extra workers will begin," Ostojic said, noting that they are satisfied with the first messages by the new Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac, but also with the overall commitment to tourism of the Prime Minister and the Government.

It seems, he says, that there is an understanding in the government that tourism needs a set of short-term measures to maintain liquidity and jobs, and then a set of long-term measures to strengthen the competitiveness and resilience of the entire sector, for which they also expect concrete measures soon.

"It is certain that the EU Recovery Fund and the new financial envelope will help us all, for which we must prepare for concrete programs and projects. Talks about it have been launched and it seems to me that we are on the right track. We have a new tourism development strategy ahead of us, and we expect the active involvement of the sector and the adoption of ambitious, but also pragmatic and feasible results, because no one needs another strategy that will remain a dead letter on paper," Ostojic believes.

Recognition, quality and sustainability are still key to success, but there is still a lot of work to be done

Although tourism is at a turning point globally in these circumstances, and it seems that the coronavirus will forever change some of the established ways of working in tourism and even the expectations of tourists, Ostojic still considers recognition, quality, and sustainability the keys to success.

"We have to focus here because we have to strengthen the overall competitiveness of Croatian tourism on these 'pillars' and there is a lot of work ahead of us," he said. He believes that, in addition to the new tourism strategy, a number of fiscal issues need to be addressed - VAT brought to the level of Mediterranean competition, which is important for investment, increase the number of hotels with incentives, but also improve spatial planning, reduce bureaucracy, finalize the law on foreigners and the issue of the permanent season and to regulate the system of tourist boards with stronger control over the spending of funds.

He adds that the implementation of the Law on Tourist Land should be continued and a decree should be passed that will regulate the issue of the rental price.

"In the sector, we also expect an exemption from the payment of the fee for tourist land for this and next year due to a significant reduction in income," concludes Ostojic.

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August 24, 2020 - Another illogical move in Croatia. The Croatian National Tourism Board blocked Croatian photographers on Instagram who promote the beauties of Croatia.

After Index.hr received a couple of messages from Croatian photographers, they started to dig.

"It is awful to block people who work on the promotion of Croatia," one of the blocked photographers complains to Index.hr. The Croatian Tourist Board said that they blocked only those who "steal", "falsely present themselves," and "with whom they are in court". As Index.hr has investigated, most of the CNTB's accusations do not stand. Index.hr was convinced by the fact that after their inquiry about the photographers, some profiles were unblocked.

The Croatian National Tourist Board has more than 10,000 posts and more than 378,000 followers on its official Instagram profile. Most of the photos are actually from other profiles, and the photos are signed with a link to the original profile where they were posted. The promotion of Croatia should be important for the CNTB, and for those who publish photos to get a larger number of views, and thus followers. However, the CNTB, as Index.hr finds out, blocked part of the photographers and did not download or share their content on the official Instagram profile of the CNTB.

Blocking a profile on Instagram means disabling a blocked profile from accessing your profile and preventing it from seeing posts. Also, blocking on Instagram prevents sending messages, tagging in pictures, and any communication between the profile that blocked and the one that is blocked.

By blocking the photographers, the CNTB also prevented the CNTB from tagging their photos, as well as any communication on Instagram.

"We try, we do their job, and they block us."

“We try so hard and instead of giving us a hand because we work globally, they block us all,” one of the blocked photographers complained. But none of them understand why this is being done. "It's frivolous and childish and no one benefits from it. We can watch CNTB announcements through other profiles, and other people can still enjoy promoting Croatia as a beautiful country on our profiles," another photographer complains.

The Croatian National Tourist Board claims that they have extremely successful cooperation with a large number of relevant, successful, proven and internationally recognized photographers and that they do not have any photographers blocked on their profiles.

CNTB: The problem is copyright and misrepresentation

"So far, we have had a successful collaboration with photographers on our social networks, but, unfortunately, we were forced to terminate our collaboration with one photographer due to the question of valid copyright over the photo that she published as her own and confirmed in writing. Namely, a third person appeared as the author of the disputed photo, and a court proceeding related to copyright is in progress," the CNTB told Index.hr, without specifying who it was.

The CNTB, in response to an Index inquiry, said that each author the posts themselves contact and ask permission to post the photo. Index.hr asked the CNTB why they block the profiles of some photographers.

"They use false information"

"These profiles used 'false information', or they were presented as official profiles 'in charge of promoting Croatia in the world. We are responsible for marketing Croatia overseas as a leading holiday and business tourism destination' and used author's texts and content of the Croatian National Tourist Board without consent and approval, which violated the copyright (of the texts). We reported this via Facebook for false presentation or use of the content without permission, which was later downloaded by Facebook / Instagram," says the CNTB's response.

Index.hr sent an additional query, stating that they unblocked some profiles after Index.hr first query was not answered.

As Index.hr checked, their misrepresentation answer was correct, but only for one page. This is the Instagram profile of Croatia, which is presented on social networks, specifically Facebook, as the "Croatian Tourist Board". The CNTB presented Index.hr with reports against that site.

For other profiles, for which Index.hr sent them inquiries, they did not give them any evidence.

Timotej: We should support each other and work for each other

The Timotej profile belongs to a Croatian photographer who was born in England, and who did not want to introduce himself by his full name and surname. His profile has more than 58,000 followers, and his photos promote the beauties of Croatia.

The CNTB says they cannot comment on why the site was blocked because "court proceedings are ongoing". In an interview with Index, Timotej says that he would certainly be informed about some kind of court proceedings, but he doesn't know it exists.

"All these beautiful Instagram profiles that post beautiful photos from Croatia are blocked by the Croatian National Tourist Board instead of supporting each other and working together. This is not a contest for the number of followers but our goal is to show the world the most beautiful places in Croatia and make people fall in love with Croatia," Timotej said to Index.hr.

Andrea Miličević: It is bad to block people who work on the promotion of Croatia

Andrea Miličević is behind the Instagram profile croatia_photography, which has almost 80,000 followers. Her profile was also blocked by the CNTB. She tells Index.hr that she has never received any notification of the reasons why she was blocked and has been blocked for five years.

"I honestly didn't try to find an answer. Underneath every photo that is not mine is the author, so there are no copyright infringements. In fact, people are extremely happy when a photo is published to them. I get inquiries about accommodation, trips every day it is extremely bad to block people who work on the promotion of Croatia," Miličević said.

Index.hr asked the CNTB to explain precisely why croatia_photography was blocked, but they did not respond.

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August 24, 2020 - August 19 marks World Humanitarian Day. The Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL) hosted a virtual event to commemorate World Humanitarian Day with Conscience, paying tribute to real-life heroes who help the needy, save lives, or promote human welfare. 

A reputable New York City Croat Srecko Mavrek, an official KDP International Honor Society in Education representative to the UN Department of Global Communications, delivered his message to recognize importance of humanitarian works. His well noted quote was posted by the International Day of Conscience on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

“Humanitarian assistance is badly needed in many countries due to lack of political commitment, media attention and international support. The pandemic has made the situation even worse. Humanitarian crisis have worsened due to medical supply shortages. It is especially meaningful and important that we commemorate this World Humanitarian Day today. I would like to pay my highest tribute and gratitude to the great jobs of aid workers who have risked their lives in the most difficult environment extending helping hands to the helpless. Conscience is the wellspring of love, and love is at the core of humanitarian spirit,” said Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, President of FOWPAL 

In 2008, the United Nations General Assembly designated 19 August as World Humanitarian Day to raise awareness about humanitarian assistance worldwide and to pay tribute to the people who risk their lives to provide it. World Humanitarian Day was commemorated for the first time on 19 August 2009. 

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The coronavirus pandemic has thrown a spanner in the works of the global tourism industry and it is continuing to cause rifts between countries who are leaning more and more into the belief that certain decisions are being made with a political nature to them as opposed to an epidemiological one. One such case is that of Austria. Austrian tourists are being pushed from pillar to post as the decisions of their government cause enormous issues.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 23rd of August, 2020, the Austrian Government's decision to start placing measures on those wanting to travel to and indeed returning from Croatia has cause an enormous chaos among Austrian tourists. There was a wait yesterday in a queue in at the border crossing in the summer heat in which more than ten hours passed with almost no movement.

''We've been here for 10 hours with three small children. We're slowly running out of food and my children have fallen asleep hungry. Nobody cares, no one has even addressed us so far,'' one of the passengers who got stuck at the Slovenian-Austrian border crossing told 24sata.

Desperate passengers who got stuck at the Jesenice-Karavanke border crossing said that the situation had escalated and that people has started urinating along the highway because there was nowhere else for them to go, they were left without food and water, and children were crying.

''Our biggest problem is that we aren't allowed to stop anywhere in Austria, we've been on the road for more than twelve hours now, and who knows when we will cross the border… Even when we do manage to cross it, we have at least seven hours to drive home. Well, it's impossible to endure this and not be able to stop somewhere and get some sleep,'' said Marko R, who travelled yesterday with his wife and their three small children.

''We also asked the Slovenian police what was going on and why they were not letting us go, and they told us that the Austrians were simply carrying on with their stubbornness because of the whole situation with the coronavirus. We're outraged. This is no longer normal, we just want to get home,'' added Marko.

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As Novac writes on the 23rd of August, 2020, the Governor of the Croatian National Bank (CNB/HNB), Boris Vujcic, said as a guest on HTV's Dnevnik that at this moment in time, given the fact that the results from the Croatian tourism sector are better than predicted, a smaller decline in GDP can be expected. He stated that as long as something unforeseen doesn't happen, strong recovery of the Croatian economy is possible next year.

This, he noted, will also depend on other branches of the economy and on what will happen with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in autumn. Boris Vujcic also announced the strong growth of public debt this year, while it is expected to fall again next year. The CNB estimates that the share of public debt in GDP would increase from 73 to 87 percent of GDP this year.

"Public debt will increase more this year than the total reduction of public debt was from 2014 to last year. We've had a continuous reduction in public debt and will now come to 87, almost 90 percent in one year. It's good that we can see a reduction in public debt next year, because we expect the strong recovery of the economy,'' said Boris Vujcic.

When asked what citizens can expect, Boris Vujcic said that a further drop in interest rates should be expected as we approach entry into the Eurozone. He also supported the claim that interest rates are currently at the historically lowest levels with the fact that those on housing loans have now reached about 2.5 percent, from some 3 percent back in 2019.

Asked about the possible impact of the coronavirus crisis on the banking system, Vujcic said that the economy will fall sharply this year and banks will feel the consequences in terms of reduced revenues, reduced profits, and some will have losses.

''However, the banks are very well capitalised, so they're able to withstand the decline in results this year. And in that sense, savings are safe,'' the governor said.

When asked about estimates of unemployment, he reminded us of the fact that the biggest contraction in Croatia's economic activity was recorded in the second quarter of 2020 and that part of the effects of rising unemployment will be seen in the fourth quarter. However, this growth will not be nearly as strong as it was after the financial crisis of 2008. Boris Vukcic estimates that it will be relatively moderate.

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As Novac writes on the 23rd of August, 2020, the Voice of Entrepreneurs Association (Glas Udruga Poduzetnika) recently issued the warning that the subsidies for preserving jobs for businesses, issued as a welcome move by the Croatian Government as a packet of economic measures, haven't been paid for as many as two thirds of Croatian companies for July, and for some didn't even receive payments for June.

"In the survey we conducted among our members, as many as 76 percent of them pointed out that they haven't yet received government support for July, while 8 percent of them haven't even received support for June. We're really talking about a large percentage here, and what's even more worrying is the fact that there are funds for it! Namely, Finance Minister Zdravko Maric says as much in the media, but the money obviously isn't reaching the addresses of the users. The Minister is just transfering inquiries into the matter to the Croatian Employment Service (CES),'' stated the aforementioned association.

They also pointed out that the director of the CES states in the media that the grants for June will be paid out as of August the 20th, and so he doesn't see the problem of it being a month late. He explains this by saying that CES employees had to coordinate their vacations themselves.

"It's inadmissible, obviously due to annual leave, to leave the beneficiaries of measures without any funds for the payment of salaries. In this crisis situation, the CES must adjust its resources and the way it works. In this way, an additional gap is created between the public and private sectors, because while some are on paid vacations, others have absolutely nothing,'' they stated.

The association also warned that Croatian companies and other business entitites, who have sent inquiries and complaints to the CES, have been waiting for an answer for more than a month now.

"At a time when they need information more than ever, they can't get it. There are, of course, exceptions, but it seems that the organisation within the CES itself has failed. Recently, on behalf of our members, we sent an inquiry on this topic to the Ministry of Labour. We're waiting for an answer,'' it states in the association's announcement.

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As Morski writes on the 23rd of August, 2020, the beautiful Croatian island of Rab still doesn't have a single recorded case of coronavirus under its belt, reports HRT. Tourists feel safe on the island and Rab's tourist results for this year reflect that and are very good in light of the circumstances. In the first two weeks of August, as much as 80 percent of last year's tourist traffic was realised.

The crystal clear sea of ​​the Rab aquatorium attracted tourists this year just as it has for countless years before it. An Italian family came to spend some time on Rab despite the ongoing pandemic, and they won't let it get in their way.

''I can see that there are a lot of people in Croatia, I don't see them wearing masks, I see a lot of people gathered together, and when I return to Italy I'll have to take a test because a lot of people come back with coronavirus,'' says Monica.

Some tourists, however, are not worried about the situation at all.

''Rab is a beautiful island, with beautiful beaches, and great gastronomy. I'm not afraid of coronavirus, as long as we keep our distance, then everything is fine,'' claims German tourist Thomas. For now, they are extremely satisfied with the tourist season on Rab.

''We're working with 60 percent of last year's results and I think that's very good considering the situation, our expectations were much, much lower,'' admits Larisa Jaska, the owner of a Rab-based restaurant - Astoria.

About 14 thousand tourists are staying in the town of Rab. In the first two weeks of August, they achieved as much as 80 percent of last year's results. But they have to admit that they are afraid for the rest of the season.

''Of course there is fear, there's been fear since the proclamation of the very first case of infection in Croatia, if not before, we're following everything, every press conference held by the National Civil Protection Headquarters, we're looking at the situation in the area,'' says Ivana Matusan, the director of the Rab Tourist Board.

They are also satisfied in Lopar. They have exceeded 300 thousand overnight stays, and currently there are more than 7 thousand guests staying there. But the situation is changing.

''We already have information from these slightly larger renters that tourists from Austria have started to cancel their reservations slowly, diplomacy will have to do its part, and we on the ground can only hope that there will be no major cancellations,'' says Marin Musco, the director of Lopar Tourist Board.

Everyone on the island of Rab is hoping that this season will be dragged out for as long as possible despite the situation.

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August 24, 2020 – Government proposes all reconstruction costs be borne by the state and city for the poorest homeowners in society.

In new government proposals, poorer residents of Zagreb and the two neighbouring counties most affected by this year's earthquake will pay nothing towards the cost of home reconstruction. The new proposals contained in the Law on Reconstruction of Zagreb will be officially presented in a government session on Thursday 27 August and then to parliament on September 2 or 3.

Homeowners in the City of Zagreb, Krapina-Zagorje, and Zagreb County whose residencies were damaged are those affected by the new proposals. If a homeowner or cohabiting couple earns HRK 8,000 a month or less and does not have assets of more than HRK 200,000, the state and the city will finance the entirety of their home renovations.

In the law's first reading, it was proposed that structural renovation costs be borne 60% by the state, 20% by city or regional government, and 20% by property owners and co-owners. Property owners whose income did not exceed HRK 4,000 per month in the previous year (or cohabiting couples earning less than HRK 8,000 per month), will now be exempt from any contributions towards reconstruction, provided they did not hold assets exceeding HRK 200,000 on the day of the earthquake, 22 March 2020. Assets refer to real estate, motor vehicles, and vessels, savings and shares.

For people meeting the criteria, apartment and house renovation costs will be borne 80% by the state, and 20% by city or regional government (City of Zagreb, Krapina-Zagorje, or Zagreb County). Reconstruction costs of the homes belonging to those left disabled of the Homeland War or beneficiaries of social care who receive maintenance assistance will also be fully financed.


Damage to a dwelling on Ilica in central Zagreb © Franjo Tahy

The proposals are aimed at assisting the poorest homeowners affected, although the implications stretch much further

People who do not meet the low income/low asset criteria, who do not have a home insurance policy, must pay for 20% of their home renovation. Those who do have an insurance policy can request payment or partial payment of that 20% by their insurers.

It is possible that some unmarried couples who are living together, but not officially co-habiting, and whose income and assets exceed the set amount, could benefit before other couples who are married and legally co-habiting.

There are also potentially serious implications for those who are on a very low income, but who have inherited a property worth more than HRK 200,000 (approx €26,500).

In the final bill, there remains a provision for mortgaging real estate if the owners and co-owners cannot secure 20% of building renovation costs.

The new proposals also include the possibility of obtaining financial assistance for the repair of staircases in buildings, in addition to previously announced assistance for the repair of gable walls, elevators, chimneys, and the replacement of gas boilers.

Damage from the earthquake in Zagreb and surroundings was estimated at 86.4 billion kuna (approx €11.5 billion). The new proposals mean that a larger amount than this previous estimation will now be needed.