June 29, 2020 - The preconditions for opening the clubs on Zrce beach have been closely monitored in communication with competent epidemiologists and authorities since the beginning of the COVID-19 virus. Only now, when the prescribed decisions, measures and recommendations allow it, will the summer club season open.

Namely, HRTurizam reports that the clubs Kalypso, Papaya and Nomad will open their doors in the first week of July, while the club Noa has been operating for the last ten days.

One of the most recognizable club destinations in the world for the last 20 years has actively developed various tourist offers, music festivals, recreational facilities and other events and attracts foreign investors, raises quality and helps develop the entire destination of Novalja and Pag.

Club tourism on Zrce, in the usual circumstances, is characterized by high attendance, which in some periods of the season recorded over 13 thousand guests, so COVID-19 inevitably hit hard. This is supported by the fact that the beach season usually begins in mid-May.

"We believe that the opening of this summer season is one of the key segments of maintaining the continuity of tourist arrivals and visits, and thus a successful next season. The destination is kept current, and the arrival of interested guests who have been visiting Croatia and Zrce beach for many years can remain uninterrupted," said Tea Cafuta, a representative of the clubs on Zrce beach.

Recall, in Croatia, indoor events are allowed under strictly prescribed and certain conditions, but the clubs on Zrce beach see the advantage in the fact that all their events and club programs are held exclusively outdoors and are very large, allowing prescribed physical distances.

In parallel, in Switzerland, for example, up to a thousand people are allowed indoors, while in Italy, outdoor events are also allowed with respect to physical distance, even though it was one of the most affected countries, Cafuta points out and emphasizes:

"Tourists, but also domestic guests, who will visit the Croatian coast this summer, can be just as safe in clubs on Zrce as when going to the store, using public transport, staying and spending the night in a hotel and apartment or going to the beach."

For the safe and epidemiologically controlled work of outdoor clubs, Zrce beach facilities will adhere to all prescribed measures and recommendations and carefully monitor the further development of the situation in order to keep all segments of functioning and operation under full control.

"Clubs have a detailed plan of compliance with measures that include primarily strict control of the entrance of people, monitoring guests at all points within the facility, and the number of people by zones. Hygienic measures will also be observed, which include the installation of disinfectants at the entrances to facilities, toilets, and next to/at each bar inside the premises, disinfection of work surfaces, and the entire space as well as temperature measurement of employees and guests at the entrance. Then there are measures to regulate physical distance when guests enter the facility, the distance of tables inside the facility, reducing the number of chairs, the possibility of keeping guests in certain places, and all other measures that can create conditions for safe work and unburdened entertainment of their guests," Cafuta added.

Communication between club management in close cooperation with epidemiologists and the competent institution takes place regularly, which implies monitoring the changes and decisions of the Civil Protection Headquarters, instructions and recommendations of the CNIPH and following the situation, adapting and changing the way of work when needed. They concluded that this is ultimately the only way to ensure responsible and relaxed club fun this summer within epidemiological frameworks.

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

Jun 29, 2020 - Eight airlines with eight international routes will return to Zagreb Airport this week.

Croatian Aviation reports that until now, the traffic at Zagreb Airport depended mainly on Croatia Airlines. In addition to the national airline, Eurowings also flew to Zagreb from Cologne, which will continue to operate on that route, and Trade Air on the domestic route from Osijek.

But that is changing as of this week. An Austrian Airlines plane with 26 passengers from Vienna landed in Zagreb today, while 36 passengers traveled to Vienna. This is the first Austrian Airlines flight to Zagreb after the suspension of operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the company will now operate daily on the Vienna-Zagreb route.

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

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On Wednesday, July 1, the Paris-Zagreb route will be re-established by Air France, which is announcing only three weeks of flights on this route.

On the same day, Turkish Airlines will return to Zagreb on the route from Istanbul. The company normally operates twice a day during the summer flight schedule to Zagreb, but the number of weekly flights has been reduced, and it will currently operate on this route 5 times a week.

Another regular guest is returning to Zagreb Airport. Qatar Airways starts the Doha - Zagreb route with 3 weeks of flights, otherwise in the summer flight schedule to Zagreb, it operated as many as 14 times a week, i.e., twice a day.

Lufthansa, which normally flies from Frankfurt and Munich to Zagreb, will re-establish regular traffic on the Munich-Zagreb route from Wednesday, initially 3 times a week.

From the same date, Air Serbia will reconnect Belgrade and Zagreb, and flights are on sale 7 days a week.

On Thursday, July 2, Eurowings will re-establish the Stuttgart-Zagreb route, which will operate twice a week through July. 

From July 4, KLM planes will fly to Zagreb again. From that date, the Dutch airline will operate on the route Amsterdam - Zagreb, and 3 weeks of flights with smaller capacity aircraft have been announced. 

Croatia Airlines continues to operate on a number of domestic and international routes from Zagreb, increasing traffic since the beginning of July.

You should always check the restrictions of the country you are traveling to before traveling. 

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 29th of June, 2020, Alemka Markotic, the director of the ''Dr. Fran Mihaljevic'' Clinic for Infectious Diseases in Zagreb said that the situation with the spread of the new coronavirus is continuously being monitored.

''We have two major hotspots, in Đakovo, where epidemiologists are coping very well with and so far we've not heard of any major problems, and in Zagreb. Zagreb is a big city and we can always expect that big cities have the largest number of patients. One focus is in the St. Ivan hospital, so far only one person has more severe symptoms. None of the patients is on a respirator and none of the lives of these patients are threatened, although almost 50 percent of the patients have come from the St. Ivan hospital and they're older than 60, so in a way, they're risk groups. So far, only two people are experiencing a more severe clinical picture, the others have a mild to moderate form of the disease, despite the fact that nine of them have pneumonia,'' she said.

Alemka Markotic concluded that the Croatian health system had shown itself to be stable and properly prepared.

In the first part of the epidemic of the new coronavirus, there were also more infected health workers, and as such she answered a question about the number of infected people working in health care.

''The crisis system is functioning, ready and organised. We have additional experience and our citizens can feel safe. The communication of experts in the country should be clear, correct and fair,'' she noted.

''Everyone's work is open for review. We've thought, corrected, and we're doing the same again now. The situation isn't critical, although we do need to be careful. It's important that the experts provide their opinions. The headquarters is not alone, there are a lot of people who are doing their jobs diligently,'' she added.

As for the critics, Alemka Markotic said that it would be good to state specifically what is good and what is not in their opinions.

''We gradually introduced some measures, then we gradually relaxed them, now we're going to need to return them where these critical situations have occurred,'' she said.

For more, follow our dedicated section on coronavirus.

June 29,  2020 - After the medical staff, firefighters and historical units, many prominent citizens of various professions were led by priests on a pilgrimage to the Our Lady of Sinj Trail on Saturday.

Let us remind you that the occasional pilgrimages were initiated to popularize the Our Lady of Sinj Trail through the Revitalization of the Our Lady of Sinj Trail project. The starting point on Saturday was from Solin, at 5 am, in front of the Church of Our Lady of Otok, and the arrival of pilgrims in Sinj was around 3 pm. At that time, a Mass was celebrated in the church of the Miraculous Lady of Sinj.

Pilgrimages are conceived as a novena on the Saturday before the celebration of the Feast of the Assumption. Therefore, the Sinj Tourist Board invites all interested to join them in the future in this unique and noble path with reflection and meditation.

Mary shrines have always had a special place in the hearts of believers. They worshiped the Blessed Virgin Mary and prayed to her for help in difficult times and troubles. The path to Our Lady of Sinj is a pilgrimage route which, from several directions, has been walked for centuries to the largest Mary shrine in southern Croatia, the shrine of the Miraculous Lady of Sinj.

The Sinj Tourist Board thanks you in advance for your announcement and warmly welcomes you!

June 29, 2020 - Nikola Bozic, the owner of Djurina Hiza near Varazdinske Toplice, did not fire his workers during the corona crisis. Moreover, he added more employees to his team. His restaurant uses home-grown produce, avoids large-scale production, and produces as much as it can within the family and facility.

Nikola is not afraid of a new wave of the coronavirus because, with the project 'Deda Goes Around the World', he started the delivery of family products and expanded his business. He calls his team his family, saying he could not have progressed without them. The entire family helps in the production, from wine to homemade juices. Through his work, he creates more and more cooperation at the European level.

EVarazdin.hr spoke with Nikola about his great success in the middle of a pandemic.

You have covered 30,000 kilometers in 3 months. Did you expect so much work?

"When the restaurants were closed, I didn’t want to fire my people. I have a great team with me, we are like family, and I went with my head through the wall. My team is a great support to me, and I know they work hard when they send me videos about grilling in the middle of the night. If they weren't so persistent, I couldn't be either. Fortunately, the number of deliveries started to grow very quickly. I delivered all over Croatia, but also abroad. I am offered many opportunities."

Luka Šalamun

Where does the meat come from?

"I am starting to raise the most expensive cattle in the world. The grass will grow on Zumberak, as they must have a good diet. I can't watch cows locked in small barns, I want to act humanely in everything, so I will be guided by the Swiss model - 1.5 hectares per cow. The animals will not be under stress. I have regular partners from whom I supply the necessary products, but I am constantly making new contacts with ideas for collaborations, including meat, wine, beer, etc."

What does an ideal burger look like?

"The ratio of bun and meat should be 1:3. If the burger weighs 180 grams, then the bun should weigh 60 grams. The lowest I went with the weight of the bun was 80 grams, and I didn’t dare go any further. People are not used to it. It is difficult to combine all the parameters of the burger that should be met - toppings, sauces, buns, meat, methods. I tried grilling on a gas grill, which is a bit harder for me because it only heats up to 280 degrees and the fat melts at 320. Everything I know I learned by reading and studying."

Nikola owns 13 grills, including four different types - kamado, smoker, gas and kettler.

Luka Šalamun

Do you drive all deliveries yourself?

"I hired Nikola, who will drive deliveries around Croatia, and I will drive abroad. I can’t get everything by myself because we really have a lot of work to do. I drive my products to Munich, Brussels, where people are interested and where there are a lot of Croatians. He will also be in charge of running the festival stands when they return. We will continue with everything we have done so far."

Luka Šalamun

Nikola is proof that a crisis does not have to mean doom, and he is aware that his business can only grow. He creates new products every day, studies, and says he wants to create an even bigger base with people willing to collaborate.

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

This Lopud monastery was established way back in the year 1483, from which the hotel draws the name Lopud 1483. The hotel is something between a museum, an elegant boutique hotel and a spiritual refuge of the 21st century, along with a church, a bell tower and a stunning Romanesque cloister. There is also a ''sacred garden'' inspired by the Dubrovnik gardens inside the Lopud monastery itself, with various types of lavender, citrus and fruit trees and much more.

At the very entrance to the monastery there is an elegant dining room modelled on the one in Francesca's own family home in Lugano. Next to that room is a residence with impressive artwork. The hotel has five spacious, elegant bedrooms that were once Franciscan cells. All of the furniture was made by the Italian minimalist Paola Lenti, and each room is decorated with a piece of historical furniture.

The hotel will not have a restaurant as such, but it will have a chef. There is no pool either, but there is a staircase leading straight to the sparkling Adriatic sea where you can swim. Guests will have SUP boards, kayaks and fishing equipment as well as a personal trainer and yoga teacher on call all at their disposal when staying at the Lopud monastery

On top of all of that, a shaman from northern Sweden has created a map with nine places in which to meditate in the gardens which are full of herbs that alleviate anxiety. Lopud 1483 offers an exclusive stay for 10 people from 8 thousand euros per night or double rooms from 1400 euros per night from September onward.

With its five rooms, the Lopud 1483 hotel will open on the principle of an exclusive stay in July and August, while in the first days of September it will once again become a ''conventional'' hotel.

For more, follow our travel page.

As Filip Pavic/Novac writes on the 28th of June, 2020, the "green light" for the Croatian tourism industry arrived recently from the British market, which was assessed as a safe destination for receiving British tourists.

The British authorities have now announced the introduction of the so-called "traffic light" system which, according to the risk of coronavirus infection, will rank popular tourist destinations across the rest of Europe and the world with red, yellow and green labels.

The green label, which represents a minimal risk of infection, in addition to Croatia, as things stand now, should be given to Greece, Germany and Austria, among others. Greece, by the way, has already announced 70 percent discounts trying to lure Britons to its beaches.

According to that decision, which comes into force on July the 6th, when all air traffic opens, British tourists will not have to go into two-week quarantine when returning home from their holiday in Croatia, as has been the case so far.

In the yellow category, which represents a moderate risk, there were also some of Croatian tourism's competitors - Italy, Spain, Portugal, France and Austria. In their case, the quarantine obligation has also now been rendered invalid, but can be introduced if the epidemiological situation escalates in the meantime. On the other hand, countries like Argentina, Brazil and Egypt, all marked in red, carry with them the obligation of two weeks of self-isolation upon return to Britain.

''This is the news we expected, given that Croatia has shown the highest level of security and epidemiological preparedness throughout this time. The British market is important to us, one of the top ten, and it is also extremely important for air traffic,'' said Kristjan Stanicic, the director of the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ/CNTB).

As expected, British tourists mostly travel to Croatia by plane, and the CNTB, says Stanicic, has already started negotiations with British tour operators and airlines, such as EasyJet, Jet2 and British Airways, and is conducting two marketing campaigns on the British market.

''We can expect an increase in air traffic to Split and Dubrovnik in July, which is certainly a good thing. I'd like to mention once again that the fact that we're talking about tourist traffic in general is a clear sign that we have managed the epidemiological situation well. And the current figures of 300 thousand guests in Croatia confirm this,'' underlined Stanicic.

After the British authorities officially confirm the opening of borders to summer destinations in the coming days, tourists from the UK can be expected here in Croatia in mid-July. Since 800,000 of them stayed in Croatia last year, and they also realised 4.2 million overnight stays, and Stanicic didn't want to speculate on how many British tourists the Croatian tourism sector could expect this year. He says that he is continuing to adhere to the general expectations of 30 percent when compared to last year.

A slightly more modest figure of 25 percent of tourist arrivals was stated by Boris Zgomba, the president of the management board of Uniline and the president of the Association of Travel Agencies of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK(. However, he noted that placing Croatia in the green category is a great promotion that we might never have been able to perform on our own without a helping hand from a powerful European country such as Britain.

''This is a status that no one has given us, but we've earned it by our own efforts, but this "traffic light" system is not something that is set in stone, it can always change,'' he warned.

Namely, although Croatian tourism's main European competitors are mostly, figuratively speaking, at the yellow light in terms of the UK's traffic light system, the British will correct these labels in accordance with the epidemiological situation of each country. This could mean that Italy, for example, ends up in the green category in July, as well as that Croatia falls one step below if the epidemiological situation worsens.

''Although at the moment we have a kind of growth in the number of positives, it isn't related to Croatian tourism, but rather to the relaxation of Croatian citizens. If, of course, we stay within the existing numbers I think we don’t have to worry about losing the green label. We still have a solid number of tourists in Croatia, without any of them being positive so far, and the situation hasn't escalated in that segment,'' Zgomba pointed out.

Asked if data on the number of Britons who booked accommodation might be available, or for those who hadn't cancelled their previous reservations, which would give us an insight into how much we can expect, the leader of Uniline answered that it is difficult to discuss such matters as this moment in time.

''At the moment, a very small number of Britons have booked accommodation through our agency, but the reason is that they didn't even know whether they would be able to travel or not, the rule of mandatory quarantine was valid. They're not guests who can just sit in their cars and come, they have to get organised, they need to know in advance how many airlines they will have available,'' he explained.

Calm and cool-headed, Veljko Ostojic, director of the Croatian Tourism Association (HUT), said we should be aware of everything that is happening and, as before, carefully balance things between opening borders and receiving guests.

''The British market is an extremely important market for us and, of course, every guest is important to us, but I think we should carefully weigh things up and keep in mind the epidemiological situation in the countries we're opening to, and we have done so successfully,'' said Ostojic. He added that there are other important markets for Croatian tourism that we shouldn't ignore. In Europe, it isn't only the Brits who realise many arrivals and overnight stays, there are other Northern European countries to think of, such as the Netherlands, whose guests in realised 2.6 million overnight stays back in 2018.

According to the BBC, the United Kingdom had just over 1,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and about 180 deaths on Friday. They are recording a declining trend compared to April when they had more than a thousand deaths due to coronavirus per day.

For more on Croatian tourism in the coronavirus era, follow our dedicated travel page.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 28th of June, 2020, an Israeli company called Olvitech is providing a new generation of face masks. They don't look any different from the classic surgical disposable masks we've all become so used to seeing since the coronavirus pandemic exploded, except for their colour, but they do boast incorporated copper oxide with antiviral and antibacterial properties in the material from which they're made.

Marija Osterman from Rinigard, which is expecting the first shipment of new face masks soon, explained the above for 24sata. As she stated, the mask can be used multiple times and indefinitely until it is physically destroyed or covered with water.

She pointed out that Olvitech's innovative masks were first designed for medical staff who are in frequent contact with bacteria and viruses.

''It's a mask that can be worn for up to three hours at a time, and then it should be placed on a flat surface and left for about 40 minutes in order for the properties of the material to work and neutralise any pathogens. The scientists who designed it planned for it to be worn by doctors, and developed it based on the technologies they used to make bandages and other military medical equipment. Now they're focusing on protection against the new coronavirus,'' Osterman continued, explaining that this is a unique mask and its effectiveness doesn't decrease over time.

''This solution is cheaper and more cost-effective in the long run than the existing masks,'' Osterman concluded.

The President of the Croatian Chamber of Pharmacists, Mag. pharm. Ana Soldo, stated that she hopes that the masks will be available on the Croatian market as soon as possible.

''From my perspective, these masks are suitable for doctors, but also for the general population,'' concluded Soldo.

10,000 to 20,000 of Olvitech's new masks should arrive here in the Republic of Croatia by July the 15th, and they calculate that the individual price will be around 40 kuna.

For more on the coronavirus pandemic in Croatia, follow our dedicated section.