Wednesday, 1 June 2022

Attorney General Says Not Under Pressure From PM

ZAGREB, 1 June 2022 - Attorney General Zlata Hrvoj Šipek said at a hearing before the parliamentary council monitoring the implementation of the strategy for the prevention of corruption, that she was not under pressure from the prime minister.

Speaking at a hearing, called to investigate possible political influence on the Office of the Attorney General (DORH), Hrvoj Šipek said that the prime minister only has the kind of information that under the law he is entitled to have.

"The prime minister does not have any information he is not entitled to have, and the same goes for the president of the republic," she said, adding that there was only pressure "by certain lobbying groups" and people "who think they know everything about everything."

Hrvoj Šipek said that she had thought about whether to respond to the council's request for a hearing at all but that eventually she decided to come out of respect for state institutions.

"I had hoped that persons with information on the pressure would be here as well, but there is evidently no surprise," Hrvoj Šipek said.

After her 30-minute introductory address, the attorney general was expected to answer questions from members of the anti-corruption council as well as other interested members of parliament.

Council chair Nikola Grmoja of the Bridge party told Hina earlier that he had requested the hearing so that Hrvoj Šipek could answer questions on possible government influence on DORH.

"I requested the hearing so that she could answer questions about Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's phone calls to her and possible government influence on DORH," he said, recalling that the prime minister had admitted to having phoned Hrvoj Šipek with regard to a possible investigation into Defence Minister Mario Banožić.

As an independent institution DORH must treat all citizens equally, regardless of their political status, influence or financial power and that is why it is important for the attorney general to answer questions that have been raised recently, Grmoja said.

For more, check out our politics section.

Wednesday, 1 June 2022

Supreme Court Head Says State Has to Withdraw 20% of its Lawsuits

ZAGREB, 1 June 2022 - "The state has to withdraw 20% of its lawsuits because courts are overloaded with unnecessary litigations", Supreme Court Chief Justice Radovan Dobronić says in his first report to the parliament, the Jutarnji List daily reported on Wednesday.

If courts are to increase their timeliness, it is essential that there are not approximately one million new cases each year. The annual input of about one million cases in a country of barely four million is unnatural and reflects many and varied reasons of a systemic nature.

That is one of the key highlights of the annual report on the situation in the judiciary for 2021, which is Judge Dobronić's first report to the Sabor, made six months after he stepped into office. 

In the report, unlike his predecessors, Dobronić more openly discusses concrete problems in various areas of the judiciary and recommends concrete solutions.

"The timeliness and quality of work of the courts will not be achieved with amendments to the Civil Procedure Act or claims that judges aren't working hard enough", says Dobronić.

He recommends adopting a package of measures to improve working conditions for first instance judges who, according to him, are the leading element of the judiciary. He calls for changing what he describes as settled yet incorrect forms of judicial practice as well as for changing the conduct of stakeholders other than courts that generate thousands of unnecessary court cases every year.

"New cases can be prevented in different ways and one is for the state to restrict litigations between state-owned institutions and companies", he says.

Dobronić blames that situation on incompetent and irresponsible management boards of state-owned companies and institutions. The large number of litigations between individual companies, institutions, agencies and institutes owned by the state simply cannot be justified, he says in the report.

For more, check out our politics section.

Wednesday, 1 June 2022

Croatia Logs 206 New COVID-19 Cases, 4 Deaths

ZAGREB, 1 June 2022 - In the past 24 hours, 206 coronavirus cases, out of 3,138 tests, and four related deaths were registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Wednesday.

There are 1,860 active cases, including 208 hospitalised patients, five of whom are on ventilators, while 649 persons are self-isolating.

To date 1,136,706 coronavirus cases have been registered in Croatia, the death toll is 15,991, and 70.79% of the adult population has been vaccinated.

Wednesday, 1 June 2022

Legendary Pink Floyd Drummer Nick Mason Played in Zagreb Last Night

June 1, 2022 - The drummer and founder of Pink Floyd, Nick Mason, played the best of the legendary English band's first albums with his band ''Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets'' last night at the Zagreb Fair (Velesajam). The concert served as the opening for the next INmusic Festival in the Croatian capital.

Nick Mason, the well known drummer of Pink Floyd and the only member who participated in the recording of all of their studio albums, had planned to play in 2020 at the INmusic Festival in Zagreb, but the coronavirus pandemic made it impossible. The festival couldn't be rescheduled for the following year, and in 2022, Nick Mason finally managed, in a display of commitment, to arrive in Croatia. Although his band, Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets, could not be part of the lineup of the festival that will take place from June 20 to 23 due to schedule conflicts, they are part of the festival as a whole and yesterday the concert they gave at the Zagreb Fair served as a grand opening.

After Roger Waters and David Gilmour in Croatia, Croatia welcomed the third founder of the band Pink Floyd, drummer Nick Mason with the band Saucerful Of Secrets, named after the second album of Pink Floyd, reports Večernji List. On Tuesday night in the Pavilion 9 of the Zagreb Fair in front of several thousand visitors, in just over two hours of concert - with a twenty-minute break between the two parts - Mason performed just as it was expected from a member of one of the most iconic rock bands of all time to the delight of the audience.

"When I was younger, we thought these were the best records of all time. Fifty years later we're sure they're the best records of all time", Gary Kemp said at one point, mentioning that they were proud to be able to play these songs. Addressing the audience, Nick Mason mentioned that he hadn't been able to come here in 57 years of Pink Floyd and that he was glad to be on tour again after three years.

Only seven of Syd Barrett’s songs out of 22 were performed, which means the audience also got a large portion of Floyd’s work with David Gilmour. Two great guitarists, Lee Harris and Gary Kemp, managed to capture the wide band of the Barret/Gilmour sound, while bassist Guy Pratt, who by the way married the daughter of original keyboardist Floyd Rick Wright) has played with Floyd since 1988, so he was the most familiar link with Mason.

You can find the full setlist played by Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets in Zagreb here.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

Wednesday, 1 June 2022

SoftBank and Goldman Sachs Invest €500 Million in Rimac Group

June 1, 2022 - Rimac Group received an investment of half a billion euros from SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Goldman Sachs, which raised the value of the company to more than two billion euros. According to Mate Rimac, they will employ 700 people by the end of the year.

Rimac Group announced that EUR 500 million of investments were collected in investment round D, which exceeded the total market value of the company by 2 billion euros, reports Telegram.hr. Those 500 million euros is the largest investment so far, and a larger sum than all the investments the company has attracted. The key investors in the new round are SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Goldman Sachs Asset Management, with the participation of existing Rimac Group shareholders, including Porsche and InvestIndustrial.

The company’s founder, Mate Rimac, still has the largest stake in the company, while the Rimac Group has a majority stake in Bugatti Rimac with a 55 percent stake. The other 45 percent is owned by Porsche. With the recent spin-off, Rimac Technology has become a fully independent company wholly owned by the Rimac Group. Rimac Technology is known for being a technology partner of global automotive manufacturers, which selects it to develop and manufacture high-performance battery systems, electric powertrains, electronic systems, and user interface components.

This year the company will hire 700 new people

Mate Rimac, CEO of the Rimac Group, said they were honored by the support of new investors, but also noted that they have ambitious growth plans for the next two years. “We are honored to support significant new investors such as SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Goldman Sachs Asset Management, who believe in our vision. We are also grateful to Porsche and InvestIndustrial, which have played an important role in our success so far, and have now stepped up their support with new investments. In my opinion, it is a huge thing that they invested in us from SoftBank, the largest technology investor in the world, and Goldman Sachs, in general, one of the largest investors in the world", Rimac told reporters.

“As we reorganize the Rimac Group, we are establishing new production processes to meet global demand, we are hiring 700 new employees in 2022 alone, and we have hired more than 300 people so far. We are opening new offices in several locations in Europe and expanding production on Campus and other locations, the support of our professional investors will help us bring the company to the next stage of life. I would also like to personally thank all our employees because without their hard work, loyalty, and enthusiasm for the vision of the Rimac Group, we would not be here where we are today", added Rimac. Rimac revealed that today, 12 years since its founding, the company has more than 1,500 employees (there are more than 700 engineers) in eight locations.

The lack of staff in Croatia forces the employment of foreigners with experience

In a conversation with journalists on the occasion of the completion of the new investment round, Mate Rimac pointed out that the company continues to record constant growth, every year and a half to two almost double the number of employees. Currently, 150 employees work in France in the plants that Rimac shares with Bugatti, while in Warwick, Great Britain, there are already about a hundred employees. As for employment, Rimac says the focus in the last two years has been on increasing seniority.

"We grew organically before and we couldn't afford to pay foreigners or we weren't very attractive to them, and there was no experience in Croatia. So, in the beginning, we were all young, there were also students for whom this was their first job. That is why we focused on bringing in foreigners who have a lot of experience in the industry since we simply do not have such staff with such experience. Now we have people from Ferrari, Aston Martin and such companies. Almost half of the new people are foreigners. Even English people work here, although we also have an office in England. Those who are more ambitious prefer to come to us, 'close to the action', although they can work from England. Everywhere it would be difficult for us to make the team we want and in such a short time with such huge growth, without hiring internationally. Even if we are in, say, Germany", explains Rimac.

Rimac also pointed out that so far they have received almost a hundred times more investments from private investors than the money they received from the EU and Croatia. "So, it is absolutely untrue that we live on EU funds. Only one percent of our total investment comes from EU and national funds, less than seven million euros, as far as I know. We paid ten times more in taxes than we received money from the state, and four times more than we received from the EU", added Rimac.

Problems are caused by a lack of materials

Asked how much Rimac Automobile is affected by a shortage of materials, such as cables, Rimac revealed that, although they are a small company, they still have problems due to their vertical integration. “We produce thousands of parts ourselves. For example, an electronic unit or board that we work on has a few hundred small components. If we are missing only one of these components, we cannot produce a tile.

That was a huge problem for us and the reason why some things took us a lot longer. Being a small company, we managed to get away with paying ten or thirty times the purchase price from a broker, so that we could buy some, say, connectors from them. We had no other options. It is cheaper for us to pay more than for production to stop”, explains Rimac.

More than 200 million in development

Because they create products with very high added value, Rimac says that time means much more to them than the price of energy. "This year, our energy costs will be far less than one percent of the annual cost. We are investing hundreds of millions of euros in development, and this year alone the budget for that is more than 200 million euros. Of all the things that can affect our business or cause us problems, energy is in the 100th place. I'm worried about other, much bigger things. It is important to us that there is no delay. If something is late for us, or we have to go back to development because we screwed up, it will have a much bigger effect than the increase in energy prices. So, that is not a factor for us", said Rimac.

As for a possible IPO (short for initial public offering), Rimac says they want to do it at the best time for the company. "There is no specific timing when we have to or want to. I expect us to do that at a time when the company is a little more predictable, that is, when you are sure that you can fulfill something you announce within the given deadline. In my opinion, this is the right time to list the company. I don't know if it will be in the next three or five years, but it is a framework we are thinking about", Rimac said.

The capital will be used for the further development of Rimac Technology

In November 2021, the merger of the hypercar division, Rimac Automobili, with Bugatti Automobiles was carried out. Now both brands operate within the Bugatti Rimac company, the world's leading manufacturer of high-performance hypercars. The capital raised from Investment Circle D will be used primarily for the further development of Rimac Technology in the field of large series production for global automotive manufacturers.

The company says that based on the knowledge gained from the development of the Rimac Nevera electric hypercar, the company has developed a wide range of products and services for the entire process, from concept to series production of various key elements of electric and hybrid cars. So far, Rimac Technology has already entered into partnerships with many global brands, including Porsche, Hyundai, Pininfarina Cars, Koenigsegg, and Aston Martin. Mate Rimac also said that the company is currently cooperating with 12 world car manufacturers.

Tens of thousands of components will be produced on campus

Rimac Technology is in the process of increasing its production capacity, and the construction of the new Rimac Campus, the largest industrial building in Croatia, is currently being completed. When full on-campus production capacity is reached, Rimac Technology will be able to produce tens of thousands of components annually, ranging from hybrid battery systems to entire platforms for other manufacturers.

The Rimac Campus will also house the headquarters of Bugatti Rimac, which manages the Bugatti Automobiles and Rimac Automobiles hypercar brands. The campus will also produce the Nevera hypercar - the most powerful production car in the world. Work on campus, Rimac says, despite all the problems with the lack of materials, is progressing well, since the roof is already set on part of the building.

They are also planning another campus

Rimac also revealed that, although the first campus is not open either, they are intensively planning a second campus. In the meantime, they have rented several office buildings in the City Island business center near Buzin, because they have already realized that the Campus in Sveta Nedjelja will not be enough for them. Between 500 and 600 people now work at the temporary location in Zagreb's Skorpikova, former Pevec. When asked where and when another campus could be built, Rimac said they are planning a facility that is four to five times larger than the current Campus.

"For now, we are planning in Croatia. You know that we bought about 600,000 square meters of land near Kerestinec from Pliva and we are thinking of doing it there. Of course, we are also talking about a much larger number of employees. The campus is already filled with projects, everything is sold out. We already know where the production line for which manufacturer will come from. This campus is already too small for us", Rimac told Telegram.

What do investors say?

Jimi Macdonald, an investor for SoftBank Investment Advisers, said we are witnessing rapid growth in demand for electrification in an industry facing significant challenges in adapting to technological change. “Rimac has quickly established itself as a leading EV technology partner to the global automotive industry in the transition to an electric future. We are happy to be able to support Mate and his team in further success and raising Rimac to a new level”, said Macdonald.

Michael Bruun, Director of Private Equity at Goldman Sachs Asset Management for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, said the company looks forward to partnering with Mate Rimac and his managers to develop innovation and make further progress in pushing the boundaries of battery and electric drive performance. Andrea C. Bonomi, Chairman of Investindustrial's Industrial Advisory Board, said they were "extremely pleased to be able to continue to support the company in achieving its industrial expansion plan, which will make Rimac a leader in the transition to electromobility solutions. We also welcome new shareholders who will further strengthen the group."

Lutz Meschke, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Porsche AG and a member of the Management Board for Finance and IT, reminded us that already in 2018 they were convinced that Rimac has great potential. “We are happy to have been able to contribute to the progress and success of the Rimac Group. With the new investors, Rimac will further strengthen its position in electromobility and thus become an even stronger partner for Porsche. This close cooperation creates added value on both sides in terms of technological and innovation strength”, says Meschke.

For more, check out our business section.

Wednesday, 1 June 2022

The Long Goodbye Of 2CELLOS: The Duo Who Revolutionised Cello As An Instrument

June 1, 2022 - TCN attended the World Tour of 2Cellos in Brussels where the acclaimed classical-crossover duo, consisting of the extraordinary cellists Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser, gave a long goodbye to all their fans for their final tour together.

Despite the general strike in Belgium and the European Summit at the Council of EU, yesterday, 2Cellos performed in Palais 12 at a concert which was totally sold out (all 15,000 seats). The audience consisting of all ages wasn't only delighted by the musical virtuosity which played out during the hour and a half show, but also enjoyed dancing and singing together with the famous Croatian cellists.

The duo was joined on stage, as usual, by Croatian drummer Dusan Kranjc.

 2CellosLongGoodbye_Mira_Dujela_5-2.JPG

 2Cellos performing at Palais12 in Brussels (Image: Mira Dujela)

It was a difficult farewell for the audience, but the two musicians had already communicated several times they have both taken different paths. Luka is more of a family man now, with three children and a wife, and Hauser continues to be ambitious, full of ideas and eager to keep going, conquering the world and playing his music everywhere. Having different approaches to life, they thought it was best to take separate paths but will still remain great friends.

 2CellosLongGoodbye_Mira_Dujela_2_ok.jpg

 2Cellos performing at Palais12 in Brussels (Image: Mira Dujela 

The two Croatian cellists are known for performing famous songs by U2, Leonard Cohen, Guns N’ Roses, Michael Jackson and Nirvana, and are now touring to promote their sixth full-length studio album called “Dedicated.” They have also recently released an extended edition of “Dedicated” that features three brand new bonus tracks — covers of Ed Sheeran’s “Castle on the Hill,” the Beatles’ “Yesterday”, and Linkin Park’s “Castle of Glass”. They won three Porin awards (Croatia’s version of the Grammys) and received the prestigious Order of Danica Hrvatska in their homeland with this last album. 

 2CellosLongGoodbye_Mira_Dujela_3_ok.jpg

 2Cellos performing at Palais12 in Brussels (Image: Mira Dujela)

When Stjepan Hauser and Luka Šulić began studying the cello during their youth in Croatia, they had no idea they’d be recording rock ‘n’ roll classics, playing to sold-out arenas and collaborating with music giants like Elton John and other pop icons.

 

2CellosLongGoodbye_Mira_Dujela_1_-2.JPG 

They met as teenagers, as both studied at the Academy of Music in Zagreb, then again later at different schools in England. Though the cello wasn’t a favoured instrument even in the classical world, they both liked it and felt the drive to play well and bring the cello the respect they thought it deserved, not just limiting it to one kind of music. Using Hauser’s words: “We wanted to make it [the cello] feel younger, and we wanted to feel like rock stars, ’cause we were young and rebellious, and we wanted to feel this freedom and do whatever we wanted to do.”

Both have worked independently during the past 12 years, and as they part ways, Hauser, in particular, is ready to go all in with his own solo career. 

 

2CellosLongGoodbye_Mira_Dujela_8-2.jpg 2Cellos performing at Palais12 in Brussels (Image: Mira Dujela)

More dates will follow in the UK, Spain, Croatia (in Zagreb on 19 September), Italy, Japan, Australia and the last will be held in New Zealand on 4 December. Check the remaining dates on their website.

 2CellosLongGoodbye_Mira_Dujela_6-2.JPG

2Cellos performing at Palais12 in Brussels (Image: Mira Dujela)

 

We don’t want to reveal the concert's finale, which for Croats living abroad is exceptionally touching! So, give yourself this gift and go and listen to this magnificent duo.

For more, check out our lifestyle section

Wednesday, 1 June 2022

Fusion World Music Festival to Make Split Music Hotspot of Europe

June 1, 2022 - Organizers MPG Live announced the premiere edition of the Fusion World Music Festival. The new world music event will bring together more than 20 of the most sought-after musical names from Croatia and the region on the largest stage in Europe - 75 meters long and 16 meters high!

For the first time, such an event will be followed only by the best that world production has to offer at the moment, reports Dalmatinski Portal

"For the first time, the audience will be able to see their favorite performers in the conditions in which Beyonce or Celine Dion perform. Moreover, they will perform on one of the biggest stages in Europe - the Ultra Europe festival, which only confirms that this summer the performances of Fusion stars will rise to an unprecedented level," said festival spokesman Gordan Vasilj and added that based on the audience's reactions, they hit the spot. 

"After we announced the first lineup with seven names, the demand for tickets started immediately. We unveiled the complete program a week later, and everything boiled over, which is expected because they are the most popular performers with millions of fans. In two days, we expect a little more than 50 thousand people; it will be a world event, world productions, and Split will be the music hotspot of Europe. We estimate that Fusion will result in more than 70,000 overnight stays, and guests will, according to previous experience, stay in Split and the county for an average of four days. The value of the investment in the next five years is 150 million kuna," said Vasilj, who on behalf of the organizers thanked the City of Split and Split-Dalmatia County, which supported the project.

"We have to be a city and a county of high ambitions, and the Fusion Festival brings just that. However, we need to be even more ambitious and even better. This city loves content; in the 21st-century, people are looking for as much content as possible; tourism is not just about the sun and the sea. This content is very much needed by our tourists and all the citizens of Split," said the Deputy Prefect of the Split-Dalmatia County, Stipe Čogelja, and the director of the County Tourist Board, Joško Stella, agreed.

"Such festivals significantly contribute to the branding of Dalmatia. We are a region generally known for music, so it will be a pleasure to have renowned Croatian and performers from the region who will make a phenomenal introduction to one of the best tourist seasons ever. Not only do we need this, but this must be a part of each of our tourist seasons because our guests and we deserve it. Culture, music, and song are part of our tradition and tourism and should always remain so.

Dalmatino, Doris Dragović, Jelena Rozga, Gibonni, Nina Badrić, Petar Grašo, Tonči Huljić, and Madre Badessa, Prljavo kazalište, Aco Pejović, Aleksandra Prijović, Gazda Paja, Hurricane, Sara Jo, Saša Matić, Voyage & Nucci and Željko Samardžić are the performers featured in the first edition of the event. Each of them will have a minimum of 45 minutes to perform, and the party will last until 5 am on both days.

"I have always been wonderfully welcomed in Split, and I can promise that this will be something to remember, not only from our side but also from the side of Split. We are people of goodwill, and we will lend a hand to each other; love has united us, and only love can sustain us," said Samardžić.

Tonči Huljić said that in his career, he has never performed at the Youth Park, where the Fusion Festival will be held from July 22 and 23, 2022.

"I performed at Poljud with Magazin, but I ran in elementary school at the Youth Park. So that's how I performed," he joked and revealed what attracted him to join this story.

"I’m turning to some other musical directions, more classical and crossover. I am always interested in this sociological picture - why do those performers who never appear on radio stations and television in Croatia have the largest number of visitors. This means that music finds its way, and preferences are a matter of choice, not imposing and adapting to a particular taste. I wonder how it will work in one place, how the audience will react, and whether those who like one type of music will be bothered by performers who don’t listen, whether they will whistle or applaud. I'm interested in that interaction. I don't accept performances with Madre Badess so often unless it's a challenge for me, and Fusion is it," said the musician. 

"We had a vision of raising production to a higher level; after we presented it to the performers, it was not difficult to persuade them to be part of a story like this. They deserve it, they are worldly, and I believe they will be satisfied and want to return to the festival. Today we announced all the performers with Prljavo kazalište; I think we have designed a diverse program so that each of the audience can find something. The World music inscription stands in the name because we have big plans for the next releases; we want to extend the festival for another day and bring performers from the rest of the world. We will follow the path of the Mediterranean, by which I mean Italy, Spain, and other countries," said the artistic director of the festival Ivan Huljić.

A one-day ticket costs 250 kuna, a two-day 450 kuna, and a VIP for one day 499 kuna. More info can be found here.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

Wednesday, 1 June 2022

Zlatko Dalić's Father Passes Away in Livno, Croatia Led by Coaching Staff

June 1, 2022 - Zlatko Dalić's father Ivan Dalić has passed away in Livno. The Croatia team will be led by the coaching staff until Dalić's return. Croatia and Austria face off in Osijek on Friday, June 3. 

Croatia national team coach Zlatko Dalić has traveled to Livno after the death of his father Ivan Dalić, reports HNS.

"We received this news with great sadness about Zlatko's father's passing. We express our deepest condolences to Zlatko and his family and tell him that the entire Croatian football family is standing by him in this difficult time.

We want him to find a little consolation in the fact that his father left extremely proud of everything that Zlatko has achieved in life, what kind of man he became and what kind of family he built. May Ivan rest in the peace," said the president of HNS, Marijan Kustić, calling on the media and the public to respect the privacy of coach Dalić at this time.

Kustić will lead the delegation of the Federation at the last farewell in Livno, and until the coach returns to the Croatia camp, the national team will be led by Dalić's professional coaching staff.

According to Sportske Novosti, Dalić plans to return to lead the national team in Osijek against Austria on Friday.

Dalić often visited his hometown in Livno and his parents' house as both Dalić's father Ivan and mother Kata had been ill for a long time. Ivan was hospitalized even before the 2018 World Cup in Russia when he experienced his son's greatest success.

"Son, be firm and your own, and stay as long as possible in Russia," he told him four years ago. Zlatko has never hidden his immense devotion to his father and family, so this is a tremendous loss for him.

It is an incredible coincidence that France coach Didier Deschamps also lost his father Pierre on the first day of the Nations League preparations for the France national team. 

Dalić and Deschamps will face each other at Poljud in Split as Croatia and France meet in the Nations League on June 6 at 20:45. 

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated sports section

Wednesday, 1 June 2022

35 Austrian Airlines Flights to Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Zadar, Split in June

June 1, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as 35 Austrian Airlines flights to Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Zadar, and Split will run in June. 

Star Alliance member Austrian Airlines plans to operate 35 times a week to four Croatian airports in June - Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik, and Zagreb. The largest number of flights have been announced for Zagreb, while most seats are scheduled for Dubrovnik, reports Croatian Aviation

The Lufthansa Group member plans to operate to four Croatian airports in June, 35 times a week. Namely, daily flights to Zagreb, Zadar, Split, and Dubrovnik have been announced, and two flights a day from Vienna to Zagreb and Dubrovnik have been announced on certain days.

Vienna and Zagreb

Austrian Airlines is announcing two flights a day between Vienna and Zagreb, every day except Wednesdays and Saturdays when one daily flight is available. According to Zagreb, this airline will use only E195 aircraft with a capacity of 120 seats. In June alone, the Vienna-Zagreb route will offer over 12,000 seats. Croatia Airlines also operates on this route, 5 times a week, every day except weekends.

Vienna and Zadar

Between Vienna and Zadar, Austrian Airlines is announcing daily flights in June with E195 and A320 aircraft. In total, more than 9,000 seats are available on 30 rotations, and Ryanair also operates on this line, four times a week.

Vienna and Split

Daily flights have also been announced between Vienna and Split, but mostly with the Airbus fleet (A320 and A321), so a larger number of seats is available, over 11,000. Croatia Airlines also operates on this route two times a week, and Hungarian Wizz Air three times a week. 

Vienna and Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is traditionally the most popular summer destination in Croatia in the Austrian Airlines network, so it has a higher announcement in terms of the weekly number of flights. Namely, Austrian will operate daily from Vienna to Dubrovnik, and from mid-June, two flights a day will be available on weekends, also exclusively with the Airbus fleet (A320 and A321).

Before the pandemic, Austrian came to Dubrovnik in the summer flight schedule with wide-body aircraft type B767-300ER. In June, over 13,000 seats were available on this line. In addition to this airline, Wizz Air also operates between Dubrovnik and Vienna three times a week, and Ryanair two times a week.

Between Vienna and the four mentioned Croatian airports, Austrian Airlines will offer more than 46,000 seats in June. Developing its destination network and Vienna as an important European hub, most seats in the summer season are occupied by transfer passengers from a number of European destinations, but also those in the US to which Austrian Airlines also has direct flights.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

Wednesday, 1 June 2022

Most Investments in Large Dalmatian Hotel Capacities This Season

June the 1st, 2022 - The biggest investments this year will be in Dalmatian hotel capacities, marking a clear shift to the south, as in previous years this trend was dominated more or less entirely by Istria and Kvarner.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, unlike in previous years, when Istria and Kvarner would dominate the scene with hotel openings and investments, with the entry into the 2022 summer tourist season, the trend has moved south, and some of these projects will have a significant impact on the overall development of Dalmatia's many destinations this summer.

Makarska, a Central Dalmatian city that has long been waiting for a significant shift in the quality of accommodation, now has something to brag about. The new Valamar and Aminessa projects could mean a new beginning for Makarska's tourism story and a move towards much more added value.

After Stari Grad on the island of Hvar, the grand opening of the second Valamar Hotel Places is being prepared this week in Makarska, in a building that operated under the name of Dalmacija Sunny before the reconstruction began.

Imperial Riviera has invested an enormous 67 million kuna in the Dalmacija Places project, and they took care of additional promotion in the first season of the new facility by bringing the prestigious WTA Makarska tournament, which they co-organised.

The first five-star hotel on the Makarska Riviera brought Aminess into its own portfolio, and hotel Aminess Khalani Beach received its first guests earlier this month. The hotel has 299 rooms, three outdoor pools, a wellness and spa centre, an indoor pool, a gym, three restaurants and three congress halls fit for about 600 guests, and the investment in the facility is worth 50 million euros, making it just one of a number of large investments in Dalmatian hotel capacities in 2022.

The next major hotel projects were located on the neighbouring island of Brac and across on the mainland in the City of Split, and one of them caused great controversy among members of the general public. In a few weeks, we'll be able to see what possible meshing the quaint former fishing town of Postira and the oversized hotel built along the coastline could ever possible happen. The gigantic hotel in this small, quiet island town has caused a lot of controversy among locals.

The management of the hotel that will operate under the name Grand Hotel View has been taken over by the Crikvenica-based Jadran (Adriatic), which is majority owned by pension funds PBZ Croatia Osiguranje and Erste Plavi. The facility, in which about 50 million euros have been invested, has as many as 230 rooms, an indoor and outdoor pool, a wellness centre and a congress hall, and will employ about 100 workers during the summer season. The hotel will be advertising its capacities as of the 1st of July this year.

In September this year, the doors of the long-awaited Dalmatia Tower in Split are set to open, which will house the first Croatian AC Hotel Split Marriott with 214 accommodation units, five modular conference halls with a total capacity of 300 people, as well as a wellness centre with an indoor pool and a gym.

A few weeks ago, the last element of the architectural design of this skyscraper was installed, which, with its 135 metres of height, became the tallest building in all of Croatia. The hotel will, in addition to enriching the overall congress offer, increase the presence of foreign hotel brands. The next big hotel investment in Split is expected from Adris in Hotel Marjan. Most of the huge sums of money being poured into Dalmatian hotel capacities are occurring in and around Split, which will certainly push what Croatia's second largest city and its surroundings and nearby islands can offer to guests from all walks of life.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

Search