September 3, 2021 - There is only one week left until the beginning of the 56th Vinkovci Autumns, which will shine with their old splendor this year. Once again, for ten days, the Vinkovci Autumn will bring a handful of events and show why it is the biggest manifestation of traditional culture in this part of Europe.

Yesterday, the Organizing Committee of Vinkovci Autumns officially presented the program of this year's event, reports HrTurizam. Unlike last year’s which were organized for the first time in special circumstances, the 56th edition takes on a look that everyone is already used to.

It all starts on September 10th with Folklore Evenings that will last until September 15th. 46 societies from Vukovar-Srijem County have registered, 43 will perform at the Folklore Evenings, while three societies will host the State Folklore Festival on September 18th and 19th. The first weekend is reserved for the youngest guardians of traditional culture and the Inter-County Festival of Children's Folklore Groups. 12 counties and the City of Zagreb will participate, and in the Children's Parade on Sunday, September 12, we will be able to see a total of 47 groups.

Slavonski sokak opens its doors on the first day, and as it has always been there, with the support of tamburitza players, you will find a rich offer of domestic and indigenous products of 51 exhibitors. Six winemakers this year will be at the Wine Alley where you will be able to from Monday, September 13, while the next day the main stars will be members of the Folklore Ensemble Lisinski who are celebrating 70 years of existence.

The highlight of the event begins with the grand opening on Friday, September 17th. Saturday is reserved for the National Folklore Festival, and on Sunday we traditionally go to the festive Parade in the city center. The parade of the 56th Vinkovci Autumns will be enriched by 42 local folklore societies and 28 invited societies, which are the highest ever.

Vinkovci is the oldest town in Europe, and it is located 21 km west of Vukovar, 39 km east of Đakovo, and 43 km south of Osijek.

"Thank you to everyone who contributes to Vinkovci Autumns being the biggest event in Croatia and beyond. I hope that we will all adhere to epidemiological measures and try not to endanger anyone. I think we’ve learned to live with that already. A lot is waiting for us, we had to leave something out, but everyone will have the opportunity to enjoy the rich content for all ages", said the President of the Organizing Committee, Mayor Ivan Bosančić. He stressed that there will be no tents this year and everything will take place in the open, more precisely on the stage in the city center.

For more information, visit the Vinkovci Autumns official website, or their official Facebook page.

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

ZAGREB, 3 Sept 2021 - The Životna linija (Lifeline) association said on Thursday that on World Suicide Prevention Day, 10 September, it would light 566 candles in downtown Zagreb for as many persons who committed suicide in 2020.

World Suicide Prevention Day is observed on 10 September to raise awareness of the growing problem of suicide, Lifeline president Tin Pongrac said, noting that annually, close to one million people commit suicide globally.

In 2020, 566 persons committed suicide in Croatia, and of them 117 were women while 449 were men.

In the age group 15-25, there were 44 suicides, which is an increase of as much as 57.1% compared to 2019. In all age groups, the most suicides were committed by people over 65, as many as 225, which is 39.7% of all suicides committed in the country in 2020.

The largest number of suicides was reported by the Zagreb County Police Department, 120, followed by the Split-Dalmatia County Police Department, with 45 suicides.

Lifeline is a voluntary association working on raising awareness about the need for stronger suicide prevention and providing support to suicidal and depressive persons.

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ZAGREB, 3 Sept 2021 - The Central State Office for Reconstruction and Housing will on Friday publish a tender for the construction of family houses, which is the first step in the structural reconstruction of houses in Sisak-Moslavina County, hit by a strong earthquake on 29 December 2020, Večernji List daily said on Friday.

Interested contractors will be able to apply over the next 30 days, with bids that fit one of the two envisaged models of construction - prefabricated or classically built houses, and the contracting procedure and construction work is expected to start on 1 November, Gordan Hanžek, State Secretary at the Central State Office for Reconstruction and Housing told the daily.

He explained that houses would be rebuilt mostly on land plots owned by people whose properties were destroyed or damaged beyond repair in the earthquake.

"There are more than 1,000 such properties in the entire earthquake-hit area," Hanžek said, adding that houses for two-member households would have an area of 55 square metres, those for three or four-member households would measure 70 square metres and those for households with five or more members 85 square metres, in line with the Reconstruction Act.

He noted that the duration of construction work would depend on the type of house chosen.

This will help provide accommodation, in a foreseeable time, for people currently staying in housing containers, Hanžek said, noting that currently 4,776 people were staying in 14 container settlements but that there were also 2,195 housing containers located by earthquake victims' homes, Večernji List said.

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ZAGREB, 2 Sept 2021 - Attorney Nicole Kwiatkowski, who represented holders of loans previously pegged to the Swiss franc who won a class action against banks, said on Thursday that banks would not cancel tacit overdrafts abruptly.

"That is not something banks could afford because... this case indicates very non-transparent behaviour by the banks with regard to tacit overdrafts, and I think (cancelling tacit overdrafts) would be too big a reputation risk," Kwiatkowski said in a comment on the Croatian National Bank's initiative to change regulations on overdraft to cap the interest rate on tacit overdrafts.

Bank clients in Croatia who use authorised overdraft have in the past two and a half years been charged HRK 350 million more than they should have, Jutarnji List daily reported in early August.

Clients using overdraft in their current accounts should be charged a maximum interest rate of 7.61% by their banks, however, banks have found a way to charge them close to 10%, without clients even being aware of it, the daily said.

Asked if there were grounds to sue banks and if they had mislead their clients, the attorney said that a decision on that could be made on a case-by-case basis.

"If a bank, having approved a tacit overdraft failed to inform its client of it and of the interest charged and the period during which it would be charged, there would be grounds to seek damages regarding the interest rate on overdraft," she said.

Kwiatkowski noted that the central bank should have reacted sooner because authorised overdraft was almost no longer a bank product, with banks having approved only tacit overdrafts.

The state should have controlled banking transactions more regularly to see what banks were offering their clients, she said.

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ZAGREB, 3 Sept 2021 - In the last 24 hours, Croatia has conducted 9,658 coronavirus tests,  and 8.5%, or 816 of them, have turned out to be positive, and six COVID-19 patients have died, bringing the COVID-related death toll to 8,355, the national coronavirus crisis management team said on Friday.

Currently, there are 4,156 active cases of the infection in the country, and of them, 457 are receiving hospital treatment, including 57 patients on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when Croatia reported its first registered COVID-19 case, more than 2.57 million tests have been conducted, showing that 376,417 people have caught the virus. Of them, 363,906 have recovered to date, including 597 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

Since the start of its vaccine rollout, Croatia has administered nearly 3.3 million vaccines, and 42.75% of the population, or 51.34% of adult citizens, have been vaccinated.

To date, 1,624,041 citizens or 48.12% of the adult population have fully been immunised.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border, and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and testing centers across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

September 3, 2021 - Minister of Tourism and Sports said that digital nomads promote Croatian tourism best, on the same level as social media influencers. 

According to the tourist traffic data for July and August compared to pre-pandemic figures, Croatia is the tourism star of the Mediterranean this year.

In August, 86 percent of arrivals and 93 percent of overnight stays compared to 2019 were realized. Specifically, about 4.3 million guests visited Croatia last month, and over 30 million overnight stays were realized. Thus, after the lost pre-season, the main season has restored optimism among tourism workers who will have a good post-season if the epidemiological situation allows. However, in addition to all other factors and the situation in the Mediterranean, Croatia has really prepared well for the season, primarily by ensuring the safety of guests, with a great response from foreign partners and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports' Safe Stay in Croatia campaign. Furthermore, the framework for digital nomads was defined at the beginning of the year. In addition, several other activities contributed to the season, which really surprised even the most optimistic.

Before today's press conference, Novi List spoke with Minister Nikolina Brnjac about what August was like, what was crucial in preparing for the season, how staff shortages will be solved, and the prospect of digital nomads in Croatia. 

August is behind us; many say that even the most optimistic could not expect such results in July and August. Was it more than expected?

"I think we have prepared well for this season, in cooperation with the entire tourism sector, in coordination with the Civil Protection Headquarters and all other closely related stakeholders. The fruit of all this synergy is this season's tourist results. Already on August 29, we achieved our minimum goal for traffic for this tourist year, which is 60 percent of tourist traffic compared to the whole of 2019. Still, we believe that the continuation of current favorable trends will be much closer to that record year by the end of the year. In the last days of August, we recorded traffic above 90 percent of what we had in 2019, which is a great announcement for September and for the postseason in general, which is our next goal. Compared to 2019, the biggest difference is in arrivals, but the number of overnight stays shows that tourists stayed longer and spent more.

I believe that we can all be satisfied with the results achieved when we talk about tourist traffic and when we talk about revenue, but now we want to extend the season as much as possible. With all our activities, the epidemiological situation was critical throughout the summer. It will continue to be so, and I believe that we will continue to behave responsibly, get vaccinated in as many numbers as possible because only in this way can we maintain continuity of good results, and ensure normal social and economic trends."

What was crucial in the preparation of the season and ultimately its realization?

"I think that the key thing was that with the preparations for this year's summer tourist season, we started on time with the synergy of the entire tourism sector and all departments in the Government. In each step we took, we involved the sector, listened to their needs and the market's needs, and thus made decisions about each step.

Starting with the Safe Stay in Croatia project, which was well-received in our biggest markets and which provided tourists with access to all relevant information in one place, and at the same time was a tool for educating our tourism sector on procedures for compliance with epidemiological protocols, then facilitating travel procedures and returning tourists to their home destinations by providing additional testing points, to enabling tourists to be vaccinated in Croatia. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been paying great attention to good communication and education of everyone in the system to have timely information and better adapt to today's trends and business conditions. Before and during the summer, we continuously held meetings with tourism stakeholders, leaders of local and regional governments, epidemiologists, and civil protection headquarters in their area so that everyone could be better prepared. As a result, tourism workers were also among the first to be vaccinated in a high percentage. All this shows how much we were all aware of the safety aspect and preparedness as an important factor in the choice of destinations by tourists. As a result, Croatian tourism has once again shown exceptional readiness and all the diversity of the offer that can satisfy the demand of different guest structures. I sincerely thank everyone for the cooperation, effort, and knowledge they have invested so that we can have such good results in another challenging year for tourism."

Which markets were the best in August and the first eight months of 2021? What has changed compared to last year and the years before the pandemic, and what does that tell us?

"The pandemic has definitely affected the travel paradigm, i.e., the habits of tourists for whom safety is one of the most important factors when choosing a destination. We are all aware of that, and that is why we have been working from the beginning to improve all security measures to create the most favorable preconditions for tourism. In addition to the demand for high-class accommodation facilities and those in nature, we also record excellent results in the charter segment. We achieved an even higher turnover in August compared to August 2019. When we talk about changing the structure of guests, the share of guests from nearby markets has further increased. In contrast, for more distant markets, stabilization will occur subsequently, depending on the normalization of travel and the favorable epidemiological situation in the world."

Which segments of the offer proved to be the most sought after? Namely, there is a lot of talk about the fact that 5-star, therefore the highest quality offer was the most sought after?

"Through this year's financial results and the fact that we have the highest occupancy in high-end accommodation facilities, i.e., four and five stars where we record occupancy above 95 percent, it is clear that this year we have a larger number of tourists with higher purchasing power. Quality products and an offer that gives them an extra sense of security were among the most sought after."

In that sense, can it be said that there has been a kind of transformation towards better quality tourism and moving away from the masses?

"Our strategic goal is to move away from the masses and turn towards sustainable and innovative tourism, and the demand for high-quality products and a longer stay in the destination certainly goes in favor of that. In the long run, our goal is to increase the number of tourists compared to previous records, especially in already congested destinations, and distribute tourist results more evenly throughout the year and throughout Croatia while achieving equal or higher total revenues. By the way, even before the pandemic, we started to reform the legal framework aimed at the sustainability and professionalization of tourist boards, recategorize private accommodation, regulate the status of health tourism, tourist land, and the like. We will continue with reforms that will follow our strategic goals."

The Ministry has also initiated the Sustainable Tourism Development Strategy. Will this document also be the basis for further profiling towards high-quality tourism?

"With the new Sustainable Tourism Development Strategy until 2030, we will focus on sustainability, value-added products, and special forms of tourism. The strategy should respond to the challenges of extending the season and expanding the tourist offer outside the summer months and in spatial terms to less-developed tourist areas, especially continental destinations. The project of drafting a new strategy is in line with the Program of the Croatian Government from 2020-2024 and the National Development Strategy until 2030. For the first time since Croatia's independence, the Sustainable Tourism Strategy, a Strategic Environmental Assessment, is being prepared. The fact that we have been provided European funds with which we can strategically direct tourism development should be emphasized. Simply put, we have provided the opportunity to invest in the tourism we want, and that is sustainable, year-round, with greater added value. Funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan will focus on solving the challenges we face in the coastal zone in the summer and encourage the development of year-round forms of tourism with high added value throughout Croatia. The fact that in the next financial period of the EU, both in the National Plan and in certain operational programs, we will be responsible for allocating funds is a great obligation, but also an opportunity to define priorities together with the sector and try to solve long-standing challenges."

In preparation for the season, a big step forward was made towards attracting digital nomads at the beginning of the year. So what specifically has changed legally?

"Croatia is one of the first members of the European Union to legally regulate a one-year temporary stay for digital nomads from third countries. This is an interesting niche for Croatian tourism because nomads are not seasonal but year-round guests, and their interests are diverse and unrelated to the sea and the sun. The idea was realized with excellent inter-ministerial cooperation with other ministries, primarily with the Ministry of the Interior, which carried out the most important legislative processes and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. The Ministry of the Interior amended the Law on Foreigners, and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs announced the procedure for obtaining temporary residence for digital nomads. At the same time, the Ministry of Finance changed its laws through its Income Tax Act and the Ministry of Health through the Law on Amendments to the Law on Income compulsory health insurance and health care of foreigners in Croatia, all to enable the stay of digital nomads in Croatia. Furthermore, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports has initiated an e-platform for digital nomads, with the help of the Croatian National Tourist Board, and we have included 21 regional tourist boards in all processes so that digital nomads have the opportunity to discover the whole of Croatia."

What are the conditions for the arrival of digital nomads, and do you have information on how many have taken advantage of this opportunity?

"Digital nomads must first meet all the prescribed conditions to obtain a temporary one-year stay in Croatia. All steps are described in detail on the Ministry of Interior website. By August 20, more than 200 people had applied, while about 80 had been approved, with the most applications coming from the US, UK, and Russia. However, persons working in Croatia as digital nomads, i.e., for companies not registered in Croatia and citizens of EU member states, do not regulate their stay on the same legal basis and are not recorded based on the relevant new provision of the Law on Foreigners. It should also be noted that our legislative framework has been in force since the beginning of this year, when strict measures to restrict movement were applied. Nevertheless, we expect that the improvement of the epidemiological situation and further activities that the tourist boards and private sector plan to initiate will have a positive impact on the interest of digital nomads in Croatia."

Have accommodation providers prepared and generally realized the benefits of longer leases, which we specifically offer to digital nomads?

"Digital nomads, with the conditions and steps they must meet to obtain a visa for "digital nomads," mostly search for the content available in certain destinations. The data from our research thus show that tourist products such as active holidays, nature, culture, and eno-gastronomy arouse the most interest, which Croatia offers them. Moreover, many hotel chains have already adapted their tourist offer to the longer stay of digital nomads with the possibility of work."

What do digital nomads, influencers, and world stars really mean for the promotion of Croatian tourism?

"People who want to make Croatia their temporary office, who fall in love with our natural and cultural beauties, food, people, but also the way of life, can be our best promoters, just like many influencers. Any positive reaction to Croatia as a tourist destination, especially in the world that is mostly informed through social networks, is a great advertisement for our country and an additional invitation to stay."

What are the announcements for the offseason?

"The announcements for September and October are excellent, judging by the bookings of our hoteliers and camps. As I mentioned at the beginning, in recent days, we have recorded traffic above 90 percent of what we had in 2019, and this is a good announcement for September. If the current trends continue in the next month, in the second half of September, we could reach 70 percent of turnover when it comes to overnight stays and financial indicators."

One of the basic problems of Croatian tourism at the moment is staffing. How will efforts be made to address the shortage of tourism workers that has escalated this year, and what is the future?

"In the long run, we see solving the problem of labor shortage in the creation of preconditions for the engagement of domestic labor in the tourism sector. For several years now, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports has been implementing measures to promote tourism occupations through the co-financing of innovative tourism projects designed and implemented by high schools to educate students in hospitality and tourism. We also have a program for co-financing the practice of high school students in the tourism sector. Through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, we have provided an additional 10 million kuna to develop educational programs that meet the needs of the labor market. We will also allocate funds for training with employers to support investments in the green and digital transition. We want to increase the attractiveness of tourism occupations for young people and improve conditions and general satisfaction of workers in the tourism sector. We are actively thinking about how to ensure a sufficient quality workforce, first from Croatia, and then through imports, because the quality of services is an indispensable part of the tourist product."

To learn more about digital nomads in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

September 3, 2021 - Yet another medal for the Croatia team at the Tokyo Paralympics arrived today, thanks to Paralympic swimmer Dino Sinovčić!

Croatia's best paralympic swimmer Dino Sinovčić (29) won the bronze medal in the 100-meter backstroke in the S6 category at the Paralympic Games. This is the first swimming medal for Croatia at these Paralympic Games.

Sinovčić convincingly won in his qualifying group with a result of 1:16.74, and later in the final, he achieved a time of 1:15.74, which was enough for the bronze medal. 

A new world record and the gold medal was won by China's Hongguang Jia with a time of 1:12.72, and the silver by Argentina's Matias de Andrade (1:15.40).

Sinovčić is the current world champion in that discipline after celebrating in London in 2019 with a result of 1:15.46. This year, he was second at the European Championships in Portugal, while in 2018, he also became the European champion in Dublin.

These are his second Paralympic Games after Rio de Janeiro, where he was fifth in the 100-meter backstroke.

"This is something phenomenal; at the moment, there is no one happier than me. I know many will think it's just bronze, but I should be proud to be here at all. After I entered the finals, I had to fight for the medal, and there is nothing better than winning it, said the Mornar Split swimmer.

Sinovčić arrived in Tokyo as the current world, former European, and current European runner-up. He was also one of the candidates for a medal in Tokyo.

"It means nothing because I was a world champion two years ago. Every race is new proof. To win a medal in a competition is the dream of every athlete; for me, this is the realization of all dreams."

Croatian Athletics has two medals at the Paralympics in Tokyo thanks to Velimir Šandor and Ivan Katanušić. In addition, the Croatia table tennis team of Anđela Mužinić and Helena Dretar Karić won the bronze medal earlier this week. 

Source:  HRT

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

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September 3, 2021 - The Croatian capital welcomes back Dean Kuchel from Digital Nomad World as its third Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador.

He decided to come to Croatia spontaneously in June when he was invited to speak at the inaugural Zagreb Digital Nomad Week conference. 

Israeli Dean Kuchel was undoubtedly one of the stars of the week, and his highly entertaining presentation on building community was certainly one of the highlights.  A serial traveller to more than 100 countries in just 7 years (including travel-restricted 2020), there are few better examples of someone embracing the freedom of the digital nomad lifestyle. 

One of his mantras is the simple maxim - I travel solo, but I never travel alone. A simple sentence which gets to the core of the theme of building community. If a destination has a vibrant digital nomad community, then nomads will come. And Kuchel certainly knows a thing or two about building community, as his own community now numbers some 24,000 online nomad fans.  

Of all the many stimulating people I met at Zagreb Digital Noamd Week, I learned the most from him about this relatively new lifestyle, and the opportunities which it presents for Croatia. For such a restless spirit, the idea of a 12-month visa application would not appeal to him, but the buzz of Croatia as a dynamic destination for nomads certainly helped get him on the plane. His observations about Zagreb after the week were certainly encouraging, as you can see in the brief interview above. Zagreb ticks all the boxes, and the only thing missing for digital nomads in the city are more digital nomads. Build that community and they will come. 

The  second mantra is even shorter. Say yes! Embrace things and give them a try.

"Would  you say yes to applying to be one of our Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassadors," I asked. 

"Ha, why not? This is a great city and I love this project and conference."

And  then, less than two weeks later, an application.  

Dean arrived to take up residence at Doma Zagreb Aparthotel, the official accommodation partner of the Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador project on Wednesday. We caught  up for a drink last night, and Dean is very keen to work on building community to help take Zagreb (and Croatia) to the next level. It promises to be an exciting month.

You can follow Dean Kuchel's escapades on his Where is Dean? Instagram. 

For more information about the Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador project, check out Saltwater Nomads.

For the latest news and features on digital nomads in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.