August 17, 2021 - German tourists in Croatia, especially those coming from Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, are expected to holiday in the country for at least another 3 weeks. 

Traditionally loyal German tourists came back in large numbers this season. Since the beginning of the year, almost 1.6 million German tourists have recorded more than 11 million overnight stays in Croatia, a third more than last year. They have exceeded 80 percent of the results from the best tourist year ever in Croatia. In Istria, for example, they surpassed even that record 2019 in the number of overnight stays, and about 266,000 of them are still holidaying along the coast. And that's not the end, reports Vecernji List.

The travel season has just begun in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, the two federal states from which most German tourists come. The school holidays, which trigger the most massive wave of travel, began in these parts of Germany only in August, and for the next two or three weeks, the Adriatic can still count on a large number of Croatia's loyal and beloved guests.

There are still about a million tourists on the Adriatic, and the number has decreased by only a few tens of thousands after the Assumption weekend. There are 840,000 foreigners, and the largest number of Germans is in Istria, where 122,000 were hosted yesterday.

"The total number of our guests dropped by about 20,000 after last weekend, and currently there are about 275,000 in Istria. In 2019, there were about thirty thousand more of them, but that is why there are 30 percent more German tourists than that year. Thus, we also have a slight increase in tourists from Poland and the Czech Republic in August, and we have been recording similar results practically since the beginning of the year. Reservations are still coming; from today’s perspective, it looks like we will have a great August and an excellent September. Of course, provided that we remain responsible and that the COVID-19 situation does not worsen in our country and Germany. These are guests who are difficult to replace with any other market," says the director of the Istrian Tourist Board, Denis Ivošević.

For now, there is no fear about German tourists. ID Riva Tours, a German tour operator specializing in travel to Croatia, says that interest in Croatia is not waning. On the contrary, places on ships cruising the Croatian Adriatic are in demand not only now for August but also for the whole of September, and the last guests could be seen off only in mid-October.

"This is a real surprise; no one dared or hoped that the season would be so successful, quite similar to 2019. With good preparation from the Croatian side, we got everything else, including the situation with competitors and major markets. Now the only thing that matters is that the hosts remain as responsible as possible. Clearly, they cannot be held accountable for guests' behavior, but they must be an example of their behavior, and irresponsible guests must be warned. Only with such an attitude do we justify what we promised at the beginning of the season, i.e., that we are a responsible and safe country," says the owner of ID Riva Tours Selimir Ognjenovic and adds that complaints and dissatisfied guests are less than expected due to the crowds that have flooded our coast in recent weeks.

Last weekend, for example, 86 percent of overnight stays were realized compared to 2019. There are now about two hundred thousand more guests than last season, which was rapidly coming to an end after the Assumption due to the spread of the infection.

Guests on the Adriatic stay longer than in previous years, and tourism is recovering faster measured by overnight stays than by the number of guests. But this is not the only positive trend that corona has spawned.

"Perhaps even more important is the change in the structure of guests. Namely, tourists come who have incomparably stronger purchasing power than those we hosted before the pandemic. For example, a holiday home for three people in the central part of Istria is now easily filled for 2,500 euros for seven days. Before the pandemic, it was certainly 300 euros cheaper. This is, along with the Germans and the growth of hotel occupancy, the biggest gain this season," says Ivošević.

In addition to the most numerous Germans, local guests did not disappoint, of whom there are still about 160,000 at sea. They are followed by Slovenes, Poles, Italians, Austrians, and Czechs. Rovinj, Vir, Poreč, Umag, Medulin, and Mali Lošinj, and Crikvenica still dominate the list of top destinations.

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

ZAGREB, 17 Aug, 2021 - In the past 24 hours, 341 coronavirus cases, out of 8,561 tests (4%), and three deaths have been confirmed in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Tuesday.

A total of 220 patients are hospitalised, including 26 on ventilators.

The death toll now stands at 8,288.

There are 1,803 active cases and 5,753 persons are self-isolating.

Croatia has so far tested 2,417,389 people and infection has been confirmed in 376,409.

Of that number, 357,318 people have recovered, including 253 in the last 24 hours.

To date, Croatia has fully vaccinated 46.10% of the adult population.

For more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

 ZAGREB, 17 Aug, 2021 - An association of Karst cattle farmers on Tuesday accused the Agriculture Ministry and the Hrvatske Šume (HŠ) forest management company of obstructing pastoral farming in the Karst and thus causing depopulation of Karst areas in Croatia.

The association said that the relevant Croatian laws and regulations were not adjusted to the EU acquis and made it impossible for extensive livestock farming to succeed in the Karst region.

Therefore, the association filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court and the competent administrative court and also sent a letter to the EU Agriculture Commissioner, Janusz Wojciechowski.

It says that for instance, Karst pastures are defined as land not designated for agricultural purposes.

This leads to a situation that the grazing of the Buša cattle in Lika, that is a native breed of cows in Lika, is banned on the "Bušik" grassland in that mountainous Croatian region, it claims.

The association demands the deep changes in the management of the HŠ company and the ministry.  

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 17 Aug 2021 - Croatia's Seismological Survey recorded a magnitude 4.2 earthquake with the epicentre near Petrinja, around 60 kilometres south of Zagreb at 0158 hours on Tuesday.

The magnitude of the tremor was 4.2 on the Richter scale and the intensity in the epicentre was V-VI on the European macroseismic scale (EMS), the Croatian Seismological Survey said.

There are still no reports about damage.

The Petrinja area was struck by a devastating 6.2 quake last December.

August 17, 2021 - Croatia Paralympic athletes will compete in a record 8 sports in Tokyo at the 2020 Paralympic Games. 

The Croatian Paralympic Committee has concluded the list of athletes for the 16th Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo, held from August 24 to September 5, 2021, says HPO.

Croatia's colors will be defended by 22 para-athletes in as many as a record eight sports, of which we are competing in para-taekwondo, para-bocce, and para-triathlon for the first time.

Mikela Ristoski, Ivan Katanušić, Miljenko Vučić, Zoran Talić, Deni Černi, Velimir Šandor, Marijan Presečan, Matija Sloup, Ana Gradečak and Vladimir Gašpar compete in para-athletics.

Dino Sinovčić, Kristijan Vincetić, Tomi Brajša, and the youngest member of the national team, 17-year-old Paula Novina, will compete in para-swimming. Anđela Mužinić and Helena Dretar Karić and Pavao Jozić will compete in table tennis.

Damir Bošnjak represents Croatian para-shooting for the fourth time.

Lucija Brešković will compete in para-judo for the second time.

Ivan Mikulić will compete in para-taekwondo, Davor Komar in para-bocce, and Antonio Franko in the para-triathlon. 

The Croatian flag will be carried at the Games' opening ceremony by Mikela Ristoski from Pula, the winner of the long jump gold in Rio de Janeiro and the bronze in London. The Opening Ceremony is on August 24 at 8 pm local time. 

The final preparations for the 16th Paralympic Games are underway.

HPO President Ratko Kovačić said: "Since independence, Croatian para-athletes have competed in seven summer Paralympic Games, winning 20 medals. Our sports heroes regularly achieve top sports results," Kovačić said, adding that "It was they who showed with their sporting achievements and results what it means to give their best. I sincerely thank them all for that! I am very proud of our athletes because, for the first time, we will perform in as many as eight sports, of which in as many as three for the first time. Before these somewhat strange games, our athletes showed that there are no limits for them.

All this was achieved in pandemic conditions when many of the athletes did not have the continuity of preparations even though international competitions have almost died out in the past year, then any further comment is unnecessary. In Tokyo, even with stringent epidemiological measures, I expect that we will continue the successful series of winning medals. In the end, I can only wish to reach the result from Rio de Janeiro when we won five medals," said President Ratko Kovačić.

Para-table tennis players Anđela Mužinić and Helena Dretar Karić will be the first to enter the arenas in the individual competition on August 25 at 9:00 local time in the Tokyo Metropolitan gymnasium.

The ceremonial farewell of the first part of the national team will be held on August 20 at the Hotel "Antunović," and the Paralympians will fly to Tokyo from the "Franjo Tuđman" International Airport on August 21.

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

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August 17, 2021 - CO2 reduction at Zagreb Airport has been recognized with an Airport Council International level 3 certificate, confirming the management and reduction of CO2 emissions in everyday airport activities

Zagreb International Airport has received a certificate from ACI (Airport Council International) confirming level 3 of management and reduction of CO2 emissions in everyday airport activities, reports HRTurizam.

According to the classification of the global ACI ACA program (Airport Carbon Accreditation), this level is called "Optimization." Therefore, it represents a significant step towards fulfilling the commitment of Zagreb Airport to achieve zero CO2 emissions by 2050.

Based on the submitted data, the program independently assesses and recognizes the efforts of airports in managing and reducing carbon emissions. The program for measuring this level of certification also includes all stakeholders and business partners of the airport (airlines, various tenants, catering, shops, etc.), whose activities within the airport affect CO2 emissions.

Franjo Tuđman Airport is the first airport in the Republic of Croatia to reach ACI-ACA level 3, resulting from an extensive program of various activities in recent years aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

“Zagreb International Airport is committed to implementing business solutions that aim to reduce negative environmental impacts. Achieving level 3 according to the ACI-ACA classification is a significant step in these efforts. Our goal and commitment in the airport's business activities is to reach zero CO2 emissions by 2050, and we will be persistent on that path, ” said Huseyin Bahadir Bedir, President of the Management Board of MZLZ d.d.

In recent years, the airport has introduced a wide range of energy management measures that have enabled it to monitor and reduce total energy consumption, such as the installation of efficient LED lighting, reconstruction of low voltage in substation 2, boiler room reconstruction, reconstruction and modernization of heating/cooling substation in the administration building, and the production of hot water using solar collectors. Thanks to all these activities, carbon emissions at the airport were reduced by 4% between 2017 and 2019, despite a significant increase in passengers in that period.

The plan is to build a photovoltaic power plant that will directly convert solar energy into electricity and replace existing vehicles and equipment in an environmentally friendly way.

For more, follow our lifestyle section.

August 17, 2021 - French tourists in Croatia have recorded 230,000 arrivals this year, which is almost 150% more than last year!

In one of the most widely-read daily French newspapers, the prestigious Le Figaro, a report was published from a recent study trip organized by the Representation of the Croatian Tourist Board in France, in cooperation with Transavia airline and with the support of the Zadar County Tourist Board, revealed the director of the Croatian National Tourist Board in France, Daniela Mihalić Đurica, as reported by HRTurizam. 

In the article "Zadar et ses îles, bijoux méconnus de la Croatie" or "Zadar and its islands - unknown gems of Croatia," the famous French tourism specialists and journalist Ludovic Bischoff conveys his impressions of Zadar and the region and emphasizes the city's vibrant history, cultural diversity, and heritage that offers tourists many opportunities.

The text lists the best destinations to visit, suggests to readers where to stay, and in which restaurants to taste the recognizable gastronomic offer of Zadar County. Special emphasis was placed on the island of Pag and the tradition of salt production, Pag lace, but also the cultural and historical heritage of Nin and the richness of the Paklenica National Park.

"So far this year, Croatia has recorded more than 230,000 arrivals from the French market, which is almost 150% more than last year, i.e., we are talking about 52% of arrivals recorded compared to 2019. At the moment, there are about 27,000 French people in Croatia who especially prefer the Split-Dalmatia and Dubrovnik-Neretva counties and are increasingly discovering Istria. Their favorite destinations are Split and Dubrovnik, but also the island of Hvar, which currently exceeds the results from 2019 in terms of French tourist traffic by 30%. During this year's summer season, Croatia and France are connected by numerous airlines directed to the airports of Zagreb, Pula, Zadar, Split, and Dubrovnik. In addition, the French can fly to Croatia from Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice, Strasbourg, and Toulouse, offering more than 30 different scheduled, low-cost, and charter flights from Transavia, Volotea, Ryanair, Easyjet, Croatia Airlines, and Air France," said the director of the Croatian Tourist Board Kristjan Staničić.

In the previous part of August, we recorded about 100,000 arrivals and 380,000 overnight stays of French tourists, which is 103% more arrivals than during the comparable period of 2020, i.e., 74% of arrivals recorded in the same period in 2019.

"In the opinion of popular French Vogue, Croatia is one of the favorite summer destinations of many world stars, while one of the most popular French tourist guides Petit Fute puts special emphasis on Istria, which French guests are increasingly discovering," added Mihalić Đurica.

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

ZAGREB, 16 Aug 2021 - A total of eight Croatian citizens have been evacuated from Afghanistan and the return of other Croatians from Kabul is expected later today and over the next few days, the Croatian Foreign Ministry said in a press release on Monday.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter earlier today that Ukrainian aircraft stationed in Afghanistan took citizens of Ukraine, the Netherlands, Croatia, Belarus, Afghanistan out of Kabul. He, however, did not specify the number of passengers on board.

The Croatian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the Ukrainian plane evacuated one Croat.

"The Croatian Foreign and European Affairs is using this opportunity to thank the Ukrainian authorities for enabling the return of the Croatian citizen, as well as the European Union and international partners who are helping in the repatriation of the remaining Croatian citizens from Afghanistan," read the press release.

There were approximately 30 Croatian citizens in Afghanistan, mostly employees of foreign organizations.

The Taliban declared the end of the war and took over Afghanistan's capital on Sunday after the government collapsed. Foreign countries, led by the United States, have started evacuating their citizens from Kabul.

For more news about Croatia, click here.