June 27, 2021 - Due to a COVID-19 outbreak in Zadar County, it is now considered a low-risk area for travelers returning to Germany. 

As of today, Zadar County is a low-risk area for travelers returning to Germany, reports HRT.

This means that those who leave that county for Germany must first register digitally, have a negative test when entering the country, or self-isolate until a negative test is presented. This does not apply to those who have been vaccinated.

Yesterday, out of 86 new COVID-19 cases, 42 were recorded in Zadar County. At the COVID wards at the Zadar General Hospital, 10 patients were hospitalized, and there are currently 207 active cases in the county.

The head of the National Civil Protection Headquarters Davor Božinović and the Chief of the Zadar Civil Protection Headquarters, Ante Babić, hope that the increasing number of newly infected will not affect the success of the tourist season.

"It is certainly not good because nowadays, given that this is a pandemic that has affected the whole world, given that this is a pandemic that has affected the whole world, and given that those countries from which tourists come, their citizens listen to the recommendations of their countries and to see where they should come to eventually rest and be healthy. So it’s not good, but I repeat again, I don’t think it should ultimately jeopardize the season. If this had to happen already, then it is better today, in June, than possibly in a month or so. We hope that the numbers will start to drop as soon as possible, but the biggest responsibility is on all of us," Babić said.

13 new cases in Zadar County

Today there are already fewer infections in Zadar County. The Civil Protection Headquarters announced that there are e13 new positive cases in the last 24 hours.

380 samples were tested and 611 residents were monitored.

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.

ZAGREB, 27 June, 2021 - Croatia Airlines has launched a new seasonal route between Split and Prague and will operate it every Saturday until mid-September, the national carrier announced on Sunday.

This direct flight service between Prague and Split will offer Czech tourists an even better choice of travel to the Croatian part of the Mediterranean, the airline said.

Return tickets for flights on this route are available at a promotional price starting at €139.

From June to September this year, Croatia Airlines plans to fly from Croatia to 18 European capitals.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

For more about Croatia, CLICK HERE.

June 27, 2021 - Are other Croatia players in self-isolation apart from Ivan Perišić? A look at who traveled to Copenhagen this morning. 

Ivan Perišić, the best scorer and one of Croatia's best players in the EURO 2020 group stage, has contracted COVID-19. 

Perišić tested positive on Saturday and cannot play in the round of 16 match against Spain in Copenhagen on Monday.

Instead of going to the match in Copenhagen, Perišić is going into self-isolation.

HNS issued a statement on whether there are other Croatia players in self-isolation:

"After the Croatian Football Federation received a test that showed that Ivan Perišić tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the medical service of the Croatia national team informed the competent epidemiological service about the situation and showed that the national team complied with all prescribed measures of the Croatian Civil Protection Headquarters, as well as the measures of the UEFA Return to Play protocol.

According to the submitted information, the competent epidemiological service assessed that the measures were respected and that apart from the positive Ivan Perišić, who must undergo 10 days of isolation, other players and members of the staff and delegation should not go into self-isolation. The national team will fly from Pula to Copenhagen on Sunday at 10:35, where they will play against Spain in the round of 16 of the European Championship on Monday at 18:00.

We are aware that something like this can happen to any national team and individual. That is why we respect all the measures of the Headquarters from the first day, as well as the UEFA protocol, to prevent the possibility of isolation for several players. In the context of the new situation, the medical service is doing its best to prevent the possible spread of the virus, as we did successfully during the autumn when we had similar individual cases during the Nations League. This includes antigen testing that confirmed that there are no other infected members of the team. We are sorry that Ivan will not play against Spain, and we hope that COVID-19 will pass as quickly as possible and with as few symptoms as possible," said the doctor of the national team, Dr. Saša Janković.

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

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June 27, 2021 - There are 93% more overnight stays on Hvar than last year and crowds are increasingly forming on some of Dalmatia's most popular islands. 

Although the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) has just made Croatia 'green' on the "COVID map" of Europe, which means that according to the strict criteria of the institution, Croatia is among the safest destinations in the context of the coronavirus epidemic, judging by current tourism figures on islands in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia has been green for a while, reports Slobodna Dalmacija.

Hvar, Brač, and Vis have already been attracting large crowds. Data from the tourist boards of Supetar, Komiža, and Hvar shows a good start to the season, which is expected to be much higher than last year. 

"The city of Hvar is currently recording a 93 percent increase in overnight stays compared to June last year, and 36 percent compared to 2019, before the pandemic. According to the forecasts for July and August, we could be around 65 percent compared to the results from 2019," Petar Razović, director of the Hvar Tourist Board, reports optimistically.

Americans, Germans, and French are the most numerous guests in Hvar, while the locals are growing by about ten percent. With school holidays and intensified actions on offer, there will surely be more.

"With the delta variant, the loss of the British tourists is noticeable, we are at about ten percent compared to 2019, but a change in the regime could lead to a slight increase. Our primary goal is to protect the destination because God forbid the delta variant penetrates Hvar. That is why the new conditions for the arrival of British tourists will certainly be announced, both in the whole of Croatia and on our island," Razović announces.

People of Hvar, he says, tried to be as ready as possible for the season, so a large number of private renters responded to the vaccination campaign of the Ministry of Tourism (vaccination on the island is about 54 percent), and they are ready for boaters whose number already suggests that the season could be successful.

"We are even recording an increase compared to 2019! Hvar is this year's top destination for boaters. They come to us from all over Southeast Europe and the surrounding countries, possibly many Italians. Numerous boaters and shipowners have already announced an increased number of arrivals in the port of Hvar at the beginning of July, which indicates that we will continue with significant growth," said Petar Razović.

If Croatia remains "green," Hvar should still see the influx of car guests from Central Europe.

Apartments in Komiža on the island of Vis are also being filled earlier than usual. Bogoljub Mitraković, the director of the local tourist board, says that such a thing could not be said from a cursory glance at eVisitor, in which only five hundred and a few guests were registered yesterday.

"A decent number of people still do not report guests; the inspectorate is as it is. There are house owners, their friends, people who do not live in Komiža but have some connection with the place; there are apartment owners who do not register guests ... Everything. Unfortunately, that's the way it is," says Mitraković, noting that both Vis and Komiža are currently at 73 percent of overnight stays from June 2019.

And they had a relatively well last season with 60-70 percent of arrivals compared to the year before. However, it could have been even better.

"We still have two ferry lines this month. Last weekend there was a collapse ... On Monday morning, I came to buy a ticket for the ferry at 11 am, and there was only one at 6:30 pm. I don't know why Jadrolinija couldn't start driving three times a day a little earlier. It will be a simpler solution to keep people on hold at the ferry port. The Jadrolinija people are kind, but the lines to Vis already needed to be strengthened. They don't do us any favors like this," Mitraković thinks.

Last year, domestic tourists saved the season for Komiža, and now foreigners are slowly returning.

"Poles, Czechs ..., there are a solid number of sailors. The Blue Cave works well. Prices?! Um, a scoop of ice cream in Komiža is 12 kuna. Restaurants? People had to equip themselves, hire staff, and not everything is great every day. We have about thirty percent of renters who do not live on the island. And the same is now with the owners of an increasing number of restaurants," the director of the Komiža tourist board said.

Last weekend brought a bit more tourist activity than usual in Supetar on Brač, where they also expect a significant increase in the number of guests at the beginning of July. So far, they were mostly domestic, along with those from Hungary, Poland, Germany, and Slovenia.

"Currently, there is a minimal number of arrivals of guests from the United Kingdom, and Norway and Sweden, tourists who were among the most numerous in the pre-pandemic period," says Ivan Cvitanić.

"The announcements we have from hotels, but also the private accommodation sector, are good, and reservations have started in a much larger volume in the last few weeks. So, from today's perspective, it seems that this tourist season will be better than last year's, which, despite the pandemic, was very good in the end," Cvitanić says hopefully. 

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

June 27, 2021 - Who will replace Ivan Perišić in the EURO 2020 round of 16 match against Spain? Zlatko Dalić addresses the press. 

Croatia will play the EURO 2020 round of 16 match against Spain on Monday at 6 pm in Copenhagen. Today, a press conference was held at which coach Zlatko Dalić and midfielder Marcelo Brozovic addressed the press, reports Jutarnji List.

The main topic was the match against Spain, although most questions were related to Ivan Perišić dropping out of the Euros after he tested positive for COVID-19. 

Perišić has to be isolated for ten days, which means he would miss the other knockout phases until the final. 

Zlatko Dalić announced that he will not change the concept of the game, which proved to be a winner, and that he has a real replacement for Ivan Perišić.

"I spoke to Perišić, he is upset, it's a shock, at the last minute we were left without the best player from the group stage. We have to adapt to that. He will be our fan. God willing that everything will be fine and we will pass, so he will join us in 7-8 days. We will play for him too. It is not easy for him, he lived for it, he is in great shape, he scored two goals, but it happened," said Dalić for Perišić and added:

"Spain certainly arranged the game so that they have a more defensive player on that side who would dedicate himself to Perišić. Now they might change that and put in a more offensive one again. We will go with the player who is most similar to Ivan."

Dalić did not say who will play on the left wing.

"I have said before that we have the best selection of players in that position. There is Brekalo, Rebić, and Oršić, who play it naturally in their clubs. If we agreed differently, Kramarić and Ivanušec are here. We are going for a natural solution; we will not think much; I believe that the replacement will be of good quality. Hard to be on the level of Perišić, but he can give a lot. So we’re not going to change much because we’re going to have to spin a couple of players; we’re going to play with the same option as it was before."

Is there a fear that there will be more infected?

"It was a shock for all of us, but we have been living under stress for more than a month. We are ready for that, we adhere to everything, and we are not afraid of anything. We do everything to prevent that from happening. I hope that it won't disturb us a lot and that we are ready for the game."

Spain is quite confident. Do you follow their media?

"We should not care who says what, whether someone underestimates us or not. We respect everyone, especially Spain, which is one of the best teams in Europe by tradition, and they are not happy to play with us either. We will not underestimate them; we will be maximally motivated and responsible, and it will be seen who is best in the end. We know what we want; it’s to move forward."

Will Ćaleta-Car play stopper?

"We will not change much; that is evident. If we rotated more positions to the players, that would not be acceptable for this game. It’s not my idea; it’s not my experiment. Let's go with the same game."

This time, Croatia will have the real support of the fans.

"It will be much nicer and more pleasant than in the first three games where it was really hard. The fans mean a lot to us, and we will do everything not to disappoint them."

One Spanish journalist asked Dalić if he agreed with Ivica Olić that the odds are 50:50 or is Spain still the favorite?

"We are playing against an excellent national team, but we can't say they are better than us. Although I have huge respect for the Spain coach and a team that knows what it wants. I believe in our team. But I don’t want to say we are worse than anyone; the chances are equal."

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

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June 27, 2021 - It's the news everyone in Croatia has been dreading: Ivan Perišić, one of the most valuable players in the Croatia national football team currently competing at the Euro championship, tested positive for COVID-19 and will be sidelined for a while!

He's definitely not the first player in the UEFA EURO 2020 to suffer the same fate. Less than a week ago, the Scotland team had to play against Croatia without one of their key players, Billy Gilmour. However, this news absolutely changes a lot for the Croatia national team, which has been struggling through the group phase of the competition, and before their match against the favorites Spain in the round of 16. 

"We are aware that something like this can happen to any national team and individual. That is why we respect all the measures of the Headquarters from the first day, as well as the UEFA protocol, to prevent the possibility of isolation for a larger number of players. In the context of the new situation, the medical service is doing its best to prevent the possible spread of the virus, as we did successfully during the autumn when we had similar individual cases during the Nations League. This includes antigen testing that confirmed that there are no other infected members of the team. We are sorry that Ivan will not play against Spain, and we wish him that COVID-19 will pass as quickly as possible and with as few symptoms as possible," said the doctor of the national team, Dr. Saša Janković.

Perišić, playing for Inter Milan, is one of those players a team can always count on to bring his zest, many miles, and positive attitude to any game. And, yeah, sometimes he scores, seemingly out of pure spite. He played 104 games for Croatia, scoring 30 goals. The latest two goals he scored at this EURO championship, where he scored against the Czech Republic in a 1:1 draw, and against Scotland, where he added an assist. In the 3 games played so far, he was arguably the best Croatia player at the championships.

Playing against Spain is not easy under any circumstances, and playing against Spain without one of the most important players in the team seems almost impossible. Let's just hope that nobody else tests positive before the game on Monday evening in Copenhagen. Also, the rest of the players in the Croatia national team should find additional motivation to show what they know against the favorites, partially for Perišić as well!

Ivan Perišić will not be able to play before the EURO final, on July 11th at the Wembley Stadium. We're wishing him an uneventful recovery, and returning to football on Wembley on that day, with Croatia in the finals!

To follow the rest of the TCN coverage of the Euro 2020, click here.

June 27, 2021 - As Zagreb Digital Nomad Week 2021 draws to a close, Dean Kuchel of Digital Nomad World shares his thoughts on Zagreb as a digital nomad destination. 

Day 5 of Zagreb Digital Nomad Week 2021 was undoubtedly the highlight in terms of content, with a number of quality keynote presentations and panels focused on the topic of the Future of Work. 

Israeli Dean Kuchel, founder of the online communities Digital Nomads Israel and Digital Nomad World, brought a bundle of energy and positivity to the proceedings, with an energetic keynote speech on the topic of building community. 

His simple mantra that he travels solo but never travels alone is a key message for Croatian stakeholders to pick up on. If the digital nomad infrastructure is in, and Croatia is attractive for nomads, then they will come. And a key element of that is building up a community of like-minded people who choose to spend time in Croatia and who can meet and interact with like-minded digital nomads who have chosen Croatia.  

Here is what he had to say when asked what Zagreb is missing for digital nomads:

"Zagreb is missing more digital nomads. It has perfect weather, great nightlife. Everybody speaks English, everybody is kind to you, and it is easy to get around. The Internet is fantastic, thank you. It has been very helpful with work. I don't think it misses anything really. It checks all the boxes. It has good city life, nature, access to the sea. Just stay the same please."

One of the most interesting things I learned this week was that one of the biggest and most successful communities and DN destinations in Europe is Bansko in Bulgaria. A ski resort which attracts snowboarders, Bansko has a highly developed DN community, and the sense of community and lfestyle and like-minded people it offers is often more important than the destination itself. 

And if Croatia could develop that... Probably the most encouraging things that Dean told me was his opinion that Croatia is very much on the right path. He was very surprised and encouraged to see the level of public/private partnership and participation in Croatia's push to welcome the DN sector, which is something he has seen very rarely in other countries. While the most high-profile example of that is the public/private partnership to deliver Croatia's digital nomad permit, that cooperation exists at a deeper level. ZDNW was financed by Zagreb Tourist Board, with help from Digital Nomad Association Croatia, and delivered by Saltwater Nomads and Total Croatia News. But the commitment of the public and private sector to this initiative was demonstrated in the speaker and panel participants - the City of Zagreb, Zagreb Tourist Board, Dubrovnik Tourist Board, Ministry of Tourism, KPMG Croatia, Raaiffeisen Bank, and Hrvatski Telekom. It wa also a pleasure to welcome His Excellency Ilan Mor, Ambassador to the State of Israel, who came to meet and support Dean. 

A solid base on which to grow things in partnership.  

You can see all the presentations from the main day of the conference, whose important topic was the Future of Work. I highly recommend you watch them all if you are interested in the topic, but do find time to watch Dean Kuchel's VERY entertaining presenation on the importance of community building. If there was one presentation for Croatian stakeholders to listen to as they try and position themselves, it would be this one. It starts at 2 hours 42 minutes 50 seconds. 

You can follow Dean Kuchel's escapades on his Where is Dean? Instagram. Having visited over 100 countries in just 7 years (one of those being the pandemic year of 2020), Dean will not be in one place for long and is already in Bulgaria, having arrived in Zagreb from Ukraine in the middle of the week. 

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

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