April 20, 2021 – Meet Active Zagreb, the sporting side of the Croatian capital, for events, clubs and activities.

As the tourism focus is still somewhat determined by social distancing and things to do outdoors, there has been a bigger concentration on what destinations can offer outside in recent months. A shift to a more active and healthy lifestyle is obviously a good thing. And one activity in particular provides plenty of options in Zagreb.

Sport.

Whether you are a die-hard fan, an occasional enthusiast, a professional athlete, or just someone who enjoys a little exercise, Zagreb has a surprisingly wide choice of sports and activities to follow or get involved in.

In April and May, for example, Zagreb city and county will be holding a number of high-profile international events for sports fans. These include the WRC – World Rally Championship (coming to Croatia for the very first time), World Rowing Cup, Zagreb Open ATP Challenger, and Zagreb Ladies Open ITF tournament). There is even an international skiing tournament in December, the Snow Queen Trophy.

These events are on top of your regular sporting fixes. Everyone knows about Dinamo Zagreb – perhaps even more so after their success in Europe this season – but the city has many other high-profile teams to support. NK Lokomotiva is another Zagreb-based team in the Croatian Premier League, while NK Zagreb has many fans and a proud heritage, despite its lowly position in the fourth league these days.

(Photo credit J. Duval)

Football may be the main sport in Croatia, but it is certainly not the only one. For basketball, Cibona are the team to follow, and RK Zagreb are the leading club for handball, which is a sport with a huge following in Croatia.

The longer I live here, the more I hear about some rather unusual things, including sports. I was always aware that there is a cricket club in Zagreb, as well as a golf course, but it was only recently that I learned of the new annual tradition of playing a round of golf while dressed in kilts and drinking whisky. Very civilised! You can learn more about this rather unusual Zagreb sporting tradition here.

Joggers and cyclists take advantage of the parks and green spaces dotted all over the city, with even greater options with spectacular views in the hills around the city. The Zagreb Advent Run started several years ago, and it was growing exponentially before the pandemic, and will once more I am sure.

Zagreb is very well-equipped with facilities for doing sport. Croatians are passionate about fitness, and you will find as many in a gym as sitting in a cafe. Here is where to find some of the more popular gyms. There are also 6 public swimming pools available. And there is plenty of choice for yoga enthusiasts. 

(Photo credit - Marija Gasparovic)

A short drive outside the city opens up a new world of sporting activity adventures. Skiing, hiking, cycling (check out this Sljeme forest adventure on two wheels, for example), and running, or perhaps a more sedentary round of golf. You can learn more about the wonders around the city in the official Around Zagreb website. 

You can learn more about the Croatian capital in the TC Zagreb in a Page.

ZAGREB, 19 April, 2021 - The Croatian Culture and Media Ministry on Monday announced the 10th Book Night, to be held on Friday, 23 April, as one of the activities planned for this year, which has been declared a Year of Reading.

Culture and Media Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek said at a news conference that dedicating the year 2021 to reading was part of the national strategy promoting reading, which had gained special importance in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, when organising cultural events involving a large number of participants had become impossible.

It was therefore only natural to dedicate this year to reading, "an activity that we associate with our intimate space, that does not jeopardise anyone and that enriches everyone involved in it," she said.

The minister said that the results of a project on the role of reading in building an inclusive society, for which funding was secured from the European Social Fund, would be published soon, as well as that funds that would not be mobilised due to a ban on international fairs would be redirected to promote domestic cultural activities.

Obuljen Koržinek expressed confidence those activities would result in better indicators regarding books and reading and that trends on reading habits, which have been stagnating for a long time, would change for the better.

Maja Zrnčić of the Culture and Media Ministry spoke about programmes to take place in the Year of Reading.

She said an important goal of the event was to make existing programmes - awards, festivals, fairs and other book events - more visible, as well as promote new programmes, including the project "Born to read", which promotes a love of reading from early years onwards and as part of which free picture books will be distributed to pediatric offices across the country to be passed on to parents.

The ministry also intends to improve the status of authors and translators and make them more visible.

Another event, which is part of the national strategy promoting reading, is National Day of Reading, when Croatians will be reading at the same time at different places.

In October, an international conference on ways to promote reading will be held.

There is also a plan to declare public figures, such as actors, athletes, doctors and the like, ambassadors of reading.

Local and regional government units have been asked to enable free library membership for all young people this year, Zrnčić said while speaking about the activities planned for this year to promote reading.

ZAGREB, 19 April, 2021 - Everything is ready for the arrival of participants in the third round of the FIA World Rally Championship, which will take place in Croatia on 22-25 April, and the host expects more than 200 reporters and TV crews for this occasion.

A total of 69 teams are expected at the Croatia Rally route which will include local roads around Plešivica, Žumberak, and Karlovac and Krapina-Zagorje counties, while the initial special stage will be in Zagreb, the organisers said.

The event will be broadcast live to more than 150 countries worldwide.

The audience in Croatia can watch it on the national HRT broadcaster and the Arena Sport channel as well as on the WRC+ broadcaster.

A WRC service park has been set up on the Zagreb Fair (ZV) compound where about 1,200 people are involved in preparing the vehicles and drivers for the race.

The strict anti-epidemic protocols, developed in cooperation with the FIA 'Return to Motor Sport Guidelines', and the epidemiological rules imposed by Croatia's health authorities are being applied in the park and other venues of the race.

A total of 12 teams will compete in the strongest WRC category, and some of the stars are Sébastien Ogier, a French rally driver, Estonian Ott Tänak, Belgian Thierry Neuville and Finnish driver Kale Rovanperä.

The third round of the WRC rally features six Croatian drivers: Viliam Prodan, Martin Ravenščak, Krešimir Ravenščak, Ivica Siladić, Mateo Butorac and Željko Magličić.

For more about sports in Croatia, follow our dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 19 April, 2021- Executives of the Croatia Airlines (CA) and Zagreb International Airport (MZLZ) on Monday discussed the use of the airport's Growth Incentive Model aimed at increasing air traffic.

During the talks held at the transport ministry, both sides showed interest to find a constructive solution to mutual benefit and will intensify talks on that topic in the coming period, reads a press release issued by the ministry.

Transport Minister Oleg Butković was quoted as expressing satisfaction with today's meeting

The ministry and the entire government finds it important to enable Croatia Airlines to survive in doing business while at the same time we wish to support developing business and opening new routes at Franjo Tuđman Airport, Butković said. 

"The pandemic has had an exceptionally negative impact on air transport in the entire world and we are all aware that it is necessary to invest significant effort to survive on the market and preserve every job," Minister Oleg Butković said as carried by the press release.

It was agreed to intensify talks with the ministry in an effort to come to a favourable solution in line with legislative regulations and practices in air transport.

Croatia Airlines is calling on MZLZ to adjust conditions for CA's use of the airport in line with those offered to Ryanair, which has announced opening a base in Zagreb.

CA recently said in a press release that under the terms offered to Ryanair, in 2019 this national flag carrier would have paid MZLZ HRK 135.4 million less than the amount actually paid, which means that instead of a net loss of some HRK 80 million, the company would have posted a net profit of more than HRK 55 million.

Croatia Airlines believes this is a breach of fair market competition and potentially harmful activity, "because of the obvious interest by the parties involved."

Croatia Airlines wants MZLZ to adjust its terms of use of the airport to those offered to the Irish airline Ryanair, taking the number of routes and passengers into consideration.

ZAGREB, 19 April, 2021 - A demonstration exercise was held at the Dubrovnik General Hospital helipad on the occasion of the beginning of the year-round helicopter emergency medical service in the southernmost Dubrovnik-Neretva County.

"Without this service, it would be impossible for a patient to reach a medical institution in Dubrovnik or Split within 60 minutes, where they can be given adequate medical help to save their life. The service will operate throughout the year. Residents of our county will now have the same conditions as other Croatian and EU citizens," said county head Nikola Dobroslavić.

He noted that under a long-term government programme, the service should be based in Opuzen, however, technical conditions for it had still not been created.

"A helidrome and accompanying facilities need to be built. For the time being, the service will be based at Dubrovnik Airport," he said.

The head of the Croatian Institute for Emergency Medicine, Maja Grba-Bujević, said that over the past five years it had become evident that the helicopter emergency medical service needs to operate throughout the year and not just during the summer tourist season.

She said that with helicopter emergency medical service bases on the island of Krk, at Divulje near Split, and at Dubrovnik, the entire country was now covered with that service.

By the end of the year, 24 doctors and 28 nurses will be involved in the helicopter emergency medical service project and they will work in weekly shifts, she said.

The project in Dubrovnik-Neretva County is financed by the ministries of the interior and health and the county authorities.

For more news from Croatia, follow our dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 19 April, 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Monday that a programme to revitalise Sisak-Moslavina County would enable its demographic revival, economic development, social inclusion and better transport connectivity, and he also supported a project to revive local spa tourism.

Plenković was visiting Topusko, a town in Sisak-Moslavina County, where he attended a meeting of the task force dealing with the aftermath of the 29 December earthquake in the county.

He said that at the meeting a project was presented to build a smart spa town to help Topusko become of the centres of medical tourism in the country.

Plenković said that by reforming the financing of local and regional government units the government had secured an additional HRK 150 million in revenue for those units and that so far two billion kuna worth of EU-funded projects had been agreed.

He recalled that the government had granted around HRK 200 million in job-keeping support for more than 15,000 local workers.

"The government wants, and its expert team has already made a draft programme for the revitalisation of Sisak-Moslavina County, to ensure an integral approach that will enable both demographic revitalisation and economic development, social inclusion and better transport connectivity," he said, noting that the county was burdened by problems related to economic transition, socialist legacy, consequences of the 1990s Homeland War and most recently, the pandemic and earthquakes.

He said today's meeting also discussed a project for an expressway between Popovača and Ogulin to better connect Slavonia with the region of Lika and Karlovac County and help in the development of Sisak-Moslavina County.

The head of the task force dealing with the aftermath of the 29 December 2020 earthquake in Sisak-Moslavina County, War Veterans Minister Tomo Medved, said that so far more than 4,000 requests for emergency repairs on earthquake-damaged properties had been submitted and that as of 1 May the reconstruction of nonstructural elements of the buildings would start so that conditions could be created until summer to make it possible for close to 20,000 families to return home.

Topusko Mayor Ivica Kuzmić said that he was happy about the project to restore Topusko's status of a continental tourism centre.

The project "Topusko - A smart spa town", worth HRK 600 million, envisages the renovation of existing spa facilities and reconstruction of facilities and infrastructure damaged in the 1990s war, and the construction of new spa facilities.

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

April 19, 2021 - Three-course meals for 80 kuna and cocktails at 35 kuna, served with impeccable service... in Dubrovnik?!? Meet Akademis "Academia". 

I had one of the most unusual - and certainly one of the most pleasant - hotel stays of all my time in Croatia down in Dubrovnik last week. When I say hotel, I am not sure if that is the right word, for it was located on a student campus, but with very high-quality service. It was spotlessly clean and - at 300 kuna for my ensuite room - very reasonably priced. 

But that was before I saw the menu. A three-course (and very delicious) meal for just 80 kuna, with cocktails an unbelievable  35 kuna.  Were we really in Dubrovnik, known to be the most expensive city in Croatia?

The place had only recently opened and, as I couldn't find much information about Akademis  "Academia" online, I decided to share my find on Facebook. 

I was shocked at the response. Locals claiming it was only for students, not for guests. That it was only cheap as all the food was subsidised.

Over the three days I was there, I fell in love with the place (maybe too many of those 35-kuna cocktails...) and the very attentive staff. And the more I spoke to the staff and the more I read the comments online, the more I realised there was a disconnect between the perception of local people and the reality of Akademis "Academia." I thought it was fabulous, as well as being outstanding value, including free parking. Which is a tough thing to find in Dubrovnik. 

Given the gap in perception and reality, I thought it would be an interesting interview. And so I emailed my questions, which were answered as follows by director Marko Potrebica: 

I don't think I have ever come across such a fantastic project as Akademis that is so misunderstood by the local population. Can you firstly introduce the project?

First of all, thank you for praising our project. The vast majority of our fellow citizens also support the project, but it's also true that in these times of crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, some of our fellow citizens who are engaged in tourism have had certain objections to our business story. I'm convinced that this dissatisfaction stems from insufficient information, so, as such, thank you for the opportunity to share our vision. Akademis "Academia" is the first academy in the Republic of Croatia, and it's located within the Student Dormitory Complex in Dubrovnik. Akademis is a catering facility that works throughout the year and offers accommodation, food and beverage services with the aim of the professional training of our students and those studying tourism and hospitality.

Students in the City of Dubrovnik have been facing the same problem for years - a lack of accommodation. So, they'd mostly be housed in expensive private apartments. At the time of the massive development of tourism in Dubrovnik, it was common for private accommodation owners to cancel their contracts with students before the end of the academic year, as early as May the 1st and not offer them any form of other accommodation before the end of October. The number of incoming students in Dubrovnik has been declining from year to year because of these reasons. The second problem lay with student meals because due to the low price of the student menu (23.10 kuna with VAT) private restaurants didn't see business interest in offering student meals.

The student dormitory in Dubrovnik was built with the aim of providing quality and affordable student accommodation (850 kuna per month with all utilities included) and meals at a mere 7 kuna, with a state subsidy costing 23.10 kuna with VAT for a complete menu of soups, main dishes, side dishes and desserts.

Our primary goal is to accommodate all students in the City of Dubrovnik who are looking for accommodation. The moment we accommodate all the students who have requested accommodation, the dormitory can start doing commercial work - with free capacities. This is where the story of Akademis and the development and strengthening of the branch of scientific and educational tourism begins with the positioning of Dubrovnik on the international map of cities for the organisation of scientific and educational conferences. In Dubrovnik, the IUC successfully deals with this business only with a much smaller accommodation capacity. Through joint efforts, we believe that Akademis will bring new value to the project of Dubrovnik as an international university centre.

"Academia" offers a top service with the goal of professional training. Although our target group is primarily the academic community, Akademis will also host commercial guests who express interest in coming to our facility. We believe that the provision of commercial services is a realistic example on which students can best learn the business of reception, sales, cuisine, restaurants and the like. The service offered corresponds to the categorisation of 3-star hotels and our leading staff consists mainly of professionals who have gained experience in Dubrovnik's 5-star hotels. I'm convinced that our students can learn a lot from them. Akademis "Academia" offers double rooms, each of which has a private bathroom, a congress hall, restaurant and catering services, a garage, a gym, a self-service restaurant and smaller reading rooms and classrooms. It's actually a perfect combination of academic and educational development in synergy with the hospitality industry.

How was it financed, and who is running it?

It's run by Student Centre Dubrovnik, which is an institution owned by the University of Dubrovnik and operates with the aim of taking care of the student standard (employment, accommodation, food and other activities). The project itself, worth around 220 million kuna in total, was co-financed by the European Union from the EU Structural and Investment Fund in the amount of 150,900 million kuna and the Ministry of Science and Education with 15 million kuna, Dubrovnik-Neretva County and the City of Dubrovnik with 30 million kuna, as well as the University of Dubrovnik and the Dubrovnik Student Centre itself with 20 million kuna.

There are lots of rumors that the prices are so good because everything is subsidised, and the Dubrovnik taxpayer is paying for this. What's the actual story?

These are false rumors going around from those who, according to the old Croatian custom, criticise things and have no idea what they're actually talking about. I'm glad that there are criticisms because they're proof of our quality and confirmation of the vision we had when launching this project. When designing the project, our role models were Western European universities, but also other Croatian universities where commercial business is common.

The Student Centre Dubrovnik doesn't have a single kuna of direct subsidy for its business.

The state set non-economic meal prices and suggested non-economic accommodation prices. When the income we generate in doing business with students is added up, a serious financial hole in business arises. As our primary goal is to take care of the students, we compensate for the lack of financial resources from student services (employment commission) and commercial work that's allowed on the basis of the project co-financing agreement by the EU.

The entire business is financed by the Student Centre itself - without subsidies from the City of Dubrovnik or from the state. In short, the City of Dubrovnik has nothing to do with the Student Centre, nor does it manage or subsidise any of our work. So, the story of how Akademis is unfair to competition because “it doesn’t pay taxes, the state pays for their losses” is simply not true.

Akademis operates commercially in accordance with all of the laws of the Republic of Croatia (it's subject to VAT for commercial operations, etc.) - just like any company and/or entrepreneur in Croatia. In addition, Student Centre Dubrovnik pays its employees exclusively from its own income, as it does with all other costs.

The Student Service offers subsidised meals to students. What's the situation in Akademis?

The student meals are co-financed in such a way that students pay 7 kuna per menu (which includes a main course, soup, salad and cake), and the Ministry of Science pays the rest of the price, ie 16.10 kuna. In short, the student is the holder of the subsidy, if they don't consume the meal then we have no subsidy. At this price, it's clear that in this business segment, we're realising a loss in business. Akademis doesn't receive grants from the state or the city. If you look at the history of all restaurants that, in addition to commercial business, were also engaged in feeding students in Dubrovnik, you can find information that all these restaurants very quickly gave up providing student services. The reason? - it's crystal clear; it just didn’t pay off for them.

For this very reason, Akademis can write a commercial story - we aren't at the expense of the state and we don't want to be in a situation in which that's the case. We simply want to be self-sustaining and offer a top-quality service. An example of this are our head chefs who have worked for many years in the best 5-star hotels in Dubrovnik. We can offer superior services - and most importantly - train new generations to be independent and able to provide superior services too.

Okay, let's talk food prices. I had two outstanding three-course dinners for 80 kuna. When I posted photos and details on Facebook, people were very skeptical. Is the price really not subsidised, and if not, how do you manage to do it all so cheaply?

Because the quality was outstanding. We're really glad that you were satisfied with the food and service. The food is really not co-financed. As mentioned above, all commercial work done by Akademis operates under the same conditions as all employers in Croatia. What you ate was a daily offer for our guests who use the accommodation services here. In addition, we offer delivery with the offered dishes of the day (at a cost of 35-50 kuna for the main course), but we also have a menu for our a-la carte restaurant (40-92 kuna per meal).

We're aware that we aren't located within the city walls, so we formed our prices according to that, but also according to the offer of competitive restaurants in the city. I’m glad you chose us, but you could eat at other places at similar prices here as well. We want to maintain a high standard of service at affordable prices to become a desirable destination for both local and foreign visitors.

Cocktails in Dubrovnik for 35 kuna?!? Seriously?

Seriously! As an institution, we procure the highest quality ingredients at reasonable prices through public procurement. On one hand, as said above, we're aware that we aren't located within the city walls, where the location raises the price. On the other hand, want to be available to the citizens of Dubrovnik and of Croatia. This doesn't mean that you'll come to Restaurant & Catering Academia and be able to consume everything at very low prices. If you look at our drink menu, you won’t notice any big differences when compared to other cafes in the area. Our original cocktail, Academia, is our marketing story that serves to attract people to us.

Tell us about your plans and pricing for the summer...

Our first target groups are members of the academic community and the students themselves. We monitor the state of prices on the market and we'll certainly not get into "price dumping" in our business segment - both in terms of accommodation and food. We always try to offer value for money. Our goal is to promote the City of Dubrovnik, which in addition to natural and cultural beauty, can also be very proud of its hospitality and its long traditions.

You can learn more about Akademis "Academia" on the official Facebook page.

To learn more about the city, visit the TC Dubrovnik in a Page.

April 19, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as United Airlines flights to Croatia have been announced with a New York-Dubrovnik route this summer!

Croatian Aviation reports that United Airlines, one of the largest American airlines, is launching a direct route between the United States and Croatia!

The prestigious American airline based in Chicago announced the news today at a press conference.

United has 8 hubs in the US, with the largest one in Chicago, but the company will launch flights to Dubrovnik Airport from New York (Newark Airport, EWR), where the company has over 68% of the total traffic.

After American Airlines permanently canceled the Philadelphia-Dubrovnik route due to the global pandemic, Croatia will once again have a direct connection with the United States. Although direct flights to America have been talked about for years, there were no real flights to Zagreb, and the pandemic made the introduction of this line even more difficult. In the meantime, Croatia has met all the conditions for the abolition of tourist visas to enter the United States, and American guests can plan a vacation in Croatia this summer, so United decided to be the first to react and introduce a direct line to Dubrovnik from New York this summer!

In addition to a direct flight to New York, United will offer passengers from Dubrovnik several destinations in the rest of the United States and South America with one stop in New York.

The introduction of a regular direct flight between Croatia and the United States is no surprise. In 2019, there were more than 620 thousand American guests in Croatia, who spent over 1.5 million overnights, and Dubrovnik is definitely the most visited destination of American guests. Recall that in the summer of 2020, American Airlines planned to operate to Dubrovnik daily, but the plans were completely changed due to the global pandemic.

Trade is also essential, and in 2019 Croatia exported goods and services worth more than HRK 3 billion to the United States, while we imported goods worth more than HRK 1 billion. In addition to American tourists, it should be noted that about 1.2 million Croats and their descendants currently live in the United States, most of them in Chicago, about 150,000.

If we consider the Croatian emigration to the USA, the number of American tourists in Croatia, and the exchange of goods, the United Airlines line between Dubrovnik and New York has a great chance of success.

United will operate to Dubrovnik as early as July 8 this year with three flights per week. Departures from New York are planned on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, with the return from Dubrovnik a day later.

B767-300 aircraft with 30 seats in business class, 49 in premium economy class, and 135 in economy class will operate on the flights to Dubrovnik.

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

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