ZAGREB, 1 April, 2021 - On the occasion of the 12th anniversary of Croatia's admission to NATO, Defence Minister Mario Banožić stated on Thursday that his country proved to be a trustworthy and reliable ally and partner.

"Over these 12 years since it became a full member of NATO, Croatia has proven to be a trustworthy and reliable ally and partner," the minister said in his message on the occasion of the 12th anniversary of Croatia's entry into the alliance.

Croatia participates actively and on an equal footing in the alliance's decision-making and its troops, together with troops from other member states, contribute to peace-building efforts worldwide, the minister said.

He recalled that membership of NATO was one of the two most important objectives in Croatia's foreign policy.

 "Croatia has thus become part of the strongest military and political alliance in the history of humankind. Therefore, Croatia's security and stability is guaranteed not only by its own army but also by the armed forces of friendly countries from the NATO alliance," Banožić said recalling that the journey to the full membership had been difficult and demanding after Croatia had won the war which had been imposed on it and after it had to develop its own armed forces.

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

April 1, 2021 - Croatian smart showers by Infinity Luxury are now in 15 markets worldwide since the beginning of the year - and it's all thanks to LinkedIn!

We have already written about Infinity Luxury, the Croatian luxury outdoor shower manufacturer that has opened the door to the global market this year. And that is mostly thanks to the communication on the business social network LinkedIn, reports HRTurizam.

Infinity Luxury products are intended primarily for hotels, luxury holiday homes with swimming pools, camps, aquaparks, and resorts. An interesting business model is based on b2b communication, not to owners or the mass market, but architects and distributors. This is a great example of differentiation in the market and branding of products outside classic outdoor showers.

Recently, Infinity Luxury signed a cooperation agreement with Glowbal NZ to represent and sell its products in New Zealand, Australia, India, the Pacific Islands, and Southeast Asia and a cooperation agreement with Alu Floors, which will sell premium Croatian products in France. Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark.

Only a month later, new markets opened up. Thus, Infinity Luxury is currently available in Israel, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Poland, Dubai, Austria, China, Georgia, Serbia, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, and the opening of the Slovak market is expected soon.

As Stefano Ladavac, director of Infinity Luxury, points out, the success of breaking into foreign markets can be attributed exclusively to communication and marketing on Linkedin and the excellent team that leads the communication. The success is thus greater because the opening to foreign markets began this year, and until today, or in three months, they have opened cooperation in over 15 markets. 

“Honestly, our communication and marketing on LinkedIn are most deserving of success. Angela and Matej did a lot of work there, and what that means in concrete terms is best shown by the fact that we made 90% of contact through LinkedIn. As there were no fairs, conferences, or "face to face" communications this year, we focused on Linkedin, which proved to be a complete success," Ladavac points out.

When asked how they communicated on LinkedIn, Ladavac said that they communicated that they were looking for distributors and directly contacting decision-makers and companies they wanted to cooperate with. "There was no special strategy; we made a detailed list of who we want to work with and who we want to communicate with to get the opportunity to listen to us and actually show them who we are, what we do, and why we love it so much," said Ladavac.

The business model is based on communication with architects and positioning itself as a “must-have” premium product. 

“Now, after a long time, we have released a new website that has started to generate great traffic, and we are currently developing a communication subpage on the site only for architects. The most important thing is the architect's education and open communication, that we have a product that is not just a shower and a product that comes at the end of the project. Rather than having a product that fits into the architect's whole vision at the very beginning of project planning, to make it a part of the project, and when it is finished, it becomes an eternal sculpture in the exterior. And that is the challenge that we want to present through marketing and the brand," says Ladavac.

The key communication to architects is to keep Infinity Luxury products in mind during the planning phase to become part of their overall design and signature.

“We are focused on communication with architects, as well as education on distributors. We prepare various materials targeted for them. Architects must perceive our product as a sculpture in their overall design because, after all, the whole design is their sculpture with a personal signature. It is not easy to get someone to hear you and explain your story to them. The main challenge is that we are seen as a company that produces outdoor showers, and here we clearly want to differentiate between the brand and our company. We try to find a strategy to present our product differently at the beginning of the conversation, i.e., that the shower is just one feature of our product. By the way, each of our products is 80% handmade, and only 20% of the production process is done through a machine," says Ladavac and adds that gives uniqueness and the possibility of personalization.

Ladavac also points out that he sold his share in the company last month or that two entrepreneurs entered a smaller part of the ownership. He decided to sell because of the experience and know-how they have and to better arrange the whole story about global partners and sales.

“We are currently ready to produce 50 products a month, which is a figure I certainly stand behind and which we can deliver. Currently, the biggest focus is for all partners to start the sales process. Of course, I am aware that it takes months or at least a year to create a brand in their market and start selling. According to the current reactions and talks with foreign partners, there is a great possibility to start with serious exports this year," states Ladovac and adds that he plans to finish this year with 15-20 products produced every month and given how big the market is, there is a possibility of it being more.

"I would like to continue to grow, and already this year there is a big difference in sales, which is certainly due to communication on LinkedIn, branding that is not the focus on price, but on sculpture in the exterior and communication directly to architects," concludes Ladavac.

For more stories of Croatian excellence and innovation, check out the TCN Made in Croatia section. 

April the 1st, 2021 - With the coronavirus pandemic still raging on across the globe, tourism continues to be among the most negatively affected economic branches. Croatia, relying very heavily on tourism for its overall revenue, has been dealt a significant blow. However, as Easter approaches, motorhomes on Croatian highways bearing German license plates offer a dash of hope.

As Barbara Ban/Novac writes, in normal, non-pandemic years, the period just before Easter here in Croatia tends to be welcomed by a significant opening up of tourist facilities. This year, despite expectations being low, the same thing has occurred but with carefully adjusted the safety standards to national and international recommendations as a result of the global public health crisis we find ourselves in.

Of particular note is the excellent reception in Croatia's emitting countries with the Safe stay in Croatia programme, which shows that Croatia is preparing extremely well for the tourist season in which safety will be the most important factor for any level of success. Although it would be wrong to get too ahead of ourselves, the fact that foreign plates are being seen on Croatian highways is encouraging.

"Guests will also be staying in our camps. We have announcements from locals who have mobile homes, they have slowly started to visit during the weekends, during holidays, etc. For example, this week a well known camp in Istria opened up its outdoor heated pools. Since Istria, at least for Germany, is still green, motorhomes with German plates are visible on Croatian highways. We even have several smaller family camps that are already full of Germans visitors,'' said Adriano Palman, the director of the Croatian Camping Association.

On the eve of Easter, Valamar plans to open the doors of many of its tourist facilities, including higher end hotels and camps. During the Easter holidays themselves, Maistra will also do the same. Pula's Arena Hospitality Group, in addition to the 365-day Grand Kazela Campsite Arena, opened Park Plaza Belvedere Medulin Hotel way back in January, and the Medulin Campsite Arena opened back on March the 27th. Projections also seem good for this company's facilities on the islands and even in Marija Bistrica in the continental part of the country.

From today, so from April the 1st, Plava Laguna will open the doors of the following hotels: Parentium and Park in Porec, Melia Coral for Plava Laguna in Umag and Hotel Bonavia in Rijeka, which is set to remain operational all the time during 2021.

After April the 20th, it will open all of its camps in both Porec and Umag in Istria, and in May it will open yet more. More specifically, from April the 23rd, all Blue Lagoon camps that operate under the Istracamping brand in Porec and Umag will open up as normal, as well as Garden Suites Park Blue Lagoon, Apartments Park Blue Lagoon, Villas Park Blue Lagoon, Apartments Bellevue Blue Lagoon, Villas Bellevue Blue Lagoon , Hotel Molindrio Plava Laguna, Apartments Galijot Plava Laguna, Hotel Istra Plava Laguna, Hotel Plavi Plava Laguna, Apartments Astra Plava Laguna in Porec and Hotel Sol Umag for Plava Laguna, Garden Suites and Rooms Sol Umag for Plava Laguna, Hotel Sol Garden Istra for Plava Laguna, Residence Sol Garden Istria for Plava Laguna, Melia Istrian Villas for Plava Laguna, Apartments Sol Amfora for Plava Laguna and Apartments Sol Stella for Plava Laguna in Umag.

From April the 1st, Camp Aminess Sirena - Novigrad, Aminess Atea Camping Resort and Aminess Gaia Green Villas will open in Njivice on the island of Krk. The opening of the Aminess Maravea Camping Resort in Novigrad on April the 23rd this year is also planned.

The Boutique Hostel Forum, a design hostel in the very centre of Zadar, which has been named the best Croatian hostel four times and which operates in accordance with the national safety label - Safe Stay in Croatia, has been open since March the 15th.

With German license plates already visible now and then on Croatian highways, just what this pre-season is set to bring remains to be seen, and although it will be absolutely nothing like pre-pandemic, record 2019, an improvement when compared the a horrendous 2020 might be expected.

For all current coronavirus information specific to Croatia, including border and travel rules, as well as testing centres across the country, make sure to bookmark this page.

April the 1st, 2021 - The Macedonian Interior Ministry (MUP) has handed the Croatian company Dubina, which is an enterprise which deals with underwater operations and is headquartered in the Dalmatian city of Split, an award.

As Novac writes, last week in Skopje, the Croatian company Dubina and its director Gordan Zupa received an award from the Ministry of the Interior of Macedonia for its special contribution and mutual cooperation.

The plaque was awarded to the Split-based enterprise on the occasion of the celebration of forty years of the special police of Macedonia, and the handing over of the award itself took place in the base of "special forces" in that nearby country. The award ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, and Oliver Spasovski, the Macedonian Minister of the Interior.

The Croatian company Dubina and its main man Gordan Zupa received this special recognition for their long-term cooperation with the special police of Macedonia, as namely, this company has been participating in the training of special units in the field of underwater activities for many years now.

''Receiving this medal is an exceptional honor for me, as well as for the entire company, and I'd like to thank all the members of the Special Police of Macedonia for their successful long-term cooperation. I'm looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead of us and future joint activities,'' said the director of the Croatian company Dubina, Gordan Zupa, when receiving this special recognition.

Dubina, founded by Zupa exactly twenty years ago, has evolved from a company created ''in the garage'' to a widely recognised leader in the field of underwater work. To date, they have participated in the construction of several nautical marinas throughout the Adriatic region, are specialists in underwater ship maintenance and are authorised to officially inspect ships for most international registries.

Over recent years, experts from this company have been engaged in almost all demanding underwater operations across the Adriatic, and can boast of many successfully completed tasks abroad - from those done in Macedonia's Lake Ohrid to the beautiful bays of Malta.

For more, follow our business section.

For all current coronavirus information specific to Croatia, including travel and borders rules, as well as testing centres up and down the country, make sure to bookmark this page.

April 1, 2021 - The latest flight news for Croatia as two more WizzAir flights to Split have been added this summer!

While all eyes have been on Ryanair for the last two days, WizzAir has meanwhile launched two more routes to Split Airport.

Namely, Croatian Aviation reports that the Hungarian airline WizzAir has launched two new routes to Split in the upcoming summer flight schedule. In the last month alone, this well-known airline has announced the introduction of as many as 6 new routes to Split Airport this summer!

In addition to the previously announced new lines from Split to Oslo, Gdansk, Wroclaw, and Krakow, the airline will introduce two more new lines from Poland from mid-June. These are lines from Lublin and Poznan that will run to Split twice a week.

Although WizzAir will not base the aircraft in Split as Ryanair will in Zagreb and Zadar, the number of weekly operations and routes is large, and it is obvious that this Hungarian airline has decided to develop its network from this Croatian city. Split is currently the only WizzAir destination in the Republic of Croatia.

From June 13, WizzAir will operate on the Lublin - Split - Lublin line twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays, until mid-September.

From June 11, the Poznan - Split - Poznan line will be introduced, which will also be in traffic twice a week, every Monday and Friday, until the end of September.

Currently, WizzAir offers 10 international routes to Split (of which as many as 6 new ones), and by the beginning of the season, they will announce more new routes to Split Airport. 

According to available information, three new lines have not been announced yet. WizzAir will soon release tickets on the lines from Vienna, Budapest, and London (Gatwick) in the coming weeks, which will give the airline as many as 13 international lines to Split during the peak summer season!

Considering that WizzAir connected Split with only four international destinations in the summer of 2020, this is a huge increase in capacity and lines.

The arrival of Ryanair in Zagreb can certainly be called the news of the year in terms of aviation in Croatia, and this category includes their summer base in Zadar. WizzAir is slowly but surely adding new destinations from Split and practically building its fortress in one Croatian airport. The number of international routes on which it will operate from Split Airport this year is really impressive.

If WizzAir's existing plan for this summer is realized, the Hungarian airline will offer almost 100,000 seats from Split in the upcoming season. Split will, in a way, become the WizzAir 'base', and Zagreb and Zadar the base of Ryanair.

To see more flights to Croatia, CLICK HERE.

For the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia, CLICK HERE.

If you're flying to Split Aiport, CLICK HERE, and to learn more about Split, CLICK HERE. 

April the 1st, 2021 - Croatian shipyards, although the unfortunate subject of a lot of negative press of late, generate an enormous amount of work for other local industries and manufacturers which rely to some extent or another on their proper functioning.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Suzana Varosanec writes, owing to the dynamic development of cooperation between Norwegian fishing boat customers who purchase from Croatian shipbuilders and CroNoMara, there are now as many as four Croatian shipyards which are Norwegian partners - the Iskra shipyard in Sibenik, Tehnomont, shipyard Ostro and Nuic Nautika.

When it comes to their products and their full compliance with delivery deadlines, even the coronavirus crisis failed to prove to be a threat, as shown by the ordered deliveries, but it isn't the same case with new orders.

As many as four vessels from the Sibenik-based shipyard have been delivered over the last ten days, five more are currently under construction, each worth one million euros, but overall, this year the Norwegian share of business seems to have fallen somewhat.

While the Sibenik shipyard's 20 million in revenue back during 2020 brought 14 million euros in jobs for the Norwegians, the pandemic is slowing down new orders in 2021 as those ships are used in the salmon industry for the tourism market which is recording a sharp decline.

The solution lies in new Croatian business: they will soon start with Tehnomont in the realisation of a project for search and rescue at sea, worth 60 million kuna, involving the construction of six ships.

Cooperation is clearly expanding and work ships for Norway are reducing their share of imports. When it comes to aluminum catamarans and single hulls as work and service ships in the aquaculture sector, these works done by Croatian shipyards encourage the development of the local component through the installation of materials and equipment of the manufacturer.

According to Ana Zajc, a senior project consultant at CroNoMar, in the beginning, the ships were equipped exclusively from imports, while today Croatian producers participate in at least 40 percent of that part of business.

Croatian shipyards, as emphasised by Zajc, have had their high quality of provided services confirmed, and they've also been commended for their flexibility, because the models and equipment of these Croatian built ships are always adapted to the needs of the end customer and different types of ships can be constructed in Croatian shipyards.

So far, 118 ships have been built and delivered to the Norwegian market.

For more, follow our business section.

April the 1st, 2021 - The Ryanair Zagreb arrival was recently finally confirmed following months of speculation, and while this is absolutely fantastic news for the Croatian capital and for the Irish company itself, what will happen with an already enfeebled Croatia Airlines and the frequent accusations it faces of being too expensive?

As someone who lives in Zagreb and travels twice per year to the United Kingdom, more precisely to London, I was dreading having to pay Croatia Airlines prices as British Airways, which was far cheaper, still hasn't returned on this route as a result of the pandemic. With Ryanair now firmly on its way, I have zero doubts that many will be thinking the same as I am.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, although it is neither the first nor is it the largest company, the wildly popular Irish low-budget airline Ryanair has become synonymous across Europe for its ultra cheap flights and is more or less always first option for young people, as well as for many business people who need to travel a lot.

In addition, Ryanair has been present in Croatia since the mid-2000s, but their announcement that it will open its regional base in Zagreb still resonated like a bomb in domestic business and within tourism circles who are anticipating the Ryanair Zagreb arrival with gritted teeth and tight jaws.

While many people in Croatia and Europe are happy to rub their hands together because they will have the opportunity to, with good and long-term planning, travel to another European capital such as London for about 50 euros or less, the question is how their arrival in the Croatian capital will affect Croatia Airlines, which really didn't need the Ryanair Zagreb arrival to add to its already overflowing heap of problems.

Aviation analyst Gojko Mavrinac, the editor-in-chief of the Croatianaviation portal, pointed out that, in addition to Ryanair deciding to introduce routes to the same European cities as Croatia Airlines (Rome, Milan, Frankfurt, Brussels, London, Paris), it will definitely take a huge percentage of national passengers from the national carrier and deal it another enormous blow.

"Croatia Airlines should react promptly to the Ryanair Zagreb arrival, but the fact is that Croatia Airlines cannot enter the fight at all, primarily because of its prices, with such a large airline. Ryanair has entered the main Croatia Airlines base where it plans to expand its business and Croatia Airlines is now in an almost hopeless situation, I hope they all sat down at the table in Buzin yesterday and are continuing to try to find a solution,'' warned Mavrinac.

He added that passengers are looking for cheap tickets today and Ryanair will offer precisely that in Zagreb and thus take a large "part of the cake" from the continually burdened Croatia Airlines, which financially cannot even enter the ring against this European giant.

"A radical change of business is needed for the company to survive in the capital now that the Ryanair Zagreb arrival has been confirmed, which, in the summer of 2022 plans to have routes to as many as 40 destinations from the Croatian capital, far more than CA ever had even in normal circumstances back in 2019," said Gojko Mavrinac.

Croatia Airlines commented that there is no doubt that the announced flights of the Irish airline from the Franjo Tudjman International Airport in Zagreb will be a direct and additional competition to the national airline.

“CA will adapt its business to the new market circumstances in as much as is possible. It should be noted that part of the newly announced routes refers to flights to secondary airports in destinations to which the national airline regularly flies to primary airports, ie major European transport hubs (Brussels, Frankfurt, Rome, London, Paris) throughout the year, thus continuously providing Croatia's air connections with the rest of the world,'' they stated from the Croatian national airline.

An enormous injection for the capital's tourism

Although the deal was probably agreed before the Ryanair Zagreb announcement came, the second largest Croatian airline, the private TradeAir, announced recently that it plans to take over the fifth aircraft for its fleet soon. According to avioradar.hr, it is an Airbus319 that will join the Fokker F-100 and three Airbus A320.

TradeAir owner Marko Cvijin says an engagement has already been arranged for their fifth aircraft. The Ryanair Zagreb arrival will breathe new life into Zagreb's tourism, which fell by a concerning 76 percent last year due to the coronavirus crisis and the earthquake, as evidenced by the figures presented recently which showcase about 340,000 guest arrivals and 770,000 overnight stays throughout all of 2020.

In the run-up to the record year which was 2019, Zagreb had 1.3 million arrivals and 2.4 million overnight stays. Simultaneously with the announcements of arriving in Zagreb, Ryanair announced the continuation of operations for Zadar, where it has had a base in the summer season for years, and the increase of the existing 20 routes with another 17.

For all current coronavirus information specific to Croatia, including border and travel rules, as well as testing centres across the country, make sure to bookmark this page.

April 1, 2021 - Some feel-good news to start your Thursday as the City of Samobor funds castrations, sterilizations, and microchipping for dogs and cats!

Radio Samobor reports that the City of Samobor has set aside 100 thousand kuna to finance and co-finance the castration, sterilization, and microchipping of dogs and cats. For some citizens, the cost is fully covered. All unemployed persons, persons with disabilities, pensioners, and Croatian veterans of the Homeland War can mark their dogs with a microchip free of charge or castrate or sterilize their dogs and cats.

One owner can apply for funding for one animal per year. Owners of dogs and cats entitled to funds from the City in full are obliged to submit the necessary documentation to the City, depending on the category to which they belong. These are a certificate of residence in the area of Samobor, a certificate that they receive a pension of less than 2,701 kuna, a certificate that they are registered with the Employment Service no earlier than January this year, a certificate that they have a total of more than 80 percent disability or a certificate of the status of a Homeland War Croatian veteran with a minimum of 100 days of participation in the war. When the applications are approved, 100 percent of the covered costs of castration, sterilization, and microchipping are carried out exclusively at the Veterinary Station Samobor.

All other pet owners can apply for co-financing in the amount of 50 percent of the cost, up to a maximum of 150 kuna for castration of cats, 200 kuna for castration of dogs, 350 kuna for sterilization of small female dogs, 400 kuna for sterilization of medium female dogs, 450 kuna for sterilization of large female dogs, and 200 kuna for sterilization of cats.

Procedures co-financed can be performed at three locations in Samobor, at the specialist veterinary practice Dogtor, veterinary clinic Maza, or in the Veterinary Station Samobor. For more information on co-financing the procedure, it is necessary to contact one of these clinics in person.

Applications for financing and co-financing of castration, sterilization, and microchipping of dogs and cats are received until 31 December this year or until all allocated funds are used. 

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

Want to know more about pets in Croatia? CLICK HERE.