ZAGREB, June 16, 2020 - In May 2020, consumer prices decreased 0.6% on the year, falling for the second consecutive month, the national statistical office said on Tuesday.

In April 2020, consumer prices decreased by 0.2% in the year, which was their first annual decrease since the end of 2016.

The annual decrease in May was primarily due to transport prices, which account for over 15% of the consumer basket. 

Prices of housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels decreased annually by 1.9%.

On the other hand, prices of alcoholic beverages and tobacco recorded the highest annual increase, by 4.3%, followed by prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages (+2.5%).

In May 2020, as compared to April 2020, consumer prices increased by 0.1%.

The highest increases were recorded in prices of clothing and footwear, by 1.3%, and prices of recreation and culture, by 0.7%, while the largest decrease was recorded in prices of restaurants and hotels, by 0.9%.

Thanks to inflationary pressures at the beginning of the year, consumer prices in the January-May period were 0.7% higher on average year on year.

ZAGREB, June 16, 2020 - The leader of the SDP and the Restart coalition, Davor Bernardic, said on Tuesday that the Church should not be interfering in politics and elections because Croatia is a secular country, commenting on the recommendations by the Croatian Bishops' Conference for the July 5 parliamentary election.

"First of all, Croatia is a secular country and the Church should not be interfering in politics or in elections. This suggests that they are dissatisfied with the government because it failed to ban work on Sundays," Bernardic said at a presentation of the Restart coalition's education programme.

Speaking of the position of prime minister within the SDP (Social Democratic Party) and the Restart coalition, he said that under a decision by the SDP's main committee the president of the SDP is the candidate for prime minister.

Bernardic said that an interview with the head of the Homeland Movement, Miroslav Skoro, clearly showed that Skoro intended to form a coalition with the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, adding that a vote for Skoro was a vote for the HDZ and vice versa.

Asked why he had declined an invitation to face off against Plenkovic in a debate on the public television service HRT, Bernardic reiterated that he had confirmed his participation in debates on the commercial television channels Nova TV and RTL during the official part of the election campaign.

"There is an impression that this is a competition for the President of the Republic or a tennis match between me and Plenkovic. No, this is the presentation of the best team and the best programme for Croatia. I know it's embarrassing for Plenkovic to talk about his team because 15 people have left it," Bernardic said.

As for Zeljko Sabo, who has been included on the SDP's election slate although he was found guilty of corruption by a court of law, Bernardic said that the rehabilitation period had passed.

June 16, 2020 - Four months after terrifying bura wind blasted through Dalmatia at 270 km/h, TCN received a message from two travellers who experienced the bura in the worst way imaginable.

Alicia and Diana were on RSD Travel's one-week tour of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. They travelled from London to Dubrovnik on February 4, 2020. Unfortunately, due to the strong bura winds, the plane was unable to land at Dubrovnik Airport (it was due to arrive at 21:00), and the flight was diverted to Split. Since the accommodation for the first night of the tour was in Dubrovnik, not Split, they were taken by coach to Dubrovnik, arriving at about 3 am. On February 5, they explored Dubrovnik's old town, and then Ston, before travelling to the Romana Hotel in Makarska, where the tour group spent two nights.

When they arrived at the Romana Hotel, the tour bus stopped directly outside the hotel door because the wind was already getting very strong. As soon as they entered the hotel reception, they were informed that minibuses would transport everyone to the restaurant (even though it is only a short walk) because it was too dangerous to walk outside in the strong wind. There were also several signs up in the lifts and reception area informing everyone of these arrangements. Some commented that there must have been accidents in the past for the hotel to be taking these precautions. “It concerned us that the hotel was in the middle of a construction site and all of the building materials looked extremely unsafe and unsteady in the fierce wind, with pallets on the roof teetering on the edge, and cranes swaying in the wind,” said Alicia and Diana.

No-one in the tour group got much sleep that night because of the intense sound of the howling wind, and the feeling of the building swaying from the force of the bura. "Everyone was terrified that the windows were going to shatter on them during the night," said Alicia and Diana, who in the early hours of the morning, also felt an earthquake.

It was difficult to distinguish when the earthquake occurred because the bura was so ferocious and exerted an even stronger force continuously throughout the night. During the night, there was also a very loud bang; it was not until it was light in the morning that everyone realised one of the cranes had blown over.

In the morning (February 6, 2020), the hotel staff were still taking precautions and were busy making sure people didn't go and walk outside to go to the restaurant for breakfast. They created a walkway through the underground car park so that guests weren't needing to go outside. Hotel staff kept people at the door until the wind died down slightly before allowing people to go from the underground car park to the restaurant.

"We went down to reception with plenty of time before the scheduled departure time for the day’s sightseeing (in Split, Trogir, and Omis)", said the passenger, whose guide for their tour group, Hattice, said the bus was ready and ushered people out the door.

"As instructed, we went outside and walked towards the bus that was parked directly outside the door, but then realised it wasn't our group’s bus," said the passengers, whose bus was parked the furthest away from the door. It was past the hotel building, which meant that it wasn't shielded from the strong bura wind, and was on a rocky gravel surface, not on tarmac.

Since several tour groups (all on the RSD trip) had stayed at the same hotel, there were three buses lined up, and due to the poor coordination of timing, all of the groups were departing at a similar time, which meant not all of the buses could be directly there waiting outside the door.

Alicia was walking to the bus; the bura's strength increased in intensity and was still making a fierce howling sound. When Alicia had almost reached the door of the bus, there was suddenly a massive gust of wind. Despite trying to resist the pulling and pushing of the intense wind, and trying to keep her feet grounded, her entire body was lifted into the air. She was blown at a terrifying speed and then forcefully thrown down to the ground, more than 20 metres away from where she had been standing.

"I was thrown face-first, with my head hitting the ground and rebounding back, while the right-hand side of my body simultaneously bore the brunt of the impact," said Alicia. Her initial instinct was to try to get up, but when she turned over and tried to stand up, she was knocked down once again by another gust of wind, with her head hitting the ground for the second time.

Her whole body hurt; both of her hands were grazed and bleeding, her jeans had been ripped through at the knee, and her knee was also grazed and bleeding. She was unable to move her right hand and arm. One of the men in the tour group ran towards her and picked her up and took her back to the hotel reception, where the tour guide was still directing people to go out to the bus.

She went to wash the gravel and rocks out of her hands while the reception staff looked for a first aid kit. Unfortunately, they only had limited first aid supplies and were only able to provide her with some adhesive plasters to put on the bleeding wounds on her hands. Alicia informed the tour guide that her head had hit the ground, but the tour guide shrugged it off as though there was nothing wrong. The hotel staff then took her in their arms to the bus. When Alicia got on the bus with the tour guide, they then realised that Diana had also been injured by being blown over.

Diana wasn't aware of the incident in which Alicia had been blown over and severely harmed, as she had gone to the bathroom and went down to reception after that. The tour guide instructed her to walk the length of the three waiting buses, even though at that point, the risks were already known because Alicia had already sustained injuries.

Diana had got as far as the second bus when she was forcefully picked up by the wind and blown into the gravel. "The wind was so strong that I was hurled to the ground, face-first. With the palms of my hands facing upwards, resulting in my knuckles smashing against the rocks and stones on the surface of the ground," said Diana, her sunglasses and scarf having been dragged some distance away by the wind, despite the fact that her scarf had been wrapped securely around her neck.

She was unable to get back up on her feet, as when she tried, the wind was so strong it kept her pinned down to the spot, making it impossible to get up. Three of the hotel staff came and helped her stand up and took her onto the bus. She was in total shock and felt sick, and wounds on her hands and knees were bleeding.

One of the fellow travellers alerted Hattice (the tour guide) to the fact that Diana had also been injured. Hattice then said she would take those who were injured to a pharmacy when they arrived in Split. Upon arrival, Hattice accompanied Diana to the local pharmacy, but the pharmacist refused to look at or treat the injuries because the wounds were open and bleeding. The pharmacy also didn't have any bandages, so Diana purchased some adhesive plasters and antiseptic spray and was directed to the café next door to wash her wounds.

They were both left to suffer and deal with their injuries on their own. Throughout that day, Diana’s hand and knees continued to bleed. Alicia had pins and needles in her arm from her shoulder to fingers, and her wrist was at a distorted angle as though it was dislocated. The swelling in her hand intensified, and she was unable to move it in any direction and could not bend any of her fingers. She also had bruising to her right hip, thigh, knee, forehead, and face.

When they arrived back at the hotel that evening, the damage from the storm was visible. Most of the trees surrounding the hotel had been blown over or uprooted. The crane that had blown over during the night epitomised the magnitude of the danger and severity of the damage.

Although Diana’s hand was still bleeding several days later, and everyone thought Alicia’s hand/wrist was broken, they weren't offered any medical assistance whatsoever. The tour guide/tour company didn't offer them any chance to go to a medical centre, to see a doctor, or to go to a hospital.

After arriving back in the UK, Diana attended the Accident and Emergency department at the local hospital. X-rays revealed torn ligaments in her right knee, and an infection and foreign bodies in her left hand. Antibiotics were administered, and the following day she underwent surgery to remove the grit and clean out the wound, and five stitches were applied to close it up again. Three months after the accident, a secondary infection occurred in her hand. She still has limited movement and use of her hand and may need a second operation in the future.

Alicia went to the emergency department, and the doctor was horrified that up until that point, she had not been seen by any doctor. The question was: “These are serious injuries, why didn’t the tour company do anything?”

She required a CT scan of her head, numerous x-rays, and an MRI. Alicia was suffering from concussion and multiple fractures and damage to her tendons, ligaments, ribs and nerves in her hand/wrist/arm. Due to the COVID-19 situation, she is still awaiting treatment to repair the damage. She will probably never get the full strength, motion, or function of her hand back again. Alicia still hasn't been able to get her hand fixed as there are several fractures and damage to the nerve.

RSD Travel did not provide any assistance during the trip and have denied any wrongdoing. They also refused to provide any compensation.

They believe that RSD Travel failed in their duty of care:

It was negligent to have the bus parked so far away from the door of the hotel. The fact that the hotel had arranged minibuses to take people from the door to the restaurant proved that the risk was known and foreseeable, and this accident could have been prevented. By having the bus parked so far from the door, it created an avoidable risk. This meant they had to walk past the hotel building to an area that was not shielded by the wind. If people had been kept in the reception area, and if the buses had been brought to the door for each group to safely get on their respective buses, this incident wouldn't have occurred. The weather was not something that RSD Travel could control, but the tour company could have controlled the situation by ensuring that the buses were brought to the door of the hotel. Failure to do this created a foreseeable hazard that allowed the accident to occur.

Besides, it was unsafe to stay at a hotel that was still under construction and located in the middle of a building site.

Lastly, it was negligent and a failure of RSD Travel’s duty of care to not provide medical assistance on either the day of the incident or on any of the subsequent days when the severity of the injuries was increasingly evident. Not providing medical assistance could reasonably be foreseen to cause harm, given that fractures and infections are more prone to complications if not treated immediately. A pharmacy does not and cannot provide the medical assistance required to assess and treat such injuries fully.

Follow our travel page for more.

June 16, 2020 – In a world that develops incredibly fast and focuses on the future, one small yet strong Croatian project showcases both heritage and the future. Meet HAI! - Croatian Authentic Toys.

Croatian Authentic Toys is a project created in collaboration with the first-year students of Faculty of Architecture, product design, and the Povucizakulturu Association to conceive and design didactic toys that encourage the interactive experience of the game, and which were inspired by Croatian heritage. Didactic material is intended for preschool children who, through play, acquire developmental skills and, at the same time, get to know more about Croatia's heritage.

The importance of play is unquestionable throughout life, especially in the early years, when the basic means of acquiring knowledge and skills on which personalities and social consciousness are built through play. The game is often seen as an activity which is the opposite of work, although it generally boasts the same components - motivation, landmarks, interaction, and rewards in the form of pleasure when we do what we love. It can be concluded that play is no less of a less serious or responsible activity, especially because those who work by playing are more efficient and even more satisfied. It is even more convincing when we accept that children develop by playing in all areas, which actually means working on themselves.

Should the rules of the game be predetermined? Can aesthetically pleasing toys help them with this? Should a toy reveal everything about itself at first glance? This is what characterises the greater part of the offer of toys on the market. Motivated by these questions, the team began their research intending to create toys that encourage self-confidence, inventiveness, and creativity, which find their meaning in proven values ​​and experiences.

They will attract children by spreading new knowledge and achievements, and their goal is not just to recognise but to understand and interpret. The criteria themselves point to the basic values ​​that we will never give up and to the original experiences with which we communicate those values. As a rule, community development is based on that, ensuring existence and building an identity. Looking back, this is called heritage, and looking ahead, we see resources of potential prosperity.

The project aims to develop a collection of children's toys, as does the corresponding brand and packaging, which is intended for preschool and school-age children. Through the activities of the Faculty of Architecture, product design and the association, the products will be presented to educational institutions to encourage them to purchase products of Croatian design, which contribute to the development of various skills of children and are designed according to pedagogical guidelines for each age. Through discovering the toy and the meaning of the game, children learn about the material, as well as about the intangible values ​​of heritage, in an unobtrusive way. The products will also be presented to the tourism sector as an authentic, quality souvenir - the bearer of Croatian cultural identity.

Through mutual interaction among themselves and also with these products, children develop their identity, their social awareness, creativity, creative potential, visual perception, coordination and fine motor skills, spatial orientation, and problem-solving skills. Special emphasis in terms of reference was placed on avoiding literalism in the transmission of this content and on creative freedom in interpreting the heritage values ​​that underline the toy's very concept.

They primarily intended these toys for preschool children, although, of course, they can also come in handy in primary school classes, which was confirmed by some primary school teachers. Through playing with these toys, they want children to learn more about Croatian heritage, about the great people and promoters of Croatian culture, science, sports, and natural heritage. There are currently four toys that convey the message of Pag lace (Pagus), weaving as a traditional way of making fabrics (Znatiželjna nit), the preservation of rodent bread in the traditional way (Čičulin) and Croatian national dances and folk costumes, as well as the national ensemble Lado (Zvutka). There are more toys in preparation that will bring some new stories with them, too.

By playing with children, adults can also expand their knowledge, because by looking at humans as a homo ludens, they follow Huizinga's idea of ​​how the entire human culture grew and developed from play.

Every toy has a story in its heart. Such toys were wanted, and design students created them.

The goal is for the toys to help better connect children with their parents, educators, and grandparents, because that is how they build a relationship of connection and togetherness.

A storybook accompanies each toy so an adult can read it to a child before playing, as motivation. Or they can do it after the child has already tried playing with the toy in their own way. That story can be a guide for further games with the toy. In addition, an adult could also tell a child their own childhood experience related to the theme of the story. This will further enrich the child’s experience. And maybe the story and the toy will be an incentive to go to a museum or encourage some other way of researching the story told by the toy.

With HAI toys, children will be able to knit Pag lace by playing with the Pagus toy. Pag lace was first sewn for church clothes; today, it is a revered symbol of cultural identity.

Pagus, author: Paula Kovač

The Zvutka toy is inspired by Croatian folk costumes and dances, kolo.

Zvuka, author: Karla Kocijan

The tradition of storing bread, a food that occupies the most important place in our daily diet, can be experienced by children interactively by playing a social game that they call Čičulin. It was inspired by older times when Croatian families didn't have shops and bakeries where bread was bought as it is today. Every Sunday, bread was baked for each day of the coming week, with one being eaten immediately. The rest of the bread was placed on hanging wooden beams to keep the bread as far away from the ground as possible because they were living in unhygienic conditions at the time, and animals often entered people's homes and ate their food. The inspiration for the rings came from the traditional technique of writing bread. The traditional custom in Croatian homes was to write the desire for bread for Christmas. So the Christmas bread and cakes were richly decorated and original.

Čičulin, author: Erika Filipan

Weaving is one of the oldest crafts and has a long historical development and significance in human life and development. The technique of hand-weaving remained unchanged until the industrial production of fabrics came to be, which shows that it was influenced by various historical circumstances, traditions, and cultures. Today, hand-weaving is rarely used, but it is increasingly recognised as a potential for expressing recognition in fashion and design. Znatiželjna nit is a toy that develops creativity in children. The possibility of weaving in a circle, in a parallel and three-dimensional way, encourages children's research development and gives them complete freedom to wind the thread into a spatial composition.

Znatiželjna nit, author: Jovana Vlaisavljević

The toys are made of natural materials dominated by wood, without oil and coating. They were medically tested and met all EU rules. The Pagus toy, inspired by Pag lace, is made of acrylic glass, i.e., white plexiglass, precisely because of its whiteness, breathability, and purity.

The HAI! brand was fully developed at the Faculty of Architecture - School of Design, and a team of teachers and students participated. The name of the brand was created at a workshop led by a renowned media expert, Professor Veljko Žvan, and the students who developed the brand did so in a creative team.

A former student of the School of Design, Vita Vrebac, is most responsible for the visual identity of the brand. Special emphasis was placed on avoiding literalism in the transfer of content and on creative freedom in interpreting the values ​​of heritage, which are the basis of the HAI toy series concept. Today's customers are very aware of things around them, and in that sense, the HAI team tried to avoid instant solutions and a literal reading of traditional values. They tried to attract children through an interactive and layered game experience, which is subtly communicated through the brand itself.

For more projects like HAI!, follow Made in Croatia.

The coronavirus pandemic might have made the vast majority shy away from investing cash as the economic downturn across the world began, but it hasn't stopped everyone. The Supernova Group hasn't let the worrisome economic situation get in the way of opening its fifteenth Croatian store.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 15th of June, 2020, the popular Supernova Group is set to open the doors of its fifteenth shopping centre in the Republic of Croatia this Thursday. The Supernova Pozega Retail Park is a new family shopping destination located at the western entrance to the continental Croatian town of Pozega and is an entirely new facility.

The total value of the investment stands at an enormous sixteen million euros in total, and the opening of the new shopping centre has resulted in the employment of around 300 people, which is excellent news amid the pandemic and the demographic issues Croatia, especially the continental part of the country, has been facing for years now.

The brand new Supernova space covers 11,000 square metres, within which there are sixteen shops and one catering facility. The retail park was built on a plot of 47,000 square metres, and 450 parking spaces were provided for its customers and visitors.

In the new sales area of ​​the Supernova Group, customers will be able to find stores belonging to popular and very well-known brands, most of which are making their debut in this particular Croatian town. From Thursday onwards, the following will be open to all visitors: Baby Centre, C&A, CCC, Deichman, DM, Galileo, KiK, New Yorker, Pepco, Sinsay, Sport Vision, Top Shop and Teddy.

During the summer months, three more facilities will open their doors - the Leggiero coffee bar, the Admiral slot machine club and the famous and equally popular Italian food chain - Eurospin.

For more on shopping in Croatia, follow our lifestyle page.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 15th of June, 2020, the Chief of the Crisis Staff of the Ministry of Health and a member of the National Staff of Civil Protection, Maja Grba-Bujevic, was a guest recently on N1 television. She spoke about coronavirus, the current epidemiological situation in Croatia and the surrounding countries.

Grba-Bujevic said that the Croatian Institute of Public Health had already made a number of recommendations, some of which were related to the holding of rallies, to the elections themselves, and that she would make recommendations for election day itself.

She also commented on non-compliance with physical/social distance measures and other epidemiological measures.

"When a person glances at the TV, they see that there's some disinfectant sitting somewhere, but it isn't important that it's there, it's important whether or not it is actually used. Gathering outdoors is seen as even less of a risk and the need to keep a physical distance is poorly respected. I'm really horrified by some scenes from television, I wouldn't like to name the politicians in question now, but something is being shared and then hugs and kisses follow. My question is, what have we been doing all this time? Health is most important thing as far as we're concerned,'' Grba-Bujevic pointed out.

In the new case of coronavirus infection, she explained that there has been contact made with the patient who was reported on Saturday. "It's a Croatian citizen who was in Bosnia and Herzegovina hunting and brought coronavirus back with him," explained Grba-Bujevic.

She made sure to point out that going abroad should be reduced to a reasonable measure and going outside of the country's borders shouldn't be done if it isn't absolutely necessary.

As for the number of people who are currently in self-isolation, she said Croatia was at a number of 68 people on Friday, and when we add more of these new cases then it will be somewhere around 80.

The increasing number of newly infected people in the countries in Croatia's immediate region:

Grba-Bujevic noted that the National Headquarters is continuing to monitor the number of newly infected people in the countries in Croatia's immediate region.

''When you look at what’s actually going on, it regards local areas. When this is well analysed, then it can be concluded that the measures in these areas have been terribly violated. Since they were violated, what happened happened," she explained.

She pointed out that physical distance, hand hygiene and disinfection are the basic things that we really have no problem carrying on with. "I expect from all those who are in public spaces to spread the word and in that way contribute to staying healthy," said Grba-Bujevic.

She also explained what the procedure is if a tourist gets infected with the new coronavirus in a hotel or camp.

"If someone falls ill, whether he is a Croatian national or a foreigner, the procedure is always the same. The person taking care of them will need to get in touch, and the way in which this will be done, ie the tourist ambulance, will be published on the pages of each county these days. We must first obtain a positive epidemiological history. If it is decided that patient Covid is suspicious, then testing is organized for him. He is provided with food in the room, everything he needs is taken to the room and left at the door. When the test is obtained, then it is decided on possible hospitalization ", said Grba-Bujević.

What if a tourist gets infected with coronavirus while on holiday in Croatia?

Grba-Bujevic says that all scenarios are foreseen. If it is a Croatian citizen, he can go home with the measures prescribed by epidemiologists, he explains.

"If the person is a Croatian citizen, we'll provide them with accommodation and transportation home can be organised for them. Of course, this won't be done by public transport,'' she said, adding that foreigners can also return by car, but in a secured way and in close cooperation with the instructions of the epidemiologists.

She said that many people involved in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic believe that a second wave is certain and that the Headquarters has prepared three scenarios should it occur.

''One is a light variant, one is medium, and one is heavy. It would be difficult to return everything back to how we had it, that is, complete closure. An easy scenario would be to live with all of the protection measures in place. The middle ground would be to return to stricter measures and not close everything, but stick to those prescribe measures,'' she concluded.

For more on coronavirus in Croatia, follow our dedicated section.

In the first part of June, 20 percent of last year's tourist results were achieved, as Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 15th of June, 2020. Slovenes, Austrians, Hungarians, and from now onward, Germans can come to Croatia without special conditions and the need for self-isolation upon return. Will it save Croatian tourism? That question was analysed on Croatian radio.

''We'd certainly be satisfied with as many numbers as possible. We're pleased with the number of more than 115,000 tourists currently staying in Croatia. Two weekends ago, we started out with 26,000 registered guests. Today is a turning point in terms of the epidemiological measures that relate to all guests coming from our largest emitting markets. At the moment, the most numerous guests are Germans, Austrians, Slovenes, and even Czechs,'' Assistant Minister of Tourism, Robert Pende, told HRT.

There are currently 115,000 tourists in the country, and there will be more Czechs arriving here when the train leaves the Czech Republic for Croatia on June the 30th three times per week to Rijeka. The interest is great, despite the recommendations in these individual countries, for example, Germans have been recommended by their authorities to spend their holidays at home in Germany to try to boost the German economy.

''Everyone will feel the disturbance, especially from the German market. We assume that the Germans listen to the recommendations they're given, but their capacities in the Baltic sea are almost full. These are tens of millions of guests going to other destinations. Due to the situation in the markets that are traditional for Germans (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Turkey), these are air destinations, air bridges haven't yet been established, and there's a question of safety when returning from destinations that are a little bit further away. We're accessible to them by car and they can be back home in a couple of hours,'' said Robert Pende.

''There are currently about 6,500 guests in Rovinj. Most of them are Germans, locals, Austrians and Italians. For now, the Dutch and Hungarians are absent. At the moment, we're at 30 percent of the level of overnight stays we had when compared to the same period last year. This is encouraging, we hope that in July and August, we'll manage to increase those percentages,'' said the mayor of Rovinj, Marko Paliaga.

Across the entire spectrum of Croatian tourism, price reductions were expected but have not yet really occurred...

''The very recommendation of the Minister of Tourism is not to change the prices, especially when it comes to private accommodation. It's still a little too early to talk about price adjustments. By July the 1st, we'll have a picture of the movement of our tourist traffic, and then I believe that some will either adjust their prices or keep the prices as they are but with the provision of a better quality of service,'' explained Paliaga.

The president of the association of travel agencies at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Boris Zgomba, touched on the topic of booking.

''When we talk about it, we try to predict some events. Given the fact that we're currently in a situation we've never experienced before, it's very difficult to predict events. But some trends are already being read. We're witnessing an influx of guests and tourist traffic. More than a third of our guests are coming here because they own property, meaning they're guests who have their own motives for coming and who are not so-called commercial guests. We're slowly moving towards what is visible to us as an opportunity,'' said Zgomba.

''Booking is moving, and we'll be able to see in the coming weeks whether this is a dynamic that will manage to satisfy us,'' he added.

The advantage of Croatia is its good epidemiological picture. Proper adherence to epidemiological measures is a guarantee of the success of Croatian tourism this year.

''As in all other parts of Croatia and Istria, the measures issued by the epidemiologists are properly respected. I believe that our guests will also respect everything recommended to them, as well as what they were taught in their own countries. I'm confident that we can respond to the new challenges, and I hope for more numbers than all the forecasts we've been given,'' Paliaga said.

''Croatia has shown that it knows how to deal with the epidemic and there's no doubt that our system can, in these situations, with its experience of dealing with coronavirus, in addition to adapting the system, respond to these challenges when it comes to risks of infection,'' said Pende. He added that it we can be quite certain that there will be new cases of coronavirus in Croatia, but that the spread of the infection isn't expected in certain destinations.

"After all, we still have a few imported cases," Pende said.

''Looking at the demand at the moment, camps, mobile homes, holiday homes that are more isolated are booked and facilities that aren't considered to be particularly crowded also are,'' noted Zgomba.

Italians are welcome in Croatia, just like all other guests are.

As for the Italian guests, who are typically the most numerous in Croatia in August, Paliaga said that this weekend they had eight percent of tourists from Italy in the total structure. Italy was severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic, as was the United Kingdom and Spain if we're talking solely about European countries, and some countries have been reluctant to allow citizens from the above countries in.

''One shouldn't differentiate between guests by which country they come from. I believe that the guests who will come, especially from Italy, will be responsible and that they'll adhere to the measures and instructions which were given to them. We must do everything to make all of our guests feel safe and welcome,'' Paliaga said.

''The Italians are just as welcome as all the other guests are,'' Zgomba said.

For more on Croatian tourism in the coronavirus era, follow our travel page.

ZAGREB, June 16, 2020 - The leader of the Labour and Solidarity Party, Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic, on Tuesday, presented the party's slates to the State Electoral Commission (DIP) for the July 5 parliamentary election, saying that after the election he was prepared to cooperate "with everyone who has Croatia at heart."

"I am prepared to cooperate with everyone who has Croatia at heart and a better life for our citizens. Just as we cooperated with this government - on projects and not seats - we will cooperate with the new government," Bandic said, adding that his party was offering a European Zagreb and a European Croatia.

Bandic added that citizens were interested in the results of work on employment, demography, and education. He said that his work until now would go in his favour at the election.

The Labour and Solidarity Party presented slates for six electoral constituencies - first, second, sixth, seventh, third, and ninth. Bandic announced that he would present them to the public on Thursday.