ZAGREB, Aug 19, 2020 - Tourism and Sport Minister Nikolina Brnjac has said that she has been in touch with her Austrian and Slovenian counterparts regarding measures taken due to the coronavirus and the number of infections in Croatia while some tourism companies have introduced free testing for COVID-19 for Austrian citizens.
"The epidemiological situation is a very important factor and that is why we are constantly transparently presenting data on the situation in Croatia and individual counties," Minister Brnjac told reporters after a meeting of the inner cabinet on Wednesday.
Asked by reporters if Slovenia, like Austria, would introduce mandatory tests for coronavirus for their citizens returning from Croatia, Minister Brnjac said that the authorities "are trying to explain to those countries that their tourists feel safe in Croatia, particularly when looking at the situation in other countries in the neighbourhood."
She underscored that she expects and hopes that the Slovenian government will take into consideration that some counties with a better epidemiological situation could be exempted from some measures, such as Istria and Primorje-Gorski Kotar counties.
"Each country is concerned about its citizens and has its own ways and methodology of counting," she said and added that the most important thing is that everyone in Croatia adheres to measures recommended by the national Covid-19 response team. "It is difficult to expect the number of infections to drop suddenly but we expect that to occur in the period ahead and based on that, some of those measures could be revised," she said.
Asked by reporters about the precise number of Austrians who left Croatia last weekend due to the latest measures by Austria, Brnjac said that most of the guests left because their vacations had ended and that this was a logical exchange of guests which usually occurs in the second half of August.
She added that currently there were more than 170,000 German tourists in Croatia, who are the most numerous guests, followed by Slovenians, Poles, Czechs and Austrians.
Valamar Riviera offering free testing for Austrian guests
Considering the situation regarding Austrian tourists, the Valamar Riviera group, the largest tourist company in Croatia, on Wednesday said that as of this week it would ensure free testing for Covid-19 for its guests, which means a discount of €100 for each guest.
Valamar underlined that not one case of the virus had been registered among any of their guests since the start of the epidemic, which it considers an indication that preventative measures are being implemented well and that tourists are very safe in Croatia.
Falkensteiner too to conduct fee PCR tests
Due to warnings of the risk of travelling to Croatia that Austria issued on August 17, the Falkensteiner Hotels & Residences has introduced free PCR tests for all their guests from Austria who have at least a three-night booking in one of the group's hotels or campsites in Croatia.
Additional testing for tourists on Kvarner islands and in Rijeka
Since the end of last week already, additional PCR testing has been organized on the Kvarner archipelago and in Rijeka for tourists and Croatian citizens travelling to countries where these tests are required.
Testing can be conducted in Rijeka, Mali Losinj, Cres, Rab and Krk from Monday to Friday, and in Rijeka also on Saturdays, during the morning hours. It is recommended to book in advance.
A test for the coronavirus costs HRK 698.21 (approx. €93).
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