Travel

December 16, 2019 - Tourism in Klis is booming, and while the alter ego of its famous fortress as the Game of Thrones' Meereen has been one of the major factors, there are also other forces at work. A lesson in responsible tourism development.  I want to tell you a story, a story that I don't think has ever been told, and it is a nice one.  It is the story behind the story of one of the lesser-reported, but bigger success stories in Croatian tourism. The story is about the rise of Klis, the small town whose majestic (and…

As Novac/Jozo Vrdoljak/Privredni.hr writes on the 17th of December, 2019, a project of cooperation between the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) and the Bluesun hotel chain with the Korean media company A9 began last year. What followed is an excellent promotion for Croatia. The collaboration came to pass last autumn when Martina Kovačić, director of Salve Regina, which operates the Kaj, Nestos and Sagitta hotels, and Leo Urlić, the director of marketing and sales of Bluesun Hotels & Resorts, visited Korea. Recording the TV show is, according to Martina Kovačić, Croatia's best promotional channel as a destination and, of course,…

December 17, 2019 - Croatia should see a 4 percent increase in tourist traffic over the upcoming holidays compared to last year.  According to a survey conducted by the Croatian National Tourist Board in conjunction with the system of tourist boards, during the Christmas and New Year holidays, that is, from December 20, 2019, to January 6, 2020, around 227,000 arrivals and 594,000 are expected across the whole of Croatia, which represents an estimated 4 percent increase in tourist traffic compared to the same period last year, the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) said. “Croatian and foreign tourists are increasingly…

December 17, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Dubrovnik. Avio Radar reports that Qatar Airways, a OneWorld global airline association member, has announced two Mediterranean destinations in its 2020 summer flight schedule. Furthermore, the airline will introduce an additional 66 weekly flights to 20 existing destinations in its network.  Dubrovnik will be Qatar Airways’ second destination in Croatia next to Zagreb, and flights on the new Doha-Dubrovnik route will begin operations on April 20 with three flights a week. And in the busier period, from May 18 to September 30,…

ZAGREB, December 16, 2019 - The 12.2 kilometre Gradec - Sv. Ivan Žabno railway line, which has cost 258 million kuna and has been co-funded by the European Union's funds, was formally opened on Monday morning. This is the first investment in a new railway line in 52 years in Croatia, and in attendance at the ceremony were top officials including Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Transport and Infrastructure Minister Oleg Butković who were among passengers aboard the train which was the first to be driven from Sveti Ivan Žabno to Gradec and back, some 60…

December 16, 2019 - Five Slavonian tourist boards have teamed up for the first time to promote the beauties and tourist offer of Slavonia. HRTurizam writes that under the symbolic name "Divani", a presentation of this unique region was held at Procaffe Cafe in the heart of Zagreb, with premium Slavonian wines and the finest dishes signed by the Danube hotel in Ilok, the first to boast a Michelin recommendation in that part of Croatia. Martina Jakelic, director of the Virovitica-Podravina County Tourist Board, Maja Jakobovic Vukusic, director of the Pozega-Slavonia County Tourist Board, Ruzica Vidakovic, director of the Brod-Posavina…

You've no doubt heard about Advent in Zagreb, the award winning event the Croatian capital puts on every year which earned it an enviable status as the top European Christmas destination for three years running. You've probably also heard about Advent in Dubrovnik and Advent in Split, but what about venturing into Karlovac County and experiencing the much less talked about Advent in Ogulin? As Novac/Gordana Grgas writes on the 15th of December, 2019, Ogulin's residents have organised a very special Advent in Ogulin manifestation this year, on the honourable topic of ecology. They began the initial preparations back in…

We recently reported on the train from Bjelovar to Zagreb which runs on Croatian Railways' newly opened tracks. The train ride from the city in Bjelovar-Bilogora County to the Croatian capital should now take a mere one hour, and if you've ever taken a train anywhere in Croatia, you'll know that that's something to be excited about. However, of course, in true Croatian style - the train barely managed to leave Bjelovar train station without encoutering a few little issues. As Novac writes on the 15th of December, 2019, on the 15th of December at 10:52 in the morning, the first…

December 15, 2019 - Tourism numbers are booming on the Dalmatian coast, nowhere more so than Split Airport. A look at the phenomenal growth.  As a long-time expat living in Croatia since 2002, one of the things that makes me smile is the sound of more recent arrivals complaining about the lack of connectivity to Split out of season.  I fondly remember my trips home to Jelsa on Hvar from the UK, which were either by Ryanair to Trieste, then bus to Rijeka and onward bus to Split, or Ryanair to Graz, train to Zagreb and then bus to Split.…

December 15, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Pula, Zadar and Dubrovnik. Avio Radar reports that low-cost carrier easyJet announced four new routes to Croatia in their 2020 summer flight schedule. Namely, Pula and Zadar will both receive new lines.  Both new lines to Pula arrive from the UK. Glasgow-Pula will run with two flights per week, on Mondays and Fridays, from June 22 to August 28, 2020, while London (Luton)-Pula will operate three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, from April 28 to October 2, 2020. Easyjet…