Travel

Guests' interest in the festive season and the winter tourist season exceeded expectations, they say from Camp Plitvice, adding that interest from foreign tourists is still mostly dependent on the presence of snow. As Marta Duic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 3rd of December, 2019, Camp Plitvice, which opened back in August, is one of three five-star campsites in the Republic of Croatia. After a very successful summer season, Camp Plitvice says that guests' interest in the festive season and winter tourism in this part of continental Croatia exceeded their expectations. "Although for the winter bookings we're largely dependent on getting…

December 3, 2019 - With ninety-six apartments offering advance payment and reservations via cryptocurrency thanks to the blog Ostrov Vir, and given the size of the island, its population, and the number of accommodation units, Vir has become one of the world's leading providers of crypto services. HRTurizam reports that this story was recently published by the Czech portal Arbolet, whose internet team provides consulting and work in the crypto market. Arbolet member Václav contacted Miriam Kelečić, who runs the Slovakian blog Ostrov Vir and mediates apartment rentals on Vir to tourists from Slovakia and the Czech Republic, so the…

Seven largest producers of Škrlet wine in Moslavina have presented their project: they've blended the best of their harvests, from best positions into one wine.  Ilovčak, Jaram, Florijanović, Miklaužić, Mikša, Trdenić and Voštinić-Klasnić wineries are joined in the Association of the Škrlet makers. To further promote and improve the brand of their traditional variety, they'll be making a limited number of bottles of this unique blend (5000 bottles are planned for this, the first year).  Tomislav Trdenić, president of the Association, told the press that this is the first such wine project in Croatia (although young Plavac Mali makers from…

Advent on Hvar begins on December 1, 2019 - the full programmes in Hvar Town and Stari Grad.  One of the undoubted hits in Croatian tourism in recent years has been the late-season boost provided by Advent. Something hardly celebrated in tourism terms until just a few years ago, the rise and success of Advent in Zagreb has trickled down to the rest of the country, and seemingly every town now has its own December programme.  Advent on Hvar is no exception. For those of you used to the summer beaches, seeing a Christmas tree in the main squares of…

November 30, 2019 - Trogir artisans have been at the centre of the town's life for thousands of years. Unlike Dubrovnik, the modern Trogir artisans are upholding the authentic traditions of the past.  The most thought-provoking presentation of 2019 for me so far was called Successful Tourism by tourism guru Doug Lansky at the Crikvenica International Health Tourism conference earlier this month. One of the most acclaimed speakers on the global circuit, Lansky gave a brilliant presentation of what does, and what doesn't work. HIs simple message for what people are looking for was something unique, different experiences. You can…

As Glas Istre/Milan Pavlovic writes on the 30th of November, 2019, Pinea will be a luxurious five-star hotel with the largest hotel event centre in Istria with a congress capacity of 1,200 guests, as was announced by Valamar. The Pical Valamar zone in Poreč will realise investments worth 1.5 billion kuna by 2021. The central part of this project is the Pinea Hotel - the largest single investment in Croatian tourism - worth a total of 790 million kuna. The construction of Valamar's new five star tourist facility began this autumn. According to Valamar, this project represents the transformation of Poreč's…

November 30,  2019 - A handful of carriers are contributing to the airline exodus at Zagreb Airport, and so far, only 69,739 passengers have been added compared to 2018. Should the capital city airport be worried? Despite the recent announcements that airlines are pulling out of Zagreb Airport, and that its performance this year is a bit worse than the competitors on the coast, the capital city airport sees no reason to worry.  “Since the beginning of the concession in 2013, Zagreb Airport has recorded excellent operational and financial results. We have registered passenger growth of around 46%. While Zagreb Airport…

November 28, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Dubrovnik, Rijeka, and Zadar.  Ex Yu Aviation announced that LOT Polish Airlines would launch a seasonal service between Budapest and Dubrovnik next year. The new route will operate from June 7 and run once a week, on Sundays, until September 27.  This will be the third city LOT services to Dubrovnik, in addition to Warsaw and Krakow.You can find more details about the new Budapest - Dubrovnik route here. Avio Radar reported that Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair will boost the Cologne/Bonn-Zadar route…

November 27, 2019 - Filipa Marusic continues her look at the considerable UNESCO heritage in Croatia. Next up, World Heritage Site the Stari Grad Plain on Hvar.  The Stari Grad Plain is a cultural landscape that has remained almost the same since the Ionian Greeks came from Pharos in the 4th century BC. This heritage has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2008. It showcases the ancient geometrical system of land division used by the ancient Greeks called the “chora” which has remained intact over 24 centuries.    The agricultural activity in the chora was always here…

November 27, 2019 - Accidental tourism often seems to be the main strategy of Croatia's tourism chiefs, as the New York Times unwittingly pinpoints in a recent feature article.  I had about 10 messages from friends and readers yesterday, all sending me a link from the New York Times website. It was an article called How to Rebrand a Country, which those who contacted me said had echoes from my recent writings, especially Lessons from Rwanda: Promoting Tourism Through Football, African-Style. While it is flattering to think that a media giant such as the New York Times might read a…