Travel

September 25, 2019 - The 3rd edition of 'Is Croatia 365 Tourism Possible?' took place at the Zagreb Sheraton yesterday, a fascinating event on so many levels, and with many thought-provoking ideas and questions.  I am developing a mild obsession with the culture of the Croatian conference.  Having hardly been to a Croatian conference until about two years ago, I find myself attending a couple of month on average. I find them incredibly useful in general, both from the content of both Croatian and international speakers, as well as a chance to network and make connections for the greater good…

September 24, 2019 - Valamar Riviera is launching an investment of 790 million kuna in the Pinia Hotel in Porec this October. Novi List writes that the largest hotel company in Croatia, Valamar Riviera, is launching an investment of 790 million kuna in the Pinia Hotel in Porec in October, as well as the completion of beaches and promenades with numerous facilities, and plans to complete it for the 2021 season, the company said on Tuesday.  Valamar Riviera presented this investment at the Istrian Chamber in Porec on Tuesday, while also showing a model to citizens. As they point out, it…

ZAGREB, September 24, 2019 - Croatia is developing all-year-round tourism, as evidenced by this year's results when financial and physical output data for the shoulder season, that is for the pre-season, showed the biggest rise, and increases like that are expected for the post-season too, Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli said at a conference on this topic on Tuesday. The third edition of the annual conference "Can the Croatian Tourism 365?" was organised by the Julius Rose company and brought together a number of domestic and foreign experts who are "ready to share their knowledge and positive experiences and participate in…

Dubrovnik's cruise ship issues might finally be coming to a head as Croatia's southernmost city decides to impose sojourn taxes on the passengers of these giant, damaging vessels visiting the city. As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 24th of September, 2019, as of January the 1st, 2021, the City of Dubrovnik will formally introduce the payment of a sojourn tax for one-day visitors from cruise ships, as was decided by Dubrovnik's city council at its session on Monday this week. As defined by the city's decision, the fee will be paid per ship, and the amount will vary depending…

September 24, 2019 - The Amphora will be Split's largest hotel. The peak season is long gone, which has been confirmed by the comfortable drop in temperature and September showers. However, the summer came and went without one of the biggest hotel projects in Dalmatia - the Amphora hotel on Znjan, owned by Split entrepreneur Zvonko Kotarac.  This top-category hotel has been announced as the largest hotel in Split, which means it is one of the largest hotels in Dalmatia. Although it was originally planned to open this Easter, its doors are still closed.  Slobodna Dalmacija writes that anyone who…

Marina Punat has won the Golden Anchor award for 2019, the biggest Croatian nautical tourism award, given by Jutarnji list to the best Croatian marina (according to their research and sailing around Croatian marinas for two months). The award ceremony was held in the luxurious Grand Hotel Park in Rovinj, as a part of the conference "Future of the Nautical Tourism in Croatia", organised by Slobodna Dalmacija. This is the second time that Marina Punat has won the award, in the three years since this award has been established. Marina Punat's director, Renata Marević, said that it's an acknowledgment of the…

ZAGREB, September 23, 2019 (Hina) - The City of Hvar on the island of the same name is the first destination in Croatia to have implemented quality assurance measures for tourist facilities and services and online reputation according IQM (integrated quality management) standards and the ReviewPro global platform, which confirmed its improved quality in all categories compared to 2018, project leader Djurdjica Simicic reported on Monday. Two experts in tourism and consulting with years of experience Djurdjica Simicic and Anamarija Cicarelli designed  the IQM (Integrated Quality Management) Destination standard with the aim of raising the quality of services in tourism…

September 23, 2019 - The Thomas Cook collapse has stranded 190 tourists in Dubrovnik who arrived from Manchester on Sunday.  Anyone reading the news on Monday would find it hard to miss that Thomas Cook, one of the world's oldest and most renowned travel agencies, declared bankruptcy and ceased all operations, reports HRTurizam. "Despite significant efforts, discussions did not result in an agreement between the company's stakeholders and new investors," the company said in a statement. "The company board, therefore, concluded that they had no choice but to take steps to introduce mandatory liquidation with immediate effect." The company filed…

ZAGREB, September 23, 2019 - The bankruptcy of the British leisure company Thomas Cook Group is bad for global tourism and it is a big loss for the British economy, however, some other British travel agencies are likely to take over Thomas Cook's share on the Croatian market next year, Tomislav Fain, the president the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies (UHPA), told Hina on Monday. The Thomas Cook Group and its associated UK companies filed for compulsory liquidation after failed negotiations on recapitalisation. The collapse of the 178-year-old group has left thousands of guests stuck worldwide. The UK Civil Aviation…

September 23, 2019 - Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli visited the island of Hvar this weekend. Some observations from a TCN fly on the wall.  Looking back, I can say for certain that it started with last year's World Cup, although I am not quite sure why I had not noticed it before. But during the World Cup, it was more pronounced than ever.  Last summer was a fascinating exercise in watching people jumping on the bandwagon of the national team's footballing success, as though it was their contribution which contributed to the unprecedented global interest in Croatia, when in…