Travel

On the occasion of the 64th meeting of the UNWTO Commission in Zagreb, Croatian National Tourist Board director Kristjan Staničić met with UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili with whom he spoke about innovations in tourism, air transport, and themed promotions of tourism products such as gastronomy. They also announced the opening of the Croatian Tourist Board office in Madrid next year, reports HRTurizam on May 29, 2019.  “I think that now is the right time to open your office in Madrid,” said Pololikashvili, offering all of his support in the office opening process.  "We plan to open the office in Madrid in…

Splitski Dnevnik writes on May 28, 2019, that we are just a few days away from the new traffic regulations in the center of Split. Allegedly, this will lead traffic outside the center of the city, which is becoming increasingly more congested year after year - and is, precisely, the consequence of transitioning from a port city to a booming tourist destination.  And indeed, in recent years, cars have moved at the speed of snails down Ul. Kralj Zvonimira, making it much quicker to travel on foot in the hot summer season. The City of Split even announced that the regulations…

May 29, 2019 - The third and final part of the recent press trip around Slovenia organised by the Association of Slovenian Travel Journalists, a trip attended by TCN. Ljubljana. Although TCN is aimed at all things Croatia, that does not mean we should ignore the neighbours. One of the many things I have appreciated since making the switch from Hvar to Varazdin is the proximity of our new home to the rest of Europe. A spontaneous decision to visit family over the Christmas holidays, for example, saw us at the Dunkirk ferry after 14 hours in the car. But…

ZAGREB, May 28, 2019 - A meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Europe (CEU), which is taking place in Zagreb on 27-30 May, was formally opened on Tuesday morning by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković who described the event as a compliment to Croatia and its tourist trade. The meeting, which is taking place in Zagreb for the second time, has brought together representatives of more than 40 countries and Zurab Pololikashvili, the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), who praised Croatia as a good example of the development of the tourist sector and of the whole country. Plenković said…

May 28, 2019 - Stari Grad is the 2400-year-old town of my grandmother; a gem located on the glorious island of Hvar. While the island itself is recognized most for the glitz, glamour, and party culture of Hvar town, Stari Grad is an ancient sanctuary located just under 30 minutes away from its better-known sibling. It is a quiet escape from the buzz on the other side of the island, and a paradise when you need to flee from the swarms of tourists already hitting the city of Split.  With May nearing its end and a month of peculiar spring…

In the last several days we've received three separate reports of new catamaran lines introduced for the summer season of 2019, with the intent of inter-connecting Croatian islands. The fact that Croatian islands were often perceived as not inter-connected enough, and that you often had to go to Split in order to get to another island which was in fact quite close was often listed as one of the bigger problems for tourists in Croatia.  Well, that seems to be changing: during summer 2019, there will be at least three new catamaran lines which will help fix that! Those are:…

The company Rijeka Property d.o.o. and the Orbis Group, the strategic partner of Accor Hotels in Central and Eastern Europe, signed an agreement for the 20-year cooperation of the first ibis Styles hotel in Croatia to open in Rijeka in 2021, reports Poslovni.hr on May 27, 2019.  "Ibis Styles is the world's leading hotel chain known for its affordable rates that perfectly combines comfort and recognizable design. This well-known brand gives us great flexibility in building the personality of our hotel, whether it's a cushion, a bathroom, a bar, or a complete interior design. We have room to tell the…

Back in January, Croatian Minister of Maritime Affairs, Transport, and Infrastructure Oleg Butković met in Beijing with Chinese Transport Minister Li Xiaopeng to discuss the cooperation between the two countries in the area of transport, including the possibility of introducing direct flights to Beijing from Croatia. Since then, news of the Chinese interest in Croatia has not stopped circulating through the media - and it seems now that six Chinese airlines have also jumped on board. Namely, Ex Yu Aviation reports that Chinese businesswoman Yu Jiang expressed the interest of six airlines at a press conference on Thursday.  "One of…

May 27, 2019 - Continuing TCN's tour of neighbouring Slovenia with the Association of Slovenian Travel Journalists last week, a visit to the gourmet BTC City in Ljubljana.   Moving from the island of Hvar to a village near Varazdin has certainly given me a different perspective on life in Croatia, and one of the main benefits has been the ability to explore both continental Croatia and some of the neighbouring countries. With Budapest less than 3 hours by car, Graz just 90 minutes, and gorgeous Ptuj, the oldest town in Slovenia, a short 30-minute drive from our front door, there…

May 26, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Split and Dubrovnik. AvioRadar reports that from 2020, British low-cost airline Jet2 will boost traffic on the line between Split and East Midlands airport, located in central England near Nottingham and Derby.  Recall, last year, Jet2 operated two flights during the week between Split and East Midlands, on Wednesdays and Sundays. This year, flights were canceled on Wednesdays, resulting in a reduction of traffic to one flight weekly,  on Sundays. However, based on the 2020 summer schedule, Jet2 has re-introduced the flight…