How Much Are Croatian Tourists Willing to Pay for One Week on the Coast?
July the 5th, 2022 - Just how much cash are the average Croatian tourists ready to part with for a week on the coast? Some choose to head abroad, but most choose to remain in this country.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, typically speaking, most Croatian tourists continue to choose this country's coastline as their first holiday choice, and most of the reservations come from the continental part of Croatia, with only a very small percentage choosing to head abroad to countries such as Greece, Turkey and Tunisia.
This was shown by the statistics of the Arriva travel travel agency. On average, Croatian tourists, let's say a family of four, spends about 9,400 kuna on accommodation, they stay a maximum of seven nights, they usually pay by card in installments and mostly travel by car, and 20 percent go by organised bus transport. Arriva travel notes that one of the trends that emerged as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic is that when booking a holiday, clients want to complete the entire process from inquiry to payment electronically, which wasn't the case before the novel coronavirus took over the world back in 2020.
"Before the coronavirus pandemic, Croatian tourists typically insisted on personal contact with us, while today communication by phone or e-mail is sufficient for them. Likewise, when arranging vacations in other parts of Croatia, the new trend is that clients more often arrange travel cancellation policies, which wasn't the case before the pandemic either,'' pointed out Tamara Cerneka, the director of Arriva travel, noting that tourists are no longer looking for more isolated, out-of-the-way places like they had been during the previous two years.
The difference compared to 2020 and 2021 can also be found in the demand for air tickets to other European destinations. The increase in purchased tickets for European metropolises in comparison to back in 2019 is as much as 80 percent higher, which Arriva travel justifies with the increased desire of travellers to compensate for everything that they couldn't go and everywhere they couldn't visit over the previous two years. Cruise ships that sail the Mediterranean are also returning, but most of them still require valid Covid certificates.
As for the places where Croatian tourists like to travel elsewhere in Croatia, the most sought-after destinations for travellers from Eastern Croatia are the Crikvenica Riviera due to its geographical proximity and the Makarska Riviera due to its stunning natural beauty.
"In terms of numbers and income, this summer season will certainly be at 80 percent of the record year of 2019. It's difficult to say whether it will be reached or exceeded because the largest number of customers book at the last minute, i.e. a few days before their departure. Those who are hoping for ultra last minute discounts will be disappointed, because there are none to speak of, and apparently there won't be any coming up this year either. All capacities on the Adriatic coast are very well filled, in the very height of the summer season, and even during the post-season. Namely, the pre- and post-season(s) are well filled by school groups who continue to choose the Croatian Adriatic coastline as their destination of choice," pointed out Tamara Cerneka.
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Matea Jelić Wins Gold, Nika Petanjek Bronze at Mediterranean Games
ZAGREB, 4 July 2022 - Olympic gold medalist Croatian taekwondo athlete Matea Jelić has won a gold medal at the 2022 Mediterranean Games in Oran, Algeria, defeating Cecilia Castro Burgos of Spain in the women's under-67kg final 8-7.
Jelić first defeated Anamarija Georgievska from North Macedonia 28-5 in the quarter-final and Aya Shehata from Egypt 8-5 in the semi-final.
Today, another Croatian taekwondo athlete won a medal in Oran - Nika Petanjek took the bronze in the over-67kg category.
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National Call Centre for Victims of Crimes Wins European Award
ZAGREB, 4 July 2022 - The National Call Centre for Victims of Crimes (NPC) has won the first European Award on Quality in Youth Volunteering, the Victim and Witness Support Service said on Monday.
The call centre offers free and confidential help and support to victims and witnesses, as well as their families, at the helpline 116 006, where victims and witnesses can receive legal and practical information, contact information of relevant institutions and organisations, and emotional support.
Since 2013, more than 13,000 callers have contacted the call centre.
Over 270 volunteers, most of whom are law, psychology and social work students, have received training to date, and together they have done over 40,000 hours of volunteer work.
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Zagreb to Continue Supporting InMusic Festival
ZAGREB, 4 July 2022 - The City of Zagreb and city institutions will continue to support the InMusic festival in the coming years, this year's support amounted to nearly HRK 2.4 million, and with the support from the Zagreb Tourist Board, it amounts to nearly HRK 3.3 million, the City of Zagreb said.
The statement was made in response to claims by InMusic organiser Zoran Marić, who announced that the largest festival in Croatia might close down, saying that it would definitely not be possible to hold the next edition without strategic partnership with Zagreb and an increase in funding, in accordance with the practices of other European cities.
The City of Zagreb said that the InMusic festival was an important popular culture phenomenon and positioned Zagreb on the popular culture map of Europe in the best possible way, underscoring that the City of Zagreb and its partners supported and would support the festival in the coming years.
The city's support for InMusic includes support from the City Office for Culture, International Relations and Civil Society, the Sports Facilities Management branch of the Zagreb Holding multi-utility conglomerate, which allows the festival to use free-of-charge three Jarun islands for 42 or 20 days, and the Zagreb Tourist Board, which supported this year's edition with HRK 1,750,000, or 40% more than in 2019.
The City said that the Tourist Board had written a letter of intent for strategic partnership, saying it would support InMusic in the coming years in the same amount as this year or greater if possible (depending on tourism trends).
In addition to these three sources, a fourth one will be available as of this autumn - the City Office for Economy, Environmental Sustainability and Strategic Planning will launch a tender for events, and the organisers of InMusic can also submit their application.
InMusic is also a commercial event, financed by the sale of (25,000) tickets, and it has its sponsors and lessees of hospitality premises.
"It is therefore necessary to strike a balance between the commercial and sponsored part, while maintaining the high quality of the programme," the City of Zagreb said.
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Petrinja Receives HRK 77 mn Grant for Reconstruction of Three Important Buildings
ZAGREB, 4 July 2022 - Petrinja city authorities have received a grant of more than HRK 77 million from the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) for the reconstruction of three buildings important for the city and its identity - the City Hall, the Gavrilović Slaughterhouse and the Petrinja Open University.
The total available amount of HRK 77,271,141.84 for the buildings was applied for through a call for funding for reconstruction financed by the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF), the city administration reported on Monday.
The Ministry of Culture selection committee decided on the allocation of grants to the Petrinja city administration in the amount of HRK 29,506,250.00 to prepare project documentation and implement the reconstruction project for the City Hall building, and HRK 9,442,500 for the Old Gavrilović Slaughterhouse.
The Ministry of Education also adopted a decision on a grant of HRK 38,322,291.84 for the reconstruction of the Petrinja Open University, which was damaged in the 2020 earthquakes.
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Minister: Ina Will Help Small Distributors
ZAGREB, 4 July 2022 - Economy Minister Davor Filipović said on Monday that the wholesale price of fuel would be restricted for the next two weeks so that major oil market stakeholders, including Ina, would bear the brunt compared to small companies, which had done well in previous years.
He underscored that the government aimed to protect citizens and help the economy, so fuel prices at off-motorway filling stations would be the same as in the past two weeks, namely HRK 13.08 for diesel and HRK 13.50 for Eurosuper 95 petrol. He added that fuel prices at motorway filling stations would be reduced to HRK 13.83 for petrol and HRK 14.28 for diesel.
Filipović said that under the latest government decision, the wholesale price would be limited for the next two weeks so that the most significant stakeholders in the oil market could bear most of the burden compared to small distributors.
"We have been continually communicating with retailers. In the past two weeks Ina did not increase its wholesale price, and small distributors on the most part sold their own stocks. Therefore, we can say that in the past two weeks they did not earn as much as they had planned," said Filipović, adding that in the next two weeks, INA would take on most of the burden and would not increase its prices for retailers to make it easier for them to operate.
He said that there were 40 small oil distributors and that in 2021 they generated total sales revenue of almost HRK 3.5 billion, and a profit of HRK 133 million. They operated equally successfully in 2020, the minister said. All of that should be taken into account and it is necessary to take a look at the bigger picture because we are in a delicate situation, Filipović said, adding that without the government's intervention, the price of diesel would be more than HRK 16.
Asked what the Prime Minister referred to when he mentioned tax scissors for profiteers, Filipović said that the government was considering all options and monitoring the situation and would act in the interest of citizens and the economy when it assessed it to be appropriate.
When asked if small distributors were unjustly complaining, he underscored that the aim was to limit wholesale prices. The situation is difficult for everyone, small distributors are not accustomed to it because their business has been successful in the past, he said.
"These past two weeks and the next two weeks will certainly not be easy for them, but I believe that we will all successfully overcome this situation together," the minister emphasized.
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Igor Tudor Named Head Coach of Olympique de Marseille
July 4, 2022 - It had been rumored for days, and now Olympique Marseille has officially confirmed Igor Tudor as the club's new coach. The Croatian coach signed a contract with the former European champion for two years.
The former head of Hajduk will sit on the bench of the French club after Croatia, Greece, Turkey, and Italy. Last season, Tudor successfully led Hellas Verona, and those results attracted one of the biggest French clubs ever and a great rival to PSG.
Tudor boasts over 50 caps for the Croatia national team and at the club level, he spent most of his career at Juventus Turin, recording over 170 games with the Bianconeri as a central defender and winning two Italian Championship titles.
"In the 1998-1999 season, his teammates were Didier Deschamps and Zinedine Zidane, with whom he played in the UEFA Champions League semi-final.
He returned to the "Old Lady" in the 2020-2021 season as an assistant coach alongside Andrea Pirlo," wrote Olympique Marseille in their announcement.
The boss of Olympique was delighted by his attacking football in a league otherwise known for defensive football. He booked his ticket to Marseille with victories against Juventus, Roma, and Atalanta. They point out that during his playing career he shared the national team dressing room with their legend Alen Bokšić.
The club will return to the Champions League this season, and Duje Ćaleta Car will welcome Tudor to the team.
"I think we have found what we need in Igor Tudor, and I am happy to welcome him to our club. Igor is a fighting man, as he has demonstrated throughout his career, both as a coach and as a player. Trained in Split, I am convinced that he will feel at home in Marseille. Moreover, his experience as a coach at Galatasaray and PAOK, as well as at Juventus as a player, have prepared him for the level of passion that defines and unites our club and his city. But above all, as he recently proved at Hellas Verona, Igor is an authentic leader who offers a bold vision of soccer, who does not shy away from any challenge and who is determined to pursue excellence," concluded Olympique Marseille owner Frank McCourt.
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Croatia Women's Handball Team Tops Serbia for Mediterranean Games Final!
July 4, 2022 - The Croatia women's handball team advanced to the Mediterranean Games final in Oran after defeating Serbia 31-20 (16-12) in the semi-final match.
The Croatia women's handball team is in the Mediterranean Games final in Oran! They defeated Serbia, a favorite in the tournament, by 11 goals.
Croatia opened the game well and Tena Petika scored for 2:0, which gave Croatia security. For the majority of the first half, Serbia went for goals, but in the 15th minute, Croatia took the lead again. Katarina Pavlović lifted Croatia to +3 in the 20th minute and in the 28th Croatia went to +5.
The second half was even better - Croatia reached 23:15 in just 10 minutes and Serbia had lost hope. Croatia's defense remained solid and the offense kept the advantage for a quiet finish. Croatia was even better at the end in a clash when the defense excelled and we scored easy goals.
Katarina Pavlović and Tina Barišić scored eight goals each. Lana Jarak was excellent in the second half scoring 7 out of 7 goals. Antonija Tucaković was also great in goal, making 13 saves. Aleksandra Vukajlović scored eight goals for Serbia.
"Today, we primarily played as a team and had an excellent defense, which can be seen from the 20 goals conceded. We played smart, we prepared well for this match. We are very proud of this result, the medal won, and we are going to show in the final that the game against Spain was just one bad day and try to win the gold," said Sara Šenvald.
This is the third women's handball final at the Mediterranean Games. Croatia has won one so far in 1993 against France and lost one in 1997 also against France. Croatia thus returns to the final after 25 years.
In the second semi-final, Spain defeated Portugal 28:26 with great difficulty. Carmen Campos scored 10 goals, and Minciiuna six for Portugal.
The final will be played on Wednesday at 15:00. Before that, Serbia - Portugal will play for bronze.
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated sports section.
Croatia Reports 57 New Coronavirus Cases, 3 Deaths
ZAGREB, 4 July 2022 - Croatia has registered 57 new coronavirus cases and three related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Monday.
The number of active cases now stands at 5,498, including 297 infected persons who are being treated in hospital, of whom seven are placed on ventilators, while 2,561 people are self-isolating.
Since 25 February 2020, when the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in the country, 1,151,523 people have been registered as having contracted the novel virus, of whom 16,082 have died and 1,129,943 have recovered, including 892 in the last 24 hours.
To date, 4,949,517 persons have tested for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, including 539 in the last 24 hours.
A total of 5,258,768 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, and 59.55 per cent of the total population, or 70.82 per cent of adults, have been vaccinated.
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Croatia Opponents Revealed in 2023 Handball World Cup Group Stage
July 4, 2022 - Croatia will face the USA and two yet-to-be-revealed African teams in the 2023 Handball World Cup group stage in January.
Croatia will play in Group G, and its opponents will be the United States of America and two African national teams - the champion and the third-placed team from the championship there, which will be held in July.
Coach Hrvoje Horvat spoke about the interesting draw:
"We wanted to avoid the European teams from the third and fourth pot, and let me remind you that Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia, and the Netherlands were there, and we succeeded. The champion of Africa and the third-place finisher from that continent certainly deserve maximum attention. Theoretically, it can happen that it will be Egypt and Tunisia, which is a completely different story, and the draw no longer looks so simple. But we'll see what happens. The good thing about all this is that we can already start scouting and analyzing them because the championship for these national teams starts in ten days. I would only like for us to be complete and not repeat a situation like at the European Championship in Hungary when we had corona. I do not doubt that Croatia will be in good form. It's a good draw in the sequel as well. I am an optimist and believe we will be great at that championship."
At the World Cup in January next year, 32 national teams will compete, which are divided into eight groups, and the group in which Croatia is in the second round crosses with group H, where Denmark, Belgium, Bahrain, and an African national team, which will take fourth place in the continental championship.
The Handball World Cup will be held from January 11 to 29 next year.
Handball World Cup 2023 (groups):
Group A (Krakow): Spain, Montenegro, Chile, Iran
Group B (Katowice): France, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia
Group C (Göteborg): Sweden, Brazil, Africa 2, Uruguay
Group D (Kristianstad): Iceland, Portugal, Hungary, South Korea
Group E (Katowice): Germany, Qatar, Serbia, Africa 5
Group F (Krakow): Norway, Sj. Macedonia, Argentina, Netherlands
Group G (Jönköping): Africa 1, Croatia, Africa 3, USA
Group H (Malmö): Denmark, Belgium, Bahrain, Africa 4
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