November 27, 2021 - Ahead of the opening on Saturday evening, the 2021 Zagreb Advent event features in the online edition of The New York Times.

As Zagreb prepares for the opening of Advent on Saturday, November 27, the award-winning event was featured in the online edition of The New York Times through the presentation of Zagreb fashion accessories and designers, reports Jutarnji List.

The Zagreb Tourist Board (TZGZ) reported on Friday, noting that a feature on Zagreb and fashion in The New York Times was prepared by journalist Kristin Vukovic, presenting a tie, handmade bags, hats, and umbrellas as authentic Zagreb fashion accessories.

The report features statements by well-known Croatian fashion brands and designers, such as those from Croata, Ethno Butik Mara, Kobali šeširi, Kišobrani Cerovečki, and goldsmith Marija Nokaj, while Zagreb is described as a city with a style that through influences from nearby Italy and the Austro-Hungarian past, together with traditional symbols combined with contemporary design, creates a distinctive flair.

The Tourist Board points out that The New York Times is one of the most popular daily newspapers in the United States, and that by cooperating with them, as well as many other media around the world and appearing at tourism fairs and congresses, they are working on the promotion of the Croatian capital, noting that the invested funds are returned many times over through various media announcements.

The opening of Advent Zagreb on Saturday, November 27, begins with the symbolic lighting of the first Advent candle on Manduševac on the central Ban Jelačić Square, followed by the illumination of pine trees on the Gradec Plateau, and the main lighting on Zrinjevac.

Advent will be held until January 6, 2022, at multiple central locations.

Every year and despite the pandemic, the Tourist Board believes that the event will attract many domestic and foreign tourists, who are recommended to adhere to the prescribed measures at Advent locations. Note that many hoteliers and caterers in Zagreb are ready for Advent with special offers.

It is also expected that December could further improve the results of tourist traffic in Zagreb. This year, from 1 January to 25 November, it is significantly increasing compared to the same period in 2020.

According to the Tourist Board, by October 25 this year, about 555,000 tourists visited Zagreb, who realized 1.2 million overnight stays, which is an increase of 69 and 63 percent compared to 2020, with both domestic and foreign tourists achieving more overnight stays than last year, i.e., 305,000 and 920,000.

Compared to 2019, the total number of overnight stays in Zagreb this year until October 25 was at 52 percent from that record pre-pandemic year.

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October 2, 2021 - The 2021 Zagreb Advent will be modest this year, with only 93 spaces for holiday houses available to rent.

The City of Zagreb has announced a tender for renting holiday houses at the upcoming Zagreb Advent, which, judging by the tender, will take place in fewer locations than before the pandemic and will be much more modest, reports Jutarnji List.

Thus, citizens will enjoy the Christmas atmosphere only on Ban Jelačić Square, European Square, Bogovićeva and Gajeva Streets, and Strossmayer Promenade. This year there will be no skating rink on King Tomislav Square or Advent on Gradec.

According to the tender data, only 93 spaces are available to rent, which is twice less than the two hundred that have been available in recent years. In addition, Jutarnji learned from the City that Zrinjevac and Strossmayer promenade would be the space of the City of Zagreb and the Zagreb Tourist Board. 

As before, Zrinjevac will be decorated and lit, and there will be a cultural program and concerts on the Strossmayer promenade. Unfortunately, food will not be available in these locations. The skating rink was too expensive and will not be set up this year, Jutarnji from the City.

The tender for holiday houses was announced on the auction principle - the starting price for a particular house has been determined, and it will be used by the caterer who makes the best offer.

This is an interruption of the current practice according to the decision of the late Mayor Milan Bandić. Namely, as the media wrote, Zagreb's Advent has so far been ruled by the "kings of Advent," a few companies that would get the right to the location and then resell that location expensively. However, according to the new tender, this will no longer be the case because only the person or company that submitted the bid can rent.

As for prices, they vary from location to location. For a 15 sqm holiday house on Gajeva, with a maximum of six high tables, the minimum is 30 thousand kuna, although there is no doubt that the final price will be much higher. They will also have to pay a daily fee of 35 kuna per square meter of the occupied area. Confectioners will pay the same daily fee, but they have smaller houses at their disposal, up to 9 sqm, with a starting price of 15 thousand kuna.

Stands for occasional sales will pay the least - the starting price is 3 thousand for stands up to 4 sqm, while the fee is 20 kuna per day.

The story is similar for Bogovićeva and Ban Jelačić Square. The prices are slightly lower for Augusta Cesarca Street - European Square and Strossmayer Promenade, where the initial prices range from 5,000 to 7,000 kuna.

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