ZAGREB, 22 April (2022) - Adriatic Croatia International (ACI) invested over HRK 24 million in strategic and infrastructure projects in its marinas at Dubrovnik, Trogir, Rab, Milna, Žut and Piškera in the first quarter of 2022, the marina chain operator said on Friday.

The company said its focus in the first quarter of the year was on expanding the marina portfolio and developing further services.

In this period, ACI generated HRK 35 million in operating revenue, which was HRK 2 million more than in the first quarter of 2021. EBITDA was HRK 10.7 million, up from 9.4 million in Q1 2021, while net loss for the period was HRK 5.66 million, which was 1.75 million less than at the same time last year.

ACI said it had invested HRK 44 million in strategic projects last year.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

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April the 20th, 2021 - Could a large Croatian ACI marina project see them step up their game, create a significant number of employment opportunities, and attract even more tourists with a new investment? Some individuals in the know believe so.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, if everything ended up actually being arranged properly, a Croatian ACI marina project would manage to see 30 airports in operation on the water up and down the Croatian coast, it would be able to create new jobs and employ 56 people, and the investment with a turnover of 65 thousand passengers a year would return in a mere 11 years, at least according to a report from Slobodna Dalmacija.

They calculated that everything in this regard would cost a little more than 11 million euros, of which the largest part, about 10 million of that sum, would be spent on the purchase of the necessary aircraft, while the rest would be spent on developing and maintaining the proper infrastructure. To this, they'd need to add a little more than a million euros for working capital, launching an investment and of course for the first installment of the lease.

''We're of the opinion that in addition to the existing structure of Croatian ACI marina users, this type of transport should also be offered to the general market. Therefore, it would not only operate within a closed system, ie exclusively within the scope of/for the users of Croatian ACI marinas, but with an open market approach,'' suggest engineers Delic and Cvek, who also listed fourteen different airports across the Republic of Croatia and abroad with which there could be connections (Ancona, Pescara, Mostar, Vienna, Venice, Graz…).

According to what Slobodna Dalmacija learned from the President of the Management Board, Kristijan Pavic, the idea is still very much alive and remains current, and that there is more life in it than the mere putting together of a business plan.

''It goes without saying that the coronavirus pandemic has done its thing, so we're still in the preparatory stags. The document you've mentioned is just a database that has been updated. After that, a whole series of analyses and studies were made, taking into account the pandemic, and the realistic hopes that the situation would improve. KPMG also did its own study, in which the idea of ​​using Croatian ACI marinas as a kind of hub, airports on the water, from all possible aspects, was considered,'' revealed Pavic.

He also added that in a month or two he will be able to say something more on this topic, but for now the majority of lips are sealed.

For more on maritime and coastal transport in Croatia updated for 2021, bookmark our dedicated section.

ZAGREB, Dec 19, 2020 - Zadar Airport has been accredited in the Airport Council International (ACI) Airport Health Accreditation programme which has been designed to help reassure the public that airport facilities remain safe and that precautions are being taken to reduce any risk to their health.

The accreditation is valid for the next 12 months.

After a long evaluation, it has been established that Zadar Airport operates in line with ACI and International Civil Aviation Organization guidelines and international industry standards.

"We are confident that our efforts will help us succeed in achieving this common goal and that is safe travelling," the airport said in a press release on Saturday.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 31st of July, 2020, in addition to preserving jobs and employee health, the main goals for the second part of 2020 are to maintain a stable financial position of ACI and adjust operations to new market conditions, according to Kristijan Pavic, President of the Management Board of ACI d.d.

According to unaudited business results, Adriatic Croatia International Club for marinas d.d. (ACI) generated an impressive 72.9 million kuna in revenue in the first six months of 2020, while the EBITDA for the same period amounted to 21.4 million kuna. The published data shows that the operation of the largest marina system in the entire Mediterranean, in spite of the global COVID-19 pandemic that affected the economy and the entire nautical and tourist season, has remained remarkably financially stable. The fact that the past period was relatively successful for ACI is evidenced by the data on investments following investments that were previously committed to, in the total amount of 28.5 million kuna.

The first half of business during a tumultuous 2020 was marked by business being done in adapted conditions due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The operation of ACI's marinas continues to be carried out under a special regime, in compliance with all of the recommendations and measures at both the local and national level. In line with operating in these new, changed conditions, ACI provided more favourable conditions for boaters in all 22 marinas across the Adriatic during the month of June.

This resulted in revenues of 51.8 million kuna for annual berth services, which is almost at the level of revenue generated in the period from January to June 2019, which amounted to 51.9 million kuna. Also aware of the fact that nautical tourism is much more than just boats and berths in marinas, ACI has directly helped its business partners in the past through the abolition of charter fees, the abolition of the need to pay rent during the ban on most services, as well as the possibility of using free daily berths during the month of June, thus ensuring long-term business continuity and maintaining a high quality of service across all ACI marinas.

"Taking into account all the objective circumstances in which ACI's business took place, aware of the significant impact of events in business 2020 on the economy and tourism industry, we can say that we're satisfied with the results achieved in the first half of 2020, according to which we've recorded revenue of over 70 million kuna. In addition to preserving jobs and employee health, the main goals for the second part of 2020 are to maintain the stable financial position of the company and to adjust operations to new market conditions,'' said Kristijan Pavic of ACI.

As a leading nautical company, ACI d.d. is responsible for the development of nautical tourism across Croatia. ACI operates 22 marinas with over 5,800 berths.

The operation of ACI marinas is significantly affected by concession agreements, which (in most marinas) last until 2030 because the extension of the concession period is a prerequisite for the further realisation of long-term investments of the company, but also for expanding the range of services offered, raising their quality and achieving significantly better business results.

"Bearing in mind the importance of the nautical segment for Croatian tourism, ACI and its partners insist on a high quality and meaningful nautical offer and the further development and adaptation of services for all domestic and foreign sailors who choose the Croatian coast for their vacation," concluded Pavic.

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October 15, 2019 - ACI Sail and Nautor Swan are bringing the first ClubSwan 36 training center in the world to Croatia, and precisely to Split.

HRTurizam writes that it is an ACI Sail project, which in collaboration with top sailboat manufacturer Nautor Swan, was officially unveiled at the Genoa Boat Show.

Namely, at one of the most respected sailing clubs in the world, Real Nautico de Palma in Palma de Mallorca, Adriatic Croatia International Club (ACI) presented its new project ACI Sail, which will mark the future of sailing in the Adriatic and enrich the offer of complete Croatian nautical tourism.

It will be the only training center in the world for ClubSwan 36, a top-class sailboat by renowned Finnish manufacturer Nautor Swan. The center will be located in Split, and the project combines ACI's tradition of organizing regattas, the Adriatic as a great sailing destination, and the most modern ClubSwan 36 sailboats in a new way - all through a unique sailing experience in Croatia.

“After the Genoa Fair, the Nations Trophy Regatta is another great opportunity to showcase our innovative ACI Sail project. Nautor Swan, as a global brand, and ACI as a prominent Mediterranean brand, will offer a unique sailing experience in the Adriatic and the first ACI Sail ClubSwan 36 training center in the world. This project promotes ACI to the best of its ability as a company that strives for innovation, creating new values, enriching not only ours but a complete tourist offer and, of course, sailing and boating as our focus,” said ACI CEO Kristijan Pavić emphasizing that ACI is the first company in the world chosen by Nautor Swan to cooperate with and open a training center.

"In addition to the six state-of-the-art ClubSwan 36 boats, we will also get the Nautor Swan lifestyle. The world's first training center and charter services are just the beginning of our partnership with the strongest sailing and nautical company. With the slogan 'Sail to Future’, through the Swan regatta, we want to promote incentive tourism, i.e., business trips that aim to reward employees, partners, or clients. Sailing is recognized in the world as the ideal B2B platform for this type of service, and we will offer them the best service through ACI Sail. From a world-class sailboat to the highest level of services and experience that ACI and Swan require,” said ACI Sail project leader and one of Croatia's best sailors, Ivan Kljaković Gašpić.

Since 1966, Nautor Swan has been a symbol for sailboats pushing the boundaries in design, the use of innovative materials and technologies. Since 1998, it has been owned by Leonard Ferragamo, son of famed Italian fashion designer Salvatore Ferragamo. A special feature of Swan is the many regattas formed at ClubSwan, which bring together sailboat owners in prestigious destinations around the world such as Porto Cervo, St. Tropez, Monte Carlo, or Palma de Mallorca.

Boasting partnerships with Rolex and BMW, regattas have not only been event-oriented, but they have also become social events. According to ACI, the ACI Sail project will be presented at the largest nautical B2B fair in the world - ICE in Vienna. A fleet of 6 the ClubSwan 36 boats will arrive in Croatia in early 2020.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 10th of April, 2019, Croatia's ACI has published its revised annual financial statements for 2018. The company's revenue growth trend thankfully continued in 2018, its total revenue grew by seven percent when compared to 2017, amounting to 216 million kuna, while the company's operating income increased by eleven percent to 211 million kuna.

Revenues have been growing in almost all of ACI's marinas, and the company's profit also grew by 54 percent to a massive 38.4 million kuna, while its EBITDA increased by 22 percent to 93.9 million kuna.

The largest single investment project in ACI's history was also completed. In March, a new license was issued for the new ACI marina in Rovinj. This is a project that in which over 150 million kuna has been invested and can be briefly described in just four words: beauty, luxury, innovative solutions and security. The new marina's categorisation is now underway.

The new ACI marina has 1,400 m2 of commercial space available, and special attention has been paid to providing high level services on the premises, including catering facilities, restaurants and café-lounge bars, grocery stores, wellness centres, world-renowned brands, reputable sales offices for luxury yachts, charter agencies, a service centre for boats, etc.

The Rovinj ACI marina is equipped with the latest generation of WiFi systems, and luxury boats are provided with the most advanced video surveillance and access control system available. Particular care was taken to protect the surrounding environment and maintain the purity of the marine environment, construction materials and energy systems that provide maximum energy efficiency were used during construction, and all the benefits of LED lighting technology and lighting management were properly and readily applied. The official opening of the marina will be at the end of April this year.

The modernisation of the business that ACI has been intensively pursuing over the last few years is primarily focused on raising the quality of its services, attracting new clients and exploring the market potential of the Adriatic region as a whole.

Back in 2018, the company first published its own ACI No1 magazine, both in print and in digital format. It is a magazine which combines an ACI marina catalog, information for boaters, exclusive reportages and lifestyle themes, and a 2019 issue is just been made available.

ACI also achieves excellent results in the area of ​​digital business with its own reservation system. From last season, boaters have also had ACI's mobile application that provides easy and quick access to information and booking links available to them. For the third year in a row, ACI has also been using a digital sailing system with the help of special applications and devices used by sailors.

Given ACI's steady growth, 2018 was also marked by market research and a look into the development potential of the company, following which, a decision was made to embark on the development of new products and services, which will contribute to the diversification of the company's business.

Business cooperation includes the purchase of six ClubSwan36 sailing boats, and a range of marketing activities aimed at creating a recognisable image, regatta organisation, promotion and the creation of a tourism product aimed at raising the quality of ACI's services and the overall image of the Republic of Croatia as the world's leading nautical destination.

Make sure to follow our business, lifestyle and travel pages for much more.

The value of the transaction is estimated at approximately 21 million euro, which allegedly includes 7.5 million euro of debt.

Due to the delay in law, the state is now in the position to bring in two annual property management plans for both 2018 and 2019.

In the first nine months of 2017,  ACI recorded 165.1 million kuna in total revenues.

Andrija Čolak presented Porthop last year at the OMGcommerce conference hosted by Netokracija, and as of today, August 25, this 'Airbnb for boats' is available as iOS application.