August the 19th, 2022 - Croatian marinas and berths up and down the coastline as full, with people finding it more and more difficult to find a free berth anywhere. Croatian nautical tourism is showing just what a wealth of potential it has.

As Morski writes, back during the global coronavirus pandemic, those visiting Croatia by boat proved to be the most loyal and resilient guests of all. They didn't give up on their holidays and docking in Croatian marinas even during intermittent lockdowns. Therefore, it isn't remotely surprising that this year there have been and continue to be some excellent tourist numbers in the blossoming nautical tourism sector, all over the coast.

Boaters lived up to previous expectations and the season is very good, much better than last year.

''At the ACI marina level, we've already exceeded the results, in the financial sense of course, from pre-pandemic 2019, which for me is excellent. What, for example, last year we did not have, is a significant number of guests from Italy. This year, the Italians also started returning to Croatian marinas quite a lot and in large numbers,'' explained Leo Ajdukovic, the director of ACI Marina Dubrovnik.

Both in down in southern and in the northern part of the Croatian Adriatic, it is difficult to find a free berth in Croatian marinas, and after a good main summer season, a great postseason is also comfortably expected.

''Last year the post-season was absolutely fantastic, it lasted throughout the whole of October, I hope that this year the post-season will also be the same as it was back in 2021, and maybe even last a little longer,'' said Leo Ajdukovic.

This good summer season has also been due to good preparation: ACI's biggest investment this year was in the Dubrovnik marina, and a massive 16 million kuna was invested in 232 metres of new waterfront.

The season down in Dubrovnik is unsurprisingly very good, however, this year will not outdo the record-breaking year of 2019. Compared to 2019, Dubrovnik is at almost 70 percent of arrivals and 80 percent of overnight stays, and the fact that things are finally returning to normal has been shown that the most numerous guests there are from Northern European countries such as Britain etc.

Although there are fewer arrivals and overnight stays overall, according to the first data, earnings should be significantly higher than they were back in 2019, which is logical - all prices have increased, including hotels, restaurants and all that places where tourists spend their money.

This summer season will be remembered for the Peljesac bridge opening and the first results are already visible: there are noticeably more guests on the Peljesac peninsula, and Jadrolinija has introduced another ferry.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

June the 12th, 2022 - The Kvarner of the Future conference was held in Rijeka recently, where the upcoming extremely modern marina, ACI Marina Rijeka, was discussed.

As Morski writes, a large conference was held at the Rijeka terminal where experts from the maritime industry, shipbuilding, digitalisation and other key people in Croatian tourism and maritime affairs gathered. They were led by representatives of the Lurssen Group and ACI, who presented projects whose implementation will change the face of Kvarner in the next few years.

One of the most important topics was the future ACI Marina Rijeka, which will be the largest investment in nautical tourism in the Republic of Croatia so far and which will create more than 130 new jobs within the functioning of the marina itself.

The first panel paid special attention to the digital age and the impact of the introduction of digital technologies in the maritime industry, as well as the impact of technologies that are being rapidly implemented, and need to be mapped, analysed and implemented in good time.

The second panel opened up some other important issues related to the use of hydrogen and the benefits of developing the potential of a hydrogen economy that is in line with the objectives of the European Hydrogen Strategy. The key topic was the establishment of the Northern Adriatic hydrogen valley by Croatia, Italy and Slovenia with the aim of developing the potential for the production and use of renewable hydrogen.

''The realisation of a cross-border hydrogen valley will represent a transition to an integrated energy ecosystem that will include the energy, industry and transport sectors. Cooperation on joint innovation projects will lead to the accelerated development of hydrogen technologies and the creation of value chains,'' said Stephen Taylor, coordinator of the Working Group of the Hydrogen Valley IT-HR-SLO and Deputy Director of Area Science Park in Trieste, Italy.

The Kvarner of the Future conference was concluded by the third panel, which focused on the future ACI Marina Rijeka. The president of the management board of ACI, Kristijan Pavic, and member of the management board for Investments, Marketing and Retail of ACI d.d., Josip Ostrogovic, both emphasised that the future ACI Marina Rijeka will set new standards in the entire region when it comes to building nautical tourism ports. One of the key development potentials in this regard is certainly the development of new technologies.

The future ACI Marina Rijeka will be a green and fully digitalised marina and a centre for the development of new technologies that will be applied in the future in nautical tourism, both on board vessels and in the marinas themselves.

Provided that everything goes according to plan and without any unforeseen circumstances cropping up, the start of construction work could be in the middle of next year. The sea part of the marina could be opened in 2024, and the entire marina in 2026.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

June the 9th, 2022 - The newly revamped Dubrovnik ACI marina has finally welcomed the first guests following extensive works as part of a massive investment worth 35 million kuna.

The Dubrovnik ACI marina, with its new look, will almost certainly act as an additional lure to those with vessels to travel to Croatia's southernmost city and tourist Mecca this summer season.

As Morski writes, the new Dubrovnik ACI marina has now opened its proverbial doors for the summer tourist season and welcomed guests in a new, very much modernised and refreshed edition.

On the occasion of the opening of the Croatian nautical season, Nikolina Brnjac, Minister of Tourism and Sport, Kristjan Stanicic, Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ), Nikola Dobroslavic, Prefect of Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Mato Frankovic, Mayor of the City of Dubrovnik, Kristijan Pavic, President of the ACI Marina management board, Leo Ajdukovic, Director of the newly done up Dubrovnik ACI marina and many other guests gathered together.

Over the past two years, nautical tourism in Croatia has proved to be the most resilient form of tourism and one of the key hopes, not only for tourism, but also for the entire national competitiveness of the Republic of Croatia. One of the secrets of this success certainly lies in the continuous strategic investments in raising the quality of all segments, with the largest chain of marinas in the entire Mediterranean, ACI d.d.

Moreover, in the last five years, ACI has invested a total of 95 million kuna in the excellence of the infrastructure and services of its marinas down in Dubrovnik-Neretva County alone. Given the much greater freedom of movement and the positive indicators so far, the Republic of Croatia expects another extremely successful summer tourist season, with nautical tourism once again having one of the main roles to play in the overall tourism picture of the country.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

March the 2nd, 2022 - The largest Croatian nautical company, Adriatic Croatia International Club generated an impressive 215.6 million kuna in total revenues for 2021, despite the easier but still problematic conditions caused by the pandemic.

As Morski writes, according to the unaudited business results report, Adriatic Croatia International Club's EBITDA last year amounted to 83.7 million kuna, which is a significant increase when compared to 70 million kuna one year earlier. Despite the difficult business conditions due to the continuation of the global coronavirus pandemic, Adriatic Croatia International Club achieved a positive financial result in the amount of 13.4 million kuna and thus exceeded its business results from back in the challenging year of 2020.

The gradual return of ACI d.d. to its pre-pandemic levels represents a significant success for the company, especially given the global coronavirus pandemic that has posed significant challenges to all businesses, especially those operating within the tourism sector. As such, in 2021, ACI recorded 21 percent higher sales revenues, which are higher by 36 million kuna when compared to the same period last year, and the trend of growth has been recorded across almost all business segments and further growth is expected.

''The achieved results for 2021 are above our expectations, especially given the uncertainty and unknowns that marked the previous year and with which we entered 2021. We have preserved jobs, without interfering with wages and the material rights of workers and we maintained fair relations with our business partners, all with an increase in sales revenue by 36 million kuna, and we believe that in 2022 we'll return to pre-pandemic results. We're ready for further investments in our marinas, but the basic precondition for that is the extension of concessions,'' said the President of the Management Board of ACI d.d., Kristijan Pavic.

Back during 2021, ACI d.d. realised investments in the amount of 44 million kuna, of which the most, totalling 23.5 million kuna, was invested in the reconstruction of the breakwater in the Korcula marina, followed by an investment in the Dubrovnik marina which was over 7.9 million kuna. The year was also marked by the beginning of a partnership with Gitone Kvarner d.o.o. and the establishment of ACI - Gitone d.o.o. with the aim of investing in the future ACI marina Rijeka.

ACI d.d. it places significant emphasis on ecology and the conservation of natural resources and is a socially responsible and environmentally friendly business when it comes to its core values, which is why ACI d.d. is actively involved in the Safe Stay in Croatia project, which aims to position Croatia as a safe and desirable tourist destination. In addition to contributing to the conservation of many natural resources, ACI marinas were also awarded in 2021, thus reaffirming the effort and commitment to excellence that is at the heart of their business operations.

Adriatic Croatia International Club is one of the main carriers of nautical tourism in all of Croatia, it manages 22 marinas throughout the Adriatic and almost 6,000 berths and is an excellent example of the development of tourist offer and nautical facilities in this country. In addition to significant investments and projects so far, in 2022, the company plans further investments in the amount of 97 million kuna planned, of which 90 percent relate to solely to investments, while 10 percent will be focused on investment and current maintenance.

For more, check out our business section.