November 26, 2019 - The Croatian National Tourist Board has launched a promotional Croatia Advent campaign as one of the key motives for traveling here in the winter. 

HRTurizam reports that the campaign is being implemented in the markets of Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Austria, France, Switzerland, Spain, Hungary and Slovenia until the end of December this year. The communication channels through which the campaign is advertised are YouTube and social networks Facebook and Instagram.

The Advent campaign is implemented through the new promotional video "Croatia, full of magic" and encourages the Advent offer of Croatian destinations.

According to the Croatia National Tourist Board, the campaign leads the user to the page "Croatia.hr", where in addition to Advent in Zagreb, which won the title of the best Christmas fair in Europe for three years in a row, the Advent events of SalajLand, Slavonia, Dalmatia, Kvarner, Istria and continental Croatia are also promoted. 

Over 50 foreign established journalists, bloggers and influencers from 11 European countries will visit Croatia in the organization of the Croatian National Tourist Board in December and will have the opportunity to get to know and experience the Croatia Advent offer firsthand. For example, Croatia will be visited by Russian MUZ TV, which creates the show "Independent Traveler", which is viewed by more than 25 million viewers across Russia.

Also, a team from Swedish RES TV and RES Magazine will record three special episodes dedicated to Zagreb's Advent, which are estimated to be watched by a total of 1.5 million viewers in Sweden. Croatian traditional holiday customs will be transmitted to its viewers by TVN Discovery, the oldest and largest private TV station in Poland, which is watched by over 8.38 percent of the entire Polish market.

"In the last few years, our country has become an increasingly sought after and attractive tourist destination in the winter, when diverse Advent programs come to the fore. I believe that the vibrant Advent facilities in many Croatian destinations such as Zagreb, Split, Osijek, Zadar, Rijeka, Porec, Dubrovnik, but also on the islands will attract numerous Croatian and foreign guests and contribute to the conclusion of a very successful tourist year,” said the director of the Croatian National Tourist Board Kristjan Staničić.

According to eVisitor, more than 410,000 tourists visited Croatia during last year's Advent, generating over one million overnight stays.

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

November 15, 2019 - ‘Let the magic begin!’ is the slogan of this year's Zagreb Advent, which will officially start on November 30 in the streets of the capital, with the traditional candle lighting in Mandusevac.

24 Sata reports that the central theme of this year’s Advent is the Nutcracker, which will be seen in several locations in the Upper and Lower Town - in the Gric Tunnel and the Oktogon. The director of the Zagreb City Tourist Board, Martina Bienenfeld, announced that there would also be Zagreb Tourist Board awards through the Zagreb Be There application. 

In addition to the Nutcracker, the emphasis this year is also on environmental awareness and reducing the use of plastics. There will also be easier access for people with disabilities at specific locations.

In addition to traditional locations such as Advent on Zrinjevac, the Ice Park, European Park, Gric Tunnel, Christmas Fairytale on Ban Jelacic Square, Fuliranje, and others, new locations were announced which will expand the event this year. 

The new locations include the Film Advent at Tuskanac, which will screen Christmas movies for all ages at 11 am and 5 pm at the Tuskanac Cinema, and at the Advent in front of HNK, guests can enjoy cultural events on the stage in front of the theater. A novelty this year is the Oktogon pass where concerts will be held.

Eleven festive music festivals have been announced around the city, like Advent postcards, Advent under Lanterna, Evenings with Brahms, Adventfest in the Cathedral, and Advent Classic Fest.

The Museum of Arts and Crafts, Croatian History Museum, and Museum of the City of Zagreb will organize special exhibitions and programs. They also announced a concert by the Swedish Professional Choir at Advent in Zrinjevac and Maksimir for the Feast of St. Lucy on December 10th.

Advent on Prekrizje will also return, where visitors will be able to find out all about Croatian customs, and it is open on weekends. In addition, ZET will introduce an exclusive line only for the specified location.

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

December 31, 2018 - The fourth and final video from Gong.hr's satirical look at Madvent in Zagreb, taking a closer look behind the scenes of Europe's best Christmas market.

It has been another record year for Advent in Zagreb, up 12% on last year, and the December boost for tourism in Croatia is more than welcome. 

But is everything as shiny as it seems? Renowned satirists Borna Sor and Domagoj Zovak teamed up with Gong.hr to produce their own Advent calendar. They called in Madvent in Zagreb, and each Sunday they took a look at a different issue regarding the popular Christmas market. 

A look at some of the issues which do not make the tourist brochures were presented with typical humour and biting satire. You can check out the various videos below, and they are presented in reverse chronological order.

The final video, which was published on December 30, looks at the cost of some of the vanity projects of the Mayor of Zagreb, and where the money could have been better spent. 

Such a huge event brings its own waste management issues. Taking a closer look at Zagreb's waste mountain, the fastest-growing in Croatia (from December 23). 

There are plenty of shiny Christmas lights illuminating the Croatian capital during this season of festive cheer. But who is providing them, and at what cost (from December 16)? 

The Madvent in Zagreb series kicked off on December 9 with the first video looking at the economics behind the lucrative Christmas stalls, which provide the backbone of the Advent offer. Who got the stands, what was the process, and how did the official pricing compare to what the end user was charged in the end?

To learn more about Advent in Zagreb, visit the official website. 

To follow events in the capital, check out our dedicated Total Zagreb portal.

Advent in Zagreb has achieved new records in 2018. 

Croatia's summer tourism is not the only season breaking records this year.

December 16, 2018 - In Zagreb on December 15th, as part of the jubilee, 60th Sinj Nights and Advent in Zagreb, the town of Sinj presented part of its tradition at Zrinjevac park. 

As part of the Sinj Nights and Advent in Zagreb, the City of Zagreb, City of Sinj, Sinj Kluba Zagreb and the Sinj Tourist Board, presented the Inland Dalmatian town at Zrinjevac park in Zagreb. 

Many Zagreb citizens and their guests gathered in one of the most beautiful and famous Zagreb parks to enjoy the songs of the highly rewarded Sinj klapa, as well as the student band Banderija. 

Following them was the performance of the Sinj majorettes, who delighted the crowd with their choreography. For this occasion, all present guests were gifted gingerbread by Christina Križanac, the mayor of Sinj, and Monika Vrgoč, the director of the Sinj Tourist Board. The sweet treats were prepared by Ankica Župić.

The celebration of Sinj Nights in Zagreb was an excellent way of promoting the vibrant tradition and customs of the city of Sinj and the Cetina region, as well as exchanging knowledge and opportunities to enrich the tourist offer.

December 16, 2018 - Madvent in Zagreb. Taking a closer look at Europe's most popular Christmas market. This week, Borna and Domagoj take a look at the Christmas lights.

Advent in Zagreb is in full swing, and so too is the satire of the stories they don't tell the tourists. 

Last week, Newsbar legends Borna Sor and Domagoj Zovak teamed up with Gong.hr to bring an Advent Sunday series with a difference. Madvent in Zagreb takes a look at some of the issues surrounding the event which are not often discussed. Here is the first episode last week, which was focused on the alleged wide margin between the price the popular stalls are being charged by the city, and the amount that vendors are forced to pay to get one.

This week's episode concerns the plentiful Christmas lights, and do look out for the cameo role of Ballon d'Or winner Luka Modric right at the end. 

In many ways, the story of the Christmas lights at Advent in Zagreb tells the tale of the modern Croatia. 

Many years ago, one young Nikola Tesla offered to build an electricity grid for Zagreb, according to the video below, but his suggestions was waved away.

Just one genius from Lika, who ended up moving to the United States and global stardom. 

But if the chance to light up the city is offered by a company whose contracts are allegedly declared illegal, what better way to proceed than to renew the contract, year after year. 

Who cares about the cost? 

It is Christmas after all. 

There are two more videos in the series, which will appear on the next two Sundays - a perfect Advent gift. 

Borna Sor, of course, is a TCN contributor and runs our podcast, which will be bursting into life in the new year once more. You can follow his TCN writing here. 

December 11, 2018 - Advent in Zagreb, voted the best Christmas market three years in a row. But what is behind the scenes?

While most were full of euphoria at the sudden ascent of Croatia's capital city conquering Christkindlmarkt in Germany and other established Advent destinations in Europe, only one news portal went a little deeper and looked at the story 'behind the story'.

That was back in 2016, and while the story behind the story has not gone away, media coverage of it has. As is so often the case in Croatia. 

Until now, perhaps. 

An intriguing YouTube video on the official Gong.hr channel on Sunday brought Advent in Zagreb - the non-tourist version - back into focus.

Legendary Croatian political satirists Borna Sor and Domagoj Zovak, best known for their work at Newsbar, have teamed up with Gong.hr to bring an advent in Zagreb with a twist - a video every Sunday over four weeks to take a closer look at aspects of Advent in Zagreb which do not make it into the glossy tourist brochures. 

In their own words:

"Merry International Anti-Corruption Day to all from GONG, Domagoj and Borna.

"When it comes to Christmas markets, they say the best European one is in Zagreb. During December thousands of people are flocking to the Croatian Capital. But is everything really so nice, pleasant and honest as one would expect from the holiday season? In this short four-part series satirist Borna and Domagoj, are trying to explain the secret formula behind Zagreb advent."

I am learning not to comment on such things, as these lawsuits in Croatia can get pretty tiresome, but I think I am safe in commenting on the video that this is not the first time I have come across this. I look forward to the next installment. 

Borna, of course, is running the TCN podcast - you can catch up with his writing on TCN here. 

For more on Advent in Zagreb, follow the dedicated TCN page.

As Novac.hr/Jasmina Trstenjak writes on the 9th of December, 2018, two Croatian dome producers have managed to conquer the often overlooked world of domes. Yes, domes. From very humble beginnings, they now export their products to countries including Finland, the Czech Republic, and even Japan.

ever noticed that most large events nowadays use some type of dome shaped structures, and not tents? If you've not paid attention to that, you're probably wondering what domes we're talking about. You know those structures that look a bit like oddly shaped balloons? You may have noticed them at Advent in Zagreb or at some concert. Well, they're the domes in question.

Specifically, those currently being used at Advent in Zagreb, eight of them to be more precise, are original domestic products, made by Croatian dome producers. It may come as a surprise, but Croatia boasts one of a dozen serious dome producers in the whole of Europe, and this type of typically entirely overlooked genius exists in a form which allows for easy adaptation to all roles and different event-like circumstances. These domes, as adaptable as they are, can play the role of a concert roof, a bar, an advent stand, and they can also be used for exhibitions at fairs or for glamping among other similar things.

Behind the innovative and interesting product stands the Croatian dome producers, more specifically their company - Domes (Kupole) better than a tent, and the story of the company's name is a short and rather charming one. Marko Matošić and Jakša Borić, the two Croatian dome producers, say that the company should have just been called Domes (Kupole), but they received a rejection to that name, a rather common occurrence on the long and ridiculous road of opening any type of company in Croatia. As they told Novac.hr, they sat across the street from the Commercial Court itself upon rejection and had to quickly think of a new name.

"We wondered what we were, actually, and we concluded that we were better than the tent, and so, that's the name. We figured it sounded a bit stupid and ungainly, but I'm convinced that out of the ten people who noticed it, at least four of them went on Google to search for what it is,'' joked Borić, who ended up as one of two Croatian dome producers from the advertising industry, while Matošić came from the club scene.

That's probably not too far from the truth because being unusual and unique isn't a bad tactic, and both of those words could easily be used to describe their domes. As they describe themselves on their web site, "the geodesic dome is the most stable structure ever imagined, at the same time, the most moderate and the strongest." And definitely better than a tent!

Domes like these are a luxury niche on an otherwise big marketplace, and it isn't that much of a cheap business. There is definitely a future for it despite any obstacles, however, as over the last couple of years, these domes have managed to become the "industry standard".

It's interesting to know just how the two succeeded in recognising the value of that niche at the right time, how they entered into it, how much capital they needed, and are they able to make a real living from it all.

"We worked on a festival at Bundek (popular park in Zagreb), where a dance group from Israel had a gig, they used a similar construction as part of the scenography, but it was made from wood. That's when we saw it for the first time.

The gig they had before coming to Zagreb was somewhere far away and they needed to bring that construction to Croatia, which cost a lot. Their technical director then suggested that he would give us a draft for us to make it [a dome] for them in Zagreb because it would be cheaper than to obtain one from far away. We did this and agreed to it. It was a construction made of wooden sticks that had to be cut and then tied together. But on the day of the show, it started to rain, so we had to cover it up and wrap that structure with the foil. It looked awful, but it worked. They danced and didn't get soaked by the rain, we stood at the side, watched them dancing and that structure, and concluded that it would be nice when done as a type of a tent,'' Borić recounts.

They began to explore and discover that some people are already engaged such business in a pretty serious manner. Then the game started, Matošić added, in which he was initially helped by the knowledge of a now retired professor from the Zagreb Faculty of Civil Engineering, Zvonimir Žagar, who is a great fan of geodesic domes. He helped them with advice on the first dome, as well as the first prototype. At that time, they did not have nine employees or their own designer like they have today, and they were helped by the professor, and the first dome, named 3v14, left the confines of ideas on paper and became a reality back in 2008.

"The initial investment was about 40,000 kuna, that was all we had and spent it all on the prototype, but that's completely irrelevant in this type of business. That was money we literally took and then threw out of the window. We used it all up on making mistakes, to figure out how it all works. We didn't get any loans, but we made the first dome, we rented out it for a while, and we did it all with great abdication. We didn't pay out any wages, we just always invested in new products. The more there were, the more we made, and then we started to hire the first people. We've grown organically, bit by bit,'' explains Borić.

Matošić added that all of that work was put to good use at the Gričevanje festival during the advent period back in 2011, when Advent in Zagreb was far from developed, which was organised in Zagreb's Upper Town (Gornji Grad) to promote their product. They wanted the main star to be the dome, of course.

"We invested a huge amount, set three domes up, got exhausted and frozen, but people saw the domes. They'd heard of them. Then we got our first clients,'' says Matošić.

"In fact, every gig in which our products appear is worth more than 100 ads, because our customers don't bother with it unless they've seen and felt what it's all about. Nobody is going to spend one hundred thousand kuna because they've seen a picture of a dome,'' adds Borić.

Up until this very day, these two Croatian dome producers have continued to develop new domes of varying dimensions which can be used for a variety of purposes.

One of them on offer is the 2v5 bar, a semi-open dome of 18 square metres with a bar, total length of 17.5 metres, and a dome that can easily be turned into a stage, a bar, a store... The Croatian company have specific domes on offer for various festivals, both the corporate and promotional type, and in its portfolio today, there are more than 20 in different sizes of five, seven, nine, twelve and fourteen metres.

Their selling prices vary depending on the model: some are 50,000 kuna, some 60,000, some are 250,000, some are 280,000. Rent, however, is invoiced per term, and one term consists of four days: from five thousand to thirty thousand kuna, depending also on the dome model in question.

The monthly costs for the Croatian dome producers are extremely high, usually above 100,000 kuna, but they are okay, although sometimes they themselves admit things can be a bit tight. They live well, and their top priority is to reinvest everything they make back into the company to continue on its already very successful path.

Make sure to follow our dedicated Made in Croatia and business pages for more on Croatian companies, products and services, as well as info on the business and investment climate in Croatia.

Click here for the original article by Jasmina Trstenjak for Novac.hr/Jutarnji

The Zagreb Tourist Board decided to refresh their internationally-awarded mobile application, Zagreb Be There, for this year’s Advent festivities.