Which Croatian destinations have the most tourists to boast of in the coronavirus era? There are several, and there are reasons and lessons to be learned from them for many others...

As Morski writes on the 20th of July, 2020, across Croatia, one million overnight stays were realised in the first half of July, and the Croatian destinations with the highest number of overnight stays were Rovinj, Medulin, Vir, Mali Losinj and Porec.

However, although the aformentioned areas achieved the best results, they will still face significantly lower revenues than they enjoyed last year, not only due to the lack of guests compared to last year but also due to the fact that many accommodation facilities have lowered their prices, some others working in hospitality and catering have also lowered theirs, while the flat rate of sojourn tax has been lowered for private renters by as much as 50 percent.

Although the gorgeous island of Vir is one of the top destinations in terms of attendance, it should be taken into account that most Croatian guests going there also own property there, so only 22 percent of guests actually paid for accommodation on Vir during the first half of July.

''When observing the type of accommodation (commercial or non-commercial accommodation), in Vir, 22 percent of overnight stays in the first half of July were realised in commercial accommodation facilities (hotels, camps and private accommodation), while in Rovinj, 96 percent of overnight stays, in Medulin 89 percent, in Mali Losinj 76 percent and in Porec 89 percent of overnight stays were realised in commercial accommodation facilities,'' the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) stated in response to a question on the topic from Index.

The Istrian city of Rovinj has been enjoying first place for years

The directors of the tourist boards of these five most visited Croatian destinations described the things they can attribute such good results to, given the circumstances, and some of them provided some rough estimates for the rest of the season and guessed how much, approximately, they will face in terms of revenue decline this year.

The long-standing number one on the list of the most visited cities in Croatia (along with Dubrovnik) is Rovinj.

The director of the Rovinj Tourist Board, Odette Sapac, told Index that they were most helped by the fact that Rovinj is a destination that many can sit in their cars and drive to from some of Croatia's closest to emitting markets, while Dalmatia is far more dependent on airlines. Over 50 percent of Rovinj's guests are from Germany and Austria, followed by guests from Slovenia, Italy and the Netherlands.

''In the last part of July, we realised 612,040 overnight stays, which is about 60 percent of the turnover from last year for the same period. Since the prices are different from last year and have been adjusted to this situation, our revenues will certainly be lower. Accommodation prices at the beginning of the season were at the level of last year's prices during the pre-season,'' said Odette Sapac.

Apart from the fact that, she says, Rovinj is a close destination for both Italians and Slovenes, the reason for their success is that they are also very attractive to foreign guests along with Dubrovnik. According to Sapac, they also sent out a good promotional message to the guests that, regardless of the coronavirus pandemic, they are well prepared and are firmly adhering to the anti-epidemic measures. For a while, as she recalled, Rovinj was entirely without coronavirus patients.

''There were a couple of good promotional actions that we carried out with the County Tourist Board towards Germany and Austria, and with that action, we included some other countries.

According to them, the camps are also a great advantage because guests feel safer as they can more easily achieve social distance and at the same time stay outdoors, where the new coronavirus finds it more difficult to spread.

''We now have about 19,000 guests a day, which is a large number for many in Croatia even during normal circumstances, and that's at the level of 60 percent when compared to last year during the same period. This time last year, we had 37,000 guests a day. It's being speculated that at the end of the year, the total result would be around 30 percent at the level of last year, or 40 percent if August and September are good for us. That would be a very good result. We must be humble and content. We're trying not to hold mass events to prevent infection,'' Sapac told Index.

Istria generally did very well throughout the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, when the number of tourists dropped drastically, yet it still managed to attract the most guests. Thus, in addition to Rovinj, two other Istrian towns took places on the list of the five most visited Croatian destinations. The proximity of emitting markets, the fact that they are easily driven to and don't depend heavily on air traffic, which is still significantly reduced, are all reasons for Istria's general level of success.

In Medulin so far, 251,244 overnight stays have been realised, which is 60 percent compared to last year, according to the director of the Medulin Tourist Board, Enco Crnobori.

Medulin had 10 million kuna in revenue last year, now they expect 3.5 million...

We have about 15,000 guests a day and we're second in Istria, only Rovinj is ahead of us. We're still Croatian destinations without a single coronavirus case, we've worked a lot on educating the locals regarding the implementation of measures in order to maintain a positive epidemiological picture,'' said Crnobori.

Just like in Rovinj, the advantage is that there are a lot of camps, as many as 7 large and 22 smaller family camps in Banjole, and they also have a lot of holiday homes, where guests, just like in the camps, feel safer.

The cccupancy of camps and holiday homes stands at about 50 percent, so we're left with only hotel accommodation. Only one hotel has been opened, and now another one should open, while two remain. closed. We also have three marinas and the situation with charters is good, so they're also at 50 percent occupancy. This year, if we have a million overnight stays, that would be good, last year we had 2.8 million. But the situation is changing day by day. It's very important that previous guests return to us, we're branded as a destination for family and sports tourism, and we're still working on branding the promotion of cultural tourism,'' said Crnobori.

As for income, Crnobori believes it will drop dramatically...

''Last year, we had over 10 million kuna, and now the plan is 3.5 million kuna in revenue, so... 35 percent of 2019's figure,'' the director of the Medulin Tourist Board noted.

Almost the same number of overnight stays, around 193,000, were realised in both Porec and Mali Losinj in the first part of July, with Mali Losinj standing slightly better because they achieved 64 percent of turnover when compared to the same period last year, while Porec achieved 47 percent.

The director of the Mali Losinj Tourist Board, Dalibor Cvitkovic, told Index that private accommodation and camps have the best occupancy rates, which isn't surprising due to the situation with the coronavirus, while their main markets are Slovenia, Germany and Austria, from which old guests regularly return.

''In order to attract guests, we went with the ''ferry free action'', so everyone who stays with us for seven days, the price of their accommodation is reduced by however much it cost them to use the ferry. This ranges from 50 to 120 euros, depending on whether they're in a car or a motorhome. Considering that 40 percent of our guests are in the camps, for which the ferry is 120 euros, that means that with this action they get practically two nights free, so we have equated ourselves with mainland destinations,'' said Cvitkovic.

In addition, he stated that they are the only ones in Croatia who have the so-called an insurance policy for guests suspected of having contracted the new coronavirus.

''For guests who have to go into self-isolation, while they're still in Croatia, the Tourist Board covers the cost of food and accommodation and ensures the delivery of medicines and supplies. At the same time, we find alternative accommodation for the landlord with whom that guest is staying, and we reimburse that landlord for the cost incurred. In addition, after the guest who is coronavirus positive leaves the apartment, we take over the cost of cleaning the apartment. So, we told the landlords that they're not alone in this, and the guests know that they're safe and know that if something happens, and it won't be at their expense. We don't look at guests as potential patients, but instead we invest in the future, so these guests will return in other years as well,'' Cvitkovic explained.

Although they are far better filled than most Croatian destinations, in Mali Losinj, they're also aware of the drop in income...

''The overnight stay index isn't the same as the income index and the income index will be 10 to 15 percent lower. Hotels generate the highest sojourn tax for us, private individuals participate with a 50 percent smaller lump sum than before. Certain actions are undertaken in private accommodation. As for hospitality facilities, some are getting better traffic. Regular guests already have a certain habit of going to certain restaurants, and those restaurants on the waterfront that depended on the masses aren't doing as well. For us, the consumption is on average around 100 euros per day per guest, and 160 for a hotel guest. Now that we don’t have those hotel guests, the drop in spending is higher. There will definitely be a drop in traffic,'' said Cvitkovic.

The director of the Porec Tourist Board, Nenad Velenik, said that they had realised 193,000 overnight stays in July so far, which is 47 percent compared to last year, emphasising that this was a phenomenal result for them.

''In the first 10 days of July, we realised all of the overnights from June. We started on June the 1st with 523 people a day, to now when we have 14,000 guests a day. In terms of markets, most come to us from our traditional points such as Germany, Slovenia, Austria and Italy. There are slightly fewer Austrians than usual, but we can attribute those good results to the fact that the quality of the destination has been recognised, as well as the fact that we're a destination to which one can drive,'' Velenik stated.

He added that the positive epidemiological situation also benefits everything, so the demand for Porec is higher than in the rest of Croatia.

''We're traditionally a hotel destination and we have only one camp, unlike Rovinj, which has about 20,000 beds in their campsites, so they achieve better results. There will definitely be a drop in revenue. We don’t count on 50 percent of the lump sum income from private accommodation, so we're removing a piece of the pie that was significant. I don't know the policy of hotel companies and how much they've reduced their prices. I hear the bookings are going solidly, but they probably lowered their prices as well given the situation. Private accommodation prices have been reduced, you have overnight stays costing 10 euros per person, so the total income will certainly be much lower than it was last year,'' said Velenik.

Vir has a large number of overnight stays, but will have a meagre profits...

Vir realised 276,000 overnight stays in the first half of July, which is more than some of the above, but it should be noted that, according to the CNTB, only 22 percent of overnight stays were in commercial accommodation, which means that most people were coming to their own property on the island.

The director of the Vir Tourist Board, Srdjan Liveric, says that foreign guests realised 120,000 overnight stays, while domestic guests realised 167,000.

''We're extremely satisfied, we're now at 75 percent when compared to the same period last year, which is very good for us. We hope for the further growth of this trend and it's realistic that we'll achieve 50 percent less turnover than we did last year, and revenues will be lower,'' said Liveric.

He pointed out that they achieved such good results with foreign guests because they invested a lot of money in advertising and did not depend on flights like Dubrovnik does.

For more on Croatian destinations during the coronavirus era, follow our travel page.

July 20, 2020 - A few months ago, in the wake of the spread of Covid-19, each and every one of us found ourselves in a crisis, when we had to stay home in order to protect ourselves and others.

Lockdown has distanced us from our usual social contacts and patterns and forced us to look at the same view each day. In those times various groups and initiatives have emerged on social networks, where people from all over the world started sharing their views. The former manager of booking.com for the Central European region and one of the initiators of running tourism through Run Croatia project, Iva Hafner from Zagreb, saw a chance to continue traveling and give each other support, even though it was not possible for us.

"During the pandemic, various groups and initiatives were created on social networks, in which people from all over the world started to share their views from the windows and balconies. Back then I was in contact with my longtime friend from Subotica, Slavka Antić, and we talked about how great it would be to connect people from the former Yugoslavia by letting them virtually peer out of other people’s windows anywhere around the world. As soon as we opened 'Pozdrav s mog prozora' ('Greeting from my window') on Facebook, we started receiving fantastic photos and testimonies from all over the world. We couldn't believe that people from our region who live in Alaska would send us their view or from the deck of a ship in the Atlantic Ocean, where they got stuck because they could not travel home due to the crisis. An avalanche of support and positive emotions started among the members, which additionally encouraged over 60,000 members to join within just 3 months of forming the group. We may not be allowed to travel, but we can always fantasize about travel. Technology is enabling us to connect with each other in authentic ways, so we can build up positive anticipation for the times when we will be able to travel again." says Iva.

From view to the wall of a neighboring building to the views over the pools, from big cities to jungle, from beautiful gardens to the top of the mountain... each view is a story with emotion that sends a spark to the world. Thanks to these views from all over the world, that our folks were sending, we could travel, even when it was not possible. A large number of processed images and maintaining the group itself requires a lot of time, energy, attention, and love. From the very beginning, friends joined the project, volunteering in shifts to approve hundreds of pictures a day: Dragana Vilus (Subotica), Iva Bencun (Zadar), Miljan Brašanac (Vienna), Damir Subotić (Arnhem), Goran Pleše (Poreč). But the group didn't just stop at virtual socializing. Since the measures were relaxed, the founders have been recording live meetings of members - in the south of France, in Florida, in Mexico, in Greece.

"We listen to the dynamics in the group and we take note of the wishes among our members. So naturally came the idea to launch a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for the book, which will be a valuable testimony of the times we live in and a positive clue for future generations. Our plan is to organize traveling exhibitions with the possibility of meeting members live, and the plan is to launch a website, through which members could contact and arrange visits. We recognize the great desire among members to go on trips when the borders open. They are delighted with foreign and distant, but also with our domestic destinations, which serve as a reminder of the times when they traveled and explored. Friendships are also formed, as between members in the south of France, who are already agreeing to see each other live. That is the charm of this group, that the members feel at home in a large colorful neighborhood, which has become a large extended family in a short time," says Iva.

This is one of the great examples of community building and excellent tourist promotion of the destination because it is an authentic individual way of promotion. Thus, one view from the window from Dubrovnik attracts thousands of likes from the region and the diaspora with a great desire to visit this destination, when we start traveling again. The group has recorded over 5 million enthusiastic comments so far, which shows a high engagement and an interesting opportunity to create the image of the destination.

You can support their book publishing project, as a valuable testimony to the times we live in when we have not lost our sense of beauty and togetherness. Part of the funds raised from the campaign will be donated to charity for those who need it most.

How you can support "Pozdrav s mog prozora"

Your contribution will help us finance costs of 7.000 € that we need to raise in order to publish the book and build the website. Book will be published by ourselves, on a voluntary basis, but we need your help in order to cover the following costs:

• book production (hard cover, 300 pages, edition: 1000 pcs)
• print, design, lecturer, editing
• website
• book promotion through local travel exhibitions with the possibility of members meet up
• extra costs, crowdfunding fees
• donation to humanitarian causes that we support in Serbia "Budi Human" and in Croatia "Ljudi za ljude"

Book and project content

Book "Pozdrav s mog prozora" will bring striking author’s pictures as well as stories of our folks from all over the world, taken in time of the global pandemic. This global crisis has shaken us through, but like any crisis, it represents an opportunity for better and more sustainable initiatives for a happy and fulfilled life. In this book, we would like to explore further what gives us strength and inspiration to move on, in time when circumstances are a great challenge to us – both on a collective and individual level. Our plan is that book sees the light of day beginning of February, 2021.
More ways you can help this project

Share this campaign with your friends on social networks and by e-mail

Follow us in our Facebook group as well as on the official Facebook page

We believe you can help us so we can together leave a positive trace and reach the goal to publish the book "Pozdrav s mog prozora"

Thank you all for your support! ❤️

(Written by Iva Hafner) 

ZAGREB, July 20, 2020 - The head of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak, said on Monday that the latest figures showing 25 COVID positive cases as against threefold higher numbers in the previous days were the result of the mandatory use of face masks.

In the last 24 hours, of 1,028 COVID-19 tests performed in Croatia, 25 have returned positive, the country's coronavirus crisis management team stated on Monday. Currently, there are 1,150 active cases, 57 fewer than the day before.

By comparison, there were 92 new cases on Sunday and 116 on Saturday.

Asked by the press about the decision by Lithuania to place Croatia on the red list of epidemiologically unsafe countries, which means that people travelling to the Baltic country from Croatia would have to self-isolate for 14 days, Capak said that the European Commission had recommended the opening of borders and imposition of criteria for free passage in accordance with epidemiological situations.

The criterion is that there are no more than 16 new patients per 100,000 inhabitants in the past 14 consecutive days.

Some countries have introduced stricter measures and some have applied milder measures, he explained, adding that it might be that Croatia has exceeded the 14-day incidence which was why Lithuania placed Croatia on the red list.

Capak said that new recommendations for organising cultural events could be announced on Tuesday.

Health Minister Vili Beros said that cheaper prices for COVID-19 tests, when taken by individuals on their own, could be expected later this week after the Croatian Health Insurance Agency (HZZO) approved lower prices last Friday, whereby they were halved to HRK 500-700 per test.

ZAGREB, July 20, 2020 - In the last 24 hours, of 1,028 COVID tests performed in Croatia, 25 have returned positive, the country's coronavirus crisis management team stated on Monday.

Currently, there are 1,150 active cases, 57 fewer than the day before, Health Minister Vili Beros said at a news conference in Zagreb today.

Unfortunately, in the last 24 hours, two people have died due to the COVID complications, bringing the total number of deaths to 122, the minister said adding that those victims were two elderly women with underlying medical conditions.

Since 25 February when Croatia reported its first confirmed case of COVID, 104,132 tests have been performed, and 4,370 people have been diagnosed with this infection.

The percentage of positive tests is 4.20%.

To date, 3,098 people have recovered from this communicable disease.

Currently, 147 COVID patients are being treated in hospitals, including nine placed on ventilators.

Coronavirus has taken aim at weddings as many begin quoting them as a common source of infection. In response, the Vukovar-Srijem County Civil Protection Headquarters has a request which will certainly irritate many brides...

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 19th of July, 2020, the Vukovar-Srijem Civil Protection Headquarters has sent a request to the National Civil Protection Headquarters that all weddings in that Eastern Croatian county be held exclusively within the immediate family for the next thirty days, it was said at Sunday's press conference of the County Headquarters.

The reason for such a reaction of the Vukovar-Srijem Civil Protection Headquarters is the amount of newly infected people, and among them, the largest number of patients and their contacts are all from a wedding held last week in Ivankovo ​​near Vinkovci.

Zdravko Kelic of the Vukovar-Srijem County Civil Protection Headquarters said that the Headquarters did a good job when it came to the measures related to stopping the new coronavirus from entering homes for the elderly and other social care institutions. He also stated that the police visited all the wedding halls in the county and took contact details from the owners, and that the Headquarters had data on the number of weddings held, which, as he said, was a large number, and every weekend.

"We're still in danger and we mustn't just relax," warned Zdravko Kelic, appealing to all people who have been in contact with people who have tested positive for coronavirus to cooperate and contribute to the fight against the global pandemic. In agreement with the local headquarters, all public events and gatherings at the local level were postponed in order to reduce the risk to a minimum, said Kelic.

The President of the County Headquarters, Prefect Bozo Galic, read the request by which the Headquarters asked the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia to make a decision that weddings in Vukovar-Srijem County be held only among families over the next thirty days, and thanked people who are continuing to respect all of the epidemiological measures. He called on all citizens of Vukovar-Srijem County to adhere to the prescribed measures.

For more on coronavirus in Croatia, follow our dedicated section.

It seems that everyone is talking about masks lately, and everyone of course has to have an opinion on them. The coronavirus pandemic has seen the demand for this otherwise rather obscure item used primarily in healthcare soar, and in some cases, the price for them has sky rocketed with them. One Prelog manufacturer has used the pandemic as an advantage...

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 19th of July, 2020, the ongoing global pandemic of the new coronavirus has accelerated a project to produce protective masks, and plan is to present these particular masks to Croatia's National Civil Protection Headquarters in September. The Prelog-based manufacturer claims that this is mask that can protect its users against the new coronavirus as well as all other biological threats.

Sestan-Busch, a world-famous manufacturer of anti-ballistic safety helmets from the usually overlooked Croatian town of Prelog, is currently completing a project which involves a multifunctional safety helmet for the National Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia, which is co-financed by ESI funds.

''However, the thing that could be of interest everyone is the project of creating a mask that protects people against coronavirus,'' said Goran Basarac, the executive director for strategic development and implementation of the Sestan-Bush project in conversation with Lider.

According to him, the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the Prelog manufacturers project of making these protective masks, which, as previously noted, they plan to present to the National Civil Protection Headquarters in September. 

These Prelog-made masks could find themselves available on the market by the end of this year.

For more on Croatian companies, producers and products, follow Made in Croatia.

July 18, 2020 - Can you enter Croatia? An online service that tells you yes or no, as well as telling you what you need. 

One of the many lessons I have learned helping to run the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community  is that so many people ask the same question. And if you could provide the answer to that question in a simple format, the questions would disappear. 

Meet TravelDoc.aero, a fantastic service which answers one of the most common questions we receive - can we enter Croatia, and what documents do we need?

And not just for Croatia, but for the whole world. 

Simply enter your basic details. Where are you starting from and where do you want to go? Where were you born and when?

We checked out the system with a mythical American citizen wanting to visit Croatia - see the details above. 

This is the response we got, which is 99% accurate. The only slight thing I would amend is that there is no requirement to fill in the Enter Croatia form, but it is strongly advised. Here is why. 

Apart from answering the common questions about coming to Croatia, the site also offers the option to check out other countries. One of the common questions we get is whether or not Americans can visit Italy after Croatia. The answer is no - USA is not on the EU Safe List of 12 countries and so travel to the Schengen zone is therefore not possible. Croatia is still not in the Schengen zone but is in the EU - it has decided to allow travel fro tourism pending a negative PCR test no more than 48 hours or 14 days self-isolation, as well as proof of paid accommodation. 

To check out if you are eligible to visit Croatia at the moment (or anywhere else), check the TravelDoc.aero website. 

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

The Netherlands - as of July 21, Croatia is placed on the "Orange" list by the Dutch government, which means that both the Croatian nationals and the Dutch nationals returning to the Netherlands from Croatia are strongly advised to self-quarantine for 14 days.

ZAGREB, July 18, 2020 - Of 1,338 COVID-19 tests completed in the last 24 hours, 116 have returned positive in Croatia, the country's COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Saturday.

Currently, there are 1,204 active cases, including 139 patients who are being treated in hospitals. Of them, eight are placed on ventilators.

Since 25 February when Croatia reported its first confirmed case of infection with the novel coronavirus, a total of 4,253 people have tested positive. Of them, 120 have died and 2,929 have recovered.

Currently, 4,507 persons are in self-isolation.

So far, Croatia has conducted 102,189 tests.

For a long time now, the amount one needs to fork out for a coronavirus test, which is mandatory for entry into certain countries, has been a problem for many. Minister Vili Beros recently announced that cheaper tests would soon be available for Croatian residents, and now the price has been confirmed.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 17th of July, 2020, the National Civil Protection Headquarters has announced the latest data on the situation with the coronavirus during a regular press conference held at 14:00, in which there was also talk of the new new prices for coronavirus tests.

"We have information from HZZO that by analysing the available data on reagent prices, more favourable reagents are on their way. The price of the testing will now be between 500 and 600 kuna. As such, we'd like to encourage the introduction of more cost-effective methods. HZZO will continue to monitor the market dynamics and determine the most favourable model,'' explained Health Minister Vili Beros.

So far, the single price was 1506 kuna for two antigens, but that price is changing, and it will more than likely be a sigh of relief for many cash-strapped people who are already struggling in the now enfeebled domestic economy which has been ravaged by the ongoing global pandemic.

In 21 institutions in which coronavirus testing is carried out, the price for those who want to be tested without a referral for two sequences will be 501 kuna, and for three sequences, it will cost 698 kuna. HZZO will continue to monitor the market dynamics and determine the most favourable model for coronavirus testing, with the hope of making the process a little easier on the currently shallow pockets of many.

"75 million kuna has been set aside for all coronavirus tests in Croatia. That was a month ago,'' added the director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak.

For more on coronavirus in Croatia, follow our dedicated section.

ZAGREB, July 17, 2020 - A total of 98 new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Croatia in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of active cases to 1,192, the national coronavirus response team said on Friday.

"Today, the 144th day since the appearance of the coronavirus in Croatia, 98 new cases have been registered in the last 24 hours, so that the current number of active cases is 1,192, or two more than yesterday," Health Minister Vili Beros told a press conference.

Since the start of the epidemic in the country in late February, the total number of people infected has reached 4,137 and 2,825 of them have recovered, which is 68.3 percent.

To date, 100,851 samples have been tested, including 1,437 in the last 24 hours. The rate of positive tests is 4.1 percent.

Currently, 137 people are receiving hospital treatment and seven of them are on ventilators, one more than on Thursday. There have been no fatalities in the last 24 hours, with the death toll remaining at 120.

The average age of the people infected with the virus is 47.16 years.

In the last 24 hours, 14 people have been discharged from hospitals, bringing their total to 994, while 1,871 have recovered at home, which is 76 more than on Thursday.

There are 87 active cases among health workers, five more than on Thursday, and 431 health workers are in self-isolation, 46 fewer than on Thursday.