June 19, 2020 - On Dnevnik Nova TV, Davor Bozinovic revealed how the National Civil Protection Headquarters will react in case the number of coronavirus patients in Croatia continues to grow, but also whether strict measures will be introduced again.

"You know we have always said that with measures we balance between economic activities and the protection of life. There are currently no indications that some measures should be tightened, but this is always a possibility. We will see in which direction this hotspot is going," he said on T.portal.

He says citizens are not recommended to travel outside the country, unless necessary. "If you travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and other countries in the region, there really must be a reason, and you shouldn't go for something you can do without. We have long noted that cross-border movement carries risks. As far as tourists are concerned, we have prescribed all measures in catering and tourism," says Bozinovic.

Asked whether the measures at the borders will be tightened, Bozinovic said that there is no need for that at the moment because there have been no tourists in Croatia in recent days. He added that tourists fill in the data in the application for tourists coming to Croatia.

"We have opened a headquarters in Zadar and Split that deals with security in the coastal areas," he said, adding that in the event of an outbreak, they would react promptly. "I am sure we have, and if we don't, we will have the answer to every challenge," said Davor Bozinovic.

When it comes to weddings and larger celebrations, Bozinovic says that if everyone adhered to all the prescribed measures, there would be no need to talk about whether it will be possible to hold large celebrations normally. He revealed that the arrival of citizens from third countries would not be allowed soon. "We will certainly not go for liberalization in the foreseeable future. The European Commission has issued recommendations. We will see the epidemiological situation," concluded the Chief of the National Headquarters. 

Asked whether all citizens, including those in self-isolation, will be allowed to go to the parliamentary elections and fulfill their civic duty, Davor Bozinovic said that epidemiologists would make recommendations for those people as well. "But I wouldn't prejudge the numbers or whether there will be any. There is communication between the DIP and the Headquarters," he said.

For more news in Croatia, follow our dedicated page.

June 19, 2020 - Health Minister Vili Beros said that the spike in coronavirus cases after a long time without any or a small number of patients is under control, and that the Republic of Croatia wanted to attract as many tourists as possible.

Slobodna Dalmacija reports that Minister Beros participated in the meeting of the County Civil Protection Headquarters in the Dubrovnik City Hall, from which they boasted that there are no more patients infected with COVID-19 in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, three months after the first recorded case of infection on March 19.

He stated that the coronavirus pandemic is a crisis, unlike anything we've witnessed before. 

"We talked about new circumstances and challenges. We are interested in getting as many tourists as possible, but it carries a certain danger. The task of the expert group of the Ministry of Health was to develop mechanisms in all cases, and I asked staff members not to relax. Some things we also need to anticipate because it is optimal if we are one step ahead of the virus," he said.

Speaking about the increase in the number of patients in the Republic of Croatia (11 new cases in the last 24 hours), Beros said that he had heard from the director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak, and that the situation was under control.

"All patients who came from abroad are not tourists, but Croatian citizens who have been to neighboring countries for short visits. We have a number of measures ready to limit such movements if we see that the cases are repeated in the coming days," Beros said.

He noted that all epidemiological measures should be adhered to, but also stated that the issue of wearing protective masks is not grounded yet.

Director of Civil Protection and Assistant Minister of the Interior Damir Trut said that the meeting of the County Headquarters discussed the coronavirus, but also the fire and tourist season.

"We have seen everything and we want to prepare the Headquarters for all activities. They have done all the tasks at school. The Headquarters will remain active in the summer months," said Trut.

County Chief Josko Cebalo said that after the opening of the borders and the beginning of the tourist season, there was an increase in the movement of people through the county, which increases the risk of the recurrence of the coronavirus in southern Croatia.

"To prevent this from happening, we are preparing measures and instructions with the epidemiological services for hotel houses, private renters and catering facilities, and we are also working out protocols on how to act in cases of infection among guests," Cebalo said.

Dubrovnik-Neretva County Prefect Nikola Dobroslavic pointed out that the absence of coronavirus infections in the county is the result of the work of the Government and the National and County Headquarters, as well as all other services and institutions.

"Many have contributed to the suppression of the pandemic so far. Of course, the key role was played by citizens who responsibly followed all measures and instructions. I believe we will know how to respond to a possible second wave, which should not be a significant danger when we have people like this." concluded Dobroslavic.

For more news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

The application (app) that tracks individuals infected with the new coronavirus, as well as their contacts, was launched over in Germany yesterday, and will soon be available for Croatian citizens.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 18th of June, 2020, there are now newly infected people within Croatian borders and another forty people have been placed in self-isolation. According to the announcements of the ruling party, we should have had this information and similar data available to us in the palms of our hands.

Specifically, this sort of information was supposed to be made available to Croatia within the application developed by APIS. More than a month has passed since that particular announcement.

As stated, the application that tracks individuals infected with the new coronavirus and their contacts was launched in Germany yesterday, and it will soon also be made available to Croatian citizens. They have been working on its production in APIS for the last month.

"We're still waiting for the approval of both Google and Apple in terms of the Ministry of Health as the holder of this application, and we expect that everything will be done in July," said Sasa Bilic, CEO of APIS IT for RTL Danas (Today).

The coronavirus tracking application does not reveal a person's identity.

When people get in touch, the app exchanges so-called keys or identifiers via Bluetooth on their mobile phones. If someone later becomes infected with the new coronavirus, with their voluntary consent, that information is stored and the app alerts their close contacts about the presence of the disease.

Once a day, the application downloads a list of ''infected keys''.

In order to exchange these anonymous keys, the users of the application will have to be at least two metres away from each other and spend at least fifteen minutes in contact.

"Countries are moving towards solutions that are of course voluntary, which aren't related to determining geolocations, but which use bluetooth technology. As far as we're concerned, at the moment, we're primarily focused on the protection of our citizens, and on the protection of tourists who come to Croatia,'' said the Minister of the Interior, Davor Bozinovic.

There is an idea in place to exchange information with other countries, including Germany, where the application has been downloaded six and a half million times in just 24 hours.

After the keys are exchanged between Germany and Croatia, the user who was in Croatia or the Croat who was in Germany, will be notified that he was in contact with an infected person,'' said Marin Katic, Head of the Web and Mobile Applications Development Department of APIS IT.

In addition to the fact that the use of this coronavirus tracking application is voluntary and free, it can be turned off and uninstalled at any time.

For more, follow our lifestyle page.

In these turbulent times dominated by the global coronavirus pandemic, it looks as if we'll need to wait until the warmer summer months pass before we know the true state of the Croatian hotel and investment market.

As Gordana Grgas/Novac writes on the 18th of June, 2020, for greater security, Valamar Riviera has reduced the capacity of its hotels for this season by 20 percent, they're not thinking of attracting guests by lowering prices but by offering additional services, and after the borders with Austria and Germany are opened, guests no longer have to be quarantined upon returning home.

Croatian hotels are managing to open their doors considerably earlier than what was initially planned, bookings are going better in Istria than they are in Croatia's southernmost city of Dubrovnik because Istria is a car destination. Camps are more full up than the hotels are, while among hotels - those of a higher category are doing better. The above briefly but accurately explains the situation in Croatia after the lockdown due to COVID- 19.

"We've prepared quite well and we have no intention of working with losses. We're opening our hotels with the dynamics that support it,'' Denis Prevolsek of Valamar Riviera notes. Most Croatian hoteliers have announced this year that they expect results at around 30 percent of what 2019's were.

What are the opportunities for the tourism and hotel industry in the years to come? Questions like this were asked at the Colliers virtual round table called ''Tourism 2020-2022: What to expect? What to hope for?'' which was held on Wednesday. The guest speaker was Dirk Bakker, the director of hotel services at Colliers International EMEA.

Hotels were generally an attractive target for investors before the coronavirus crisis struck, and this investment market was discussed, among others, by the member of the Management Board of the PBZ CO pension company Goran Kralj, which has invested a lot in tourism in recent years. He emphasised that the investment market will be very cautious until the situation around the business of hotel companies in 2020 is clarified, since those who are more heavily indebted will probably find it quite difficult to find their feet again.

"What autumn is going to look like is questionable, and the overall macroeconomic situation is important here. It will be interesting to see what the demand for accommodation will be in the next year, and what the implications in the end for tourism will be,'' said Kralj when referencing the Croatian hotel and investment market.

The lockdown will be followed by a year in which the business focus is on surviving and recovering from the coronavirus crisis, says Zagreb City Hotels CEO Josipa Jutt Ferlan, who manages Hilton hotels in the region, and whose biggest source of income is congresses and business travel. They opened three Hilton hotel facilities in the City of Zagreb, held training sessions for the local congress industry in the new epidemiological conditions and are already seeing results.

"We're rational with business and our costs, but we have to start somewhere. We can't wait for the ideal conditions because we don't know when they're going to come,'' she added. They have also acquired a license to operate Marriott hotels, so there are also expectations of that. Commenting on hotel prices for guests, it's a question of a cause-and-effect relationship between supply and demand, lowering price levels can't be the sole driver of the market.

Marina Franolic, regional manager of the international company BenchEvents, says that the autumn will show the real situation on the Croatian hotel and investment market. It will be quite difficult for everyone.

"This is an extremely good moment for new products and projects," said Marina Franolic, adding that the problem is that no one knows how long the situation with the coronavirus epidemic will last. As for hotels in Croatia, she believes that large, branded companies will be more successful because it will be easier to convince guests of their safety, while others will find that somewhat of a challenge. She also believes that there could be a separation between the ownership of hotels and their management, which she considers to be something which would lead in a very positive direction.

For more on the Croatian hotel and investment scene, follow our business page.

June 18, 2020 - At today's government session, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic recommended that citizens not travel outside Croatia.

"It is important that our citizens do not travel abroad, especially to these surrounding countries if it is not necessary, and on their return, they should act responsibly. As for the Headquarters, it is monitoring and analyzing the situation," Bozinovic said on Index.hr.

"Responsible behavior is a condition for keeping the favorable epidemiological situation in Croatia under control, which is a precondition for the smooth functioning of the economy," Bozinovic added.

Recall, at a government session in progress, it was announced that 11 new cases had been confirmed in the last 24 hours.

Four new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Zagreb since yesterday. All four new cases are related to the Hrvoje Požar Institute.

In addition, two more cases were confirmed in Istria, both of which are from Pula.

Three more have been confirmed in Split-Dalmatia County - two people from Split and one from Solin.

We do not yet know where the remaining two cases are from.

The Headquarters will publish the latest data on the situation in Croatia at 2 pm.

June 18, 2020 - Health Minister Vili Beros said on Thursday that the appearance of new coronavirus cases in Croatia over the last few days is not unexpected, which shows that caution is still needed. So far, there are no tourists among those infected who have come to vacation in Croatia.

"The fact is that the virus is still among us. The most important thing is that in all new cases, we know the way of infection, that the epidemiological service quickly detected all patients and that all necessary epidemiological measures were taken," Beros said on N1.

He points out that among the infected, there are no tourists who came to Croatia on vacation, but it cannot be ruled out that there will be.

"We opened up at one point, it was our decision and need, and if there is a resurgence of patients, we have ready measures that we can take," said Beros, who is attending an exercise in Dubrovnik to establish the Emergency Helicopter Medical Service during the summer season.

New data from the National Civil Protection Headquarters on the number of patients are expected at 2 pm, and according to the latest data, two new cases of coronavirus were discovered today in Istria, while there are at least four infected people from Zagreb's Hrvoje Pozar Institute.

Furthermore, in Split-Dalmatia County, out of a total of 66 processed tests, there are 3 newly diagnosed patients - two from Split and one from Solin.

"Three new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Croatia on Wednesday, and in recent days, we have inputs from abroad and local transmission of the virus within Croatia," epidemiologist Bernard Kaic from the Croatian Institute of Public Health told HRT this morning, adding that we relaxed too soon.

According to yesterday's data from the National Civil Protection Headquarters, there is one newly infected person from Split-Dalmatia County, and two from Zagreb. One came from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the other is the contact of an infected person from abroad. But due to the number of people placed in self-isolation, more are expected to be infected.

Follow the news in Croatia on our dedicated page.

June 17, 2020 - The Croatian Institute of Public Health recently published recommendations for swimming in the sea and inland surface waters this summer. Split beaches are getting prepared.

Thus, when swimming, it is recommended to keep a distance of 1.5 meters, and on the beaches, it is necessary to place information on hygienic procedures, proper behavior and protection measures.

For sea bathing areas, the maximum number of persons allowed to stay at the same time is determined according to the principle of 15 persons per 100 m2 of net area.

In accordance with the recommendations, Dalmacija Danas reports that a board has been set up in Žnjan, Split, showing instructions for a safe stay on public beaches.

Goran Les

The Croatian Institute of Public Health recently published recommendations for swimming in the sea and inland surface waters. These recommendations relate to the implementation of measures applicable to bathing in the sea and inland surface waters during the coronavirus epidemic to protect staff and visitors.

In a visible place at the entrance, as well as in the area where visitors stay, it is necessary to place information on hygienic procedures and with guidelines on proper behavior and protection measures to be followed or valid in that area.

If the appropriate infrastructure is available, it is possible to sound voice messages from time to time to remind visitors of the need to maintain physical space and other general measures.

For sea and freshwater bathing areas, the maximum number of persons allowed to stay at the same time is determined according to the principle of 15 persons per 100 m2 of net area.

All visitors and employees are advised to adhere to the rules of physical distance of 1.5 meters.

Recommendations for compliance with all preventive measures apply to all areas of sea and freshwater bathing areas (water surfaces, beaches and areas where locker rooms, toilets are located).

Dispensers with a disinfectant must be installed at reasonable intervals and in visible places (e.g. based on alcohol in a concentration of not less than 70 percent or another agent with declared virucidal action according to the manufacturer's instructions and suitable for use on the skin).

The concessionaire should separate the deckchairs in such a way as to ensure physical distance (provide a person who can supervise the prescribed measures) and disinfect the deckchairs several times a day, always after a certain guest no longer uses the deckchair and before another guest uses it. If the bathing areas provide for other seats, they should also be arranged at a distance of 1.5 m.

It is recommended to place waste bins with appropriate lids in all open swimming areas, as well as at reasonable intervals in open spaces.

When staying in the water, maintain a physical distance of 1.5 m.

It is necessary to intensify the cleaning and disinfection of sanitary facilities every two hours (and more often if necessary), as well as to increase the number of employees for daily cleaning in each sanitary facility. At the same time, the use of sanitary facilities should be limited in accordance with the size and prescribed sanitary conditions.

Food and beverage service areas and shopping facilities at sea and freshwater beaches

Instructions for catering facilities are available on the CNIPH website.

Regular monitoring of water for recreation: Monitoring is carried out by employees of the competent Institute of Public Health, i.e., authorized laboratories in accordance with the Plan and program for monitoring sea beaches and land bathing areas.

Laboratory staff conducting water sampling and analysis should adhere to the usual protection and safety measures when performing sampling and analysis, respecting the rules of the profession, general protection measures and general recommendations on maintaining physical distance and personal hygiene.

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

As Novac/Privredni/Jozo Vrdoljak writes on the 15th of June, 2020, Trogir's Brown Beach House Hotel & Spa, which was created on the back of the reconstruction of the former Duhanka building, had one hundred percent occupancy for the recent extended weekend (with Tijelovo).

According to the forecast of Stanka Karadzija, the director of the Brown Beach Hotel, it will also be full next weekend, when many guests will combine that particular weekend with the celebration of the Day of Anti-Fascist Struggle/Dan antifašističke borbe.

;;We reopened the hotel on June the 1st and since then we've recorded excellent occupancy given the situation, more than 50 percent of our capacities were filled during those first few days of June while at this time, during the extended weekend, we didn't have a single room available.

We may have a slight advantage over the competition because Brown Beach is very popular due to its unique concept, great design and offer. In the first three years of our operations, we hosted the corporate events of some of the world's most prestigious brands, including Mercedes, Porsche, Google… Therefore, our offer of June packages at lower prices than usual was greeted with great enthusiasm by our guests, and especially by Trogir locals. The most numerous guests in June have been locals from here in Trogir, followed by Germans and Austrian nationals. Almost everyone arrived here by car,'' explained Stanko Karadzija.

She also noted that this particular Trogir hotel is currently well filled, so it is likely that next weekend it will manage to reach a previously unimaginable 100 percent occupancy level with respect to many last minute bookings and an increased number of walk-in guests, which, as she herself says, wasn't really a common situation in previous years. As for further forecasts, the hotel director pointed out that the situation has changed significantly this year because of these surreal circumstances in which we find ourselves.

''In previous years, July would have been almost sold out by this time of year, but this year it is different, because the behaviour of our guests has changed. Five days before the extended weekend, we didn't imagine that we would be completely full," she admitted.

As for prices, Karadzija admits that corrections have already been made to suit the coronavirus-dominated situation.

For more on Croatian tourism and hotels in the coronavirus era, follow our travel section.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 15th of June, 2020, the Chief of the Crisis Staff of the Ministry of Health and a member of the National Staff of Civil Protection, Maja Grba-Bujevic, was a guest recently on N1 television. She spoke about coronavirus, the current epidemiological situation in Croatia and the surrounding countries.

Grba-Bujevic said that the Croatian Institute of Public Health had already made a number of recommendations, some of which were related to the holding of rallies, to the elections themselves, and that she would make recommendations for election day itself.

She also commented on non-compliance with physical/social distance measures and other epidemiological measures.

"When a person glances at the TV, they see that there's some disinfectant sitting somewhere, but it isn't important that it's there, it's important whether or not it is actually used. Gathering outdoors is seen as even less of a risk and the need to keep a physical distance is poorly respected. I'm really horrified by some scenes from television, I wouldn't like to name the politicians in question now, but something is being shared and then hugs and kisses follow. My question is, what have we been doing all this time? Health is most important thing as far as we're concerned,'' Grba-Bujevic pointed out.

In the new case of coronavirus infection, she explained that there has been contact made with the patient who was reported on Saturday. "It's a Croatian citizen who was in Bosnia and Herzegovina hunting and brought coronavirus back with him," explained Grba-Bujevic.

She made sure to point out that going abroad should be reduced to a reasonable measure and going outside of the country's borders shouldn't be done if it isn't absolutely necessary.

As for the number of people who are currently in self-isolation, she said Croatia was at a number of 68 people on Friday, and when we add more of these new cases then it will be somewhere around 80.

The increasing number of newly infected people in the countries in Croatia's immediate region:

Grba-Bujevic noted that the National Headquarters is continuing to monitor the number of newly infected people in the countries in Croatia's immediate region.

''When you look at what’s actually going on, it regards local areas. When this is well analysed, then it can be concluded that the measures in these areas have been terribly violated. Since they were violated, what happened happened," she explained.

She pointed out that physical distance, hand hygiene and disinfection are the basic things that we really have no problem carrying on with. "I expect from all those who are in public spaces to spread the word and in that way contribute to staying healthy," said Grba-Bujevic.

She also explained what the procedure is if a tourist gets infected with the new coronavirus in a hotel or camp.

"If someone falls ill, whether he is a Croatian national or a foreigner, the procedure is always the same. The person taking care of them will need to get in touch, and the way in which this will be done, ie the tourist ambulance, will be published on the pages of each county these days. We must first obtain a positive epidemiological history. If it is decided that patient Covid is suspicious, then testing is organized for him. He is provided with food in the room, everything he needs is taken to the room and left at the door. When the test is obtained, then it is decided on possible hospitalization ", said Grba-Bujević.

What if a tourist gets infected with coronavirus while on holiday in Croatia?

Grba-Bujevic says that all scenarios are foreseen. If it is a Croatian citizen, he can go home with the measures prescribed by epidemiologists, he explains.

"If the person is a Croatian citizen, we'll provide them with accommodation and transportation home can be organised for them. Of course, this won't be done by public transport,'' she said, adding that foreigners can also return by car, but in a secured way and in close cooperation with the instructions of the epidemiologists.

She said that many people involved in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic believe that a second wave is certain and that the Headquarters has prepared three scenarios should it occur.

''One is a light variant, one is medium, and one is heavy. It would be difficult to return everything back to how we had it, that is, complete closure. An easy scenario would be to live with all of the protection measures in place. The middle ground would be to return to stricter measures and not close everything, but stick to those prescribe measures,'' she concluded.

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

In the first part of June, 20 percent of last year's tourist results were achieved, as Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 15th of June, 2020. Slovenes, Austrians, Hungarians, and from now onward, Germans can come to Croatia without special conditions and the need for self-isolation upon return. Will it save Croatian tourism? That question was analysed on Croatian radio.

''We'd certainly be satisfied with as many numbers as possible. We're pleased with the number of more than 115,000 tourists currently staying in Croatia. Two weekends ago, we started out with 26,000 registered guests. Today is a turning point in terms of the epidemiological measures that relate to all guests coming from our largest emitting markets. At the moment, the most numerous guests are Germans, Austrians, Slovenes, and even Czechs,'' Assistant Minister of Tourism, Robert Pende, told HRT.

There are currently 115,000 tourists in the country, and there will be more Czechs arriving here when the train leaves the Czech Republic for Croatia on June the 30th three times per week to Rijeka. The interest is great, despite the recommendations in these individual countries, for example, Germans have been recommended by their authorities to spend their holidays at home in Germany to try to boost the German economy.

''Everyone will feel the disturbance, especially from the German market. We assume that the Germans listen to the recommendations they're given, but their capacities in the Baltic sea are almost full. These are tens of millions of guests going to other destinations. Due to the situation in the markets that are traditional for Germans (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Turkey), these are air destinations, air bridges haven't yet been established, and there's a question of safety when returning from destinations that are a little bit further away. We're accessible to them by car and they can be back home in a couple of hours,'' said Robert Pende.

''There are currently about 6,500 guests in Rovinj. Most of them are Germans, locals, Austrians and Italians. For now, the Dutch and Hungarians are absent. At the moment, we're at 30 percent of the level of overnight stays we had when compared to the same period last year. This is encouraging, we hope that in July and August, we'll manage to increase those percentages,'' said the mayor of Rovinj, Marko Paliaga.

Across the entire spectrum of Croatian tourism, price reductions were expected but have not yet really occurred...

''The very recommendation of the Minister of Tourism is not to change the prices, especially when it comes to private accommodation. It's still a little too early to talk about price adjustments. By July the 1st, we'll have a picture of the movement of our tourist traffic, and then I believe that some will either adjust their prices or keep the prices as they are but with the provision of a better quality of service,'' explained Paliaga.

The president of the association of travel agencies at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Boris Zgomba, touched on the topic of booking.

''When we talk about it, we try to predict some events. Given the fact that we're currently in a situation we've never experienced before, it's very difficult to predict events. But some trends are already being read. We're witnessing an influx of guests and tourist traffic. More than a third of our guests are coming here because they own property, meaning they're guests who have their own motives for coming and who are not so-called commercial guests. We're slowly moving towards what is visible to us as an opportunity,'' said Zgomba.

''Booking is moving, and we'll be able to see in the coming weeks whether this is a dynamic that will manage to satisfy us,'' he added.

The advantage of Croatia is its good epidemiological picture. Proper adherence to epidemiological measures is a guarantee of the success of Croatian tourism this year.

''As in all other parts of Croatia and Istria, the measures issued by the epidemiologists are properly respected. I believe that our guests will also respect everything recommended to them, as well as what they were taught in their own countries. I'm confident that we can respond to the new challenges, and I hope for more numbers than all the forecasts we've been given,'' Paliaga said.

''Croatia has shown that it knows how to deal with the epidemic and there's no doubt that our system can, in these situations, with its experience of dealing with coronavirus, in addition to adapting the system, respond to these challenges when it comes to risks of infection,'' said Pende. He added that it we can be quite certain that there will be new cases of coronavirus in Croatia, but that the spread of the infection isn't expected in certain destinations.

"After all, we still have a few imported cases," Pende said.

''Looking at the demand at the moment, camps, mobile homes, holiday homes that are more isolated are booked and facilities that aren't considered to be particularly crowded also are,'' noted Zgomba.

Italians are welcome in Croatia, just like all other guests are.

As for the Italian guests, who are typically the most numerous in Croatia in August, Paliaga said that this weekend they had eight percent of tourists from Italy in the total structure. Italy was severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic, as was the United Kingdom and Spain if we're talking solely about European countries, and some countries have been reluctant to allow citizens from the above countries in.

''One shouldn't differentiate between guests by which country they come from. I believe that the guests who will come, especially from Italy, will be responsible and that they'll adhere to the measures and instructions which were given to them. We must do everything to make all of our guests feel safe and welcome,'' Paliaga said.

''The Italians are just as welcome as all the other guests are,'' Zgomba said.

For more on Croatian tourism in the coronavirus era, follow our travel page.