May 25, 2020 - A favorable epidemiological picture is bringing tourists back to Croatia. There are currently about 22,000 of them in the country - half are domestic guests, and of the foreign ones - most are Slovenes, but also Germans.

Dnevnik.hr reports that in Croatia, they say, they feel safe. A pleasant temperature just above 20 degrees, swimming pools, and good company are the only things that Germans need for a vacation in Croatia.

But to get here, they still needed more paperwork than in previous years. “At all borders, we had to show our reservations, passports and phone numbers,” Ali from Germany said.

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

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

It only took them a few extra minutes of waiting at the borders. They had no problems moving through Austria, Slovenia, and finally to Croatia.

"We left early in the morning, we waited fifteen to twenty minutes at the border with Austria, and about 30 minutes with Slovenia and Croatia. The trip was very nice," adds Ali.

The excellent epidemiological picture in Croatia, which is better than in their country, is the reason why they never thought about canceling their reservation.

"I feel safer here than in Germany because Istria has been without the coronavirus for about three weeks now, while there are many more in Germany," says Werner from Germany.

But there were cancellations and relocations of reservations, especially in the pre-season, that is, in April, May and the first half of June.

"What makes us extremely happy is the fact that we managed to keep about 90% of reservations in terms of transferring reservations to later dates, but also in the 2021 season or through vouchers that guests will use for reservations in the same facilities," said Mladen Bujanic, co-owner of the travel agency Myistria.

The facilities that will be full this season are certainly holiday homes, but also camps that provide guests with isolation and privacy. However, we must accept the fact that occupancy will not be at the level of previous years.

"We hope that from the middle or the beginning of June from the 10th to the 15th, we will really start something that will look like a pre-season and start for the main season with the opening of borders with our most important markets," said Denis Ivošević from the Istria County Tourist Board.

The travel agencies note that the amount of official information and instructions for tourists should definitely be increased. This is a year of struggle for every guest.

"What will help keep guests in the future is certainly unambiguous and clear communication of the conditions under which one can come to the Republic of Croatia as a foreign tourist," said Mladen Bujanić, co-owner of the travel agency Myistria.

There is also an increase in the number of domestic guests, who are currently Croatia's most numerous tourists, along with Slovenes and Germans. "We could hardly wait for these security measures to be lifted, for these county borders to be opened so that we can move a little," Biljana said.

And some traveled even before the measures were lifted in their country, so on their return, they will have to be quarantined, or tested for COVID-19. “When the borders reopen, everyone will come, they’re not really scared now, but the only problem is later, when they get home,” states Debbie from Austria. 

Nautical tourism is among the first to recover. Spanish media report that some multinational companies are relocating their fleets to the Croatian coast.

Guest of Dnevnik Nova TV Sean Lisjak, president of the Marina Association at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, says he isn't sure if it is true, but that he heard the media broadcast the same news.

"We are pleased with the information. It is too early to say whether there has been any official contact with the companies located among our marinas. Tomorrow we will all be informed about all this. If so, we welcome it, our marinas are ready to receive new clients," he said.

For the past weekend, he states that the first modest arrival of clients was recorded.

"This weekend, we have already recorded a more serious arrival of clients in our marinas. No marina has not recorded a more serious arrival of individual guests, boat owners who, based on the decision on the possibility of coming to our country, used it," he said.

"We appeal to speed up the flow of guests with passes and hope that their number will grow every weekend. We also recorded the first charter clients, which makes us very happy because some marinas have vessels in their fleets that sailed. This is at the level of some 200 or 300 clients and there are about fifty ships that have come from central Dalmatia from marina to marina," said Lisjak, adding that he hoped that two ugly months were behind us.

To increase the number of guests, he states that the level of service quality in marinas is rising every year. "We are recognized by that. The Institute of Tourism evaluates services and customer satisfaction every year and we rank very high. There are some shortcomings, but they are not drastic to the point of devaluing us," Lisjak explained, adding that it is important to increase the number of client arrivals.

"It should be possible for vessels smaller than 24 meters, i.e., our real transits, clients from Slovenian and Italian marinas or anywhere in the world, to be able to enter our marinas under the same conditions without any problems," Lisjak concluded.

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

May 24, 2020 - German tourist are desperate to come, Croatian tourism is desperate to welcome them. A prime time German TV feature follows a journalist coming on holiday to Croatia. 

We live in the Information Age, and yet there is very little information - at least accurate information - about the current travel situation in Europe. 

People want to go on holiday but do not know if they will be subjected to quarantine rules, and a host of other uncertainties. 

The German market is a natural fit for Croatia. No planes need to be involved, simply drive to the end destination of Adriatic heaven, and the beach is yours. 

But there are uncertainties along the way. What happens on the borders with Austria, Slovenia and Croatia?

Some of the most popular articles on TCN right now are accounts of people who have managed to reach Croatia by car from places like Belgium and the UK. Ordinarily a very dull story, but in these corona times, a riveting read. 

A great addition to the info flow this evening from a member of the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community - thanks Francis!

German TV channel ARD  ( one ) showed tonight at 19 h 20 a nice story "going to Croatia ".  Prime Time !

You can see the video report here

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

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community. 

May 24, 2020 — Croatians may take a pass on a coronavirus vaccine, according to a survey conducted by HRT.

The poll of 1,400 respondents also showed a vast majority want the nation’s borders wide-open.

The figures two months after Croatian authorities fought back a potential COVID-19 outbreak with stringent measures, including travel restrictions and curtailing business hours.

The survey include several other questions:

Are you afraid of the crown (COVID-19)?

9 percent of respondents said they were very scared. 

18.4 percent of respondents are afraid but much less than at the beginning of the epidemic. 

43.9 percent are not afraid but cautious.

28.4 percent said that they are not afraid at all. 

0.3 percent of respondents said they did not know or could not make a decision.

Scientists around the world are in an accelerated search for a vaccine against the COVID-19 virus, and respondents answered the question of what they would do after the discovery and scientific testing of the vaccine.

Do you intend to get vaccinated?

47.3 percent said for sure or probably. 

41.2 percent of the respondents likely no or definitely will not be vaccinated.

11.5 percent do not know or cannot decide.

The final question addressed the primary means of restarting Croatia’s tourism season: opening up the country.

Should Croatia open its state borders before the tourist season?

Yes, as many as 80 percent of respondents think without or with limitations. 15.2 percent did not answer, and 4.8 percent did not know or could not decide.

 May 24, 2020 - TCN launched the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community 5 days ago. It has been quite a ride. 10 things I learned since we started. 

Last weekend, I called PR guru and champion of orange shoe fashion, Kresimir Macan, suggesting he take me in his Porsche to the main border with Slovenia at Bregana. With information so hard to find, a little first-hand reporting might be useful. MUP were extremely responsive by email with the media permission and very helpful at the border. You can see the realities of life on the Croatian-Slovenian border on May 17 here. 

"We have that really good Viber account, Koronavirus.hr for corona updates. Why doesn't the Ministry of Tourism have the same for the latest travel advice?"

"Why don't you make your own Viber community?" asked Macan. 

"I wouldn't know where to start."

Two days later... 

I have known Kreso for 6 years. And I have known many who have worked for him. They are some of the brightest minds who go on to do incredible things in the public and private sector. So when he suggested I come to the office and have a chat with his two interns, I knew it would not be just a chat. 

After we got over the initial embarrassment that I did not know how to download Viber to my desktop (thanks, kids!), we - or rather they - got to work. In precisely 22 minutes, we were live with my Viber community Total Croatia Travel INFO (and you can join too - but you need to download the app). 

Nobody has helped me more in the last 5 years than Macan. He is a controversial chap and a polarising figure (he is the erstwhile Communications Director for current Prime Minister Plelnkovic), but he is a master of his craft. I sat and watched, and within an hour, we had an infographic with the relevant info that people needed to know.  

Ann thanks to the generosity of our Viber community, that infographic is now available in 12 languages. There is also a consolidated Croatia travel master article which is updated daily. You can bookmark it here. 

It has been quite a ride. 10 random things I learned from the Total Croatia Travel INFO community that I did not know last week. (Let me put a MASSIVE disclaimer here that you should check all info independently with official sources to be 100% sure - all the info looks very credible, but please check before you travel)

1. You can apparently fly from the UK to Croatia before June 15, just not directly.

2. Hungarians REALLY want to come to Croatia

And you are very welcome! About 30% of the chat in the community has been in the Hungarian language. Thanks to the Viber auto-translate feature, we are able to understand and answer their questions where we can, or direct them to the relevant official contact.

To help things along, our little Viber community created a Hungarian version of the infographic. 

Many thanks to our community member Mariann Markai for volunteering a Hungarian translation of our May 21 update. 

And this cool new feature from Google allows you to be fully updated with the latest in any language you choose. For our Hungarian guests, wecome to Croatia and have a great stay.

3. It seems you can fly from the USA to Croatia if you have the right passport and circumstances

I have no more info on that, but you can always join our Viber community and request more details. You can join here.

4. Different countries have different corona info requirements.

In Croatia, the focus has been on how many cases (zero yesterday) and how many deaths (99 in total). But potential tourists have been asking lots of questions about how many people have been tested in Croatia. You can see full details of that and how Croatia compares on many corona stats here. 

5. There is a big need for a clear explanation on quarantine rules and test requirements entering Croatia (none) and returning to the home country. 

6. There is a big need for a clear explanation on the border crossing experience.

Who can, who can't, under which conditions. Are all borders open etc. This was my experience at the Slovenian border on Sunday, May 17. 

7. Flight information IS out there, and new flights are being announced.

Source the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community via Avioradar.

You can keep up with the latest flight announcements on the TCN latest flights page.

8. While the official information by Croatian authorities has improved MASSIVELY, it is still failing both tourists and the tourist businesses they represent. Sadly. 

Here's why. And I really hope for all of us that this will change as quickly as tomorrow. 

9. Community is strong and the quickest way to get the very latest. Build a strong community which respects others and helps out where it can, and there is no need for anything else regarding travel info. Or anything else. 

10. I am too old for all this, but I see a massive future for my kids. It has been an incredible few days, and I think we made Croatian travel info a little easier to find. 

Join us! Contribute your knowledge, ask your questions, and our community will try to get them answered, or send you to the right place to ask. You can join here (you will need to download the Viber app). Why Viber? I am advised that it is the best platform to allow unlimited numbers in groups and communities. Smart. 

For the latest travel info from Croatia, bookmark this article, which will be updated daily. 

May 24, 2020 - HNS released instructions for holding Croatian First League football matches during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Nogomet Plus reports that according to the plan yet to be approved by the National Civil Protection Headquarters, the football season continues next week, on May 30, when Slaven Belupo and Lokomotiva meet in Koprivnica as part of the Croatian Cup semifinals. The next day, Rijeka and Osijek will compete at Rujevica, and the continuation of the first league season is planned for June 5, when Hajduk and Inter Zapresic meet in the first game of the 27th round.

On that occasion, the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) published instructions for holding matches during the coronavirus pandemic, but also changes in the propositions of the competition to better adapt to the current times marked by COVID-19.

The most significant change is that the matches will be played without the presence of spectators and with a minimum number of people needed in the stadium. Thus, the propositions stipulate that a maximum of 161 people can participate in one match, as follows:

Fenced part of the pitch:

Teams: up to 18 players
Officials on the bench: maximum 6 licensed persons
Referees: 4
Ball collectors: maximum 6
Persons with stretchers: maximum 4
TV crew: 2 or 4 cameramen + 2 technicians
Photojournalists: 4 (exceptionally + 1 HNS)
Technical - terrain maintenance: 4

In the stands:

Delegate and controller: 2
Club managements: host up to 15 people and guest up to 10 people
Official announcer, traffic light technique, TV crew CROATEL, commentators Arenasport or HNTV, HR2 and local radio according to the license: 15
PRESS Lodge: maximum 10 accredited journalists
HNS: maximum 10 people
Doping control: 2
Reserve players and staff members: maximum 5 per club in a separate part of the stand

Around the stadium:

VAR judges and technician: 3
Host club staff - technical staff: maximum 10
Security guards: usually up to 10
Ambulance (or replacement vehicle): 3
TV crew-reportage car: maximum 8

The matches are held in accordance with the epidemiological instructions prescribed by the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia and the HNS working group dedicated to the preparations for the continuation of the competition.

It was also decided that clubs will no longer have the right to register 12 substitutes, but that number has been reduced to 7, and during the match, a maximum of 5 changes can be made in three intervals while another change is possible in case of overtime.

Press conferences were canceled after the game, and instead, club spokespersons will be obliged to take a statement from the coach and two players of their club, which will then be given to journalists through digital channels. Coaches, on the other hand, are required to make a statement to TV in order to fulfill their obligations under the TV rights agreement.

The players of both teams and the referees of the match will no longer go out on the field together in a row. The fourth referee will first check the people on the benches, then the visiting team, then the home team and finally the main and assistant referees. There will be no more greetings from players and referees and coaches before the initial whistle.

When choosing the sides, the distance between the head referee and the team captain must be at least 1.5 meters, and they must be about 7 meters away from the longitudinal line of the field. Handling is prohibited on this occasion.

After scoring, the players are instructed not to hug, shake hands or physically touch during the celebration, and throughout the game they should avoid unnecessary physical contacts that do not serve the purpose of the game.

After the match, there is no greeting on the field between the players, club officials, and the referees.

This is what a football match will look like in the era of the new normal.

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

Things have been gradually opening up again, but when will Croatian camps, hotels and other such facilities be back into the swing of things in this state of ''almost'' normalcy?

As Novac writes on the 23rd of May, 2020, after the Croatian Minister of Tourism presented the plan for the opening of the Croatian summer tourist season, which envisages that by the end of May - travel will be facilitated for Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and during June for Germany, Poland, and then for other countries which have a similarly certain epidemiological situation.

The Croatian tourism sector, through the Croatian Tourism Association, presented a plan for re-opening tourist facilities and recommendations for tourist travel to the Republic of Croatia.

The plan to open tourist facilities envisages the opening of Croatian camps in Istria, Kvarner and Dalmatia and some hotels by the end of this month, and the full opening of most Croatian camps, hotels and all other tourist services across the country's destinations is expected during June. Croatian borders are now open for tourists. Upon entry, tourists must have a confirmation of booking accommodation, and at the border they'll receive instructions for a safe stay in the country. You can read more details here.

A tourist application is also being developed, with which guests will be able to announce their arrival in advance and which will enable them to cross the border faster. The application will enable the introduction of a "fast line" regime of entry for tourists to Croatia by the end of the month.

During June, the countries from the main Croatian emitting markets are expected to enable their citizens to travel freely to Croatia and back, given the recommendations issued by the European Commission and the fact that Croatia is one of the countries with the lowest number of infected people in Europe. Owners of Croatian camps, hoteliers and other tourist workers are ready to welcome the opening of the season.

All standards in terms of safety for the stay of foreign guests have been implemented in Croatian camps, hotels and other accommodation facilities, as well as in restaurants and other such locations according to the recommendations of Croatian epidemiologists, the World Health Organisation and with regard to the recommendations from Croatia's key emitting markets.

The director of the Croatian Tourism Association, Veljko Ostojic, is satisfied with the preparations for the opening of the summer season, and the first foreign guests have already arrived in Croatia.

''Croatia has an excellent epidemiological situation, and for most guests from key emitting markets, Croatia is a destination which can be reached by car. The Croatian tourism sector has adjusted its safety standards to both national and international recommendations, and we're ready to welcome guests,'' said the director of the Croatian Tourism Association, Veljko Ostojic.

Croatia has been managing the coronavirus crisis very effectively throughout the entire epidemic, and according to international organisations, it is one of the most successful countries in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic in the world.

New cases of infection currently appear only sporadically and Croatia has one of the best epidemiological situations in the whole of the Mediterranean. The health care system and the public protection system in Croatia have responded well to the crisis and have, as such, done well in suppressing the spread of the epidemic. The Croatian health care system remains ready to respond in a timely manner in the event of a virus outbreak as tourism begins to wake up.

Make sure to follow our travel page for more.

May 23, 2020 — A black streak of spray paint strikes through the name of Nerežišća, a village on the island of Brač, replaced by “WUHAN” in block letters. The reference to COVID-19’s launching point seemed appropriate 15 days ago when a coronavirus outbreak struck Dalmatia's largest island and home to its most famous beach. 

Authorities declared the outbreak over after new infections dropped to zero. The island is now easing back measures meant to stem the spread of the virus. It might be time to take the “WUHAN” graffiti down.

“We have won all the significant battles against the coronavirus, but caution still remains,” said the Brač’s chief epidemiologist, Dr. Nađan Šerić, who was on the front line all the time. “A lot of knowledge, effort, and love was invested in breaking COVID-19 and all those who participated in the actions deserve thanks.”   

The island off the coast of Split became a hotspot with 22 new infections emerging on May 8. The announcement fueled an exodus from the island, with even wild boars heading for the exits. Authorities tested 564 residents, with 41 testing positive in the first two rounds and none afterward. The steady stream of negative tests makes local authorities comfortable reopening the island.

The potential for an outbreak emerged when several workers at the Sardina factory were infected with COVID-19, raising questions about the 160 employees inside the plant. Fortunately, the infection didn’t spread within the company.

Brač residents can now roam without seeking permissions or passes. The orders to stay in place expired, with no need for renewal, said the head of Brač’s Crisis Staff Nikola Martinić.

Ferry service connecting the island to Makarska resumed as well. Schools will reopen on May 27.

In two days, the National Civil Protection Directorate’s ban on restaurant and retail businesses will also lift, ending the island’s perilous two-week stint as Croatia’s coronavirus hotbed.

“It wasn't easy. There were difficult and uncertain moments, but our Brač togetherness and determination once again won,” the mayor of Supetar and a member of the Crisis Staff Ivana Marković said.

May 23, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik.

Croatian Aviation reports that German leisure company, Condor, announced they'd be resuming regular international lines from several German cities to well-known tourist destinations across Europe, including Split.

Before the outbreak of the pandemic, this German airline regularly flew on seasonal routes from German airports to Rijeka, Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik, but in the current summer flight schedule, the lines have not yet started operating.

In its last announcement, the company announced the resumption of operations, and the first line to Croatia will be introduced from the end of June.

From June 26, Condor will fly on two routes to Split:

Frankfurt - Split, from June 26, twice a week (Fridays and Sundays),

Dusseldorf - Split, from June 26, twice a week (Fridays and Sundays).

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

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

In addition to these two direct routes, the company, in cooperation with Lufthansa, also offers flights to Hamburg and Munich with short transfers. The mentioned lines will be operated by A320 aircraft, with a capacity of 180 seats.

Tickets are already on sale on the airline's official website. Split will thus be connected to Dusseldorf 3 times a week, considering that Eurowings, as we announced earlier, will fly between these two cities from June 20.

The airline has not yet confirmed the start of traffic from German cities to Zadar, Rijeka and Dubrovnik.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reported that Aegean Airlines announced new start dates for operations to destinations in Croatia.

The Greek airline plans to fly to 3 destinations in Croatia: Dubrovnik, Split and Zagreb in the current summer flight schedule. The line to Zadar was canceled in 2019.

Athens-Dubrovnik will be in operation twice a week from June 25, wit A320 aircraft. Aircraft of this type at Aegean has a capacity of 174 seats. The increase to five-week flights is planned for July 3.

The Athens-Split line has been announced four times a week from July 6, with the A319 aircraft, with a capacity of 144 seats.

The Athens-Zagreb route will again operate from July 1, three times a week, on A319 and A320 aircraft (capacity 144 and 174 seats, respectively).

Finally, Croatian Aviation reports that Emirates, an airline from the United Arab Emirates, has additionally canceled the start of operations on the Zagreb-Dubai route.

Although this seasonal line was supposed to start operating on the first day of the summer flight schedule, this did not happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After that, the company repeatedly delayed the start of operations on this line, and the latest information was that this well-known company would come to the Croatian capital again from July 1 this year.

Emirates usually flies on the Dubai-Zagreb route every day, but due to reduced demand, flights are now postponed until August 1, when the line should start operating with only four flights per week (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays). B47-300ER aircraft with a capacity of 354 seats have been announced on the route.

Given that this is the only seasonal Emirates route in the entire destination network, there is a high probability that this airline will not return to Zagreb this season.

The Zagreb budget and the city companies that also rely on it are now finding themselves beginning to buckle under the pressure and strain caused by the economic crisis.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Gordan Kozulj writes on the 22nd of May, 2020, the past few challenging months have shown how difficult it is for the world's largest economic powers to cope with the problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The majority of the world is now entering the biggest economic crisis since World War II as the coronavirus pandemic continues to bite. But add to all of that, the devastating earthquake as well as the unenviable starting positions in terms of liquidity and indebtedness also had their effects, meaning that we can now get some sort of perspective of the state of the City of Zagreb and its related city companies.

The two-month shutdown of the economy and the damage caused by the earthquake led to a major blow to city finances, the Zagreb budget hasn't been immune.

The City of Zagreb is recording lower tax revenues, expenditure expectations are rising due to the need to renovate key pieces of city infrastructure, and liquidity problems have been going on for some time. The Croatian capital city has very little room for maneuver to absorb unexpected external shocks within the Zagreb budget, especially when it comes to the synergistic effect of multiple destructive events.

The city's expenditures have been burdened to quite a significant degree in the long run when it comes to subsidies to city enterprises or, like employee salaries, they're concretised by collective agreements. At the same time, freezing the prices of services, stopping work (eg charging for public parking) and reducing the sale of services (eg tickets for public transport) due to the introduction of quarantine measures, further aggravated the unenviable financial position of the Zagreb budget and related city companies, as it increased their dependence on that same suddenly enfeebled city budget.

The only way for the Zagreb budget and the city companies that are so closely tied to it to service their obligations and maintain liquidity is to increase borrowing, which is already being done on a rather large scale.

In fact, the collection of bank offers for a new loan for Zagreb in the amount of 350 million kuna is currently in process. It's good to remind ourselves that just before this crisis struck, Zagreb Holding additionally borrowed in the amount of 150 million kuna, as did ZET by contracting a loan in the amount of 537 million kuna for the construction of the much talked about Sljeme cable car.

Somewhat unnoticed in the midst of the coronavirus crisis at the end of March this year was the information that the credit rating agency Standard and Poor's (S&P) changed the outlook of the City of Zagreb from stable to negative, confirming its long-term credit rating of "BB".

More than ever, Zagreb's very functioning during these challenging times depends on decent cooperation with the central state. Namely, the capital expected the financial olive branch to come from the state through the adoption of a special law that would regulate its reconstruction and its co-financing.

In addition, the city initiated a proposal to the government to amend three laws related to the financing of local and regional self-government units (the Law on Financing of Local and Regional Self-Government Units, the Budget Law and the Budget Execution Act) so that it could borrow indefinitely. However, with the recent decision to dissolve Parliament, the possibilities for the timely adoption of such a new law or amendments to existing ones have been shut off.

The second lever to save liquidity the City of Zagreb is seeking lies in the sale of its property. It expects the fastest and most financially significant realisation in this sense to come from the sale of shares it holds in a company called APIS IT. But even in this case, the only serious buyer may be the state itself, which also showed interest in buying several years ago, but currently - the probability of this transaction is small indeed. From all of the above, the question arises whether Zagreb, in its most difficult moments in the last few decades, has been left without an important partner?

The only thing left for the Zagreb budget is to transform its crisis staff from one focused on protecting the resident population from the new coronavirus, to some sort of ''Financial Crisis Management Headquarters''. The establishment of such a headquarters requires the establishment of an expert team, strengthened by an agile organisational structure and an IT tool for generating various simulations.

In this way, the burdened Croatian capital would have the ability to make the quick and informed decisions needed to respond to these troubling financial challenges. The existence of professional support is not in question, it is only a question of the will and determination of the city itself.

* The author of this text is a senior manager in the business consulting department of Deloitte's consulting service

For more, follow our business page.

As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 22nd of May, 2020, so far, as many as 80 percent of clients of Croatian travel agencies have agreed to accept vouchers instead of refunds, and with ''voucher measures'' and the introduction of a moratorium on refunds, agencies are protected with around 200 million kuna, the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies (UHPA) revealed.

However, the turnover of Croatian tourist agencies is still close to zero, nobody has started entering their branches just yet, even though they have opened again, and the question is how these agencies will survive if the minimum wage measure is not extended.

In addition, due to the general uncertainty, it's more difficult today to find insurance companies that will gladly agree to issue guarantee insurance policies, which is a legal obligation of such agencies. In her open letter, Sonja Lovrentjev, the owner of a Zagreb agency called Obord, which normally organises the travel of preschoolers, warned of these issues.

"Insurers are telling us that they don't want to issue this type of insurance, because the risk is too great, but in the event that Croatian travel agencies issue travel vouchers or sell trips without a valid insurance policy, they operate against what the law prescribes. Therefore, it isn't clear to us whether vouchers can be issued only by those Croatian travel agencies that currently have a valid guarantee policy, and what if, at the time of issuing, the voucher the agency provides has a valid insurance policy, but it ceases to be valid in the new travel period?'' asks a concerned Lovrentjev.

UHPA President Tomislav Fain confirmed that UHPA is aware of the problem of guarantee insurance, and is currently in negotiations with two insurance companies that will issue it, namely Triglav and Adriatic osiguranje.

“Insurance companies are private companies that also need to assess their own risks, but we still managed to agree to continue with these policies, and in addition to the insurance policies, the Act also provides bank guarantees,” explained Fain.

Additionally, Fain is convinced that the Croatian Government will comply with the UHPA's request to extend the minimum wage measure for agencies for more than three months, noting that only those with a drop in turnover of 70 percent will receive compensation. He stated that it was worth remembering that Croatian travel agencies were the first to feel the negative effects of the ongoing coronavirus crisis and will probably be the last to get out of it, too.

"We're aware that due to the possible danger of contracting the infection, it isn't possible to open everything we want to open and that it isn't possible to start working in the way we did before the pandemic struck. We're all aware that there is a period ahead of us in which we will generate very little income, and I'm glad that some of my colleagues had their first groups on day trips to Plitvice Lakes National Park last weekend, which reduced ticket prices encouraged by our letter. In one TV show, we discussed the drop in traffic, and our colleagues from other industries talked about how much traffic fell and for whom it fell, and when it was my turn, I said that we have no traffic, that our turnover is 0.00 kuna,'' concluded Fain.

For more, follow our business page.