July the 9th, 2020 - Representatives of Croatian creative industries claim that it's an illusion to think that the current climate is something that will pass, and that instead we need to realise that this is our new reality. On top of that, as Novac writes, they stated that classic banks don't understand what such industries do, and the interest rates they offer are entirely unrealistic.

"So far, we've been more concerned with emphasising the importance of culture and creativity, but now we're all in a war. Our activities are intertwined, so even now our entire ecosystem is disrupted. The crisis has shown how much we all depend on each other, for example, the impact of closing restaurants on musicians' earnings,'' said the president of the HGK Association of Cultural and Creative Industries, Tomo in der Mühlen, at a recent extended session of the HGK's Community of Cultural and Creative Industries Council.

He noted that, as stated, banks tend not to understand Croatian creative industries well at all.

"There's better support abroad in that sense, and we can see that the owners of festival licenses are foreigners and that they're coming to be a competition on our market. We're going to make the rules of the game the same for everyone,'' said in der Mühlen.

"We've created two sets of measures, the first as direct assistance to the affected sectors during the suspension of cultural events. The second is the exit strategy, ie, an adaptation to the current situation. We'll have to live with this for a while,'' said Kresimir Partl, State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture.

He pointed out cinema screens not only in Croatia but in the entire EU are among the hardest hit of all.

"It will take a long time for this industry to recover," Partl said.

He also presented concrete measures from the Ministry of Culture for Croatian creative industries, such as additional funds for audiovisual activities financed from HAVC for the needs of additional production costs due to the enforced epidemiological measures. In cooperation with HAMAG-BICRO and the Ministry of Finance, credit lines for cultural enterprises based on the Temporary Framework of the European Commission have also been provided. A total of 300 million kuna in credit lines is envisaged, for which the Government provides a 100% guarantee with an interest rate of up to 2%.

"The long-term goal is to connect these industries with other segments of the economy, such as manufacturing, in order to create products competitive on the global market because we can't go for economies of scale, but added value," said HGK's Tomislav Rados.

Jagoda Divic, Business Secretary of the Association and Assistant Director of the Industry Sector of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, presented the upcoming activities of the Association.

"The goal is to establish [these] industries as a competitive and independent economic area, systematically monitor indicators, attract external capital, establish a platform for funding models, especially for beginners, and continue to work on copyright protection and dialogue with institutions, other professions and the scientific community," said Divic.

Nenad Marcec from ZAMP pointed out that the concept under which events can be organised was accepted by the Croatian Government, but that events still aren't taking place. Organisers simply don't dare to invest. However, there is also an increase in online revenue as well as an increase in creativity.

"People used this time to be productive," Marcec said. Attendees also agreed that the problem was that the public thought that nightclubs were the main culprits of the spread of infection, or at least one of them.

"When recommendations were made, in order to enable cultural events to take place, the maximum number of people was determined, and the possibility to consult the Ministry of Culture for a larger number of visitors under specific conditions was also enabled," said Partl, calling on everyone to contact the Ministry.

Robert Zuber, the director of the Rab Film Festival, commented on the inconsistency of the instructions, due to the rapid change, but also the different levels of implementation at the local level. "I refuse to give up and I refuse to be guilty if we did everything right," said Zuber, noting that funds are limited and that we need to think about how to create a model through which we can continue to make money.

Berislav Marszalek also confirmed that the problem for everyone is uncertainty. "In Belgium, they created an application where the organiser reports the event to the system, he is assigned with a 'risk colour' and that's something he can then communicate to the audience. We also need a risk assessment model and a central place through which we can inform and communicate about events,'' said Marszalek.

Petar Pavic, vice-president of the Marketing Association of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, agreed about the platform, which would then be broadcast by the media, thus reducing the stigma for the event organisers.

Boris Kovacek from the Weekend Media Festival also commented on some old ills of the industry and pointed out the complicated procedure of bringing in foreign lecturers. "It would also be good to exclude festivals from the fiscalisation system if you only pay with cards," Kovacek said.

The president of the Association for Industrial Design of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Silvija Jonjic, agreed that there were problems even before the coronavirus pandemic struck Croatia, such as a shortage of products because the industrial designer doesn't always cooperate with the manufacturer, who stated that a real and high quality strategy is now desperately needed.

For more on Croatian creative industries and the coronavirus age, follow our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, July 9, 2020 - A total of 91 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Croatia in the last 24 hours, one person has died and three are on ventilators, the National Civil Protection Authority said on Thursday.

The number of active cases currently stands at 978, the authority said on its website.

Of the active cases, 100 are receiving hospital treatment and three of them are on ventilators.

Since February 25, when the first case of infection with the novel coronavirus in the country was reported, 3,416 people have contracted the disease, and of the 115 have died while 2,323 have recovered.

Currently, 4,410 people are in self-isolation.

So far, 89,764 people have been tested, including 1,529 in the last 24 hours.

July 9, 2020 - As borders open and tourism resumes, it's up to us to do our part to ensure a safe environment in the post-lockdown world. Zinfandel Food & Wine Bar is setting an example in Split. 

Croatia has imprinted their name amongst the list of countries that fought COVID-19 head-on and established measures early to protect and provide a secure state. Luckily, their work paid off, and citizens and visitors are able to roam and enjoy the solace of summer freely. 

However, the 'new normal' is well and truly here. As we regain our footing post-lockdown, we must all do our part to guarantee the most corona-free environment we can. One way to do that is by adhering to measures, whether it's keeping a social distance or wearing a mask. 

One admirable example comes from Zinfandel Food & Wine Bar in Split, whose encouraging words confirm that while Split and Croatia are safe to visit, we must all come together to make sure it stays this way. 

"Our safety is your safety!" What a wonderful message to send to the world from Split, Croatia. Remember, we are all in this together. 

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.

Krunoslav Capak stated that in all of Europe, the number of new cases of infection rose in all countries which relaxed their anti-epidemic measures, and that includes Croatia. As Poslovni Dnevnik/Bruno Lipej writes on the 8th of July, 2020, Capak was a recent guest on HRT's morning show Dobro jutro, Hrvatska/Good morning, Croatia on which he discussed our current ''dance'' with the new coronavirus.

''Quarantine is good, but it's unsustainable, we need to get used to coexistence [with the virus],'' said the director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak. As for limiting the visit of parents to children in hospitals to a mere fifteen minutes, Capak said that they're already talking about increasing that time and that he thinks that will happen.

''We're already talking about changing the situation, to make sure the hospitals create the conditions that it's possible without any big risk of the entry of the virus into a hospital or health institution,'' said Krunoslav Capak.

He also said that the strategy of the much talked about ''hammer and dance'' coined by a world-famous epidemiologist means that we first need to "quarantine", which we did, and then we need to learn to live with the virus.

''Quarantine is good, but it's unsustainable. From a psychological perspective, an economic perspective, from every perspective - quarantine can't last for long, and that's why we have to get used to coexistence [with the virus], stick to the measures and, as this other name of the strategy says, dance with the virus as much as possible,'' explained Krunoslav Capak.

''Now, it's very important that we discover the source of infection [when it arises] as early as possible. That we find someone who is infected, sick, and that we put their contacts in self-isolation, and isolate them so that they can't spread the virus further. If we're successful in this, then we'll be able to keep things under control. We hope we're successful,'' he said.

When asked if restrictions will be introduced, he said that everything is on the table and that they're talking about everything, but that he believes that education on the virus and how to slow its spread is a better solution.

Krunoslav Capak also revealed that he has already received hundreds of e-mails from angry brides and wedding event organisers:

''As soon as we said we'd reduce the numbers attending weddings… We never said we'd ban weddings, I never talked about banning, but I talked about introducing some stricter measures... Some people are polite and they appeal that, and some are rude, they make threats and so on...''

As for the situation at the borders, specifically with Slovenia, he rejected the claim that Croatia is heading towards landing on the neighbouring country's infamous red list, saying that we should instead stay "in the middle of the yellow list".

As far as restrictions are concerned, Krunoslav Capak said that they also thought about this, but they let tourists come because tourism is a very important branch of the economy for Croatia. However, he added, they are now thinking about it again. He also said that we have an excellent situation with tourists and that only a few of them arrived infected.

As for the possibility of introducing an obligation to wear masks indoors, Krunoslav Capak expressed skepticism about introducing that obligation for all indoor spaces, saying he thinks masks should be kept in areas where more people stay indoors for longer periods of time.

''That is being discussed,'' Krunoslav Capak briefly said.

He added that they didn't ban or punish people during the epidemic and that they still think that education and warning are the best measures, but that they will discuss tightening and controlling the wearing of masks if it proves to be necessary.

''I'm appealing to everyone to listen to what the epidemiologists are saying because that's our job,'' concluded Capak.

For more, follow our lifestyle page.

July the 8th, 2020 - The European Commission (EC) isn't very optimistic as far as Croatia's predicted GDP drop for 2020 is concerned, but is there light at the end of the tunnel for 2021, at least?

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has been wreaking havoc with the global economy and Croatia's, which is heavily reliant on tourism and hospitality, has been far from immune to these negative trends. The Croatian economy is heavily influenced by seasons, on top of that, with a drop in unemployment usually occurring at the tail end of March as business owners seek out waiters, chefs, cleaners, bar staff and more. This trend was stopped in its tracks before it could even gain any momentum by the pandemic.

April was an absolutely dire month for Croatia in every possible economic sense as lockdown saw consumption and hiring as we know it grind to a halt. Things are improving now, and in some sectors in a better way than we could have expected, but just what does the European Commission envisage for the rest of this year?

As Novac writes, Croatia will face even more severe consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic than previously thought. According to the latest forecasts published recently by the European Commission, the decline in GDP for Croatia this year will be as much as 10.8 percent, and next year the recovery will begin and growth will be 7.5 percent.

Only Italy with a drop of 11.2 percent and Spain, with a drop of 10.9 percent, will have a bigger drop than Croatia. Both of these popular Mediterranean countries which are also very tourism-oriented were hit tremendously hard by the virus. A similar category includes France, where GDP expected to fall by 10.6 percent, and Greece, the GDP of which is down by 9 percent.

From the above, it is evident that the countries for which tourism is one of the key branches will be the hardest hit. Poland, which should have a 4.6 percent drop, and Sweden, 5.3 percent, will feel the lightest of blows.

The latest report of the European Commission, along with the summer forecasts, states that the Croatian economy was more resilient before the outbreak of this crisis than it was before the global financial crisis back in 2008. The reports notes the fact that the growth of domestic demand will play the biggest role in Croatia's overall recovery next year.

For more, follow our lifestyle page.

Minister Bozinovic has gone from 'just' being the Minister of the Interior to a true household name ever since the coronavirus pandemic broke out earlier this year and the staff members of the National Civil Protection Headquarters began with their daily briefings to the press.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 8th of July, 2020, HDZ is close to forming a new government, but they don't have an easy path ahead of them. This summer's economic forecasts, the first after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, have seen the European Commission additionally increase its estimate of the decline of the Croatian economy to 10.8 percent this year, predicting a partial recovery and growth of 7.5 percent next year.

Let us not forget, just because we seem to have a better handle on the situation now, the coronavirus epidemic is still going on. Minister Bozinovic spoke on RTL Danas (Today) about everything that awaits Croatia, but also about HDZ's agreements behind closed doors.

"All minority representatives said they'd support Andrej Plenkovic as the prime minister-designate of the new government. Of course, our partners from the previous government, HNS and Mr. Cacic, have 76 'hands', and signatures are being collected, I think it's all a technical matter," said Minister Bozinovic, adding that he will visit the President of the Republic as soon as the conditions for that are created: ''Very soon, I think it's realistic for it to happen next week. Maybe this one too,''

Two questions now arise:

Is there a possibility for making sure there are a smaller number of participants at weddings given the current 'boom' in newly infected people having attended them and coronavirus' apparent love of spreading indoors and in close quarters? On top of that, the elections are now over, will there be stricter anti-epidemic measures introduced?

"They [measures] have nothing to do with the elections, we can see that there are hotspots that are local and we're extinguishing them locally. On the one hand, the battle with the virus can be won easily if we adhere to the measures, especially during the summer,'' Minister Bozinovic replied.

The Minister of Health, Vili Beros, mentioned that the possibility of banning weddings is also an option which remains "on the table".

''It's possible that we'll need to reduce the number of participants in wedding ceremonies in some phases. It isn't easy to achieve a balance of joy on the one hand and prevent the spread of the virus on the other. All we're doing now is trying to influence people to avoid situations where the virus is spreading.

It would be too radical to start again with the measures that were in place back in March and April. There will be some intermediate measures like the ones we introduced at nightclubs. There are constant inspections and we see that there are no new appearances [of the new coronavirus] coming from nightclubs. As for weddings, we may be forced to make sure there are a smaller number of participants,'' the pair concluded.

For more, follow our lifestyle page.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has been incredibly damaging to the European retail trade, with Croatia's economy being among the worst hit in the entire European Union (EU). While there were some 'good' aspects to come out of this, such as more Croats online shopping and turning to domestic produce, it's still very difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel for many.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 7th of July, 2020, the growth of European retail trade was mostly driven by motor fuels on a monthly basis, given the fact that it recorded growth of almost 40 percent across the EU.

After the April decline in retail trade on European market, which stood at 11.4 percent on a monthly basis in the European Union and at 12.1 percent in the Eurozone itself, May finally brought some respite to the enfeebled industry brought to its knees by the negative consequences of the global coronavirus pandemic.

In that month, after easing the "lockdown" measures which were put into place to try to slow down the rate of infection which was sweeping the globe with a remarkable yet terrifying ease, the European retail market grew by an encouraging 16.4 percent when compared to the terrible results recorded during April, while in the Eurozone, it managed to reach 17.8 percent according to Eurostat.

However, on an annual basis, May could have actually been somewhat of a negative sign because compared to last year, there was an expected decline in that month, by 4.2 percent in the European Union, and by 5.1 percent in the area which uses the common European currency (Eurozone).

With encouraging retail growth of 21.4 percent in May, Croatia was among the countries with the highest growth, led by Luxembourg with 28.6 percent, followed by France with 25.6 percent and then by Austria with 23.3 percent growth.

As stated, the growth of the European retail trade was mostly driven by motor fuels on a monthly basis, given that this item in the recorded growth of almost 40 percent in the EU. Non-food products followed fuel with 30.2 percent growth.

For more, follow our business page.

ZAGREB, July 7, 2020- The Ministry of the Interior's "Ivan Vucetic"Forensic Science Centre has joined in a project studying COVID-19 and for the first time in the world, a potential connection between a particular part of the human genome and clinical manifestations of COVID-19 will be examined in its laboratory.  

The centre's laboratory for massive parallel sequencing joined the project at the invitation of the Zagreb Faculty of Science.

The project will focus on determining the connection between the severity of clinical symptoms and genetic traits of persons infected with the novel coronavirus, with the help of gene sequencing.

The genetic sequence of the virus in each patient will be determined, as will mutations of the virus RNA in the Croatian population, and it will be studied how the course of the disease is affected by the relationship between virus mutations and an individual's genetic basis.

Experts from Italy and Germany are also involved in the project.

 July 7, 2020 - So who is visiting Croatia this summer? A look at the top 20 countries by number of visitors for the month of June, according to the official statistics. 

There is no point in comparing statistics with previous years with the extraordinary year that 2020 has become .But where are the tourists from who made it to Croatia in the month of June?

Official statistics released by the tourism chiefs show that there were 722,565 foreign tourists in June 2020, compared to 2,851,865 at the corresponding time last year. Here are the top 10. 

1. Slovenia - 206,652 - Border fully open since May 28

2. Germany - 203,537 - Border fully open since May 28

3. Austria - 71,762 - Border fully open since May 28

4. Czechia - 65,889 - Border fully open since May 28

5. Italy - 31,968

6.. Poland - 31,297 - Border fully open since May 28

7. Hungary - 23,963 - Border fully open since May 28

8. BiH - 17,396

9. Slovakia - 14,277 - Border fully open since May 28

10. Switzerland - 9,826

11. Serbia - 5,874

12. Belgium - 3,066

13. Romania - 2,713

14. UK - 2,379

15. France - 2,265

16. Ukraine - 2,080

17. USA - 1,853

18. Russia - 1,785

19. Lithuania - 1,401 - - Border fully open since May 28

20. Latvia - 1,195 - - Border fully open since May 28

With a reported 110,000 Slovenians owning holiday homes in Croatia, coupled with their proximity to Croatia, it is no surprise that Slovenians arrived in the greatest numbers, followed by Germans, who were keen to get to the beach after the lockdown. 

Unsurprisingly, the list is dominated by the 10 countries whose borders were fully open since May 28, with only Estonia not making the list. 

Switzerland's position in 10th is worthy of mention. Despite being high-spending tourists in a destination which is accessible by car and direct flights, it was not included in the 'The Vacation You Deserve is Closer than You Think; campaign. That campaign was launched to just 7 countires - Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Poland, Czechia and Slovakia. 

Serbia and BiH have long been large markets for Croatian tourism, although Serbia is no longer considered a strategic market. So much so, in fact, that despite Croatia being the main sponsor of the Belgrade Tourism Fair as recently as 2011, the Croatian National Tourist Board no longer has a stand at the region's biggest tourism fair. Serbian and Bosnian numbers would have been higher for June, had temporary quarantine restrictions not been introduced. 

It is also interesting to note that despite the fact that EU external borders were officially closed, three of the top 20 countries were from outside the EU, among them the United States. 

Expect July's numbers to increase significantly and to also be introduced much more by something which was largely absent in June from many countries - flights. 

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.

July 7, 2020 - With the two trends happening at the same time, the rising number of tourists in Croatia, and the rising number of new coronavirus-infections in Croatia, it's almost inevitable that the two will collide. What to do if a tourist gets corona while vacationing in Croatia? 

We've received numerous questions regarding this relevant matter, and in this article, we will attempt to answer most of those questions. Our answers are mostly the translation and the summary of two documents issued by the Croatian Public Health Institute (one regarding tourists, and one regarding the criteria for finishing the isolation; both links to .pdf documents in Croatian). 

So, in a form of FAQ, what do the people in charge of epidemiology in Croatia recommend:

1. What to do if you feel symptoms?

First of all, you need to let the people working in your accommodation that you feel ill. Every hotel, apartment, motel, or camp in Croatia should know what to do in that situation and have one person who will be in charge of that. They'll ask you not to leave your room, provide you with the surgical masks, and contact a local doctor. The doctor will determine if you're really a potential COVID patient, and organize the testing and further steps that need to be taken. You're not to leave your room until you get the test results back, and neither are your close contacts. Nobody will be allowed to enter your room, so you will have to keep it clean yourself (it will only be a day or so before your test results arrive). The food will be delivered to your door. If you test negative, the isolation measures are canceled and you're free to enjoy the rest of your stay in Croatia.  

While you really shouldn't do it yourself, without coordination with the local health authorities, here's an article describing the process of getting tested in Croatia for foreigners - it will cost you 1500 kunas.

2. Do you have to get tested in Croatia?

If you report to anyone that you suspect that you have COVID, you will get tested in Croatia. If you suspect it but want to go home in order to get tested, please be advised that it's highly risky behavior, both for yourself, your family (or other close contacts) or for anyone you might encounter along the way, so at least take extra precautions (masks, gloves, no close contact with anyone).

3. If you test COVID-19 positive, do you have to go to a hospital? 

No. You will be taken to a hospital if your condition is serious enough that you need to be hospitalized. If you are suffering milder symptoms, and it's considered safe for you not to be in a hospital, you will not be taken to one. 

4. Which hospital?

That will be decided by the medical staff at your location. Numerous hospitals in Croatia are capable of taking COVID-19 patients, and you will probably be taken to the closest one, but the disease is unpredictable, so it's possible that things will change if you need additional care. 

5. How long will you have to stay in a hospital? 

Nobody can answer that question. There are so many factors, and as we said, the disease is quite unpredictable. Some recent studies show that the median stay in the hospital for those patients who do not need mechanical ventilation is around 10 days; that certainly does not mean that EVERY patient gets out of the hospital on their tenth day. 

6. How much will the hospital stay cost?

Croatian media reports that the average hospitalization of a COVID-19 patient costs around 50 thousand kunas, for those patients that didn't require mechanical ventilation, and somewhere around 100 thousand kunas for those that did. Again, those are just averages and the actual cost depends greatly on the individual circumstances for every patient. The usual hospital stay per day in a Croatian hospital costs around 500 kunas, with the price going to close to 1500 per day in the ICU or on mechanical ventilation. 

7. Who pays for the hospitalization? 

For all Croatian citizens, all of the hospital costs are covered by the HZZO (Croatian Health Insurance). 

For all EU +EAA citizens, the hospital costs will be covered by HZZO and then charged to their national health insurers. 

All third-country patients will have to pay for their hospital stays and then get refunds from their travel or health insurance companies. 

8. If you test positive and don't have to be hospitalized, do you have to stay in Croatia or can you return home? 

Again, it depends. The local administration should have a location set-up for the patients in this situation, where they'll be able to stay for the duration of their isolation. The same goes for the close contacts of the patients, who will also be asked to quarantine. If you want to return home before your isolation/quarantine period is over, you will have to be approved by the Croatian physicians and your country's authorities. They will communicate through the IHR system and agree upon the conditions of your return.

9. How long is the self-isolation?

For those who have not tested positive, the quarantine period is 14 days. 

For positive patients, it's 14 days since the onset of symptoms, and 3 days since the patient has last had fever. For positive asymptomatic patients, it's 14 days since their initial positive test result. 

10. Where will you be isolated, in your previous accommodation or are there designated spots for the isolation? 

The recommendations by the HZJZ linked above are completely clear: there should be organized accommodation, arranged by the local administration, prepared in advance, for the purpose of accepting foreign (and, in some cases, even some local) patients who have tested positive for COVID-19. The same is valid for their close contacts: there should also be accommodation prepared for them to stay during their 14-day quarantine. 

11. Can a patient get some dental work done after the isolation is completed and the patient is no longer positive? 

After you're no longer positive and your isolation is completed, you're free to do whatever you want to do - return home, stay in Croatia longer... You will, of course, need to make arrangements with the clinic where you wanted to get dental work done.

12. Do you have to get tested to show you're negative before returning back home? 

Croatia does not require you to have a negative test in order to get home. If you are positive, please read answer 7 to see how your return home might happen. 

If you have any other questions we haven't covered regarding the possibility that a tourist gets corona while in Croatia, let us know and we'll update this article with those answers. 

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.