October 15, 2020 - Guests already perceive the Cres-Losinj archipelago as one destination, which was recognized by the towns of Cres and Mali Losinj, who signed an agreement on cooperation between tourist boards. With this document, they announced the continuation of joint activities to develop tourism further.

HRTurizam reports that the Cres Tourist Board and Mali Losinj Tourist Board are currently implementing a unique Tourism Development Master Plan, which defines long-term visions, growth goals, and a framework for developing a competitive tourism strategy that will contribute to improving the quality of life and creating new development cycles.

"I welcome today's informal association of the tourist boards of Mali Losinj and Cres. I am convinced that by working together, we can position ourselves in the market better and develop projects that will stimulate the overall economic development of our archipelago, which is extremely important in these challenging times. We have excellent cooperation with Cres, and we hope that this agreement will produce many good projects for the development of our islands, but most importantly, that it will improve the quality of life of its inhabitants," said Ana Kučić, Mayor of Mali Losinj and President of the Tourist Board of Mali Losinj.

The vision of tourism in Mali Losinj and Cres is defined in cooperation with key destination stakeholders and is based on three main pillars - Sun and Sea, a tourist product that currently generates the largest share of tourist traffic, then active vacation as a primary tourist product in the pre and post season and Wellbeing which represents the essence of the experience of health tourism and the Wellness & Spa program in the destination.

The master plan envisages that Mali Losinj and Cres will approach the valorization of hitherto unused resources and interpret them in an innovative and modern way. The sustainability principle will be applied through all development activities to preserve the natural environment and quality of life.

"Tourist boards have jointly developed a strategy for the development of tourism in our archipelago, so informal association is just a logical continuation of cooperation. The joint development of a strategy is a kind of engagement of our tourism, which is an association of marriage. The synergy that will result in this tourist marriage will contribute to the recognition of our archipelago as a unique tourist destination with many special features of Cres and Losinj, from Tramuntana in the north to Ilovik in the south," said Kristijan Jurjako, President of the Cres Tourist Board and Mayor of Cres.

The cities of Cres and Mali Losinj have been cooperating at all levels for years, have joint utility companies, a development agency, and cooperate on numerous projects. The informal association of tourist boards is a logical sequence of cooperation.

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September 29, 2020 - If you are looking for a perfect autumn atmosphere, the island of Cres is waiting for you. The oldest oak tree Medunac, caves, and griffon vultures are just a few things that you can expect on your visit to this part of Kvarner Bay.

As Turistickeprice.hr writes, one of the attractions of the island of Cres, which is the most interesting in the fall, is the wooded area of Tramuntana, in the northern part of the island of Cres. The area of the Tramuntana forest is almost 5,500 hectares, and it represents an important natural heritage. The vegetation of this area consists of forests of tall oak, hornbeam, and chestnut. The oldest Medunac oak tree was declared a protected natural monument in 1997.

One of the most famous oak Medunac is located in the hamlet of Sveti Petar. Due to its age and appearance and the large cavities in the body, various stories and legends are woven around it that you will probably be able to learn from the locals or at the Visitor Center in Beli. Anyone who has had a chance to see the beauty of this tree before it has been ravaged by several storms in recent decades and has broken most of its branches and top of the canopy is likely to be disappointed with today’s appearance of the tree. However, the tree still looks impressive and will probably withstand future weather and other adversities for a long time.

Experience the magnificent silhouette of a griffon vulture in flight

Watching the flight of griffon vultures in Kvarner is a unique experience. Vultures most often fly in groups, hardly flapping their wings and searching for food for hours, which is very attractive for bird watchers and all visitors to the island. They cross great distances with ease, and their appearance in the air or on one of the island's cliffs leaves no one indifferent.

Vultures are charismatic birds. Although they may not look attractive at first glance, the fact is that they have shared living space with people over a long history and have become part of folk tales and legends, taking on an important ecological and cultural role in the island space. Their charisma is also proven by the fact that they are considered a symbol of the island of Cres. Anyone who visits Cres and the Kvarner islands must look up at the sky, searching for the magnificent silhouette of a griffon vulture in flight.

Griffon Vulture | Photo by Romulic and Stojcic

The caves are hiding 12,000-year-old skeletons

There are numerous caves and pits on Tramuntana. Some of them are especially important for biospelological, paleontological, and prehistoric studies. Four skeletons of a 12,000-year-old brown cave bear were found in the Campari pit (Baniceva cave), a unique speleological object, near the village of Petricevi. These are the only such complete skeletons in this part of Europe.

Eco trails former roads that connected villages

The first educational eco-trail on the island of Cres that leads through the Tramuntana area takes you through a total of 20 stations marked by stone sculptures by the academic sculptor Ljubo De Karina. The verses of Andro Vid Mihicic, a great poet, patriot, and thinker born in Beli, are engraved on them. A network of instructive eco-trails has been established in the Tramuntana forest area. Along the trails, numerous labyrinths are designed to become a means of re-establishing the communication between Man and the Spirit of Nature.

In Tramuntana, there are a total of 7 pedestrians, the so-called eco trails that pass through the former roads that connected the now-abandoned villages and pastoral apartments on Tramuntana, seven hiking trails, and three bike trails. Experience the wilderness, meet sheep, turtles, griffon vultures. Go around the labyrinths, pass the paths surrounded by walls, and just follow the marked points.

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July 13, 2020 - In their first venture to the Croatian coast, Rešetka's summer menu brings fine-dining quality to seaside streets in 2020

Sometimes you just want a burger, a sandwich, or something you can just eat from your hands. But, just because you haven't got the time or can't be bothered with the faff of fine dining, that doesn't mean you're volunteering for a drastic drop in quality.

That's where Rešetka comes in. Street food providers renowned for sourcing and selling only quality meats, the grill specialists have been a highlight of Zagreb Burger Fest and several pop-ups in recent times. This summer, the experience that has won over the Croatian capital's burger connoisseurs can be found instead along the coast.

Rešetka owner Nikola Božić has embarked on the summer venture with chef Katarina Vrenc. You'll be able to find their new concept 'Fine Street Food by Reshetka & Katarina Vrenc' at several pop-up locations along the Adriatic this summer. They'll be visiting Istria, Kvarner and Dalmatia, including the islands of Cres and Pag.


Rešetka and Đurina Hiža are renowned for using only high quality, locally sourced produce within their dishes including, this year, beef from a hybrid of Japan's famed wagyu and Holstein, sourced from the first range herd of its kind in Croatia © Rešetka

With a commitment to cooking only with high quality, locally sourced produce and ingredients, the team is known to use premium meats and seafood for their dishes. This year they will offer beef from a hybrid of Japan's famed wagyu and Holstein, sourced from the first range herd of its kind in Croatia. Within a summer menu that combines the best of continental and coastal Croatian ingredients, you'll also find superior snacks such as rich pork belly paired with octopus.

Nikola Božić is also the proprietor of Đurina Hiža near Varaždinske Toplice. As recently covered in TCN, thanks to some quick and positive thinking, though the restaurant closed for a while in the Coronavirus lockdown, Nikola was able to adapt his business in order to remain successful during the period; relying on high quality, locally sourced ingredients, he became a bridge between the small producers he'd spent time finding, and those shopping online from their homes. Their 'Deda Goes Around the World' service delivered meats and other produce throughout Croatia during the restaurant's temporary closure.

If you're planning to visit Dubrovnik, Biograd, Pula, Premantura or Split this summer and can't face another pizza slice, kebab or burger of questionable origin, be sure to look out for the Rešetka logo. Fine Street Food by Reshetka & Katarina Vrenc will visit Plavica Bar on island Cres on 7 & 8 August and the Michelin-starred Boškinac on Pag in the middle of September. Further inland, they'll also be available at the High Grounds Festival in Varaždinske Toplice on 31 July, 1 & 2 August. Grab yourself a handful of delicious food and pick a spot to watch the stunning Croatian sunset, the Adriatic coast and its breathtaking backdrop has long been lacking exactly this standard of street food to accompany.


© Rešetka

June 9, 2020 - The SightRun mobile application has enhanced Croatian tourism with three new island tours: Cres, Mali Lošinj and Supetar.

HRTurizam writes that while it is still difficult to predict how the tourism sector will look after the coronavirus, it is quite clear we will have a different kind of tourism.

But one thing is for sure; the bigger focus will be on sustainable and active tourism. This is where SightRun, a tourist running application that provides a new dimension of running, combining this activity with sightseeing, comes into play.

It is an innovative tourist product that presents destinations as 'Run Friendly' destinations and brings this unique niche closer to the destination through stories of local delicacies, cultural and historical sights and natural attractions.

In times when we still need to pay attention to social distance, apps like SightRun help us continue to enjoy the destination without having to do it in large groups. It is the digitalization of tourism in the true sense.

And now, the SightRun application has been enhanced by three new island tours: Cres, Mali Lošinj and Supetar.

The SightRun team has also been working on developing new tours in recent months. "Although the corona-crisis has slowed down and stopped certain promotional actions, this startup can certainly give its contribution to Croatian tourism. The cities of Cres, Mali Lošinj and Supetar have found their place on the list of runner-friendly destinations this time. The tours are about 5 kilometers long and start in the center. Running through the alleys of island settlements, promenades along the sea with stories about the destination and other attractions on the island, will surely encourage guests to explore these attractive destinations further," said SightRun.

It is certainly important to emphasize that all tours are available in Croatian and English.

The SightRun app allows the user to safely (and independently) explore the destination in which they are running for the first time, learn about its history and discover some of the sights and attractions.

“For this type of guest, we mean active guests, it sometimes means first getting to know the destination and therefore, we want to leave the best impression to intrigue the guest to peek into local restaurants, explore the surroundings, look into museums and for a local tourist guide for more information. People are an indispensable link in tourism, and technology is an additional wheel that can enable things to start faster," says SightRun.

All tours are intended for runners, but due to the use of the GPS system of the user's mobile phone, speed is not important. This means that the user can move at the desired speed, walk, stop, take photos, and finish the tour at their pace and time.

The SightRun application is currently available in 17 Croatian destinations, as well as in Munich and Graz.

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

As Morski writes on the 3rd of December, 2019, the implementation of the project at the western part of Cres Port will definitely ensure better connectivity of the inhabited islands of the surrounding archipelago, and by connecting the bus and maritime terminals, it will also facilitate the daily life and movement of the inhabitants of the gorgeous island of Cres.

At the beginning of September this year, preparatory work on the project for the reconstruction and upgrading of the western part of Cres Port began, and the outlines of the future new vision and identity of the city of Cres, more specifically the entire island itself, are already visible. It is an investment worth almost 40 million kuna, of which almost 30 million kuna was co-financed through the Operational Program for Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014-2020.

''The results of two months of intensive work are already visible and are rising above the sea's surface, and I'm glad that everything is going according to the planned dynamics. So far, the construction has been demolished and the pilots have been drilled, reinforcement nets have been set, and all of that has been fitted to its proper positions. The first seven pilots were set, and at the same time, the construction of prefabricated elements began at a separate site,'' explained the director of the Cres County Port Authority, Anton Opatić, adding that the realisation of this valuable project brings a new level of quality to Cres Port that will enable year-round ship lines, and thus enhance connectivity with surrounding medical and educational centres.

The project will see an external breakwater with a total length of about 185 metres and a width of about 6 metres built, it will also arrange a land port of about 280 metres in length.

The completion of the Cres Port project is planned for the end of 2021, which will provide the necessary protection of the aquatorium within the port area of Cres Port, that is, the protection of the bay against the effects of waves and wind and other harsh elements, which directly affect the preservation of the property (vessels) of the inhabitants of Cres during bad weather.

In addition to all of the above, adequate mooring and berth security will be provided for liners in all-year liner navigation, better access will be arranged for persons with reduced mobility, bus and maritime terminals will be connected, the passenger terminal will be more accessible to delivery vehicles and emergency service vehicles, and the overall quality and safety of pedestrian access will be increased.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

Renewable energy sources are increasingly being harnessed on the Croatian coast, where there is ample wind and sun. In addition to wind power plants, which are multiplying every year, the construction of solar power plants is also on the rise.

There is one plant in Istria, which became operational in 2018, and three more will produce electricity in early 2020: on the islands of Cres and Vis and near Vrlika according to Morski on November 26, 2019. With investments of HRK 80 million, Croatian Electric Company (HEP) will add four new power plants to their network with a total capacity of 11.6 megawatts (MW). In the long term, they plan to complete solar power projects with a total power of 350 MW by the end of 2030.

The Kaštelir solar power plant has a capacity of 1 MW and an expected annual production of about 1.5 million kWh, which will meet the electricity needs of about 500 households. The power plant is equipped with solar panels manufactured by the Solvis company in Varaždin. This plant has been operating since December 2018. It has a contract with HROTE (Croatian Energy Market Operator) as a preferred producer within their incentive system. Here is an aerial video of the plant.

The location permit for the Cres solar power plant was obtained in June 2018 and that plant is being developed by the County of Primorje-goranska. The location of SE Cres is about 2 kilometers north of the settlement Orlec on the island of Cres. The power plant is 6.5 MW with an expected production capacity of 8.5 million kWh per year, which will meet the electricity needs of about 2,500 households. The total value of the investment is HRK 41 million. Preparatory work on the site is underway and the power plant will begin operating in 2020. Here is a simulation of the Cres power plant.

The Vis solar power plant will be located on the hill of Grizova Glavica, near the village of Žena Glava, about 3.6 kilometers southwest of the town of Vis and about 4.8 kilometers east of Komiža. HEP purchased the project from Končar-Obnovlji izvori energie (Končar Renewable Energy). The expected annual output is 4.2 million kWh, which will meet the needs of about 1,400 households. This investment is valued at HRK 25.3 million. The power plant is under construction and is expected to be operational by February 2020.

The Vrlika Jug solar power plant represents the completion of the first phase of planned construction in the southern part of the Kosora working zone in the town of Vrlika. The power plant will have 2.1 MW of power and an estimated annual output of about 2.9 million kWh. Construction will be completed in the first half of 2020, according to HEP.

For more information on HEP solar plant projects, check out their website here.

To keep updated on renewable energy projects in Croatia, follow our Business page here and our Lifestyle page here.

ZAGREB, August 30, 2019 - Forty million kuna will be invested until the end of 2021 for a project for the reconstruction and upgrade of the western section of Cres port, with most the funds being provided from EU funds, the project's promoter, the port authority in Cres, said on Friday.

The construction works will be financed from the Competitiveness and Cohesion Operational Programme with a grant of 29.2 million kuna, while the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure will secure 5.1 million kuna and the remainder will be supplied by the port authority.

According to port director Anton Opatić, a 185-metre breakwater will be constructed that will serve to berth passenger ships as well as on-land facilities.

This will allow for better connectivity between Cres and other islands in the Kvarner area and reduce overcrowding during peak traffic.

Minister of the Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butković said that grants are being obtained for projects along the entire coast, adding that this will contribute to the renaissance of Croatia's coast.

MEP Tonino Picula said that the islands are communities that have managed over the past few years to establish themselves as very important and have managed to develop thanks to EU funds.

Croatia has 1,244 islands, about 50 of them are settled and ten are beneficiaries of European energy transition projects, Picula said.

More Cres news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

As Morski writes on the 7th of July, 2019, after a very long time, a ship from Rijeka could soon sail on a new, certain line. It was five years ago, more precisely 2014, when the Liburnija vessel was sailing on this coastal route.

Five years on from 2014, and certain things are very different indeed in many parts of and across many segments of life in Croatia, the market has been well and truly liberalised, which hasn't always been met with positivity, but that very same liberalised market now offers foreign ship companies the ability to maintain Croatian lines. This new Rijeka line, which will carry out the service between Rijeka and Porozina (the island of Cres) is just one example of that.

Owing to the aforementioned, this weekend, from Messina, Italy, the Giuseppe Franza ship owned by the Caronte & Tourist carrier took to Croatian waters. From unofficial sources, the portal Brodovi u Rijeci (Ships in Rijeka) reports that the ship will be engaged on the line between Rijeka and Porozina for two months, from the 15th of July to the 15th of September, 2019.

The Coastal shipping agency has since confirmed that the aforementioned Italian shipping company had applied to run this line without public service on the Rijeka-Porozina route and vice versa. However, it has not yet obtained all the approvals and permits to do so, and only after the collection of all of the documentation can the conclusion of the contract begin, as they state from the competent agency.

The search for the ship's crew of the ship appeared on the Internet.

If everything is fine with the documentation, Rijeka will soon (possibly from the 15th of July) be directly connected with Porozina thanks to the Italian Giuseppe Franza ship, which was built in 1993 in Italy. It is 114 metres long and 17 metres wide, it boasts two ramps that allow a quick flow of vehicles and it can accommodate 600 passengers and 120 cars.

Make sure to follow our dedicated travel page for much more.

As Morski writes on the 25th of April, 2019, over the Easter holidays, 28,500 guests stayed in Kvarner, accounting for 99,000 overnight stays, which is a massive 100 percent increase when compared to the same period back in 2018, according to the Kvarner Tourist Board.

According to the official data from the eVisitor system, 28,500 guests spent 99,000 nights in Kvarner over four Easter holiday days (from Friday to Easter Monday).

The numbers from not only last year, but also from 2016 and 2017 prove the fact that during the Easter season this year, Kvarner was visited by a record number of guests. Thus, this year, 37 percent more overnight stays were realised when compared to 2017, when the Easter holidays fell during the same period of April, and even more incredible 147 percent more than 2016 were recorded, when the Easter holidays fell earlier, at the end of March.

In more than 100 of Kvarner's hotels and in as many as 25 camps, as well as a large number of holiday homes and private apartments, guests from Germany, other parts of Croatia, Austria, Italy and neighbouring Slovenia made up large numbers. German guests realised 25 percent of the total number of overnight stays, while domestic guests and guests from Austria realised 14 percent of the total number of overnight stays, with guests from Italy making up 11 percent.

Most of the overnight stays were realised on the island of Krk (32,300), followed by the Opatija riviera (23,400), the island of Lošinj (15,500), the Crikvenica-Vinodolski riviera (10,000), Rijeka and its surroundings (6,300), on the island of Rab (5,500), the island of Cres (5,300) and Gorski Kotar (850).

Nearly half of the overnight stays (49,000) were realised in hotels across Kvarner, most of which open on the Opatija riviera. 23,000 overnight stays were spent in private accommodation and in camps, most of them on Kvarner's numerous islands, account for 22,000 overnights.

In the spirit of the Easter holidays, Kvarner's hosts across the region prepared a large number of events for guests, from traditional cultural and entertainment events to gastronomic, religious and nature-related activities.

''In the last eight years, if we only look at the [main tourist] season, we're talking about a jump of as much as 90 percent, while in terms of the total number of overnight stays for the same period we've seen an increase of 50 percent. This marked increase in the number of guests, both foreign and domestic, shows us that we have a well-established development strategy based on our activities and programs, with the emphasis on filling out the period outside of the main summer tourist season.

The performances at this year's fairs and presentations on our strongest markets - Germany, Austria, Italy and Slovenia - gave us a good insight into the beginning of this tourist year and what those employed in tourism in Kvarner can expect,'' stated dr.sc. Irene Peršić Živadinov.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

ZAGREB, April 9, 2019 - A European Union firefighting exercise, Modex Cres 2019, is being held on the northern Adriatic island of Cres on April 7-10, and a part of the exercise, involving about 300 firefighters from a dozen EU countries and designed to demonstrate joint action by international forces, was presented to reporters on Monday.

This is the first EU exercise focusing on wildfires and it is part of the EU project "Romex" and of activities of the EU Mechanism of Civil Protection, which are designed to promote cooperation between member-states in cases of large-scale natural disasters and technological and environmental emergencies.

Of 34 member-countries, about a dozen are involved in the exercise in Cres, with firefighters from Croatia, Greece, Spain, France, Austria, Romania, Italy and Bulgaria participating directly.

The purpose of the firefighting exercise on Cres, to last without interruption for 52 hours, is to show whether Europe is prepared for big wildfires as recent ones in Sweden and Greece.

The emphasis of the exercise is not on technical capacity but on strategy, planning, tactics, operation efficiency, cooperation, orientation in unfamiliar terrain and flexibility.

The exercise is also part of a pilot project for advanced regional cooperation in extraordinary civilian situations, co-financed with funds from NATO's Science for Peace and Security Programme.

Preparations for the exercise were carried out by the Croatian Firefighting Association, in cooperation with the Romanian consortium CN APELL and the town of Cres.

The participating firefighters are using the Next-Generation Incident Command System, an advanced information system for the management of crisis situations, developed by the US Homeland Security Department's Science and Technology Directorate.

After the exercise was demonstrated, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides thanked Croatia for hosting the exercise, which he described as excellent, pointing to the importance of readiness and solidarity.

Croatian Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović said that Croatia had not been chosen to host the exercise by chance.

We have shown that we are among the very best, we are demonstrating solidarity and expect it when needed, Božinović said, adding that as part of a transitional mechanism Croatia would make available, for use outside of its borders, two firefighting planes and two police helicopters.

That means that we will get from the EU funds to cover 75% of the cost of our assistance, including maintenance, fuel and other costs, in the amount of around 2 million euros, Božinović said, adding that Croatia had helped before as well but that it had covered the cost of its assistance from its own budget.

He stressed that wildfires no longer affected only the south of Europe and that close to 5,000 Europeans were killed in natural disasters in the last five years. There were 138 major natural disasters, with losses amounting to more than EUR 20 billion, he said, adding that protection and rescue funds would be higher in the next multiannual framework, in excess of 1.3 billion kuna.

Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli, who also attended the demonstration, said that security was one of the most important reasons why tourists visited Croatia and that it was important to show them that Croatia was part of a big European security basin.

National firefighting commander Slavko Tucaković said that more than 600 participants were accredited for the exercise, that the EU had financed the project with 45,000 euro and that it involved all homeland security components - firefighters from five Croatian counties, Air Force members, members of the Red Cross and others.

More news about firefighting in Croatia can be found in the Lifestyle section.