March the 6th, 2023 - The Jadran hotel group is set to reconstruct the famous Crikvenica Hotel International after having applied for the large project under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO).

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the large hotel group Jadran has successfully applied for a project under the NPOO worth an enormous 22 million euros, of which they could use grants in the amount of 6.6 million euros.

Jadran, as a leading company in the entire Croatian tourism sector for the use of grants, submitted their project for the reconstruction of the much loved Crikvenica Hotel International. The project is called "Step into the hotel of the future/Zakoracite u hotel buducnosti" because the aforementioned funds are aimed primarily at encouraging the green and digital transition of companies working within the wider tourism sector.

The green and digital transition has been a huge talking point for a considerable amount of time across all fields in Croatia, and the coronavirus pandemic has only worked to push things along in both regards. The tourism sector, Croatia's largest economic branch, accounting for around 20 percent of the country's GDP, is far from an exception to the transition. Numerous projects with the green and digital transition firmly in mind have been launched across the wider sector, and hotels aren't immune from the changes Croatia hopes to implement.

Thanks to these very handsome funds, the well known hotel group Jadran will be able to modernise the Crikvenica Hotel International and introduce the latest technologies on offer. The start of the hotel reconstruction is planned for November this year, and it is expected that the works will be finished completely by June 2025, just in time for the very height of that year's summer tourist season.

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September the 3rd, 2022 - The Crikvenica riviera is among the country's most popular destinations to visit for Croatian tourists keen on getting away from where they live and taking time to relax within the country's borders.

As Morski writes, the Crikvenica Riviera is one of the favourite tourist destinations for Croatian tourists, with the most numerous among them living in and coming from the wider Zagreb area and from Eastern Croatia.

Throughout the main summer tourist season, Croatian tourists tend to choose to spend their summer holidays off work in various destinations situated along the Crikvenica Riviera, where there are foreign visitors, but far less of them in comparison to Dubrovnik, Split, or parts of Central and Southern Dalmatia. The proximity of the continental part of the country, the Northern Adriatic, including the Istrian peninsula and Kvarner, is one of the reasons Croatian tourists love this part of the country so much.

Croatian tourists keen for a break by the coast have always loved Crikvenica, and they are second in terms of the amount of number of overnight stays and number of arrivals realised here,'' said Mariana Biondic, the director of the Crikvenica Tourist Board. While some come to this part of the Croatian coastline because it tends to boast more affordable accommodation facilities and slightly lower prices, Crikvenica also offers more luxurious accommodation for those with deeper pockets.

''In this way, we attract a large number of Croatian tourists easily, given the proximity to excellent transport connections. We have one hotel that works all year round, which is excellently recognised by local guests,'' said Lucija Jukic, the director of sales and marketing at Jadran Crikvenica hotels and camps.

As HRT writes, the global coronavirus pandemic has well and truly changed the habits of everyone, and Croatian tourists are no exception. Interest in tourist destinations within the borders of this country has grown throughout recent years, because unfortunately for many, coming to the Adriatic coast in the heart of the hot summer season is an unrealisable and extremely costly dream reserved solely for foreign visitors.

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May the 10th, 2022 - Crikvenica tourist numbers have been very good so far and provide hope for a good summer season ahead.

As Morski writes, by the first of this month, Kvarner had realised more than 820 thousand overnight stays, which is almost completely the same as was recorded back in pre-pandemic, record 2019, and as much as 160 percent better than last year, when the coronavirus pandemic still posed a threat.

The Crikvenica-Vinodolski Riviera has made visible progress with 100,000 overnight stays, which is 26 percent better than the figures recorded back in 2019.

This past weekend, Crikvenica tourist numbers have continued to be encouraging, with about 1,500 guests registered as staying in Crikvenica, which is very much a return to the numbers from back in pre-pandemic years.

According to the claims of the local travel agencies and hoteliers, the booking rate for Crikvenica is very good and everything is pointing firmly to the main season being more than decent.

Crikvenica has always been very well visited during the pre-season. There are larger groups of tourists, the terraces are typically quite full, and the heat of the sun is finally stronger. Guests tend to come from everywhere and preparations for increased Crikvenica tourist numbers are firmly underway, with old hotels being renovated, new ones being built, and so forth.

The only thing holding things back is the search for employees, N1 reports, which has always been an issue, but has definitely been exacerbated in the last two years. Before the tourist season, workers need to be prepared for work and also trained properly in order to be able to perform tasks at the required level. The hunt is on for workers from Croatia, even though there are more and more employers ''importing'' non-EU foreigners from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, for whom they must apply for work permits. Anyone who has ever dealt with MUP knows that this can be a path full of delays and issues which employers simply don't have the time for.

Ongoing inflation, not helped by the coronavirus pandemic and further worsened by the war in Ukraine has been felt by everyone, even ice cream makers are already known to have increased the price of their ice cream scoops. Each scoop will cost 10 kuna in Crikvenica at least until the end of the main summer tourist season, and for next year, who knows how much those prices will continue to rise, especially with 2023's introduction of the euro in Croatia.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

September 18, 2021 - The Crikvenica Tourist Board discount card for private renters is a new way to encourage the consumption of products and services for accommodation facilities.

To encourage consumption in the City of Crikvenica, the Crikvenica Tourist Board launched a project this year - a special card for renters reports HRTurizam.

This card allows private renters, with economic partners involved in the project, to use various benefits and discounts on products and services in arranging and equipping their accommodation facilities and preparing facilities for the tourist season.

“The goal of the project is to connect local business people and private renters, which will result in increased consumption in our city. Furthermore, considering the significant share of private accommodation in the total overnight stays on the Crikvenica Riviera, in this way we together contribute to increasing the quality of the tourist offer," point out the Crikvenica Tourist Board.

The card can be taken over by all citizens holding the Decision on the approval for the provision of household catering services in the Crikvenica area (registered private accommodation renters), which are registered in the eVisitor system.

The Crikvenica Tourist Board also invites all crafts and companies engaged in economic activities, offering products and services for construction, arrangement, and equipment of tourist accommodation facilities and preparation of facilities for the tourist season to contact the Tourist Board to join as project partners.

There are currently over 20 partners offering discounts to renters who have renters cards. Thus, landlords can take advantage of various discounts such as a 10% discount on curtains and decorative fabrics, a 12% discount on air conditioning services, a 10% discount on all services to clean and wash yards, terraces, facades, swimming pools, and all household washes, etc.

This is an exciting and commendable project of the Crikvenica Tourist Board, mainly because it is an additional motive to legalize landlords. 

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As Morski writes on the 13th of January, 2019, Jadranovo near Crikvenica, which continues to record an encouraging and steady rise in both tourist arrivals and overnight stays, needs to give its beach and immediate coastal area a makeover. The inhabitants of Jadranovo, as well as their growing number of guests, require a safe, well-kept beach area that will allow for the further development of tourism in the area.

Therefore, and in addition to Perčin port, Grabrova bay, and more precisely its area located under the beach, will be given that much needed makeover. Behind that, a new square will be constructed, which together with the beach will make up the brand new face of Jakovarska bay. Creating a quality and attractive beach space will create the opportunity for new initiatives to develop, including the placement of tourism facilities and shopping areas on the coast, writes Novi list.

This project was recognised by the Ministry of Tourism and the Deputy Mayor of Crikvenica, Silvia Crnić, who signed the contract for the co-financing of the project in the amount of 640 thousand kuna, in accordance with the program of development of the public tourist infrastructure for 2018.

About 250 meters of Jadranovo's beach area will get a new look as well as some very welcome brand new facilities. There will also be, as previously mentioned, a new square that will fit perfectly into the coastal area and become an integral part of Grabova's new look. The cost of these works stands at fourteen million kuna and such investments will easily be justified by the much faster development of Jadranovo as a destination.

In the area itself, locals think that Grabova's makeover, as well as the doing up of Perčin port, will see Jadranovo truly become a place that lives on the sea and not just by the sea. Although Jadranovo boasts many beautiful beaches, they are mostly hidden away and more difficult for people to access. This project will provide an easily accessible oasis in the very centre of a place that both tourists and locals will fall in love with at first sight.

Make sure to stay up to date with our dedicated lifestyle and business pages for much more.

Click here for the original article by Natasa Car for Novi list

Whether it be big or small, investment in Croatia with the help of European Union funds continues to keep the country's offer competitive.

As Morski writes on the 17th of November, 2018, in one port area in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, the biggest investment cycle so far has begun. ​​Of the massive 150 million kuna investment, as much as 60 million kuna are the projects of the County Port Authority of Crikvenica, and works in Jadranovo, Crikvenica and Selce will begin next week, according to HRT Radio Rijeka.

The project's contractors are Crikvenica Construction and Rijeka BSK Commerce. The completion of the port extension has been announced in Crikvenica for eighteen months time, that in Selce will be done in five years, and in Jadranovo, the expected time limit is one year, with the overall desire for it to be completed before next summer.

Speaking generally, investment in Croatia is a hugely important step in continually improving the country's already rich offer, and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County has not launched such a large investment cycle in its coastal area ever, County Prefect Zlatko Komadin said. This year, 40 million kuna's worth of works began, while the rest of the investment cycle is expected to reach 150 million kuna in the next two years. Along the coast in the Crikvenica area, there also will be works on the ports of Unije, Susak, and Cres. The views of places and cities are changing, which is already evident in Njivice (Krk) and in Novi Vinodolski, and such changes will soon also be seen in Crikvenica, noted the prefect. Komadina also pointed out that they have withdrawn most possible European Union incentives for the upcoming works.

Nada Milošević stressed that as much as 101 million kuna is coming from EU funds. "The Ministry's contingency has been extended until February the 29th next year, so we're planning to run two more projects in addition to the Crikvenica project, involving Rab and Purpurela ports, part of the fishing port and the extension of the Baška port," said Milošević.

The director of ŽLU Crikvenica, Mario Kružić, announced that in Crikvenica, the existing pier will be extended by another sixty metres, and a new western breakwater of 130 metres in length will be built to protect the port from waves. Two existing gates will be built in Selce on Polača and Stari mul, which will be 100 metres longer. In Jadranovo, the plans are the construction of a new promenade of about 400 metres in length, and in Perčin port, the communal berths will be renovated, and in the concessioned area, nautical berths will be constructed. The plan also boasts an 80-metre deep breakwater pontoon, as well as the construction of two piers at lengths of sixty metres.

Work should begin next week, and Crikvenica's administration has asked tourists and citizens alike for their patience, as heavy machinery will be moving through the city streets.

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Click here for the original article by Neva Funcic for HRT Radio Rijeka

The real figures are even higher if non-commercial accommodation facilities are accounted for, and this year there are nearly half a million beds in 102,000 such facilities.

Gone are the days of dangerous drop-offs in Crikvenica. Buses will be able to enter the city with a vignette, after which they will be provided with a parking space where passengers can disembark and board.

An upgrade for Crikvenica's port in on the cards.

New life is set to be breathed into Maritime tradition in Crikvenica.