December 22, 2019 - Kvarner is ready for the 30,000 guests that should visit during the Christmas and New Year holidays, which is about the same number of guests as last year.

Novi List writes that about 100,000 overnights will be realized during the holidays, most of them on the Opatija Riviera (45,000). The island of Lošinj has announced 17,000, the Rijeka area 15,000, the Crikvenica-Vinodol Riviera 9,000, the island of Krk 7,000, Gorski Kotar and the island of Rab 5,000 each, and the island of Cres 1,000. 

There will be 64 hotels open in Kvarner, as well as three camps, two in Losinj and one in Krk.

Most guests are expected on the Opatija Riviera. In Opatija itself, according to the data of the Opatija Tourist Board, the Christmas and New Year holidays should see13,250 guests, which will generate 37,800 nights. Most overnights will be spent on hotel accommodation. In this period, 27 hotels will be open in Opatija, with the majority expected to be guests from Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Italy and Croatians.

“A rich program of ‘The Most Beautiful Advent by the Sea’ awaits all visitors, which will bring a lot of good music like concerts by Marko Tolja, Martina Majerle, Renata Sabljak and Đani Stipanič, as well as many other renowned musicians who will grace the beautiful winter and summer stage, animation for the youngest and other surprises. As many as four events have been prepared for the New Year - for the youngest at noon on the Summer Stage, to three outdoor parties. All guests who have chosen Opatija for the New Year will be congratulated by the Mayor of Opatija on January 1 at the traditional Mayor's Toast,” said Željka Stašić, project manager at the Opatija Tourist Board.

The second most visited destination for the upcoming holidays will be Rijeka and its surroundings. According to the long-term trend of growth in the number of overnight stays in the city, the Rijeka Tourist Board emphasizes that the tourist turnover for the holidays will exceed last year's results.

“The rich Rijeka Advent program will certainly contribute to the positive results, which this year ends with a spectacular New Year's Eve concert with Nina Badrić, Dubioza Kolektiv and Nikolina Tomljanović. However, there are also New Year's Eve celebrations at numerous restaurants in the city center and the surrounding area.

Five hotels are open in the city of Rijeka - Bonavia, Jadran, Neboder, Continental and Molo Longo, most of the hostels and a large number of privately owned accommodation, where the highest number of overnight stays has been realized,” said Dominik Damiš, Head of Marketing at the Rijeka Tourist Board. Furthermore, domestic tourists usually achieve the most overnights, followed by foreign guests from Italy, Germany, Serbia, Slovenia and Austria.

In the area of the Crikvenica Riviera, from December 20 to January 6, approximately 1,700 guests will spend 7,500 overnight stays. The Crikvenica Tourist Board states that in addition to the Marina Hotel in Selce, which is always open, the Omorika Hotel, the Mediteran Hotel and the Crikvenica Hotel will be open during the New Year holidays. In addition to hotels, several dozen apartments will be opened. Most guests are expected from Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia, and the largest number of guests will stay in Crikvenica during the New Year holidays. Guests stay an average of three days. As the Crikvenica Tourist Board revealed, most of the hotel accommodation is already full, while some of the private apartments are still available to guests who want to spend their holidays in Crikvenica, which boasts a unique Advent atmosphere this year.

The largest tourist company on the Riviera, Jadran Crikvenica, is organizing New Year's Eve at the Omorika Hotel.

“Only this hotel is open to us because we have already started the second phase of the investment cycle in other facilities to be even more prepared to welcome the new 2020 season. The main broadcasting market for us is Italy, and we also have a lot of local guests,” said Lucija Jukić, director of marketing for the Jadran Crikvenica, adding that they offer guests a New Year's Eve dinner with live music, champagne at midnight, as well as live music.

In Novi Vinodolski, for example, 250 guests from Austria are expected for the New Year holidays in the only open hotel Lišanj and about 100 guests in private accommodation. Guests stay an average of three days, and the Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board revealed, the hotel is fully booked. Otherwise, the organized New Year’s Eve reception is in Marina Nova. And at the traditional Zdravica Nova 2020, about 1,000 foreign guests are expected, or about 8,000 in total.

This year, more destinations became involved in the organization of Advent, so the whole of December was marked by increased arrivals and overnight stays. But as expected, the culmination is yet to be expected. Most destinations have prepared outdoor receptions, with hoteliers and NYE parties for their guests.

The New Year holidays are traditionally the best for Gorski Kotar. This year, for the twentieth time, the people of Fužine and their guests will celebrate the ‘old year’ at noon. 

Marinko Jakovljevic, director of the Fužine Tourist Board, said that most of the accommodation for the New Year holidays are reserved in the Gorski Kotar area. As a rule, holiday homes and apartments are full, while there is some room in household accommodation, as well as in hotel accommodation. But in the coming days, all should be full.

“Since we have prepared a four-day program starting on December 29th with a traditional concert of our Wind Orchestra, as a rule, these are stays based on three overnights. We have also prepared surprises to bid the Old Year farewell at noon, and besides, the New Year's train from Rijeka will come again. The director of the Fužine Tourist Board concluded that guests are coming from all over Croatia, and there is an increase in arrivals from Slovenia.

The Kvarner islands are ready for the busy holidays. This year, for the fifth time, a rich Advent program called ‘The Most Beautiful Island Advent’ was prepared for the coming holidays. This year, the program started on November 30 and will last until January 7 next year, with the extension to the Boškopini Park in addition to the historic city center. Rab’s rich program, as well as hotel programs, will attract more guests this year than last year. Namely, the Valamar Collection Imperial Hotel will open for NYE, while the Valamar Hotel Padova and the Veritas Restaurant and Wine Bar will open before Christmas. 

“So, that is one more hotel than last year. Full occupancy is expected, with guests coming mainly from Austria, Germany and France. In addition to all hotel facilities with entertainment and animation programs, guests will also have access to excursion programs and various programs within Rab Advent, which this year deservedly bears the name 'Best Island Advent'. By the way, the Best Island Advent has been increasingly profiled for several years as an additional motive for the arrival of guests to Rab, and the question is only to what extent the weather will allow its realization,” said the President of the Imperial Riviera of Rab.

On the island of Krk, advent programs for the New Year have been prepared by the tourist boards of Omišlj - Njivice, Malinska - Dubašnica, Krk, Punta, Dobrinj and Vrbnik. A rich program throughout Advent as well as for the holidays themselves was prepared in Mali Lošinj, which this year received new Advent attire and an ice skating rink, as well as a covered space for the New Year's festivities, so that even the bad weather cannot spoil the fun. 

Hotel Aurora in Mali Lošinj and Hotel Televrin in Nerezine are open for New Year's Eve, as well as two campsites. In addition to Čikat, the Poljana campsite in Mali Lošinj is open, and part of the private accommodation will be provided, with the assistance of local tourist agencies. Vitality Hotel Punta and Family Hotel Vespera are open for closed groups. Talking about the upcoming holidays as well as announcements for 2020, Ricardo Hesky, a member of the Jadranka Hotel Management Board, said that the number of guests coming from Lošinj Hotels & Villas have increased year by year, along with the number of overnight stays.

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

CIHT 2019, the seventh edition of the Crikvenica International Health Tourism conference concluded on November 8, 2019. Outstanding from start to finish, did it contain a watershed transformation from potential to the beginnings of realisation for the Croatian medical tourism industry? 

Full disclosure - this has been the best week in the history of TCN. Two new writers hired, our first intern programme with the University of Zagreb agreed, two big contracts signed, agreement with exciting partners to start our first EU-funded project, and two outstanding conferences. G2.5, the diaspora conference in Zagreb at the beginning of the week was one of the best I have been to in Croatia in terms of contacts and business done (see the conference report here), and I really wasn't expecting a better conference for quite some time. But then, just two days later... 

CIHT 2019, the annual health tourism conference which has become a signature event for the very proactive Kvarner Health Cluster, was not only filled with an exceptional list of engaging and diverse speakers, but the levels of cooperation and joint initiatives were at a level visibly more noticeable than ever before. 

CIHT 2019 was held in the village of Selce, a very short drive from Crikvenica. The reason, I suspect, was in honour of one of the true Croatian success stories in any sector, the outstanding 30-year success of the husband and wife team, Drs Ivan and Vlasta Brozicevic and their world-renowned Terme Selce facility, which has grown both in size and quality since its inception in 1989, and which includes no less than 120 Olympic medalists among its satisfied patients. I will be returning to Selce later in the year to do some in-depth features on that 30-year journey, which continues today. The Brozicevics were presented with a special award (see above) before the conference got properly underway, and there were few dry eyes in the house as Dr Vlasta took us through her inspirational journey of excellence and constant learning. 

A very tough act to follow, but a challenge taken on with relish by the next speaker, one of the world's most in-demand tourism conference speakers, Doug Lansky. And it did not take long to realise why. His keynote session, called Successful Tourism, was laced with great tips for Croatia, both in directions to go and to avoid, and I will dedicated a later article to Lansky's presentation and the two subsequent workshops he conducted in the afternoon session. 

One of the strengths of CIHT has always been that it aims high in terms of the quality of the speakers. And there are few higher places in the healthcare industry that Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic, the two leading medical facilities in the world. Super Mario Skugor, Director of Education at Cleveland and himself a Croat, was followed by Rahul Kashyap, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at Mayo Clinic. Kashyap gave a comprehensive overview of the Mayo model of care, focusing on quality education and research collaboration. 

Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic presenting together, just after one of the world's top tourism speakers, all in a little village on the Kvarner coast in early November. Pretty impressive. 

More was to come, indeed the most - at least for me - significant and encouraging presentation of the two-day event. Not perhaps for the content after such a high-quality start, but in terms of openness, honesty and willingness to engage. For the speaker was a politician. 

Deputy Health Minister Mate Car's presentation was entitled The Interactions of Policy, Strategy and Health Tourism, but it was when he started talking about the state of Croatia's health tourism efforts, dividing them into three slides looking at the good, the bad and the ugly, that I saw for the first time (and I have been to many health conferences in the last two years) what I had heard from several in the industry - here was a senior official who was very interested in engaging with the other stakeholders, calling together meetings to hear their ideas and frustrations, even publicly publishing his official mobile number to make himself even more accessible. While 95% of ministers and deputy ministers tend to leave conferences as soon as the PR photo shoot and opening speeches are done, Car not only stayed until the end and was a very active participant, but he even found time to chat to me for over an hour on a wide range of issues concerning health tourism, the role of government and Croatia in general. It was very refreshing to see. 

Car's relationship with one of the drivers of progress in the industry, Ognjen Bagatin, CEO of Bagatin Clinic, has been key. Bagatin was also a speaker on the first day, presenting arguably the most ambitious medical tourism conference in Croatia next March - the first-ever European Patient Experience and Innovation Conference, to be held in Dubrovnik. Against a backdrop of Bagatin with Cleveland Clinic CIHT speaker Super Mario and Cleveland CEO Tom Mihaljevic, Bagatin introduced his vision of EPIC 2020, a groundbreaking conference which his Bagatin Clinic is the main organiser. 

Having observed the Croatian medical tourism industry for two years now, Ognjen Bagatin strikes me as being akin to the Luka Modric of the Croatian medical tourism industry, a midfield dynamo pulling the strings and connecting and lifting the entire team. Here he is, fielding questions with other speakers including Cleveland and Mayo Clinics and Deputy Minister Car. 

He is certainly aiming high with EPIC, and if we stick with the football analogy, EPIC Dubrovnik could be the perfect World Cup Final stadium for medical tourism speakers. Bagatin showed the list of invited speakers, several of whom have already confirmed. You can learn more details about the EPIC conference on the official website.  

Doug Lansky's two workshops on Destination Development and Creative Problem Solving ended the work part of the opening day, which was then followed by a very pleasant Healthy Party, with fine local wine and blue fish specialities. And music and dancing that went on late into the night and past the bedtime of this correspondent.

All were fully awake for the following morning's opening session, which included CIHT 2019 ambassador awards for the veteran and highly experienced husband and wife team, Elizabeth Ziemba (whose opening presentation was on Accreditation: What It Can and Cannot Do for Clinics and Hospitals) and Irving Stackpole. Now 47 years in the medical tourism business, I was impressed with how Stackpole has kept abreast of the frightening pace of change in technology, and his presentation of technology and change was thought-provoking - The Future of Health Tourism Is In Your Hand; How personalization and digitization changes the patient experience?

Health talk aside, I learned a new term caused by the digital age. Kids today are digital natives, while we older folk have been forced to enter a brave new world and have been forced to become digital immigrants. I liked that description. The morning session was completed by Djurdjica Simicic of IQM talking about Integrated Quality Destination Management, followed by TCN offering a foreign resident media view of the Croatian medical tourism potentials and realities.  

The quality of leading international speaker continued. Marc Ortmans, a brand strategist from the UK opened the late morning special, his subject matter Building Brand Futures. A particularly interesting aspect to his very illuminating talk was the story behind the campaign to launch the Champions League logo and brand back in 1992. So successful was the campaign that the very same theme music is used today, some 27 years later, and the brand is now worth 4 billion dollars. 

There was practical website advice from Croatia's leading Google Analytics expert, Robert Petkovic, in his presentation - I know your website generates visits to your clinic, but do you?

One of the points I made in my presentation at CIHT 2019 was that the word 'potential' was not only overused by everyone, but it was also a nice shield to hide the fact that not much progress was being made, or things worked on. Potential always points to somewhere in the future, and six years after medical tourism appeared in the 7-year strategic plan of the Ministry of Tourism in 2013, there is still no national medical tourism brand. Clusters operate individually, with Kvarner Health bigger than the brand of Croatia itself, and Zagreb investing $50,000 dollars in a questionable report - both in terms of content and whether the report might have been more useful to have been country-specific rather than just the capital city in isolation. 

And so it was encouraging to listen to TOMAS – Health Tourism 2018: Attitudes and Expenditures of Visitors to Croatia, by Neda Telisman Kosuta, Senior associate at the Institute for Tourism in Zagreb. Although I have yet to see a full copy of the report, the presented results provided much food for thought and a basis for moving forward. One more part of this new gelling process. 

There were more presentations which I did not attend due to other commitments, but a chance also to catch up with Luka Medical Tourism Modric before the long drive home.  it is more than two years now since Ognjen Bagatin introduced me to the world of Croatian medical tourism excellence, his infectious enthusiasm quickly spilling over onto me. His energy is endless, his determination relentless. And the signs are there that his efforts - and the efforts of many others - are beginning to pay off. 

There is a long way to go, but don't rule Croatia out from reaching any future medical tourism World Cup Final. 

Learn more about the CIHT 2019 conference on the official website, or check out the video report on local news below.  

To follow the latest in the Croatian medical tourism industry, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

October 5, 2019 - Serbian road cycling champion Dusan Rajovic, a member of the Slovenian Adria Mobil team, won the 155-kilometer fourth stage of the CRO Race, which traveled from Starigrad-Paklenica to Crikvenica on Friday. Kazakhstani cyclist Yevgeniy Gidich of the Astana team leads in the overall standings.

HRT reports that Rajovic, the winner of this year's edition of the Croatia-Slovenia race, was convincingly faster in the final sprint in Crikvenica than second-placed Italian Paolo Simion (Bardiani CSF) and Australian Heinrich Haussler (Bahrain-Merida) in third. In addition to the top three, the only cyclists to receive the same time was the 2015 Tour of Croatia winner, Maciej Paterski (Wibatech Merx), who jumped to third place in the overall standings.

Croatian champion Josip Rumac (Androni Giocattoli) also achieved an excellent result in the fourth stage, finishing sixth just four seconds behind the winner.

After the four stages, Gidich leads six seconds ahead of the second-placed Australian Alexander Edmondson (Mitchelton-Scott), and 12 seconds ahead of Paterski in third. 

Austrian Markus Wildauer (Tirol KTM) keeps his green shirt for the best climber, while German Georg Zimmermann (CCC) wears white as the best young cyclist, and Australian Alexander Edmondson (Mitchelton-Scott) wears blue.

The fourth stage drove along the Adriatic highway from Starigrad in Paklenica National Park to the center of Crikvenica.

The cyclists used the beautiful weather to their advantage, and during the first hour, the average speed was as high as 48.7 kilometers per hour. The leading cyclists managed to escape from the group after 40 kilometers, and they included Italians Mirko Maestri (Bardiani CSF) and Samuel Rivi (Tirol KTM), Canadian Alexander Cataford (Israel Cycling Academy), Austrian Matthias Krizek (Felbermayr Simplon) and German John Mandrysch (P&S Metalltechnik).

These five quickly created a three-and-a-half-minute advantage, but couldn't move further, as Krizek and Mandrysch were only 2:24 minutes behind the leading Kazakhstani Yevgeny Gidich (Astana) in the overall order. Astana came to the forefront of the leading group and controlled the difference. Cataford was the best in the climb, while Mandrysch was first approaching Crikvenica. 

Just before the start of the second ascent to Dramalj, Slovene Jan Tratnik (Bahrain-Merida) stood out from the leading group. Tratnik managed to stay in the lead until a kilometer before the finish when the group finally caught up. A technically demanding finish followed in Crikvenica with three tight turns that caused the fall of a few drivers. Rajovic did best in the chaos.

RESULTS

1. Dusan Rajovic (ADR/SRB) 3:30:24 

2. Paolo Simion (BRD/ITA)

3. Heinrich Haussler (TBM/AUS)

4. Maciej Paterski (WIB/POL) all with the same time

5. Alexander Edmonson ( MTS/AUS) +4 sec

6. Josip Rumac (ANS/HRV)

OVERALL

1. Yevgeniy Gidich (KAZ)

2. Alexander Edmondson (AUS) + 6

3. Maciej Paterski (POL) +12

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

As we've already gotten used to, the end of the high tourist season usually means the start of construction works - and the Crikvenica Port Authority plans to improve Crikvenica's port in order to improve the connection between Crikvenica and the island of Krk just across the channel, hrturizam.hr writes. 

Crikvenica is one of the biggest tourist hubs in Kvarner, a region located in the northern part of the Croatian coast, very popular with people from Zagreb, because of its proximity to the Croatian capital.

The planned construction includes the building of the breakwater on the west side of the port, 130 metres long, as well as the 60-metre-long "small pier", and will be continued in the next week, as it had to be suspended during the tourist season.

It's the biggest investment into the infrastructure since the Crikvenica Port Authority has been established, and up until recently, it was the biggest investment into the maritime domain within Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. 

Mario Kružić, Head of the Crikvenica Port Authority explains that, with the tourist season now behind them, the works will pick up so that the deadlines can be met.

A lot of the work has already been completed, mostly the parts that needed to be done underwater, and some of the concrete has already been poured. Once the entire project is completed, it will take the tourist and nautical offer of Crikvenica to a new level.

Additionally, all of the security requirements for the introduction and non-stop operation of the boat line Crikvenica - Šilo on Krk island will be met. That boat line holds great importance to those living on Krk island, as it will improve transport throughout the year, and help integrate Croatian islands into a wider traffic network. That will improve the employment level, the level of education, and access to medical care for all of the inhabitants of Krk.

As we've already written, Crikvenica near Rijeka, in the northern part of the Croatian coast, has one of the most amazing pet-friendly places in Croatia - Monty's Dog Beach Bar. This weekend an amazing Underdog Marathon swimming race was held there, for dogs and their owners!

The race is called "Underdog Marathon Crikvenica", and while we're not entirely sure how long the marathon exactly was, we know that this was the third annual race, and that the number of participants is growing each year, which makes the event bigger and more entertaining. This year it included the meet and greet with staff and dogs from the Dog Shelter maintained by the Crikvenica Veterinary Clinic, and after that the human and canine athletes started their swimming adventure.

Honestly, it was probably not much of a marathon per se, as the race took only half an hour, and it included a brief run along the coast and then a swim to the bar. Around twenty dog+owner couples participated, and you can see some amazing photos (including some which might be considered cheating) at Novi List. After the race itself additional contests were held: dog wine drinking and dog icecream eating competitions (no participation from the owners was required for those disciplines, (un)fortunately).

You might be wondering, were there prizes? Yes, there were. The winners of the marathon, Nimbus and his owner Marin, who also won the inaugural marathon in 2017, were awarded a free stay for two nights for two people and their dog (of course!) in Padova Premium Camping Resort on Rab. Runners-up, Zita and Igor, got a dinner for two and their dog (Zita, please, not some other dog!) at the same resort. Third-place winners won a full grooming service for the dog at Klempo grooming service in Kastav near Rijeka, plus cocktails for the humans at Padova resort. There was also a prize for the last-place finisher, an Adriatic version of a red lantern: the slowest dog+owner pair to finish the race got a brunch for two and their dog at Gastro Restaurant Karoca in Crikvenica.

Fastest doggy ice cream eater, who has not been publicly acknowledged yet, was awarded two ice cream cups at the Toš Kavana in Crikvenica, and a bag of doggy food, given by the Vet Centre Crikvenica. Fastest doggy wine drinker, also not yet made public, won free cocktails for their owner at the Three Monkeys Cocktail Bar in Rijeka.

After the races the fun continued, as there was barbeque, cocktails, and lots of dogs and dog-friendly people around them on the amazing Crikvenica beach! 

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.

Crikvenica is one of the places on the Croatian coast that has the longest tourist tradition. It has had tourist infrastructure for decades, and some of the accommodation in Crikvenica needed to get completely redone in order to be able to compete on the tourist market in 2019.

That's exactly what has been happening to Ad Turres pavillions, as well as Omorika hotel and its many annexes recently. The new fully redecorated and upgraded rooms are awaiting the tourists in the 2019 tourist season.

Omorika hotel is located two kilometres to the centre of the Crikvenica town and has 115 room most of which have an amazing sea view. It was built in 1973 and is given a whole new feel with the latest upgrade and redecoration to the rooms and the restaurant in the hotel.

Ad Turres Pavillions will also get a full reconstruction. They're located in a thick pine forest, 13 pavilions that have 27 rooms each are perfect for larger groups of tourists or families looking for budget accommodation in one of the most vibrant tourist places in Croatia. They've been given a large glass wall on one side, making it appear much more modern and allowing their guests to feel much closer to the forest in which they're staying. The common restaurant has also been upgraded, as well as other infrastructure within the resort.

The hotels are all part of a Crikvenica-based company called Jadran Crikvenica d.d., and CEO Goran Fabris says that the preparations for the new season are going very well, and they want to finish work on as many of their hotels as possible before the full season and before the influx of tourists to their hotels. They plan to continue with that work of investing in their hotels in the autumn as well. The current invenstment cycle is worth around 130 million kuna.

As Suzana Varosanec/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 25th of March, 2019, under its new administration and new owners, the popular Jadran hotel group from Crikvenica is expanding rapidly and after taking over Club Adriatic, it is continuing to introduce new facilities in Baško Polje, and is now expanding to the Kvarner region.

Based on the ten-year lease of the Hotel Delfin in Omišalj, business for Jadran is beginning on the island of Krk. The offer was favourable, as can unofficially be revealed. The Crikvenica-based hotel group also signed a long-term lease for three pavilions in Crikvenica. Owing to these business moves, Jadran's accommodation capacities will increase by a significant 139 accommodation units, in Baško Polje there are about 440 new units, and this season Jadran will be able to boast about having a 36 percent higher capacity compared to last year.

And while Hotel Delfin can't be renewed this season for various reasons, this is thankfully not the case for the three pavilions that were once owned by Jadran. Since they are situated at the location of a common entity whose renewal is already in full swing, a makeover awaits.

Namely, from the Adriatic highway to the coast, Jadran's property in Crikvenica is having works carried out at Hotel Ad Turres and on thirteen pavilions, each with 27 rooms as well as works at Hotel Omorika, which will be completed in ten days.

Last year, this hotel group grew by 10 percent more than it did back during 2017, and realised an impressive 416,000 overnight stays, in 2019 they're planning for 437,000 overnight stays, marking an increase of about 6.6 percent. Slovenian guests and Croatian guests have primarily been the main group to stay in Jadran's numerous accommodation facilities, followed by those from Austria and Germany, and a similar tourist structure is expected this season as well.

Congress tourism is still being developed, and after the completion of the welcome renovation of the Omorika and Katarina hotels, Jadran is expecting an increase in those niches, too. In the health sector, however, Jadran has some big plans in synergy with some local health institutions.

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

Click here for the original artice by Suzana Varosanec for Poslovni Dnevnik

It is quite fitting and appropriate that the press conference announcing the pilot-project with the goal of branding Crikvenica Riviera as the "Riviera of Love" was held on the Valentine's Day. The project "In love with Crikvenica" is financed by the EU, within Interreg Italy-Croatia 2014-2020 programme, and the first step is taking place right now, February 12th until 16th, presenting the partners (travel agencies, tour-operators, guides and media) Crikvenica Riviera as a love destination, which will make it increasingly popular outside of the main tourist season as well.

Hrturizam.hr writes about the press conference, where Crikvenica's Deputy Major Ivona Matošić Gašparović said that Crikvenica found it's way to the map of the most romantic towns in Croatia, and numerous small and larger projects, such as "Love Route" and the kissing spots helped put it there. The destination has also become increasingly popular for engadgements, weddings and vow renewals.

The director of the Istrian Tourist Development Agency, Slavica Tobok Kandić, stressed the importance of the Agency, as it ran the procurement for the project, and added that the new tourist products that already exist were recognized, that have a large potential of further commercialisation.

The partners will get the chance to get to know Crikvenica Riviera further, enjoying the activities for those in love, such as the visit to the Crikvenica Museum, walk down the Love Route, visiting the Badanj Fortress, visiting the most popular kissing spots, walking in the Labyrinth of Love and attending the concert on the evening of the Valentine's Day.

Among other goals of this project is improving the cooperation between the public and the private sectors in tourism, and coming up with the model of management for similar projects on the level of destination. Istrian Tourist Development Agency can help with their know-how on all of those goals, as they've done similar work on the Istrian peninsula succesfully in the past (especially in the completed projects Bike&Outdoor and Istra Inspirit).

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.

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