“Hot price! Discounts up to 35 per cent! Last minute - 10 per cent discount.” These are the main messages on websites of Croatian hotels in recent days. Many of them offer discounts and last-minute deals with the reduction of prices between 10 and 35 per cent not just for the preseason period, but for the main season as well, reports Jutarnji List on May 20, 2019.

The largest hotel providers – Valamar Riviera, Plava Laguna, Liburnia Riviera, Bluesun – have all offered special prices as early as May, while last year they did it only at the start of the main season in late June, when it became clear that the years of double-digit tourism growth are behind us.

The hotel companies did not want to comment on the situation with this year’s booking, but sources from the tourism industry say there is no reason to panic since hotels are actually demonstrating that they know how to manage their revenues.

“It is wrong to compare this year’s price policy with last year’s because the situation is significantly different. I believe that most hotel owners constantly follow booking trends because that is the only way to define the right price at the right time. They are helped by the technology that enables day-to-day tracking of competitors’ prices. Depending on booking trends, they can manage prices through sales channels,” said consultant Sanja Čižmar.

However, lowering prices is contrary to the messages sent by tourism minister Gari Cappelli from the largest tourism fair in Berlin in March. At the time, he said that hotel companies should not listen to tour operators which demanded significantly lower prices, with the excuse that this is the only way to compete against aggressive Turkish hoteliers, whose accommodation prices are far below the average European rates.

One well-informed source from the tourism sector says that the average price per person on the Adriatic is 61 euro per day, while in Turkey it is 51 euro. The lowest average price can be found in Tunisia (38 euro).

“It can be said that this price reduction has come too late, especially since our competition reduced the prices a lot earlier,” said the source. “Early booking failed this year because a large number of travellers who booked their holidays early last year felt cheated. They paid for their rooms at the beginning of the year, but then hoteliers abruptly lowered their prices in June due to poor booking. They are therefore more cautious with early bookings this year, aware that waiting can save them money.”

Sanja Čižmar agrees that the main battle will be fought for the main season, the two summer months when prices are highest. Still, hotels which have invested and modernized their offer should not have any problems. “Experience shows that the best hotels are the ones which fill their capacity first, and they generally have the highest occupancy rates,” said Čižmar.

Translated from Jutarnji List (reported by Dora Koretić).

More tourism news can be found in the Travel section.

ZAGREB, May 19, 2019 - Croatian tourism won two prestigious awards at the ITB China travel exhibition which took place in Shanghai on May 15-17, for the "Game of Thrones" film tour in Dubrovnik and for the cooperation with the Slovenian Tourism Organisation, the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ) has said.

Croatia's products were presented as part of the European Travel Commission stand together with 22 other European subjects, including the Rijeka 2020 European Capital of Culture and the Zagreb Tourist Board.

Croatia won the award for the "Game of Thrones" film tour in Dubrovnik as part of the "It's My World Travel Awards 2019" in the "Amazing Travel Experiences of the Year" category. The awards are presented by ITB China and Qyer, a portal aimed at Chinese tourists which is used by over 100 million people around the world, the HTZ said.

The HTZ won the "CTW Chinese Welcome Award" together with the Slovenian Tourism Organisation for the "Experience Croatia, Feel Slovenia" project in the "Internet & Media“ category. The award is presented by the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute.

The two awards were accepted by HTZ director Kristjan Staničić, who said they held special importance in 2019, which was declared the Croatian-Chinese Year of Culture and Tourism.

The northern Adriatic city of Rijeka was presented as the 2020 European Capital of Culture as cultural tourism is one of the most in-demand products on the Chinese market, Staničić said, adding that the Chinese turnover on the Croatian market this year so far was 60% higher than at the same time in 2018.

Staničić also met with representatives of the Chinese tourism sector.

More news about Croatian tourism can be found in the Travel section.

Croatia and China aren't the only two Asian countries talking, as relations between Croatia and Japan continue.

Namely, Ex Yu Aviation reports on May 16, 2019, that Croatia and Japan should continue their discussion of introducing flights connecting the two countries. However, as a precondition for establishing nonstop flights, Croatia and Japan must adopt an Air Service Agreement. 

"Discussions between the aeronautical authorities of Japan and the Republic of Croatia are continuing. A tentative framework has been reached until the conclusion of an Air Services Agreement between the two countries. Considering the possibility and forecasts, there is sufficient air traffic demand for scheduled air services between Japan and the Republic of Croatia in the future,” the Japanese Ministry for Foreign Affairs said back in November 2018 when talks were first held. 

The Croatian Ministry of Tourism considers the Japanese market a priority. 

"The Ministry's strategic goal is to develop Croatia as a destination which is accessible to various airlines, particularly before and after the height of the summer season. That is why we are turning towards the Asian market, primarily Korea, Japan, and China, where we are concentrating a lot of our efforts,” said the Ministry.

And it’s no wonder why. 

A total of 159,574 tourists from Japan visited Croatia in 2018, which is an increase of 12.3% compared to 2017. Japanese tourists visit mostly Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Plitvice Lakes, Split, and Opatija. 

Recall, All Nippon Airlines (ANA), which is Japan’s largest airlines, currently runs summer charter flights to Dubrovnik, and Zagreb once operated charter flights from Tokyo. 

Japan Airlines (JAL) has also said they are considering operating to Eastern Europe thanks to its low-cost airline Zipair. 

Japan allegedly initiated talks with Croatia about introducing regular flights between the two countries, and Oleg Butković, Croatia’s Minister for Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, hopes that we’ll see a route connecting Tokyo and Zagreb soon. 

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

ZAGREB, May 9, 2019 - Health tourism is a great opportunity for Croatia to extend the tourist season, increase its off-season services and attract higher-profile tourists, it was said on Thursday at the formal opening of the annual meeting of the European Spas Association (ESPA), the umbrella organisation that promotes health tourism, which is taking place in the north-western spa town of Tuhelj until May 10.

The conference has brought together representatives of 21 European countries who will be discussing the latest trends and innovation in health tourism. The event was co-organised by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) in partnership with the Croatian National Tourism Board (HTZ).

It was said that health tourism was the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry, growing at an annual rate of between 15 and 20 percent.

HTZ director Kristjan Staničić said he was confident that health tourism would grow considerably in the years ahead and that Croatia could definitely be competitive in this sector. He said that health tourism did not depend on the sun and sea and could help extend the tourist season, both along the Adriatic coast and in continental Croatia.

Citing the TOMAS Summer 2017 survey, Staničić said that seven percent of tourists visiting Croatia did so for health reasons and eight percent to visit spas.

Dragan Kovačević, the HGK vice-president for agriculture and tourism, said that health tourism was a great opportunity for Croatia to increase its tourist services in the off-season, adding that a mild climate and the high quality of health services were the country's advantages in that regard.

Assistant tourism minister Olivera Šarić that 15 percent of all tourist travels were motivated by health reasons. She said that the potential for the development of health tourism as a year-round business was extraordinary and that health tourism was included in the Croatian Tourism Development Strategy until 2020, noting health tourists spent between 20 and 30 percent more than the average.

The ESPA conference is taking place under the motto "Secrets of life balance - A life full of well-being". It will discuss new trends and innovations through presentations of best practice and new market niches in spa and wellness tourism. ESPA Innovation Awards will be presented for innovation and excellence in providing medical spa services.

More health tourism news can be found in the Travel section.

May 9, 2019 - In April of this year, a total of 172,758 passengers were transported by Croatia Airlines, which is a record number of passengers in April in the history of the company, the Croatian national air carrier reported on Wednesday.

Croatia Airlines thus overtook its previous record set in April 2011 when it carried 151,231 passengers. Furthermore, April 2019 is 16% better than April 2018, carrying 23,359 passengers more than last April. 

From January - April 2019, Croatia Airlines achieved a growth of total passenger traffic of 3%. In that period, 518,557 passengers were transported, with the average occupancy of the passenger cabin at 69.1 percent. 

Given the favorable bookings and demand, this positive travel trend is expected for the remainder of the year, especially during the tourist season in which Croatian Airlines airplanes will fly directly to 38 destinations in 24 European states.

Croatia Airlines adds that, according to existing indicators, this year expects about 5 percent more passengers compared to 2018, with a record 2,168,863 passengers being transported. The airline will even carry Zagreb Airport's millionth passenger of 2019 on flight OU513, taking off on Sunday from Dublin. 

In this year's tourist season, as well as last year, Croatia Airlines boasts 12 aircraft in their fleet - four Airbus 319, two Airbus 320 and six Dash 8-Q400 aircraft. As in the past two years, two more aircraft will be hired for the tourist season from May to October.

The company marks its 30th anniversary this year, too. For the special occasion, the airline utilized its employees to select the best slogan to commemorate the big birthday, which is “Creating memories for 30 years!”

Along with the slogan, a unique birthday design was created, which also saw the help of its creative employees. 

To mark 30 years, Croatia Airlines has chosen to enhance the visuals of its fleet. Namely, on its 12 aircraft, the “CROATIA” logo has been enlarged, making it even more noticeable. Furthermore, the checkers, as a recognizable symbol of Croatian national identity, extend to the hull of the aircraft. 

The visuals on the exterior can also be noticed on the lower part (belly) of the aircraft, which is now white, giving the plane a touch of elegance. Thus, the Croatia Airlines fleet, which is usually a traveler's first introduction to Croatia, has become even stronger and more recognizable. 

To celebrate three decades, the company will also conduct several competitions this year where visitors or citizens can expect valuable prizes. The competitions will be conducted in cooperation with the media and on social networks, and surprises can also be expected on flights. All details can be found here. 

The story of Croatia Airlines began on August 7, 1989, when it was registered as Zagal (formally, Zagreb Airlines). On December 23, 1990, Zagal changed its name to Croatia Airlines and became the national carrier of passengers, goods, and mail. 

The first commercial flight of Croatia Airlines took off on May 5, 1991, from Zagreb to Split, while the first international flight was between Zagreb and Frankfurt on April 5, 1992. 

From the very first flight to the end of February 2019, Croatia Airlines has achieved 585,500 flights and carried over 38,240,000 passengers. Of these, 11,407,500 passengers flew on Croatian flights, 24,014,500 flew on international routes, and 2,818,000 were carried on special charter flights. For the upcoming tourist season, Croatia Airlines will travel to 38 destinations in 24 countries. 

It is almost essential to note that in the last 30 years, Croatia Airlines has become a member of the most important aviation associations, such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Star Alliance, the largest aviation association in the world. Today, Croatia Airlines is classified as a mid-sized European airline, recognized by passengers for flight safety, professional staff, and quality of service. 

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

Valamar Riviera has announced that it has paid 22.8 million kuna for the recapitalisation of the Helios Faros hotel company in Stari Grad on the island of Hvar. The recapitalisation process will also include PBZ Croatia Osiguranje pension fund, creating conditions for Helios Faros to leave the bankruptcy proceedings, reports Večernji List on May 8, 2019.

“In accordance with the decision to increase the share capital, as part of the approved bankruptcy investment and recapitalisation plan, Valamar Riviera has paid 22.8 million kuna to Helios Faros in order to register 2,280,000 shares. At the same time, PBZ Croatia Osiguranje will register 6,840,000 shares for 68.4 million kuna,” the statement reads.

This will increase Helios Faros’ share capital from 5.36 million kuna to 96.56 million kuna. Following the increase in the share capital, Valamar will own 23.61 per cent of Helios Faros’ shares and PBZ Croatia Osiguranje 70.83 per cent.

“The increase in the share capital will create the prerequisites for Helios Faros to leave the bankruptcy proceedings. Through the partnership between Valamar and PBZ CO, a new phase of tourism development in Stari Grad on Hvar will commence,” Valamar said.

Helios Faros is the most important hotel company in Stari Grad. It has been in the bankruptcy proceedings since 2016. In mid-May 2017, Valamar Riviera and PBZ Croatia Osiguranje submitted a joint bid for the investment and recapitalisation of the company.

In July 2017, the Helios Faros creditors’ assembly accepted the joint offer by Valamar Riviera and PBZ Croatia Osiguranje, and it also adopted a decision on the development of a detailed bankruptcy plan that would allow the company to leave the bankruptcy proceedings and continue its operations.

In early November 2018, the creditors’ assembly accepted the bankruptcy plan based on the joint offer by Valamar and PBZ Croatia Osiguranje. The Commercial Court in Split also issued a first-instance ruling confirming the bankruptcy plan for investing and recapitalising of Helios Faros.

Translated from Večernji List.

More Hvar news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, May 6, 2019 - The European Spas Association (ESPA) will hold its annual congress in the thermal spa of Tuhelj on May 8-10, to be attended by representatives from 21 European countries.

The event will present trends, innovations and best practices in spa and wellness tourism, a sector in which Croatia has been strengthening its international position.

The event is organised by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) and the Croatian National Tourist Board.

"In recent years, tourism officials have been increasingly working on development and promotion of health tourism, and this year investments worth around 7.5 million euro are expected in that sector. The sector's annual revenue is estimated at 500 million euro, which is little considering the country's potential and the relatively high daily consumption, which amounts to 60 euro in spa tourism and 240 euro in medical tourism," said HGK Tourism Sector head Ana Klarić.

She said that tourists visiting Croatia for spa and medical tourism stay an average of 13 days in the country and that most of them come from Germany, Slovenia, Austria and Italy. They mostly come for dental services and plastic surgery, Klarić said, noting that those services are of very high quality and are very competitive at EU level, as are personnel and equipment.

More tourism news can be found in the Travel section.

In the first quarter of 2019, Valamar Riviera recorded 53 million kuna in total revenue and seven million kuna more in sales revenue than in the first quarter of 2018. The tourist company said this is mostly the result of the successful first winter season of the Valamar Obertauern Hotel and that, due to the move of the Easter holidays to the second quarter and the small share of revenues realized by Valamar in the first quarter, the results are not indicative, reports Večernji List on May 3, 2019.

The company is currently finalizing this year's investments worth 793 million kuna, which represents a continuation of its investment strategy in Croatian tourism, within which Valamar has invested more than five billion kuna. The most significant investment projects are two newest high-end facilities, Istra Premium Camping Resort 5* and Valamar Collection Marea Suites 5* in Poreč in Istria, which are due to open in June and which have already been well received on the market.

“We expect a successful and timely opening of all of this year's investment projects, and we are happy with the business results achieved at the beginning of the season during the Easter holidays. The demand is satisfactory, especially for the accommodation facilities we have invested in, but we expect a challenging tourist season given the global trends and increased competitiveness of certain destinations, especially in the Mediterranean,” says Željko Kukurin, CEO of Valamar Riviera.

This year, Valamar opened about 400 new jobs and will employ more than 7,000 employees from Istria and Kvarner to Dubrovnik. Valamar has been rated as the best employer in tourism and the only tourism company that, according to independent research, is among the top 20 employers in Croatia. It guarantees its employees minimum net earnings in the amount of 5,000 to 7,500 kuna for the full monthly workload, special season bonuses, the 13th salary and the Christmas bonus.

Since April, the shares of Valamar Riviera have been included on the Zagreb Stock Exchange's leading market, which the company considers to be an additional confirmation of Valamar’s high level of business and financial success, transparency and good corporate governance.

Translated from Večernji List (reported by Radmila Kovačević).

More tourism news can be found in the Travel section.

The first international expert and scientific conference Proceed with Care has been opened at the Croatian National Theatre in Šibenik, organised by the National Association for Interdisciplinary Activities in the Field of Heritage and Tourism. The conference is taking place under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Croatian UNESCO Commission and the Ministry of Tourism, and in the partnership with the Town of Šibenik, the Croatian National Tourist Board and the Krka National Park.

At the opening ceremony, the conference organiser Jelena Skorup addressed the audience, beginning her speech with the central question of the conference "Why should we proceed with care?" “Tourism is one of the most important social and economic phenomena of recent decades and shows significant growth. Countries and communities have the opportunity to promote their unique heritage identity with great passion through tourism. In the last few decades, some cities and monuments, especially those on UNESCO's World Heritage List, have been put at risk due to a large number of visitors which exceeds their capacity," said Skorup.

Speeches were also given by Šibenik mayor Željko Burić and a representative of the Ministry of Tourism, State Secretary Tonči Glavina, who said that the Croatian towns are increasingly encountering the issue of excessive tourism and need to take the necessary measures to prevent the phenomenon of over-tourism.

After the opening ceremony, the introductory lecture was given by Yonca Erkan, head of UNESCO's World Heritage Management and Promotion Service focusing on new media, at the same time a professor at Kadir Has University in Istanbul. The lecture was held on the topic "Inclusiveness for Sustainability: Multiplicities for Cultural Tourism". Through her career, she has worked on many projects, she is a member of UNESCO and Europa Nostra, and she has received many global awards for her work.

The theme of the Proceed with Care conference is the "Coexistence with Tourism", and it will cover two main areas. The first will deal with the strategies and techniques for designing and planning tourist sites and infrastructures for sustainable heritage management and tourism in areas with valuable cultural and natural heritage, with an emphasis on world cultural heritage under the UNESCO protection. The second area refers to communication strategies and techniques for the implementation of sustainable planning and design solutions where the strategy of positioning the heritage tourist destinations and defining their brand architectures will be discussed.

More about the conference can be found on the official website.

More tourism news can be found in the Travel section.

Croatia is a favourite holiday destination for many, and numerous tourists discover the beauty of Croatia again and again. While foreign media often writes about Croatia as a dream destination, praises for environmental protection are somewhat less common. However, the renowned Forbes magazine has published a story about the Adriatic Hotel in Rovinj, part of the Maistra Collection brand, which recently decided to replace all disposable plastic items with available alternatives, which means it will become the first hotel in Croatia that is actively committed to a cleaner environment and the no-plastic-waste vacation principle. The campaign was launched on April 22, the Earth Day.

“Every human should take responsibility to protect the environment where we live, work and travel. Here in Rovinj, we have hotels right above a beautiful bay, next to a protected forest of centenary trees and on the main town square,” says Lovorka Struna, Maistra’s hotel director, as quoted by Forbes. “With this long-term initiative, we want to preserve this uniqueness and beauty, since it is ultimately about our shared future.”

As the first hotel in Croatia without disposable plastic, the Adriatic Hotel strives to be a leader in innovation and sustainability. Last year, it started using substitute paper straw instead of plastic ones, and by June the hotel will cease using 80 per cent of disposable plastic products. By the end of the year, it will have completely eliminated them from all accommodation units, bars and restaurants.

“We want to create a mindset where people will naturally refuse disposable plastics that are used for a few minutes but can last in the environment for centuries,” explains marine biologist Chiara Fumagalli, a project partner involved in the Adriatic for Adriatic campaign, as quoted by Forbes. “The idea is to inspire businesses, individuals and governments to follow suit, start a dialogue and raise awareness about the plastic pollution problem.”

The similar drive has been launched on the small island of Zlarin, which aims to become the first island in Croatia that will not use single-use plastics.

In March, the small Dalmatian island signed a charter that regulates that entrepreneurs on the island will not use disposable plastic such as bags, plates, cutlery, straws and cups. Plastic is an increasing threat to Zlarin, as a small number of inhabitants of the island face a large-scale increase in the number of tourists and guests during the summer months. About 15,000 plastic bags end up in the garbage, and plastic also pollutes the sea.

“As proof of its dedication to the cause, Croatia is hosting the very first edition of the Plastic Ocean Summit in March 2020 on the island of Mali Lošinj. It’s organised by the Ocean Alliance Conservation Member (OACM) group, a conglomerate of countries that have united to protect, preserve and clean the oceans, lakes and rivers. These are impressive major steps for a small country taking a stance against one of the world’s biggest problems,” writes Forbes.

More environmental news can be found in the Lifestyle section.