Adris Group announced on Sunday that the successful construction of the Grand Park Hotel had completed its 1.5 billion kuna investment cycle in the Monte Mulini area. The Rovinj company has raised the quality of the tourist offer of the town that has been on the list of the most successful tourist destinations in Croatia for years. Grand Park was the most significant investment in tourism in 2018; the investment reached 700 million kuna, reports Večernji List on April 1, 2019.

“We believed in this project, in the strength of our company, in the knowledge and diligence of our employees, but also in the potentials and comparative advantages of our country. We were not discouraged by an unfavourable socioeconomic situation, anti-entrepreneurial mentality, bureaucratic-administrative neglect. We do not allow mediocrity. We follow the principles of business excellence, and we will persevere in this,” said Ante Vlahović, CEO of Adris Group.

Adris has invested 5.5 billion kuna in the tourism part of its business, the Maistra company, and it will invest an additional 2.3 billion kuna during the next investment period. They recently bought HUP Zagreb, the leader in the hotel industry in Zagreb, and they own hotels in Dubrovnik. Interestingly, in its statement, Adris announced future investments in Split, where they have been preparing for a long time to take over Marjan Hotel.

Grand Park Hotel Rovinj has five stars and six floors, and it can accommodate up to 500 guests. The architectural design was developed by 3LHD, a studio that designed hotels Lone, Adriatic and Mulini Beach. Along with architects and designers, all contractors were also from Croatia. The Bruketa & Žinić & Grey agency developed the visual identity.

The hotel has six restaurants and will offer the largest selection of sparkling wines in Croatia, as well as a rich selection of local delicacies. The hotel also includes the largest wellness centre in Istria, extending to 3,800 square metres of indoor and outdoor space on two floors, including the three outdoor pools at the hotel roof.

The new hotel has created nearly 300 new jobs. Given the highly personalised offer at the highest level, all employees spent months in intensive training, in co-operation with the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, one of the best hotel management schools in the world.

Grand Park Hotel Rovinj will receive its first guests very soon, and the room rate will be 4,700 kuna at peak tourist season, which is almost double the price of accommodation at Hotel Lone.

Translated from Večernji List (reported by Marina Šunjerga).

More news on Rovinj can be found in the Travel section.

March 31, 2019 - 5 years ago, it was Croatia and Greece, a Tale of Two Nikki Beach Resorts. Now there are three to discuss as Forbes announces Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Montenegro.

One of my favourite people in Croatia is also one of the happiest. She works in adventure tourism and spends her time dealing with the great Croatian outdoors and like-minded people, and she feeds off the positive energy of both. She never follows the politics and she is much happier for it. She doesn't follow for two reasons: firstly, Croatian politics only depresses her; and secondly, it is a total waste of energy, as you can ignore everything for six months, then check in and find out that absolutely nothing has changed. 

Investing in Croatia is a little like that at times. 

It is almost five years since I wrote an article called Croatia and Greece: A Tale of Two Nikki Beach Resorts for a Canadian Google News portal. It was a story which was picked up by the Croatian media the following day, including comment from then Minister of Tourism Darko Lorencin.

It was an interesting story of comparison between two tourism countries not known for their slick bureaucracy. A summary of the timeline:

2006 - the property in Greece, with an old hotel on it, is purchased.

2007 - land in Sucruraj, Hvar purchased

2010 - developers sign agreement with Nikki Beach Resorts for Greek resorts. 

2010 - opening date of Nikki Beach Porto Heli in Greece announced - August, 2014

2014 - Nikki Beach Porto Heli opens on schedule on August 1, 2014

2014 - meanwhile in Croatia, ownership issues had still not been resolved, some 7 years after purchase.

(The proposed 270 million euro Nikki Beach Resort on Hvar)

Time passed. 

Nikki Beach Porto Heli prospered. 

Other big developers came to the region. 

Another luxury development, also on Hvar, was announced with great fanfare by Minister of Tourism, Gary Cappelli, who spoke of a one-billion kuna investment on the Four Seasons Brizenica Bay project. The first guests were due to arrive at the 5-star resort in 2019. Or about now.

(Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli - second from right - at the Four Seasons Brizenica Bay presentation in June 2017)

Back to that timeline - June 14, 2017:

"This extremely important project, almost a billion-kuna investment, will be of great importance to Stari Grad on the island of Hvar as well as for the whole of Croatia. The island of Hvar will be provided with the necessary quality accommodation facilities, which will certainly stimulate further investment in additional facilities, thus enabling the further development of tourism on the island of Hvar. This is also an opportunity for the local tourist community to begin with the complete management of this destination and thus make the island of Hvar a high quality destination. As an islander, I am particularly pleased to see that the potential of our islands has been recognised and I would be delighted if such investments were made on my island as well.'' said Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli, adding that this investment would certainly trigger other potential investors to pay deeper attention and look for opportunities for investment on the island of Hvar, in Split-Dalmatia County and in Croatia in general.

Almost two years later, in the year 2019 - the year the first guests were due to arrive - Brizenica Bay still has no building permit. There has been no change of government or minister in that time. 

As Minister Cappelli noted, other potential investors are paying deeper attention and looking for opportunities for investment. 

But not in Croatia. I have written about this subject before, so no need to repeat - here are a few links for those who are interested - Lessons from Montenegro: Why Lustica Bay Will Never Happen in Croatia, Business Insider: Montenegro Not Croatia the 2019 Billionaire Adriatic Destination, and Lessons from Montenegro: Penthouse Haludovo in 1971, Croatia's Biggest Foreign Adriatic Investment. 

Let's go back to our Nikki Beach timeline. 

2019 - Forbes announces Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Montenegro.

"Under the Nikki Beach Global portfolio and situated on a private peninsula in the bay of Budva, Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Montenegro will be part of a luxury private villa development. The property overlooks a marina and the historical old town of Budva, which was founded by the Romans. As the most lively resort and party destination in Montenegro, Budva attracts sophisticated travelers and the super luxury yachting community. The property will offer up 150 rooms and suites, 20 ultra-luxury villas, 3 individual private beaches, a jetty, 5 restaurants, Nikki Spa and Tone Gym. The brand’s popular beach club concept, Nikki Beach, will also be integrated into the resort."

2019 - After the unqualified success of Nikki Beach Porto Heli in Greece, Forbes announced Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Santorini. 

2019 - Nikki Beach Hvar is still trying to resolve ownership issues, 12 years after the initial purchase.

It would be wrong to say that no progress has been made on Hvar. The ownership issues do not apply to the whole 80,000m2 purchased, and planning is now progressing on part of the development. Quite how involved Nikki Beach still are is unclear to me - Hvar appears on Google Search on the Nikki Beach website, but it takes you to a page which is no longer there. 

A tale of 3 countries on luxury tourism investment on the Adriatic. As Minister Cappelli noted, other potential investors are paying deeper attention and looking for opportunities for investment. 

To follow more about Croatian tourism, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

For the first time, revenues from foreign tourists who visited Croatia in 2018 exceeded 10 billion euro. Tourism Minister Gari Capelli also has high hopes that tourism will continue to bring positive results this year, reports Poslovni.hr on March 30, 2019. 

This is the first time that revenues from foreign tourists in Croatia exceeded 10 billion euro, i.e., almost 10.1 billion euro, which is about 603 million euro or 6.4 percent higher than in 2017, according to the Ministry of Tourism data of the Croatian National Bank (CNB).

According to Croatian National Bank data, in the fourth quarter of 2018, foreign tourism revenues amounted to almost 852 million euro, which is also more than in the same period of 2017, by 5.6 percent or nearly 45 million euro.

Commenting on this data, Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli emphasized that after last year’s revenue growth, this year also began with the continued growth of tourist traffic, which, as assessed, is a prerequisite to boost competitiveness on a yearly level and generate even higher revenues, thus driving the entire economy.

The Ministry of Tourism also reminds that in the Satellite Tourism Account (TSA) of Croatia in 2016, total tourist spending, foreign and domestic, reached 10.4 billion euro in that year.

Just last week, Cappelli assured that everything is ‘under control’ for the upcoming season, even though there have been reports of weaker bookings. 

“Tourists reserve accommodation later, and we have to get used to it. There will be bookings in April and May. As for the preseason, we have about 13 percent more tourists and about 9 percent more overnight stays. Current predictions speak of a small minus in the peak season, but in the end, it should be at the level of last year's results,” said Cappelli before adding that new markets are opening up.

Namely, the US and China have double-digit growth in the number of tourists in Croatia. While the British market began to grow, it undoubtedly slowed down after Brexit announcements. Minuses can be seen in countries such as Spain, France or Portugal, which are essential destinations for British tourists. At the same time, the tourism minister claims that the growth of British bookings in Croatia is 3 to 5 percent.

As for other traditional markets, everything is under control.

"Italy and Austria are somewhere in the middle, Slovenia has a slight growth, Germany was a bit in the minus, but we expect things to straighten out. Russia again has made a huge step forward, and has grown about 20 percent."

Easter this year falls on April 21, which is often an indicator of how the season will continue. Cappelli said a 10 percent increase is expected as many will enjoy Easter until May 1, which could be an “outstanding two weeks”. 

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

Turkish company Dogus Group has sold its shares in Croatia’s ACI marina chain to pension funds. The company confirmed that it had sold 10.87 per cent of ACI to pensions funds, namely, the AZ category B mandatory pension fund, the AZ Profit voluntary pension fund, and PBZ Croatia Osiguranje, reports Jutarnji List on March 30, 2019.

“We are proud of the fact that we, along with the owner, the Republic of Croatia, were the second largest shareholder of this valuable strategically-important company. D-Marin Group, the global network of marinas which operates as part of the Dogus Group, has recently been growing and expanding its business network, and we had acquisition bids for the ACI shares for some time. We believe that this valuable asset will be in good hands,” announced Dogus.

They added that the sale of shares in ACI was in no way a confirmation of the rumours about Dogus' sale of assets in Croatia, but just the opposite. Namely, late last year rumours emerged that the well-known group, due to the economic crisis in Turkey, was forced to sell off property, including real estate and businesses in Croatia, but the Dogus quickly denied the rumours, claiming they were not leaving Croatia nor were they selling Villa Dubrovnik, which was in the focus of the speculation.

Dogus announced that the sale of ACI shares would strengthen their position and that they remain dedicated to all their companies and the further improvement of their business results. Also, they have confirmed that their Maraska Hotel project in Zadar, which has been paused for a while, will soon be implemented.

“Although at this point, we cannot announce the specific date given that we are on the eve of the tourist season, we are close to the beginning of the works, and we are currently drafting certain project changes, primarily related to the residential zone," said Dogus.

In late 2018, the media reported that Maraska Hotel would be the first Dogus investment in Croatia after the group completes the restructuring process in Turkey, but it is still uncertain whether their partner will be the Hyatt hotel brand or whether they will look for an alternative.

Translated from Jutarnji List (reported by Dora Koretić).

More news about Dogus Group can be found in the Business section.

During the upcoming weekend, the Croatian National Tourist Board representative office in New York will present the offer of Croatian tourism industry at the Dallas Travel and Adventure Show, a general tourism fair held in Dallas, Texas. The fair is expected to be visited by about 15,000 visitors, including representatives of tourist companies and numerous specialised media outlets, reports Večernji List on March 29, 2019.

“So far this year, we have seen a growth of about 20 per cent in the number of arrivals and overnight stays from the market of the United States of America. The two-digit growth for Croatia is also anticipated by Virtuoso, a prestigious association of travel agencies specialised for luxury travel,” said director of the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) Kristjan Staničić, adding that positive trends will be further improved by the opening of the new office of the Croatian National Tourism Board in Los Angeles, which is expected soon. A total of 20 candidates applied for the position of the office head.

“In addition to the eastern and western coasts of the United States, Texas is the area with the highest average income in the country, that is, it is an area that is a major tourist demand generator. This is confirmed by the information about the visitors to this fair, among which there is a large number of people earning annually more than 150,000 US dollars," said Ina Rodin, the director of the HTZ representative office in New York, adding that Croatia was also presented to numerous US agents at Virtuoso workshops held in Los Angeles and New Orleans.

The positive projections are supported by the launch of new direct seasonal flights from the USA to Croatia, which will take place soon. Namely, American Airlines will fly between Philadelphia and Dubrovnik three times a week from 7 June to 27 September this year.

The Dallas Travel and Adventure Show offers the opportunity to meet tourist agents and media representatives, get the latest tourism industry news, and it also includes an educational and entertainment programme which takes place on three stages and is attended by many prominent lecturers.

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

Translated from Večernji List.

ZAGREB, March 26, 2019 - The tourism economy expects an increase of 7% in earnings this year compared to 2018 however, an 8.6% increase in labour costs will reduce the profit by 5%, which leads to a 20% decline in tourism investments, the Croatian Tourism Association (HUT) said on Tuesday.

Therefore, having in mind a deceleration in bookings and uncertainties, repeating last year's results will not mean failure, the association said.

HUT president Veljko Ostojić commented on the forecasts for this year's tourism at a presentation of a quarterly publication on tourism results in Q1 2019 prepared by the HD Consulting company.

"The projected increase in labour costs in the tourism sector this year in the largest tourism companies that we polled, are greater than the expected increase in income, which is mostly due to increased wages without which it would be difficult to attract workers," Ostojić said, noting that this would affect investments.

"The reason for fewer investments lies in uncertainties, slowing down and redirection of demand which has impacted almost all Mediterranean tourism countries, with the exception of Turkey, which continues to be the most competitive in Croatia's business environment," Ostojić said. He warned that a fall in tourism investments can be expected in the 2020 - 2021 period by about 33% compared to 2018 - 2019.

A survey was conducted of 15 leading tourism companies in Croatia, which Ostojić said accounted for 40% of the total tourism revenue and about 80% of overall profit.

They all expect slowing down in income growth, the profit margin and investments and do not expect a much better annual occupancy compared to last year's, which was the highest in hotels (44%) and expect a similar result this year again.

"The highest increase in income per bed/person this year is expected in camps (13%), followed by hotels (6%) and in resorts (3%) compared to 2018. The analysis showed the increase in revenue mostly refers to an increase in prices outside accommodation seeing as occupancy is stagnating or barely increasing," he underscored.

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

The closing conference of the Gourmet Croatia project was held at the Principovac estate near the easternmost Croatian town of Ilok. Neven Ivandić and Neda Telišman Košuta from the Institute of Tourism presented the project and the brochure “Croatia - the New Gastronomic Icon of Europe (Strategy for the Development of Gastronomy, Gourmet and Gastronomic Tourism of Croatia with the Action Plan 2019-2022)”. The overall objectives of the project are to link the food processing sector and the tourism sector through the establishment of local production systems, as well as the territorial branding of Croatia as a recognisable gourmet destination.

After a public tender, the project was entrusted to the WYG Consulting, the Institute of Development and International Relations (IRMO) and the Institute of Tourism (IT), in cooperation with the chef Rudi Štefan. The project brochure explains that the growth of interest in food and beverages reflects profound social changes driven by the improvements in education and prosperity, technology and growing environmental pollution, while the key trends for the development of global gastronomy are experience buying, sustainability, healthy food, multiculturalism, return to tradition, good-quality fast food and growing media influence. That is the framework that supports further development of gastronomy and gastronomic tourism in the direction of creativity, authenticity and sustainability.

Gourmet refers to the highest-quality segment of gastronomy. Although gourmet restaurants represent less than 0.5% of the total gastronomic offer, they have a disproportionately large influence on gastronomy trends. The characteristics of gourmet cuisine are excellence in ingredients and the preparation and presentation of food, and in particular creativity and specific "trademark" of the chef as a person not only knowledgeable in food preparation but deeply dedicated to the "philosophy" of the cuisine he or she offers. The core of the gastronomic tourism is the eating experience itself that must reflect authentic cuisine, the knowledge of learning about local gastronomy and its protagonists, and ultimately the emotional experience of socialising.

The panel discussion "Value Chains for Gastronomy" was attended by Assistant Agriculture Minister Krunoslav Karalić, Jakša Puljiz from IRMO, Nives Kljajić as a representative of the distributor Portus Croatia, Dimitrije Sinović from the Sin Ravnice company as a representative of the producers, and Tomica Đukić, the chef of the Osijek Hotel restaurant. The discussion was moderated by Ivana Jurić, director of the Osijek-Baranja County Tourist Board.

Rudolf Štefan, the chef of the Pelegrini restaurant, spoke about the development of education in the gourmet area. "There are about sixty catering schools in Croatia, huge resources are being spent, but unfortunately not all of these schools produce good staff. We need one high-quality institution that will create the foundations for high-quality gastronomic future of Croatia.”

The second panel discussion "Promotion of Croatian Gastronomy" included Darija Tödling as a representative of the Croatian National Tourist Board, Rujana Bušić Srpak, director of the Vukovar-Srijem County Tourism Board, and Lucija Bilandžić as a representative of the Academy of Gastronomy. It was moderated by Snježana Boranić Živoder from the Institute of Tourism.

The tourism manager of Iločki Podrumi, Vesna Steiner, discussed the promotion of a destination through wine tourism, and the conference concluded with wine tasting – presentation of the Iločki Podrumi wines.

More news about Croatian gastronomy can be found in the Lifestyle section.

Last year, Dalmatinska Zagora (Dalmatian Hinterland) received several important tourist awards, and the tourist statistics from Vrlika to Vrgorac are getting better with each passing year. The town with the highest number of visitors and overnights is Dugopolje, reports Dalmacija Danas on March 25, 2019.

Ahead of the new tourist season, Dalmacija Danas spoke with Tomislav Bralić, the director of the Dugopolje Tourist Board.

Directors of local tourist board recently met and discussed the preparations for the new tourist season. We divided the topics into clusters, geographical areas: the Split Riviera, islands, Zagora and the Makarska Riviera. We mainly discussed the preparations for the arrival of cyclists and active tourists. Brochures and maps of thematic trails across the county will be published soon.

How does Dugopolje cooperate with the coastal area and the rest of Zagora?

The cooperation is good, but we can always do better. Much depends on ourselves and the activities of the local tourist boards, but also on the laws as well. In Zagora, we work well together.

In the summer, due to tourism on the coast and islands, food consumption is significantly increased. We know that Zagora has a lot to offer in this area. Is that segment used enough to provide tourists with locally-produced food?

Unfortunately, we do not use that nearly enough. Agriculture should be much more developed, and Zagora should feed the coastal area; that is our ultimate goal. There is a lot of room to grow.

Regarding this topic, the mayor mentioned that green markets would be established during this term.

The markets are in the design phase. We were waiting for certain funds that have not yet been, but we hope they will be shortly. There are more and more family farms, and that is good news. Tourists are increasingly looking for authentic and homemade food.

In the last year, Zagora has received several tourism awards, and the statistics are getting better. Not everybody knows that most of the tourism in Zagora actually takes place in Dugopolje.

That is true. We have a 4-star hotel with almost 400 beds in the area of our municipality. It makes the bulk of our tourism traffic, although we recorded 12,000 overnights in the private sector as well. Still, the hotel makes the most of over 70,000 overnight stays recorded in the municipality, which is a huge number for such a small area.

What did tourists visit the most in 2018?

First of all, Dugopolje is at a great location, well connected with Split and the coast, and the rest of Zagora is just an hour's drive. Dugopolje has its natural beauties and historic sites that are of more and more interest for the tourists.

Makarska is increasingly turning towards Biokovo. How much is Dugopolje turning towards the Mosor mountain?

We recently entered a future mountain lodge into our spatial plan. We have received funding for new hiking trails and the reconstruction of the old ones. We have tracking and trail races on Mosor. One will be held in September, Dalmatia Stage Run. I would say we are working as much as we can, given the existing resources.

More Zagora news can be found in the dedicated section.

Translated from Dalmacija Danas (reported by Rade Popadić).

Preparations for the upcoming season are already nearing completion, and despite the media insights and announcements of a worse season due to last-minute bookings and Brexit, but also the new boom of Spain and Greece who are daring to offer competitive prices, Split tourist workers are optimistic, reports Splitski Dnevnik on March 25, 2019. 

Anyone who has already placed their apartments in the queue can breathe a sigh of relief, for yet another fruitful summer awaits us. This optimism is certainly given by the Split Tourist Board data, which shows that in the first two months of 2019, the city recorded an increase of 25 percent in arrivals and overnight stays.

There was considerable interest at this year's ITB Berlin, which showcased the surrounding areas of Split to tourists, resulting in better-equipped apartments outside the city on offer this year. At the same time, the season was extended and now we can freely say that the only break in the year is from November 1 to March 1.

However, the trend of last-minute reservations this year clearly shows that we need to keep an eye on manipulating prices and quality, but also that a significant price increase in the heart of the season is not the best choice if we want sustainable and long-lasting tourism.

"More and more guests prefer booking last minute. Realizing that they can choose accommodation and that the offer, especially in our country, is substantial, they do not rush with reservations, so I am confident that all private renters will reach capacity more or less by the summer,” says the president of the Family Tourism Community Section Martina Nimac Kalcin.

The competition is increasing year after year, though this has not affected the prices of apartments thus far. What it changes is the quality for the price. This is the most common problem for renters with three-star apartments, who do not have any added value, such as a swimming pool. Such apartments are located mostly in the outermost parts of the city and beyond.

"Guests would rather choose the center of Split than a suburb, but this does not apply, for example, to Podstrana, because it is already a kind of Riviera. There, guests holiday for seven or more days, because they are not the city break guests in Split who stay however many days. But there are differences as well. One is being the first row of houses to the sea, where tourists have the beach at their fingertips, and there are quite a few other places above the Adriatic highway,” said Nimac Kalcina.

It is these landlords who have to pay attention to every detail of their offer, and the increase in lump sums, some of which could be discouraging. Because when all the costs and earnings are counted, it may be more worthwhile to rent to the tenants monthly.

Such an option should be in the tourist offer because the number of apartments is at the maximum. In recent years, the capacity of apartments has risen by 20 percent, though the number of guests remained relatively the same.

"There is a problem that will be even more pronounced this year because more apartments will be on the market, I am sure, at least 10 percent. Then the nerves grow, prices fall, they start talking about the bad season, and so on. It's not a bad season, but the supply has grown on the demand,” says Tomislav Fain, in his third year as the president of the National Association of Croatian Travel Agencies.

To cope with a similar situation, Barcelona has banned the opening of new apartments, though such rigorous moves will not happen in Croatia.

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

March 25, 2019 - TCN in the Croatian media, as Goran Rihelj of leading tourism portal HR Turizam interviews TCN owner Paul Bradbury on life in Varazdin after Hvar, running a Balkan media business as a foreigner, and why Nikola Tesla would be a great Minister of Tourism. You can read the original article in Croatian on HR Turizam.

1. Firstly, for readers who perhaps do not know you, can you introduce yourself quickly?

I am a fat Brit who moved to Hvar from Somaliland in 2002 after seeing a Croatian National Tourist Board advert on CNN. I started a blog called Total Hvar back in 2011, and things grew a little and now we run the largest English-language media in Croatia (as well as news portals in Slovenia and Montenegro). I met the girl of my dreams on Hvar and I can honestly say that life in Croatia is a lot of fun. 

2. Thirteen years on Hvar and then you moved to a village outside Varazdin. That must have been quite a change.

A lot of people were surprised when we moved. After all, if you discover Paradise, why would you want to leave? Hvar is an exceptional island and will always be in my heart. It is also absolutely the best place on the planet to bring up kids for so many reasons. 

But the realities of full-time living on an island, the distances from the centres of business, and the lack of entertainment and travel choices meant that full-time living on Hvar was not as glamorous as the long summer holiday. The kids were also older and we wanted to give them more exposure to different aspects of life. 

Varazdin County, what can I say? I absolutely love it, and I sincerely mean it when I say I think it is the best place in Croatia for full-time living. Zagreb in 1 hour, Graz in 1.5, Budapest in under 3. The mentality of the people is a lot easier to deal with, there are four distinct seasons, so many places to explore. And Hvar is always there when we need it. Easters and Summers will be on the island. It is the perfect combination. 

3. Let's talk about Total Croatia News, the largest English-language media in Croatia. What's it like running a news portal about Croatia as a foreigner?

Ha ha. Well you need very thick skin to start. The levels of abuse are insane! I honestly had no idea what I was getting into back in July 2015. I had never even heard the word 'uhljeb' when I started Total Croatia News, that is how naïve I was. I saw an opportunity to start a news portal to fill a niche, but knew nothing of your Croatian politics. It was a baptism of fire! 

I absolutely love what I do and Croatia is a fascinating place to write about as a foreigner. I have the most amazing team of dedicated writers, expat and local, and they really help with the balance and direction. We are slowly becoming the de facto bridge between Croatia and the international community, which comes with its own responsibilities. But I am very proud of what we as a team have achieved and the level of international respect. We brought both the New York Times and The Sunday Times to Hvar, and I have just had my first article published in The Daily Telegraph. 

Our mission is to promote Croatia, but not to do so blindly. There are many problems here, and constructive criticism is something we engage in. It is rarely well-received. 

4. You are sometimes very critical about Croatian tourism. As a foreigner, what issues in particular attract your attention?

Every time I criticise, I do so not for the sake of criticising, but in the hope that the issue can be improved and we can move forward to a better future. 

Naively, I assumed that official tourism bodies would be interested in promoting tourism as their priority. It has taken me some time to figure out how Croatia works, and nothing is quite as it seems to the foreign tourist at the beach!

Croatia has phenomenal potential as a tourist destination, but when the emphasis of officials is protecting their interests and enjoying life rather than doing what they are paid to do, there is not much hope that Croatia will realise that potential. A simple example will suffice. 

Medical tourism is FINALLY attracting the attention of the powers that be. All international experts agree that Croatia has the potential to be in the world's top 10 for medical tourism within 10 years – this is a multi-billion dollar industry. 

In October last year, anyone who was anyone in tourism descended on Hvar for Days of Croatian Tourism, 3 days of self-congratulatory partying and relaxation. The next week, a really important boutique health tourism seminar was held in Zagreb, with an expensive (and excellent) consultant flown in from the States.

How many official stakeholders came to that seminar? I won't name and shame, but the lack of attendance told its own story. It was the same at the 5th Annual Medical Tourism Conference in Zagreb last week – apparently about 50 members of the Croatian National Tourist Board went to ITB Berlin, but not one could cross the road to Hotel Westin in Zagreb to learn more from global speakers on health tourism, including from the Cleveland Clinic. 

Sadly, the Kings of Accidental Tourism still run Croatian tourism, and tourism happens not because of them, but in spite of them. If Croatian tourism was handed over to the private sector, the results would be phenomenal. 

5. How do you see the branding of Croatia, and do you think tourism is moving in the right direction in Croatia?

I interviewed Nenad Bakic at the Varteks factory recently. What he and his team are doing to this majestic 100-year-old Croatian company is nothing short of sensational. Small budget, massive vision, with a very focused digital strategy. 

I thought about it a lot after the interview, and how Bakic's approach is what we need for Croatian tourism. It is an accepted fact that tourism just happens in Croatia. Imagine a situation where none of the tourism ministry or tourist board structure existed, and we appointed the late Nikola Tesla as the minister of tourism – at least he is a brand. Do you think the number of tourists would go down?

Now imagine the national tourist board budget and all the salaries of people working there who contribute less than nothing. Give that money to a team with a vision like Bakic has for Varteks. The results would be so much better. And think how much money would be saved. 

There are so many examples where we are doing nothing with the potential. Croatia has amazing wines, the original Zinfandel, 130 indigenous varieties. All true. Anthony Bourdain was not the only one to be blown away with the 'world-class food, world-class wine and world-class cheese.' That was 7 years ago. 

The Holy Grail is 12-month tourism. Gourmet tourism is one of the greatest possibilities we have (along with health tourism). So with all this amazing food and wine, how is the Croatian gastro-tourism market developed compared to say, France, Italy, Germany and Spain. We have almost zero, while they are raking in tens of millions. Why?

6. You have been actively involved in the promotion of medical tourism in Croatia. Tell us about what is happening in this sector – it seems like a real opportunity.

I was stunned when I learned what is happening in the Croatian medical tourism sector, and I have to thank Ognjen Bagatin of Bagatin Clinic for introducing me to it 18 months ago. Did you know, for example, that three of the top dermatology clinics in Europe (including Bagatin, the number one) are in Zagreb? Or that St Catherine Specialty Hospital is the only hospital in all Europe to partner with OneOme, the Mayo Clinic revolutionary pharmacogenetic test? 

The best of the Croatian medical tourism industry competes on a global level. The challenge is to get the story out there. More international experts are concurring, saying Croatia has a very bright future. 'All' that needs to happen is for the stakeholders to unite and come up with the right strategy and finance the big push. The results could and will bring a huge boost to the economy. But the concept of officials working together for the common good... 

7. You have recently launched a new Croatian tourism information website, Croatia in 100 Pages, on http://www.total-croatia.com/. Tell us more.

The concept of the new Total Croatia site is very simple – Croatia in 100 pages. A quick and easily navigable site answering all the questions tourists are googling – how to get from the airport, what is the currency, how much to tip – that kind of thing. 

We have huge destination pages – Hvar in a Page, for example – where we aim to give readers all the information in one place. With more than 30,000 articles on TCN over the years, we have plenty of links to send them to the very best information. 

The site is aimed primarily at tourists, but also to local renters and tourism businesses as well. We are constantly updating the site and so we offer a very reliable source of information. Many apartment owners have websites and the stress of keeping them up to date with information.

By linking to Total Croatia, not only does the stress go away, but the apartment owner has even better information for his guest. 

We launched last week and already have some articles with more than 2,000 Facebook shares, without any promotion apart from Facebook posting. We are happy to work with anyone who has an interest in promoting their business. Our aim is to grow traffic on the site, add various languages and hopefully become the number one source of tourist information about Croatia in English, as we are already with the news. If that happens, perhaps we will appoint Nikola Tesla as our Minister of Tourism and see where we go...

Learn more about Croatia in 100 Pages, the new Total Croatia portal.