August 14, 2020 - Director of the Civil Protection Headquarters and Assistant Interior Minister Damir Trut spoke about COVID-19 in Croatia. In an interview on Thursday evening, he explained why the Headquarters decided to tighten measures for cafes, bars, and nightclubs, and revealed just how many foreign tourists were infected in the country.

"The situation prompted us to make that decision. The infection comes from the Adriatic and young people are most affected, so it could be concluded that the most important factor could be nightclubs and cafes," he said as a guest for Dnevnik Nova TV, as reported by Index.hr.

Asked what will be achieved because the corona does not know the time, he replied:

"Yes, the corona does not know what time it is, but we have reduced the working hours by six hours and thus the possibility of infection."

He explained that the inspectors would control all activities and events throughout Croatia, and these are, in addition to clubs and cafes, weddings, and other events where more than 100 people are in one location.

He also said that people usually do not adhere to social distancing, but that they should also not be too harsh in sanctions.

“It’s like that in those locations, with alcohol and music, so people forget about keeping a distance,” he said.

When asked what he recommends, he answered:

"The recommendation is that the epidemic is here and among us, we have relaxed over the summer and we need to become aware of that. We need to be responsible so that it does not spread."

He also revealed that about 50 foreign tourists were infected in Croatia, and some had already returned to their countries.

Recall, Croatia recorded 180 new cases on Thursday, by far the most in the country since the beginning of the coronavirus epidemic.

So far, counting Thursday, Croatia has had more than 100 new infections in one day seven times. To date, the record day was July 11, with 140 newly infected, yesterday was the second-highest in terms of the number of newly infected - 130, and on July 15, there were 126.

Croatia first recorded more than 100 new cases on July 10. There were 116 newly infected at the time. The same number was recorded on July 18.

Now, for the seventh time, Croatia recorded over 100 newly infected people in one day - as many as 180 - and Thursday was the worst day since the beginning of the epidemic in Croatia.

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August 13, 2020 - In a primetime slot on French TV channel TF1, the popular show 'Cuisine Impossible' aired, in which the gastronomic charms of Slavonia were presented. But that's only part of the French promotion of Croatia.

The TV series shows destinations through the discovery of local products and producers, and a special feature about Croatia was organized by the Croatian National Tourist Board, the CNTB Representation in France and the Vukovar-Srijem County Tourist Board.

"The exceptionally viewed show, which is watched by over a million viewers, presented the Croatian region that French travel enthusiasts are just discovering. This show contributed not only to the promotion of the tourist offer of Slavonia but also to the diversity of the entire Croatian tourist offer. In addition, I believe that the broadcast will encourage a larger number of reservations for next year, when many French tourists will take their trips planned for this year," said the director of the Croatian National Tourist Board Kristjan Stanicic, emphasizing that there is currently an average of around 14,000 French guests in Croatia daily.

In the show dedicated to Slavonia, French culinary chef Julien Duboue accepted the challenge according to which, after tasting fish stew hosted by local family farm Zoltan Jovic, he had to prepare an identical dish in less than 48 hours, i.e., identify the ingredients of this authentic Slavonian dish, catch fish in the Danube and procure the remaining groceries. After successfully fulfilling the challenge, he emphasized the exceptional hospitality of Slavonians. The show features Ilok landscapes and cellars, vineyards, quality wine, and Slavonia is presented as a region with a rich tourist offer.

"We are satisfied with the successful realization of this project, through which Croatia once again placed itself on the list of favorite European destinations of the French, who from year to year discover new Croatian regions. We are sure that in the coming period, the richness of Slavonia's tourist offer will attract more and more French people," said the director of the CNTB France, Daniela Mihalic Djurica, adding that many other French media have been reporting on Croatia as a hit destination.

For example, in the most-watched term of the French national television M6, the show 'Zone interdite' was broadcast, entirely dedicated to Croatian tourism and Croatia, which was presented as an Adriatic gem and a hit destination for French guests in recent years. The show called "The French have found their place under the Croatian sun" has been watched by several million people so far, and shows destinations such as Split, Pakostane, Pag, Krka National Park, Brac, Hvar and Pag, with a number of useful tips for creating the ideal vacation in Croatia. Days after the broadcast, numerous French media broadcast a summary of the show that reveals why tourists from all over the world adore Croatia.

Also, the prestigious French weekly Le Figaro ranked the Croatian island of Lopud in first among three Mediterranean paradise islands, along with the Greek Santorini and Corsican Brando, while the French edition of lifestyle magazine Grazia, in its article entitled, "The most beautiful European island: A selection of the most beautiful which we dream of visiting", published a list that also includes Croatia, more precisely the island of Hvar, which is in the high fifth place of the most beautiful European islands.

Moteaur Boat, both the leader among the French motor-nautical media and its monthly with a 25-year tradition, has presented Croatia as a nautical paradise in its issue since August, with special emphasis on Vis, which delighted the journalist and camera crew with its beauty and indigenous experience.

The popular 90-minute travel show 'Echappées Belles' is currently being filmed in Istria and on the islands of Cres and Pag. The show is watched by almost two million viewers, and the episode about Croatia will be shown in May 2021 in primetime on the national TV channel France 5.

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August 13, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates for Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, and Brac. 

Croatian Aviation reports that Spanish low-cost airline Vueling has announced its flight schedule for September in which it will reduce the number of weekly flights to Split and Dubrovnik.

In July, Vueling had 14 weekly operations from Barcelona and Rome to Dubrovnik, while the number of weekly operations to Split was smaller - 12 times a week. The company will continue to operate to Split and Dubrovnik in September according to the following schedule:

Barcelona - Dubrovnik, twice a week (Tuesdays and Sundays),

Rome - Dubrovnik, twice a week (Tuesdays and Saturdays),

Barcelona - Split, twice a week (Tuesdays and Saturdays),

Rome - Split, twice a week (Tuesdays and Sundays).

In the peak season, the company had four flights a week on the Rome - Dubrovnik route, and three flights a week on the lines Barcelona - Dubrovnik, Rome - Split and Barcelona - Split. As we approach the end of the summer season, a reduction in the number of weekly flights is to be expected, so Vueling's move is not surprising.

Also, the Barcelona - Zagreb line will continue to operate in September, once a week, every Saturday evening. Vueling will thus fly to three airports in Croatia next month, with 18 operations a week.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that Croatia Airlines will still not use A319 aircraft on a regular route from Zagreb to Brac, and on charter flights from Brac to Austria (Graz and Linz).

Namely, the company previously announced an increase in capacity on these routes, given that the charterer of these charter flights requested a higher capacity aircraft. From the end of August, Croatia Airlines planned to use an A319 aircraft every Saturday on the regular domestic route Zagreb - Brac due to the positioning of the aircraft at this airport, from where charter flights to Graz and Linz were to be made.

The national company conducted training flights with this type of aircraft in the airspace around the island of Brac on July 11 this year, preparing for regular operations.

The mentioned flights were not canceled. Croatia Airlines will continue to operate on a regular route from Zagreb to Brac, as well as on charter routes from Brac to Graz and Linz, but with a capacity of 76 seats (DashQ400).

Recall, German Sundair announced a regular charter line between Frankfurt and Brač, but that line was also canceled. 

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August 13, 2020 - Komiza, the small fishing town on the island of Vis, is a Dalmatian hit this summer. 

Slobodna Dalmacija reports that it's not only Komiza seeing swarms of tourists, but the interior of the island is also full, as is the town of Vis, which in August recorded 80 percent of its figures compared to last year.

Large queues can be seen on the way to the ferry in Vis town, and if you wait to get your ticket until an hour before departure, thinking, "there won't be crowds?" Think again. 

The coronavirus has forced people into nature and agriculture, which is a bonus for visitors to Vis, who can enjoy more than 50 swimming pools on the island for guests thanks to luxury villas.

There are so many tourists that, at times, towns look as if they'll burst at the seams, but everyone is happy to be the hit of Dalmatia, expressed a local. 

"In Komiza, you can't pass all the people, some renters are full until mid-September. A miracle in a small town. How, why? We have no corona. We are a corona-free destination. That one case? It wasn't ours. People here are safe, calm, free, that's why they come to us," one Vis renter said.

Komiza Mayor Tonka Ivcevic confirms this year's boom, saying that luxury holiday villas sold out first.

The past two weeks in Komiza have been at the level of last year. There are a huge number of yachtspeople, and the novelty is the family guests arriving by car - and there have never been so many.

Another novelty is certainly a significant number of Croatian guests who have recognized Vis as the safest holiday destination.

"To our surprise, no one expected there to be this much tourism. We met them, and we lowered the price of the Blue Cave from 100 kuna to 70 kuna. We also introduced free parking in the city parking lot. We are very satisfied," says the mayor.

The Komiza Tourist Board and its director Bogoljub Mitrakovic are also under attack, stating that some landlords have relaxed too much and are not registering guests. However, Mitrakovic warns such landlords to stop illegal work as soon as possible, also because the Tourist Board regularly asks the State Inspectorate to visit them.

"We send inquiries to the inspectorate every week, even for situations from last year. But they don't answer; the inspector is nowhere to be found. We have 1900 beds, but also a lot of unregistered guests. And that's the problem. Hotel "Biševo" has excellent results, all 300 beds are full from August 1 until today, and official data give us an 80 percent result in August compared to last year. Apart from the domestic guests who took the lead in July, there are a lot of Slovenes, Italians have returned, there are a lot of Britons, Austrians, Germans, French, Serbs… There are a lot of Poles who love diving; they like to explore shipwrecks. The only ones missing from Komiza are those from San Pedro, and the corona blocked them from coming. We are telling everyone to come, Komiza is safe, we are very careful about the measures at all our events, and there are a lot of them. Summer in Komiza is a hit, and I think we succeeded in that because of excellent marketing," says Mitrakovic, who gives thanks to the City and the Nautical Center for their help in organizing the events.

One renter Petra Muric says that you have to walk along the entire waterfront several times to find somewhere to sit for coffee; that the city has become like a ripe pomegranate that will burst at any moment.

"There are so many boaters that the rocks where you tie ropes are also filled. And on the mainland, some groups come naively without inquiring first, so they have to sleep in their cars. Families come with children, godparents. And how will you help them? Everything is full. It got to the point that the couches also filled up. Five of our apartments started filling up about 15 days ago, and we are occupied until mid-September. We had 30 calls a day. This summer, there is a change, there have never been so many locals, but it is evident that they have much less spending power than our standard guests, Scandinavians, Swedes, Dutch, Spaniards, Italians," says Petra.

It is not difficult for foreign guests to pay extra costs, and Komiza is not cheap. However, it is not as easy for the locals. Thus, long columns are formed in front of fast-food restaurants, and the shops are so crowded, they even run out of groceries.

Petra Muric adds that many people openly asked to lower the price of their accommodation. Some Zagreb agencies even called and tried to convince them that their 70 euro accommodation must be reduced by 50 percent.

"I had up to 30 phone inquiries a day for accommodation. In the end, I had to put on the ad that the 70 euro price, which is ten euro less than last year, is final. We are all full, the worst accommodation on the island is full, the situation is to give whatever you have. We have not experienced this yet," says Petra.

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August 13, 2020 - At an extraordinary meeting on the coronavirus on Wednesday, Italy introduced new measures for travelers returning or in transit from four countries, including Croatia.

24 Sata reports that according to Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera, for all those who have been to Croatia, Greece, Spain or Malta in the last 14 days, it is mandatory to have a negative coronavirus test when entering Italy, and only one that is not older than 72 hours is valid. The second option, Corriere reports, is that everyone who returns, but does not have a negative test with them, or has not been tested, must do so in the next 48 hours in Italy.

You can find the official decision by the Italian Health Ministry at this link.

Italians are recording more and more cases of coronavirus infection that are connected to tourist centers, and as Il Fatto Quotidiano reports, Italy has recorded as many as 41 imported cases in the last three days.

This news comes just two days after the Embassy of Finland to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Holy See announced that Finland would introduce a mandatory 14-day quarantine and obligatory COVID-19 testing for travelers coming to Finland from Croatia.

Recall, on Wednesday, the National Civil Protection Headquarters of Croatia reported 130 new coronavirus cases, and the number of currently infected (active cases) in Croatia on Wednesday was 686.

There are 117 patients in hospital, of which eight are on a ventilator. There were no fatalities in the last 24 hours.

Since February 25, 2020, when the first case of infection was recorded in Croatia, a total of 5,870 people infected with the new coronavirus have been recorded to date, of whom 160 have died and 5,024 have recovered.

There are currently 2279 people in self-isolation. To date, a total of 132,292 people have been tested, of which 1,604 in the last 24 hours, announced the Headquarters on Wednesday. 

Thirty-five health workers are actively ill, and 140 are in self-isolation.

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August 12, 2020 - Since the Biokovo Skywalk opening, Biokovo has become one of the most sought after locations overnight, not only on the Makarska coast but far beyond.

Slobodna Dalmacija reports that this heavenly lookout has ushered Biokovo into the new age tourism industry, where there is no time for an in-depth exploration of the destination; most tourists want to put a "check" on their "must visit" list and capture the experience with a camera.

But is Biokovo ready for this rush of hungry tourists? And, quite frankly, what comes next?

Slavo Jaksa, director of the Public Institution Biokovo Nature Park, comments on the future of Dalmatia's hit attraction. 

"The Skywalk is in itself an attraction and an additional product of the nature park that has raised the level of attractiveness of the whole of Biokovo. How much interest has increased, it is difficult to say for now because the year is as it is, and it is not a year to make comparisons," he points out.

"We expected an increase in the number of visitors and increased interest, but I must admit that we were still surprised by the extent of it," adds Jaksa.

The current problem is the crowds on Biokovo, which are created due to the enormous interest, and in the current year, this issue is being solved by limiting the number of vehicles. Namely, only 25 vehicles can enter in an hour, but it happens that tourists return because the queues are too big, or because the closing time of the park is approaching. Thus, long lines are standard.

"It is not so much of a burden because we control it. Namely, we also regulate the issue of road congestion and possible pollution," claims Jaksa, adding that next year they plan to sell tickets online.

"This will reduce congestion and the influx of cars. It would function like at Plitvice Lakes or Krka, and tourists would come at a certain time when they take a ticket and thus significantly reduce the crowds," the director adds.

Is Biokovo endangered in the sense that it is now suddenly visited by a mass of tourists?

"Not yet. We as an institution are here to protect the mountain, and we ensure the protection of nature and monitor, and when this season is over, we will evaluate and see what can be concluded and applied next year. But I always say that Biokovo protects itself only for the simple reason that it is an inaccessible mountain. We do not yet know whether this is just an opening effect or will be a continuous public interest. We will see where improvements are needed and prepare for the next year in which, we hope, tourism will return as it was, which we all want," explains Jaksa.

For the next year, other facilities are planned, along with the already completed lookout point and a new bicycle and hiking trail, visitor center, and children's playground. The project is worth 34 million kuna.

"All this will be completed in 2021 and it is clear that the structure of guests is now changing. We get a wider base, and with Biokovo Skywalk, we see what effect has been achieved, not only for tourism on the Makarska coast, but for the county and Croatia. We have tourists who come from other counties, while so far Biokovo has been visited mainly by guests from the Makarska Riviera," says Jaksa.

The more extensive base also means the need to educate visitors, which the director says they are already doing at the reception itself.

So, what can we expect next year? How will the road handle increasing traffic?

Jaksa emphasizes that they will be significantly relieved by selling tickets online, and as far as the road itself is concerned, he agrees that it is too narrow. Thus, Jaksa warns to drive at your own risk.

In principle, there are plans to rebuild the road, but for now, it is a long shot. There was also talk of shuttle buses, which are actually the best, safest and most environmentally friendly solution, though this was also left for the second budget period. Recall, a public transport system was discussed within the existing project "New Adrion - Promoting the sustainable use of the natural heritage of PP Biokovo".

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Latest update, August 17, 2020: Today, we've received confirmation from the Embassy of Finland that the changes announced last week will, in fact, not be happening: 

Old rules still valid, i.e. a recommendation to self-isolate if you return to Finland e.g. from Croatia. @THLresearch is preparing a so-called traffic light model that will communicate to travelers what measures are likely to be taken when arriving to ??. https://t.co/H24czqcefC

— Finland in Croatia (@FinEmbCroatia) August 17, 2020

August 11, 2020 - In a totally unexpected and somewhat weird twist, the Embassy of Finland to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Holy See announced today that Finland will introduce a mandatory 14-day quarantine and obligatory COVID-19 testing for travelers coming to Finland from Croatia. 

In a tweet post an hour or so ago, the Embassy explains the decision just a little bit further (see below): 

Huom! Obs! Pažnja! Please note!✈️?? #COVID19FI pic.twitter.com/dbhOdzlfnB

— Finland in Croatia (@FinEmbCroatia) August 11, 2020

It is unclear how or why the decision has been made now, as Croatia is decidedly not on high-risk lists created by most European countries (and we've extensively written about the epidemiological situation in Croatia being quite good and improving in the last weeks). No further detail on the decision are currently available, so we don't know much more. One thing we can tell you is that, if you're planning on going to Finland soon, and you're currently in Croatia or Bosnia and Herzegovina (we can't confirm at this moment which additional countries will be placed on the Finnish high-risk list), you should consider that move as soon as possible. The Embassy said in their vague tweet that more information should be known before the end of this week. 

Before this decision, Croatia was listed as one of the non-Schengen countries, for which "Self-quarantine is recommended for those arriving in Finland."

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August 11, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates for Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar, Pula, Rijeka, Osijek and Brac.

Croatian Aviation reports that although Air France announced the introduction of a second daily flight on the Paris-Zagreb route, it did not materialize.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, Air France announced the introduction of a second daily flight to Zagreb, and the company planned to offer as many as 14 direct flights a week between Paris and Zagreb, but due to reduced demand, the plans have been canceled. The second daily flight was to land from Paris to Zagreb in the late evening, overnight in Zagreb, and depart on the return flight to Paris early the next morning.

However, in July, the company announced traffic on the Paris-Zagreb route 11 times a week, where two daily flights were planned every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, but this also did not materialize. Air France thus operates seven times a week between the two cities, with one flight a day.

Air France still operates to Split and Dubrovnik, where flights take place as planned; to Split six times a week (every day except Saturday), and to Dubrovnik four times a week (Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays).

Croatia Airlines operates to Paris from Split once a week, from Dubrovnik three times a week, and from Zagreb every day.

Croatian Aviation reports that France isn't the only country that is well connected with Croatia. Last weekend (August 8 and 9), just like every peak season weekend, Croatian airports were well connected with Frankfurt. 

Frankfurt Airport received and dispatched over 70 million passengers (70,556,072) in 2019, ranking fourth among the busiest airports in Europe (ahead of only Amsterdam Schiphol, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and London Heathrow).

Last weekend, Split Airport had the largest number of seats offered on the lines to and from Frankfurt. On Saturday, German Lufthansa used an A321 aircraft with a capacity of 215 passengers (430 seats in both directions), while Croatia Airlines operated an A319 aircraft with a capacity of 144 passengers (288 seats in both directions). On Sunday, Lufthansa again used an A321 aircraft with a capacity of 200 passengers, while Croatia Airlines offered the same capacity on the route as on Saturday. However, on Sunday, German Condor flew to Split on a B757 aircraft with a capacity of as many as 275 passengers, so only this airline offered 550 seats in both directions, for a total of 1956 seats available!

The second airport in terms of the number of seats offered on the route to Frankfurt is Zagreb Airport. As Lufthansa has not resumed traffic at Zagreb Airport, only Croatia Airlines operates on this route. Last Saturday and Sunday saw three flights a day. Croatia Airlines used A319 aircraft with a capacity of 144 passengers on all flights, while one flight was performed every day with a 9A-CTN aircraft with a slightly larger capacity, 150 passengers. In total - 1752 seats on sale on direct flights between these two airports.

The third airport in Croatia in terms of connections with Frankfurt was Dubrovnik Airport. Lufthansa landed in Dubrovnik on Saturday on an A321 aircraft with a capacity of 200 passengers, while Croatia Airlines flew to Frankfurt on an A319 aircraft. On Sunday, Croatia Airlines offered the same capacity as the previous day, while Lufthansa used a smaller A320neo on the route, which has a capacity of 180 passengers. There were 1336 seats available on direct flights between Dubrovnik and Frankfurt.

This year, Croatia Airlines does not offer direct flights from Zadar to Frankfurt, but Lufthansa has resumed traffic to Zadar Airport, and the line is available on both Saturdays and Sundays. On Saturday, the A319 aircraft with a capacity of 138 passengers operated on the route, while on Sunday, the A320neo with a capacity of 180 passengers operated. In total, in both directions, 636 seats were available.

As is the case at Zadar Airport, this year, Croatia Airlines does not operate direct flights from Pula to Frankfurt. Lufthansa restored traffic, but only on Saturdays, so there was no direct flight between Pula and Frankfurt on Sunday. The Embraer E190, with a capacity of 120 passengers, landed in Pula on Saturday, so a total of 240 seats were available on this line.

Other airports in Croatia - Osijek, Brac and Rijeka, do not have direct flights to Frankfurt in this year's summer flight schedule. It should be mentioned that Rijeka is connected to Frankfurt Hahn Airport, where Ryanair operates, and the line is available on Saturdays.

In conclusion, a total of 5,920 seats on as many as 36 flights were available between the five Croatian airports and Frankfurt last weekend! Given that Frankfurt is a well-known European and world hub, the number of seats offered is no surprise, especially when the number of direct flights to Croatian airports has been reduced this year, so many passengers are forced to change at one of the European airports to arrive in Croatia. 

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August 10, 2020 - Reports of tourist arrivals in Croatia this August are anything but grim. Just last weekend, Croatia reported more than 323,000 arrivals and 2.3 million overnight stays!

According to the preliminary eVisitor data, which contains tourist traffic realized in the commercial and non-commercial segment and nautical charter, more than one million arrivals and 7.2 million overnight stays were realized in Croatia so far in August (from August 1 to 9), which is about 70 percent of last year's result achieved in the same period, the Croatia National Tourist Board reported.

They add that most overnight stays in the same period were achieved in Istria (1.7 million overnight stays), Kvarner (1.4 million overnight stays), Split-Dalmatia (1.3 million overnight stays), Zadar (1.3 million overnight stays), Sibenik-Knin County (578,000 overnight stays), Dubrovnik-Neretva County (392,000 overnight stays) and Lika-Senj County (271,000 overnight stays).

"After an excellent July, in which we achieved about 60 percent of last year's result, we recorded even better tourist trends in August and are currently at about 70 percent of last year's result. The markets that reacted best are territorially closer markets for which Croatian destinations are easily accessible by road routes, such as, for example, Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary.

We directed our promotional and information campaigns towards these markets all the time, communicating that Croatia is a safe and well-prepared tourist destination. Also, with the increase in the number of airlines, tourist traffic in the southern parts of Dalmatia has intensified," said the director of the Croatian Tourist Board Kristjan Stanicic, adding that, for example, Dubrovnik and London are currently connected with 44 flights a week.

"It is extremely important that we all continue to act responsibly and that we adhere to the prescribed epidemiological measures, because this is currently a prerequisite for the realization of tourist traffic in the country," concluded director Stanicic.

In the previous part of August, most tourist arrivals came from the German market, about 225,000, which is an increase of 6 percent compared to the same period last year. The domestic market follows with 178,000 arrivals, an increase of 18 percent, the Slovenian market with 133,000 arrivals, an increase of 10 percent, and the Polish market with 109,000 arrivals, an increase of 16 percent, compared to the same period last year.

Looking at the destinations, so far, in August, most arrivals were made in Rovinj, Porec, Medulin, Crikvenica, Umag, Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar, Pula and Novalja.

The Croatia National Tourist Board adds that during the last weekend (from August 7 to 9), there were more than 323,000 arrivals and 2.3 million overnight stays in Croatia.

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August 9, 2020 - Last year, there were 272 cruisers in Croatia - and thanks to COVID-19, only 15 have been recorded in the country in 2020. 

Slobodna Dalmacija reports that this time of year, our coastal cities typically feature swarms of tourists, and monster cruisers are parked in and around our ports, adding to the crowds and pushing the city's capacity to the brim.

However, it only took one coronavirus pandemic to change it all; and while there are tourists today, there are no cruisers in sight. 

There have been no cruise ship tourists in Croatia for months, as cruisers came to a halt in March. The Central Bureau of Statistics on Friday published data on foreign cruise ships in the first half of the year, stating that there have been no cruisers on the Croatian coast for months because the COVID-19 pandemic introduced measures to ban the entry of international cruises, which directly affected the number of foreign cruise ships in Croatian seaports in March and their absence in April, May and June 2020.

From January to June, six foreign cruisers sailed into Croatian seaports, making 15 trips  - five in January, seven in February and three in March. Last year, in the first half of the year, there were 54 cruisers in Croatian waters, which made 272 trips. There were 3737 passengers on cruisers in Croatian ports this year, and most of them, 2809, was in January. In total, these cruisers were in Croatia for 47 days. In the first half of last year, there were a total of 409,238 passengers on cruise ships, making 554 trip days, and most passengers were counted in June, or 162,000 of them.

The CBS states that due to the pandemic, from January to June this year, the number of foreign cruise ships in Croatian seaports decreased by 88.9 percent compared to the same period last year. In the first six months of this year, foreign cruise ships decreased by 94.5 percent, and the number of days spent on the Croatian Adriatic decreased by 91.5 percent compared to the same period in 2019. The number of passengers on these ships compared to in 2019 was lower by 99.1 percent.

Of the 15 cruises of foreign ships this year, 12 flew the flag of Malta, while the largest number of passengers, 2,690, arrived on ships flying the flag of Italy. The majority of these cruises this year, 73 percent of them, were realized in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, while the rest were in Istria County.

Some believe that Venice and Dubrovnik will not see a quick return of cruisers, as cruise companies suffer huge losses.

In the first quarter of this year alone, Carnival, the largest cruise company, had more than $4 billion in losses due to an 85 percent drop in revenue over the same period last year. Carnival has already borrowed more than six billion dollars and announced that it would sell four cruisers to cover its minuses and costs, which exceed $600 million a month.

The second quarter will not be easier for Carnival and other companies in the business. Some companies have announced they could re-arrange travel in mid-September, others cite November, though everything is still uncertain, as the coronavirus continues to spread. 

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