August 3, 2020 - Jung Sky, a Zagreb-based airline company operating in private, business and charter flights since 2009, is seeing a record summer thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.

Slobodna Dalmacija writes that while commercial airlines were absent on the Adriatic, this air gap has been filled by small private and business planes whose number of landings and takeoffs with tourists is expressed in hundreds per day at all airports on the Adriatic.

Usually, small private or business planes rented for transportation belong exclusively to the world of jet-setters, millionaires, wealthy athletes, and business people, which is peculiar that so many were coming to Croatia today. However, during the corona era, where travelers are looking to avoid close contact with other passengers, privacy is critical - and air taxis have become king.

Moreover, the coronavirus, which has caused trouble to almost everyone involved in anything related to travel, has brought new clients to business aviation. Demand is at very high levels, and more often than not, they are hitting record numbers. Currently, the sales department of air taxi companies receives up to 300 inquiries per plane per day!

Recently, the BBC World News reported on a record increase in the number of passengers who opted for this service for the first time this year, after the pandemic. The situation is no different in Croatia - and Zagreb-based "Jung Sky", which boasts two planes, recorded the best business results in June and July in the 10-year history of the company.

"After the number of flights dropped by more than 80 percent in April, in May the decline was halved, and the rush for the summer was slowly catching up," says Kresimir Vlasic, Jung Sky's director of operations.

June hit substantial numbers, and July is on the verge of the most successful month in the company’s history. Due to the excellent isolation conditions when traveling by private plane, in June and July, the pandemic also affected the profile of passengers.

"The dominance of business travelers is smaller, and this year a significantly larger number of tourists are flying with us than usual. Everyone is thinking about epidemiological issues and they see the right answer to their fears in our service. All indicators show that the current clientele has remained faithful to this service, but a significant percentage of passengers are using our services for the first time, and are determined to use us in the future. Traveling privately, with family and people you know well, is the epidemiologically simplest and most acceptable option, and the problem of lack of regular or insufficiently frequent airlines or congested roads is completely eliminated," Vlasic believes.

Drazen Gros, head of the operations center, said that there are different profiles of passengers using this type of service. They are most often top and middle management on business trips, families on family trips, individuals going on various business, sports or music occasions, musicians, athletes or actors, and experts of various profiles that companies send to perform specialist jobs.

There are many reasons to rent business aircraft, from organizing travel according to your needs and schedule, to saving on travel time and avoiding changing planes. There is, of course, the possibility of traveling to more than one destination, greater security and privacy during the trip, the possibility of direct arrival to smaller places that are weakly or not at all connected by regular lines and savings on travel costs in cases where more people travel. Tourist reasons are most dominant during the summer when the number of inquiries for Mediterranean destinations, including Croatia - grows," said Gros.

When asked if this is exclusively a deep-pocket clientele, i.e., the rich and famous, he added:

"No, it's prejudice. Extremely wealthy people have their own planes that cannot be put in the same category as our planes in terms of value. Just as road taxi transport has its advantages over public transport and is used by both private and business users, so air taxi transport has its advantages over regular transport. Sometimes, by using regular lines for a three-day trip, two days would be spent only on transportation, and by using a business plane, passengers travel to a meeting on the same day and return home," explains Gros.

Since such planes travel to Croatia almost exclusively by foreigners, which Croatian passengers are using these services? The interlocutors revealed that it is mainly the business community and senior management that use the services of small business aircraft due to the need for business meetings. The range of these aircraft is about 2500 kilometers, and it is possible to reach most destinations in Europe and North Africa without stopping.

So, how much does it all cost?

"The price of the service is calculated according to the total number of flight hours in the rotation ordered by the client, which includes the flight from the base in Zagreb to the destination where we pick up passengers, then the flight to their desired destination, return flight if requested by the passenger and our return to base. Prices vary by season, and some of the variables can be airport costs, use of the VIP lounge and the like. Our prices are between 1,800 and 2,200 euro per hour of flight, regardless of how many passengers are on the plane, and the planes have a capacity of six seats. The total cost of the flight is related to the total duration of the flight, and additional costs that vary from airport to airport, regardless of whether it is a return or one-way flight," said Jung Sky, which is one of about 500 such operators in Europe.

Business aviation makes up only 8 percent of the total air traffic in Europe, where there are operators that fly with only one aircraft, but mostly it is about two, five, or even a few dozen aircraft in the fleet. And they all provide passengers with a pleasant flight, whether it is a light "piston" aircraft or a large jet aircraft weighing more than 400 tons. In most cases, air taxi companies in Europe work with aircraft with a capacity of up to ten seats.

Unfamiliar with altitude and aviation topics, one might first wonder if turbulence in small business planes is greater and more frequent than in large planes that seem safer because they are, well, large. But air taxi companies argue the opposite. Namely, compared to regular commercial aviation aircraft flying at altitudes of 10-11 km, business aircraft fly at altitudes of 13,000 to 13,500 meters, so they are pleasant flights because turbulence at such altitudes is a very rare occurrence, and speed flight is up to 800 km / h.

Thus, the coronavirus pandemic, which brought so much trouble to the entire tourism and service sector and especially to the travel industry, has led to an increase in demand for business aircraft.

"This is partly because a large number of scheduled airlines have been canceled, while another key reason is the fear of traveling in large groups. The only things that have a strong impact on our traffic are the necessity of going to quarantine after arriving in a country and restrictions at airports. If April is not repeated this year, the future of business aviation is definitely bright, especially due to epidemiological issues. Traveling on a business plane not only solves the issue of staying in a cabin with strangers, but the service from start to finish allows a high degree of (self) isolation and flexibility. No waiting for a flight at airports, no standing in lines for check-in or control. It passes through a special general aviation terminal, you board the flight literally five minutes before takeoff, and the whole experience can be passed without any physical contact with other people," Jung Sky concluded.

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August 2, 2020 -  Split Airport hit the record for weekend traffic this year, as the first two days of August brought over 30,000 passengers.

Croatian Aviation reports that Split Airport this weekend (August 1 and 2) had as many as 165 landings and takeoffs of commercial aircraft, which carried more than 30,000 passengers in both directions. This is record traffic this summer season for Split Airport. Although it is a relatively large number, for comparison, it was only 35% of passengers compared to the same weekend last year.

The head of reception and departure of passengers at Split Airport, Mate Melvan, said that in the first seven months of this year, the turnover was about 277 thousand passengers, while in August, the expected traffic is over 150 thousand passengers, which, given the situation, is a very good result.

The first two weekends in August have been one of the busiest in the summer season for years, so good traffic is expected next weekend as well. It should be noted that Split airport is currently directly connected to as many as 60 European destinations, and only this weekend planes from 47 destinations landed in Split.

British easyJet had the most lines to Split this weekend, 14 of them from the following cities: Basel, Naples, Paris, Berlin, London Gatwick, London Stansted, London Luton, Bristol, Glasgow, Amsterdam, Paris Orly, Geneva, Manchester and Belfast. Many lines were in traffic several times a day. Thus, easyJet had 29 landings and as many takeoffs from Split in just two days for a total of 58 flights!

This is followed by the national airline, Croatia Airlines, which flew from Split to Zagreb, Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Dusseldorf, Paris, Copenhagen, Rome, Vienna, Lyon, Berlin and London this weekend. A total of 12 destinations and 44 flights operated.

When looking at other airlines; Eurowings had 6 lines to Germany, Jet2 had 5 lines to Great Britain, SAS had 3 lines to Scandinavia, as well as LOT, Transavia, Lufthansa, Vueling, SAS, Luxair, KLM, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Norwegian, Edelweiss, Air France , Ryanair, Windrose, Smartwings, Condor, Air Explore, Air Serbia, Wizz Air, etc.

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August 1, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zadar, Pula, and Brac.

Croatian Aviation reports that Serbian national airline Air Serbia no longer has direct flights from Belgrade to Pula and Zadar. 

The long-standing seasonal line between Belgrade and Pula should have resumed regular traffic from the beginning of July, but this did not happen. Three flights per week were announced, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while the planned fourth weekly flight (every Sunday) was previously canceled for the entire summer season.

Air Serbia planned to use an ATR 72-500 aircraft on the route, which has a capacity of 70 passengers in the fleet of this carrier.

The company established the Belgrade - Pula line in June 2014 and has been operating on this line regularly so far, but due to the specific situation this year, it decided not to launch it. All flights on this route have been withdrawn from sale for this year, so it is obvious that the company does not intend to operate between these two cities.

Recall that even during the outbreak of the pandemic, Air Serbia completely canceled the line to Rijeka.

The Belgrade - Zadar line was launched in the summer of 2019 with two flights per week (Fridays and Sundays) and was announced for this summer season as well. Just as is the case with the line to Pula, the plan was to launch the line in early July, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, but that did not happen. The company no longer offers direct flights to Zadar.

Air Serbia currently operates to Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik, but cancellations of certain departures on routes to Croatia (especially to Zagreb) are not uncommon.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that the German charter company Sundair announced a regular charter line between Frankfurt and Brac from mid-July this year. However, there were no flights on this line.

The Frankfurt - Brac line was to be operated twice a week, every Monday and Friday, from July 17 this year until the end of October (October 23, 2020). This would give Brac its first route to Frankfurt, and in addition, a regular guest at this airport would be A319 aircraft.

The line has been completely canceled for this summer season, and since it is a regular charter, it can be assumed that travel agencies that sold holiday arrangements on Brac failed to achieve satisfactory sales.

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August 1, 2020 - In a year full of news, breaking news, twists, and turns, one thing has gone almost unnoticed in Croatia: it seems that we can finally purchase Jadrolinija tickets through a mobile application! 

It's been a while since Jadrolinija has had their mobile application, which was supposed to make it possible to purchase the tickets online and use them on your phone, without printing or waiting in lines. I say it was supposed to, because if you'd ever tried using it, you probably left it frustrated, angry, and still walking to their booth in the hope you'd still be able to purchase the Jadrolinija tickets in person. Ever since it was introduced, it was unpredictable (at best) or completely unusable (at its worst). I have downloaded it two years ago, tried using it, failed miserably, and just gave up on it, just like many other potential users. I've heard other first-hand experiences of people trying to purchase tickets over the app as late as June 15 this year and not succeeding - this is the story the famed Croatian photographer Jadran Lazić told me!

So, when I read in mid-July that they've issued a new version of the application, with numerous improvements, AND I needed to travel to an island and buy two ferry tickets for my trip, I decided to give it a try. I figured: it's not really much of a tourist season, I was going to travel on a "light" day, what was the worst thing that could happen? I could end up spending days arguing with them to get a refund, but nothing worse than that. I installed it, and while I don't remember what the old one looked like, this new one is (this is a personal opinion of a very demanding user who is not really interested in the appearance, but usability) - good. It's clean. It's easy to understand. The process is straightforward.

One of the things I appreciate is that it's really easy to get an invoice for your company direct from the application (although I didn't need it this time, I hate it when they make it complicated, and Jadrolinija has made it as simple as possible). You get transferred to the paywall, one of the most frequently-used ones in Croatia, enter your credit card details (if I really wanted to nit-pick, I could say that they might allow payment through PayPal as well, but let's not go there) and voilà, you get your tickets in minutes. You receive a .pdf file in your e-mail inbox, and you can access your purchased tickets through the app itself. Perfect. 

However, since this is 2020 and nothing goes as planned, even if you've purchased the tickets for tomorrow's trip, I had to cancel. I couldn't go, and I didn't want my Jadrolinija tickets to go to waste. After some time spent with my best friend, Google, I had all the answers: to get refunded for the tickets you purchased but won't be able to use, you need to contact the company at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., at least 6 hours before the scheduled time on the ticket, and you will be given a refund. Not a full refund, mind you, they keep 10% of the price of your ticket, but you still get 90% back.

And that's what I did, I sent the .pdfs for my tickets to the e-mail address, received the reply from Jadrolinija office within hours that the funds will be refunded to the credit card I used for the purchase. And refunded they were, although it took them a few days to do that. It should be a big deal, waiting for a couple of days, if you know everything will be OK in the end. 

While I have not tried this myself, it should also be possible to get the refund using the same route even if you purchased the Jadrolinija tickets in person, if you do it 6 hours before the scheduled departure. If you've tried that and it has or hasn't worked, please let us know so we can update this article with additional experiences. 

If you want to give the new app a go, you can download it from the AppStore or Google Play. 

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For the newest information regarding the UK green list, please follow our article written on August 17, which will be updated regularly: Dubrovnik, Istria Cases Low as Croatia Passes 7-Day UK Threshold

Updated on August 9, 2020 - After much speculation, and at the peak of the season, Croatia remains on the UK green list - as it gets updated on August 7. An overview of the current travel situation to Croatia. 

A round-up of the latest developments regarding travel to Croatia, as things are constantly changing (if you want to get the latest answers to your questions about the current travel situation, check out our new chatbot on the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community (you will need to download the app).

Big news for Croatian tourism, especially those destinations further south which are much more dependent on flights - Croatia has remained on the UK green list after much speculation that it would join Spain in a UK requirement to self-isolate for 14 days on return to the UK. Croatia remains on the green list on August 7, as well, as the travelers arriving to the UK from Belgium, the Bahamas and Andorra will have to quarantine for 14 days.

The importance of this green light to destinations such as Dubrovnik cannot be understated. Mayor Frankovic told me in a meeting last week that the city is 80% dependent on tourism, with the UK and USA their prime sources of income. Tourism traffic was just 12% of last year for the first 6 months of 2020.

According to the official Koronavirus map of active cases, above, Dubrovnik region (which is totally cut off from the rest of the country by the Neum Corridor in Bosnia and Hercegovina) has just 8 active cases at the moment. Since the first case was recorded in the city in late March, there have been a total of 184 cases and 8 deaths in Dubrovnik County. 

This balance of tourism and fighting corona is an impossible balance to get right, and Mayor Frankovic explains to ABC News above the rationale and the precautions being taken. 

In more good news, the 14-day number of cases per 100,000 came even further down in the last week, according to the ECDC website, and is at 18,4 on August 8th. Above you can see Croatia's position on the list of the European countries, ordered by the number of cases per 100,000 people. Tourists from Luxembourg, which continues to have around 10 times more cases per capita a day than Croatia, can currently enter Croatia without any checks or requirements other than a valid passport, while Americans can only enter with a negative PCR test no more than 48 hours old on arrival, or face 14-days self-isolation. The same is true of all EU countries, including Romania, which currently has more than four times the per capita daily cases than Croatia. 

Croatia currently has eight people on ventilators. Only four countries have a higher death rate than 1 per 100,000 in the last 14 days - Romania, Luxembourg, UK and Bulgaria. Croatia's number is 0.7.

Croatia is currently welcoming all tourists from EU/EEA/UK without restriction, although four countries have placed self-isolation requirements on people returning to their country from Croatia - Slovenia, Belgium, Holland, and Lithuania. 

The Croatia Covid-19 website gives a daily update on the hotspots by region. It should be noted that the majority of recent cases have occurred far away from the coast - in Zagreb and eastern Croatia, while a large number traced back to weddings and nightclubs. There have been very few cases so far of tourists bringing the infection with them, or getting infected while in Croatia. 

That could all change very quickly, of course, but my general impression talking to tourists is that they are quite shocked at how lax things are here in Croatia, and how the rules are not strictly enforced on ferries for example. 

The health vs. tourism debate is one which enflames passions both sides, and both sides have valid arguments. The best way to stamp out the virus would be to have a prolonged Wuhan-style lockdown. Our Western love of democracy and rights makes that a non-starter for almost all. 

PCR Tests in Transit Airports

There has been a LOT of confusion about this. The current state of affairs is as follows:

International passengers not from countries on the EU Safe List CAN transit through Schengen airports (Frankfurt, Amsterdam etc), but only ONE Schengen transit is allowed per journey. You may NOT enter the terminal for a hotel, as that would be entering the Schengen area. 

Currently, you can do a PCR test in transit (and get the email results in 2 hours) in Amsterdam and Istanbul. Several of our Viber community have praised Istanbul's the quick, 24-hour, and very affordable service (US$16). Read more about those, and other, international testing options in our more detailed article. 

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August 1, 2020 - During June and July, Valamar gradually opened 21 hotels and resorts and all 15 campsites in eight Adriatic destinations, which currently house more than 30,000 guests.

HRTurizam reports that in the first six months of this year, Valamar generated total revenues of HRK 134 million, or 81% less than in the same period last year, as a result of the closure of tourist facilities from March to the end of May and significant disruptions to tourist flows caused by the global pandemic that continued to negatively affect business volumes in June as well.

However, in the first half of this year, Valamar actively managed the crisis and launched action plans to stabilize the business in time, Valamar Riviera points out, adding that the business was successfully "paused" on March 15, all jobs were preserved, and they were ready to welcome the season-opening in June.

"The necessary liquidity is provided until 2021 through plans for operational savings, investment savings, deferred payments and agreements with investors. Operating costs were reduced by 61% compared to the same period last year, and the measures of the Government of the Republic of Croatia helped to preserve all jobs during the closure of facilities. Despite the crisis, Valamar Riviera confirmed the status of the best employer in tourism this year as well and took a high 6th place on the list of the best employers in Croatia," the company emphasized.

As of April 1, with the support of the social partners, they implemented the Pause, Restart program, under which all employees who do not work are provided with a salary compensation for waiting for a job in the amount of at least 60% of their regular salary, but not less than HRK 4,250 net.

From March to June, over 90% of Valamar's employees were on Pause, for which the costs were jointly borne by the shareholders and the state, which subsidizes the compensation for waiting for a job. After the successful opening of most facilities and the start of the season, today, Valamar has more than 4,000 employees, while 1% of employees are still on Pause. They will continue the Pause, Restart program during the autumn and winter in order to preserve jobs until the spring of 2021 when business normalization is expected.

In addition to preserving jobs, the company's priority was to ensure sufficient liquidity to amortize the crisis and continue development in 2021. "In March, the decision on the payment of dividends for 2019 was revoked, the members of the Supervisory Board waived their fees, and the management's salary was reduced by up to 30%. Also, policies and mechanisms of agreed payment deferral for 6 to 12 months to other stakeholders, including sales partners, suppliers, contractors, banks and others, have been introduced, with the aim of a balanced approach to crisis management and achieving business sustainability in times of crisis. In agreement with the banks, Valamar has postponed the repayment of loans in 2020, and the finalization of a new medium-term liquidity plan is expected these days. Achieved financial stability and ownership-operational management model will enable full business start-up and continued development in 2021."

The initially planned investment cycle for 2020 amounted to over HRK 800 million, but was reduced by HRK 125 million by the end of June.

Valamar also temporarily slowed down the construction of the Pinea Collection Resort in Porec, the largest single investment in Croatian tourism worth a total of HRK 790 million, and postponed the completion of this investment. "The investment in raising the quality and capacity of the Valamar Parentino Hotel in Porec has been successfully realized, and the new family hotel received its first guests in the second half of July. The Supervisory Board of Imperial Riviera has given its prior consent for the continuation of investments in 2021 in the amount of HRK 36 million, which will complete the previous investments in Valamar Meteor hotels in Makarska and Valamar Parentino hotel in Porec in the fall," they added.

During June and July, Valamar gradually opened 21 hotels and resorts and all 15 campsites in eight Adriatic destinations, which currently house more than 30,000 guests.

"Croatia has a unique opportunity, given the high level of security, geographical and political position in Europe, to impose itself as the most desirable destination in the Mediterranean and achieve strong growth already in 2021. It is, therefore, necessary to preserve jobs in tourism and support business systems that have the ability and responsibility to start a business quickly. With the support of all stakeholders, Valamar actively managed the crisis, launched the 2020 tourist season, and ensured a quality position for a successful return to the development phase of business during 2021," concludes Valamar.

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July 31, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar, Pula, Osijek, and Rijeka.

Croatian Aviation reports that Croatia Airlines has announced its flight schedule for August. The Croatian airline will thus operate to all airports in Croatia, with as many as 37 domestic and international routes from Zagreb, Osijek, Pula, Rijeka, Zadar, Split, Brac and Dubrovnik. Here is a look at the schedule on all lines for August.

Lines from Osijek

Osijek - Dubrovnik continues to operate once a week in August, every Thursday, on a DashQ400 aircraft with a capacity of 76 seats,

Osijek - Split continues to operate once a week in August, every Friday, on a DashQ400 aircraft with a capacity of 76 seats.

Lines from Zadar

Zadar - Zagreb line will operate once a day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from August 3, while two flights a day have been announced on Sundays. From August 10, flights are announced once a day every day of the week, but on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, there will be two daily flights on the DashQ400 aircraft with a capacity of 76 seats.

Lines from Pula

Pula - Zagreb from August 3 will operate once a day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, while on Sundays, two flights a day are announced. From August 10, flights are announced once a day every day of the week, but on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, there will be two daily flights on the DashQ400 aircraft with a capacity of 76 seats.

Lines from Rijeka

Rijeka - Munich route is reintroduced twice a week, every Thursday and Sunday, from August 6, with a 76-seat DashQ400 aircraft. 

Lines from Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik - Munich route was introduced at the end of July and will operate 3 times a week, every Monday, Friday and Sunday, on DashQ400 and A319 aircraft,

Dubrovnik - Paris route was introduced at the end of July and will operate 3 times a week, on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, on the A319 aircraft,

Dubrovnik - Zurich route operated 3 times a week, but in August it will operate 5 times a week, every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday on a DashQ400 aircraft,

Dubrovnik - Athens continues to operate 3 times a week, every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday on a DashQ400 aircraft with a capacity of 76 seats,

Dubrovnik - Dusseldorf continues to operate once a week, every Sunday, on an aircraft type A319 with a capacity of 144 seats,

Dubrovnik - Frankfurt continues to operate daily, aircraft type A319,

Dubrovnik - Rome continues to operate 3 times a week, every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday on DashQ400,

Dubrovnik - Osijek continues to operate once a week, every Thursday,

Dubrovnik - Zagreb line continues to operate daily with several daily flights, an average of 22 flights per week.

Lines from Split

Split - Vienna line continues to operate 3 times a week, every Monday, Friday and Saturday, and from August 12, another flight is added per week, every Wednesday,

Split-London route will operate twice a week, on Fridays to Gatwick, on Saturdays to Heathrow, on A319 aircraft,

Split - Berlin continues to operate once a week, on Saturdays,

Split - Dusseldorf continues to operate once a week, on Saturdays,

Split - Copenhagen continues to operate once a week, on Saturdays,

Split - Lyon continues to operate once a week, on Saturdays,

Split - Frankfurt line continues to operate daily,

Split - Paris continues to operate once a week, on Saturdays,

Split - Munich continues to operate daily,

Split - Rome continues to operate 4 times a week, every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday on aircraft type DashQ400,

Split - Zurich continues to operate 4 times a week, every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday,

Split - Osijek continues to operate once a week, every Friday,

Split - Zagreb line continues to operate daily with several daily flights, on average as many as 25 flights per week.

Lines from Zagreb

Zagreb - Amsterdam continues to operate daily, aircraft type A319 and A320,

Zagreb - Athens (via Dubrovnik) continues to operate 3 times a week, every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday on DashQ400 aircraft,

Zagreb - Vienna will operate twice a week, on Mondays and Saturdays, from August 12, flights are available on Wednesdays and Saturdays

Zagreb - Brussels continues to operate 6 times a week, every day except Saturday,

Zagreb - Dublin continues to operate 3 times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays,

Zagreb - Frankfurt line will operate daily with several daily departures, on average as many as 26 times a week,

Zagreb - Copenhagen continues to operate daily,

Zagreb - London line will operate twice a week (so far three), on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 10 August on Mondays and Fridays,

Zagreb - Munich continues to operate 6 times a week, every day except Thursday,

Zagreb - Paris line continues to operate daily,

Zagreb - Rome will run daily, 4 times a week via Dubrovnik, 3 times a week via Split,

Zagreb - Sarajevo will operate 4 times a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays,

Zagreb - Skopje continues to operate twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays,

Zagreb - Zurich continues to operate 2 times a day, a total of 14 flights a week,

Zagreb - Brac continues to operate twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays,

Zagreb - Dubrovnik line continues to operate daily with several daily flights, on average 22 flights per week,

Zagreb - Split line continues to operate daily with several daily flights, on average as many as 25 flights per week,

Zagreb - Zadar - Pula from August 3 will operate once a day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, while on Sundays 2 flights a day is announced. From August 10, flights are announced once a day every day of the week, but on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, there will be two daily flights on the DashQ400 aircraft with a capacity of 76 seats.

In August, Croatia Airlines will not operate on seasonal routes from Zagreb to the following cities: Helsinki, Prague, Oslo, Stockholm, St. Petersburg, Podgorica, Bucharest, Sofia, Barcelona, Lisbon, Milan, Mostar, Tel Aviv. The lines were announced, but due to the corona crisis, likely, the company will not launch them this summer season. Also, international lines from Pula and Zadar have also been canceled for this summer season, while Rijeka has one line to Munich.

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July 31, 2020 - According to e-visitor data, there are currently 760,000 tourists in Croatia, of which 126,000 are domestic. Most are from Germany, said Kristjan Stanicic, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, on Thursday.

T.portal reports that in addition to Stanicic, the coordination meeting of the Croatian National Tourist Board, with the tourist boards of Split-Dalmatia County, was attended by the director of the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, Josko Stella, and 34 representatives of tourist boards of cities and municipalities from Split-Dalmatia County.

"Split-Dalmatia and Dubrovnik-Neretva counties are the most affected because air traffic has decreased because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am glad that we currently have intensified air traffic. I believe we can be more optimistic in the coming weeks, as we will intensify marketing campaigns in certain markets and do our best to do this tourist season the best we can," said Stanicic.

He pointed out that marketing campaigns are underway in Germany, Austria and the UK. "Currently, we record the most guests from our most important markets - in the first place is Germany, followed by Slovenes, Austrians, Czechs, Poles and Hungarians," said Stanicic.

When asked how he commented on the negative campaign towards Croatia from some European countries, in which Croatia is placed on the list of undesirable countries for the arrival of guests, Stanicic said that it was part of the market competition because some competing countries had significantly lower tourist traffic than Croatia this year.

"We react to negative PR promptly and immediately through the network of our representative offices and publications in foreign media. We react with concrete, continuous positive campaigns and try to mitigate negative signs about Croatia. This is all the context of market competition by our competitors, which are below ten percent of this year's tourist traffic compared to the same period last year, while Croatia this year is cumulatively at 45 percent compared to the same period last year," said Stanicic.

Referring to 'Ferragosto', during which a large number of Italians traditionally come to Croatia, Stanicic said that given the situation in Italy, it is "irresponsible and unserious to expect" that Italians will come to us in numbers this year as before. "We must be aware that the situation in Italy is not good," he added.

The director of the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, Josko Stella, pointed out that in July this year, the number of overnight stays was 53 percent compared to 2019, and that there is a tendency to increase if the epidemiological situation remains stable.

He also said that there were almost as many Germans in the county as last year, i.e., 96 percent compared to last July. "Almost all Germans who were in Split-Dalmatia County last July came this year as well," he said.

Responding to a journalist's remark that the British, who have been the most numerous guests in the Split area in recent years, are almost non-existent this year, Stella said that marketing actions had been taken in the British market to encourage them to come to Split-Dalmatia County.

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July 31, 2020 - After British media announced that a two-week quarantine could be introduced for tourists returning from Croatia, Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, asking him to look at Croatia by region, and not as a whole, when making a decision.

Index.hr reports that in a letter to the British Prime Minister, Mayor Frankovic reminded that the British are traditionally the most numerous guests in Dubrovnik and that a relationship based on friendship has been developed for decades.

"I know that you are well acquainted with this part of Croatia, and that is one of the reasons why I am addressing you personally.

The total number of positive COVID-19 cases from the area of the city of Dubrovnik is three, and currently, over eight thousand tourists are in our city.

We are making every effort at all levels to maintain a favorable epidemiological picture and provide all our guests with a pleasant and safe stay," reads Frankovic's letter to Johnson.

Franković pointed out that Dubrovnik is one of the safest European destinations for travel with detailed protocols in all situations, including procedures if the number of infected people starts to grow.

"Taking all the above into account and respecting the fact that Dubrovnik tourism depends on the United Kingdom market, I ask you to look at Croatia and its regions when making decisions, and not just as a whole," concluded Frankovic.

Frankovic also sent a letter to Prime Minister Johnson to the Croatian Embassy in the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom Embassy in Croatia.

According to British media reports, Croatia, along with Belgium and Luxembourg, could join Spain, for which a two-week quarantine was imposed last weekend.

British authorities are currently keeping a very close eye on the jump in the number of infected people in Belgium, Luxembourg and Croatia. This could deliver a major shock to the Croatian economy, which was hanging onto making up for as many losses as possible during August. The British market is among the most important in all of Europe.

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July 30, 2020 - Minister of Tourism and Sport, Nikolina Brnjac, stated last night for HRT that a few months ago, no one could have imagined that the number of tourists would be as it is now.

Namely, HRT reports that 2.3 million tourist arrivals were recorded in July and nearly more than 16 million overnight stays were achieved. That is already a little more than 50% of the turnover compared to the same period last year. These are quite good results, and we have reason to be optimistic, said Brnjac.

It is unfair to say how much is expected from tourism, said Brnjac, referring to yesterday's statement when she said that Croatia could reach around 5 billion arrivals this year, which is half of last year's amount.

"We need to see the end of the tourist season. It is a good indicator that we have more than 760,000 guests today. The first Ministry of Tourism estimated that this year's result would be 30% compared to last year, but we already have about 40% to 45%, when looking at the overall level," adds Brnjac.

She confirmed that the tourist situation in the northern part of Croatia is better than in the south.

”Rovinj, Porec, Medulin, Crikvenica and Split are the destinations where guests are going to most. When we look at the southern destinations, we know that they are mostly related to air tourism. The Croatian National Tourist Board is working on promoting those countries from which guests come to Dubrovnik-Neretva County. It will also intensify its marketing activities. Precisely because of these marketing activities, we also see results. Croatia has recorded 92% of German tourists compared to last year, 91% of Slovenian tourists, followed by tourists from Austria, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic," said Brnjac.

Brnjac also pointed out that at yesterday's meeting with representatives of the tourism sector, she discussed future measures to maintain liquidity and recover the tourism system.

"In September, we will receive guidelines from the European Commission on how the development of an instrument for recovery and resilience will look. We want to be ready and that is why this meeting was organized. The next topic of the meeting was preparing financing from the new envelope of the multiannual financial framework and better positioning Croatian tourism."

Answering the question about who can count on this help, Minister Brnjac said that it refers to the entire tourism sector.

After four years, tourism in Croatia is seen as sustainable and green, as tourism that will work to extend the season, not only in the coastal area but also in the continental area. She also wants to develop nautical and health tourism. Brnjac's tourism development strategy will start in September, she said, stating that this should provide further guidance.

Brnjac also responded to criticisms related to her election to the position of Tourism Minister, considering she does not come from the tourism sector.

"I think that today, the tourism sector made clear how important it is for it to have an emphasis on the instrument of recovery and resilience and to position it as well as possible in the multi-year financial envelope, but also to position the entire tourism sector as well as possible."

Since Brnjac is also the Minister of Sport, she said that she "wants to give more importance to sports". She said that there was no need to explain to anyone the role sport and tourism play in the global promotion of Croatia.

"It is very important to emphasize that by investing in projects in sports and tourism, we get added value for a number of other departments - from transport to agriculture," concluded Brnjac.

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