July 25, 2020 - Rixos Premium Dubrovnik has reopened after a 20 million euro upgrade, the perfect viewpoint to explore luxury Dubrovnik tourism in the corona era. 

Stone and the waves.

The perfect end to the longest day. 

The lapping of the waves against the rocks below, as majestic Mount Srdj oversaw all. I had made it. 

It was always going to be an ambitious itinerary. Leaving Varazdin in the morning, destination Zagreb for two meetings. then continuing the journey to get the kids on the 16:30 catamaran to Jelsa, two more meetings, then on to Dubrovnik, a destination that I was very keen to visit this summer to see how the Pearl of the Adriatic looked during the corona era. 

I need not have worried. My final destination, having crossed most of Croatia in a day, was the luxury Rixos Premium Dubrovnik, who had invited me to stay to sample life in peak season Dubrovnik during the corona era. 

I could not have hoped for a better host. 

Arriving exhausted and famished at 22:40, I enquired about the remote possibility of a restaurant being open, to be greeted with a smile and escort to the beach bar where the kitchen had closed but they would find something for me to eat. As I waited for the lamb chops by the sea with the first beer of the day, I lost myself in the gentle breeze, the stone walls, those addictive waves. Paradise.

The view promised to be special in the morning if the evening vista was anything to go by, and so it proved. 

Late to bed, early to rise, for I had a 07:55 appointment at the old harbour for a guided tour of Lokrum, that enchanted island which is the perfect summer escape from the crowds in an average Dubrovnik summer. 

(Video of boat departure to the island of Lokrum from the old harbour in Dubrovnik Old Town, the perfect activity after breakfast)

This was far from an average Dubrovnik summer, I mused, as I wandered into the old town to experience a side of Dubrovnik that I - and most tourists - had not seen before. A city at the height of summer which was owned by the locals, whose daily habits - grocery shopping, morning coffee - were what caught the eye, rather than a mass of tourists. 

But all that was to come later, for first I bade temporary farewell to my delightful room and VERY comfy bed, before heading down to breakfast. 

The layout of the room was like none I had seen in my limited experience in luxury hotels, and it had the effect of turning it into a four-room affair. Firstly the desk at the head of the bed, then the welcoming double bed with television perched at the end. After that, two armchairs to admire the terrace and the view. And beyond that, the very spacious terrace itself, complete with table to sit and sun loungers to lounge. All that would have to wait, for first we had to ensure enough time for the most important meal of the day before my Lokrum tour - breakfast. 

I was curious to see how hotels would handle the buffet breakfast in the corona era with all social distancing requirements, and the Rixos Premium solution was genius indeed. Having ordered a coffee and orange juice, before settling on the eggs benedict, I was somewhat surprised to see the waitress return with a platter of food, then plates of food, then more plates. Meet the socially distanced buffet breakfast, Rixos style. 

Not that it was crowded. Not only was occupancy understandably down from the peak season highs of previous mid-Julys, but the overriding first impression one gets at Rixos Premium is one of space. The hotel is massive, the main reception rooms both spacious and green. The hotel only reopened on June 16 after a 20 million euro renovation, a renovation which lasted a little more than eight months in total, contains the ''signature'' of the famous hotel interior designer Ina Rinderknecht - the winner of numerous awards for luxury hotels she designed in Europe, in London, Zurich, Basel, and Dublin, as well as across the Atlantic over in California.

And the subtle details of Dubrovnik are everywhere... 

From the famous Dubrovnik rozeta in some table designs... 

To its picturesque arches... 

To the enticing photos of the old town and the treasures that await in this tastefully arranged photo collection on the walk through the corridor to the beach bar. 

Space everywhere. Even if the hotel had been completely full, I doubt that social distancing would be a challenge. 

Breakfast and the subsequent tour of the hotel with General Manager Ayhan Basci on the second morning was a fascinating affair. 

These are unprecedented times for the hospitality industry, and I was curious to see how the Rixos management was handling the crisis. My. Basci has kindly agreed to a full interview with TCN on that and Dubrovnik tourism, which we will publish shortly, but I was impressed that no staff have been laid off, despite the reduced guest traffic. 

And the tour showed that this was more than just a posh hotel, one whose space has been put to maximum use for the multiple purposes of its guests, with great diversity, with everything a short walk away. 

This sense of diversity was perhaps best illustrated as we headed towards the beach bar. But first, we went to the left and the indoor pool, situated next to a fully stocked gym. 

Then a door to the right, into a world of aromatic silence, where one could choose from no less than 110 types of tea as one entered the wellness zone. 

A zone which housed an enviable selection of sauna options. I have my eye next time on the Turkish bath to start... 

... then the Igloo to cool offf... 

... ending with a light sleep and complete detox in the salt room. 

 And then, through another door from that feeling of complete zen, another Rixos world and experience. The beach bar area and outdoor pool, a totally chilled zone, but from a different aspect than the saunas.  

A zone where your aspiring DJs were rehearsing their tunes. 

A beach bar area with the one thing that was omnipresent at Rixos - space. 

It was space which was put to good use, with little extras for the family that you do not find in every hotel - a dedicated billiards room, for example. 

As with the kids activities, so too with the adults. Looking to sneak away to catch your favourite sports game? Head to the Sports Bar. 

Or if you are looking to hold a business meeting, catch up with friends over a Turkish coffee (the owners are Turkish, so they know a thing or two about coffee), or just chill and enjoy the greenery all around, the Libertas Lobby and Terrace Bar is a popular spot. 

Want to put your name on some prime dry-aged steaks for your next visit? Reserve your piece here. 

Or head on out to the Umi Teppanyaki Japanese restaurant out on the terrace and watch your chef rustle up some of Japan's very finest before your very eyes. 

Perhaps you can catch sight from your terrace over morning coffee of your chef picking the herbs for your lunch from the Chef's Garden.

In a meeting with Mayor of Dubrovnik Mato Frankovic on the second day, the mayor told me that although the tourist numbers were obviously well down on previous years, the one encouraging factor was the number of luxury guests who were taking this unique opportunity to enjoy Dubrovnik without the crowds, spending accordingly. 

Dubrovnik in peak season has not been this incredible in the 18 years I have lived in Croatia, and it arguably will never be again. So I advise you to take the unique opportunity that is the present situation, and carpe diem. 

Stone and waves. Without the crowds. 

And the view is just a small part of the Rixos luxury on offer. 

To learn more about Rixos Premium Dubrovnik, visit the official website.  

For the latest news from Dubrovnik, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

Paul Bradbury was an invited guest of Rixos Premium Dubrovnik in July 2020.

July 25, 2020 - Getting married during a pandemic - how the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community helped American Joshua and Slovenian Noemi marry in Umag. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has been littered with personal stories of tragedy, death, loss and separation. Enough misery to last a lifetime.

But there have also been some stories with happier endings, or reunification and a cementing of loving relationships, sometimes in the form of marriage. 

A marriage such as that of Noemi and Joshua in Umag yesterday, for example.  

I have never met either of them, although I have corresponded with Noemi at length via Viber messenger, but theirs is the one love story that I have followed with interest this year, right up until its happy conclusion and the exchange of rings in Istria yesterday. 

I first became aware of the couple's plight shortly after co-founding the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community a couple of months ago. An early contributor was a Slovenian lady named Noemi Jugovac from Buje, whose life plans were seriously threatened by the corona crisis, as she had been planning to marry her love, Joshua Shaquille Johnson from Philadelphia, in a ceremony in Umag on July 24. 

It quickly became obvious that Noemi was going to stop at nothing to find a way to get her American beau into Croatia for the big day, as she devoured every piece of advice and every update, asking for clarifications.  

The big day itself, of course, was destined to be a much more muted affair due to corona, with just 6 people planned in attendance. But if Noemi could not get her man to Croatia, there would be no wedding at all.  

Finally, thanks to the help of Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community co-founder Kresimir Macan, as well as great feedback from other community members who had made the journey from the USA via airports in Frankfurt, Zurich, Amsterdam, Paris and Copenhagen, Noemi and Joshua were confident enough to book the ticket and be reunited a few days before their wedding. after some two years apart.  

The flight was set for Sunday, July 12, some 12 days before their big day. 

And then, late on Friday, July 10, less than 48 hours before Joshua was due to fly - disaster! Croatia suddenly - and almost immediately - changed the rules for all non-EU/EEA/UK citizens and residents. From midnight on Friday night, less than 48 hours before he was due to depart, a sudden restriction that could potentially scupper their plans. There was no way to get a test done in time and get the results. The alternative was to arrive and have 14-days self-isolation, thereby missing the wedding.  

I will never forget that next morning as had given several staff the day off and was looking forward to a quiet Saturday, with slow, weekend traffic on the Viber community. I could not have been more wrong. The announcement was made on a Friday night and implemented at midnight, but then it was the weekend and much harder to reach officials and offices to find out what the situation was. The community was full of panicked messages from airports from Kiev to New York CIty, as passengers with all the documentation for travel painstakingly prepared found themselves with a last minute spanner in the works. Would they be allowed to travel at all?  

Thanks to the information and help obtained through the Viber community, the couple received clear instructions on what to do and what the procedures are, and within a month of contacting the team with Total Croatia Travel Info, Joshua finally arrived in Croatia. Immediately upon arrival, he went for testing to the Hrvatski zavod za javno zdravstvo, and after it was determined that the test was negative, he was released from self-isolation after waiting for the results overnight. He was then free to proceed to his fiancee's house in Buje, and from there the big day. 

The wedding took place yesterday, a very small affair with Noemi's parents and the best man in attendance, and there will be a much bigger party when all this is over.  

We wish the happy couple all the best in their new union, a love which corona could not stop, despite its best efforts. 

The wedding has already attracted the attention of the Croatian media, and it was featured last night on the national news, with both Noemi and Joshua speaking to the cameras in English.  

About the Total Croatia Travel Info Viber community

The Total Croatia Travel Info Viber community is intended for foreigners who, despite the situation with COVID-19, want to visit Croatia. Up-to-date and verified information on travel, borders and flights to Croatia is exchanged in one place through the community, and thanks to automatic translation, messages can be read in 24 languages. Communication in the community is two-way and members receive real-time information that interests them about coming to Croatia and exchange experiences with each other.

Founded in May on the initiative of Paul Bradbury, founder of the Total Croatia News portal and communication expert Krešimir Macan, this Viber community today has more than 5,000 members. It achieves more than 150,000 views on a monthly basis and, depending on the day, between 300 and 500 messages are exchanged in the community on a daily basis. Thanks to the adequate informative support, advice and experiences of other members, the community regularly receives thanks from all those who arrived in Croatia safely through Total Croatia Travel Info.

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community (you will need to download the app).

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July 25, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, and Zadar.

Croatian AviationCroatian Aviation reports that Austrian Airlines has announced its flight schedule for August this year. It contains several operational changes on the lines to destinations in Croatia.

The company will continue to operate to four Croatian airports in August; Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar and Zagreb. While the existing number of weekly flights to Dubrovnik and Split will be maintained, there will be some changes on the routes from Vienna to Zadar and Zagreb.

The Vienna - Dubrovnik line will continue to operate as many as 6 times a week (every day except Tuesday), with the 320 aircraft.

The Vienna - Split route will also operate 6 times a week (every day except Tuesday), with the aircraft of the same capacity as to Dubrovnik.

This year's new Austrian Airlines route between Vienna and Zadar will operate more frequently from the beginning of August - 4 times a week (Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays), which is one flight a week more than in July.

The Vienna - Zagreb line will continue to operate 8 times a week from August 1 to 15, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in the morning, and on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays in the afternoon. Two flights a day are available every Thursday. The stated number of weekly flights will be in effect until mid-August, more precisely until August 15.

From August 16, Austrian Airlines will reduce the number of weekly flights on the route between the two capitals, and will operate 5 times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays) exclusively in the afternoon. Smaller capacity aircraft, such as the DashQ400 and E195, have been announced on the route.

Croatian Aviation also reported that Helvetic Airways, a Swiss regional airline, previously announced POP-UP flights to Brac, and now it has launched flights on the route Zurich - Dubrovnik!

July 24, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, and Pula. 

Croatian Aviation reports that Qatar Airways has canceled flights on the Zagreb-Doha route until mid-August. There have been frequent cancellations on this line in recent weeks.

Qatar Airways resumed traffic to Zagreb on July 1 this year, reconnecting Doha and Zagreb 3 times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) with the A320 aircraft.

Due to reduced demand, the company has often canceled certain departures on this route since the beginning of re-operation, and now all flights on this line have been canceled until mid-August.

Traffic should resume from Wednesday, August 12, when the Qatar Airways aircraft should fly on this route again. Recall that this carrier operated twice a day between Doha and Zagreb in the summer, in the morning and the evening, but there was a significant reduction in the number of weekly flights due to reduced demand due to the impact of the global pandemic.

Croatian Aviation also reports that FlyDubai, a company that closely links its business to Emirates, will not fly on a seasonal route to Dubrovnik this year.

The company previously announced the operation of its B737-800 aircraft on the Dubai-Dubrovnik route twice a week this summer season, but all flights have been canceled until the end of the summer flight schedule and the company does not intend to launch them this year.

Considering that many tourists from Asia came to Dubrovnik with this line, which is almost non-existent in our country this year, the cancellation of this line is a logical step of the company.

FlyDubai operates on the Dubai-Zagreb route in winter, instead of Emirates. After Emirates canceled all flights on this route for this year, FlyDubai should work on the same from the end of October this year. FlyDubai has not yet made a final decision on whether this line will operate in the winter flight schedule, and there is a possibility of its cancellation, which would leave Zagreb without a direct connection with Dubai after many years.

Finally, Croatian Aviation reports that before the outbreak of the pandemic, Windrose Airlines announced the launch of a new route to Croatia, between Kyiv and Zagreb. The company ultimately canceled the line for this year, but introduced flights to its third destination in Croatia.

The company planned to launch the first direct line between Zagreb and Kyiv three times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays), then postponed it until the winter flight schedule this year due to the pandemic, only to cancel it now. Windrose Airlines could return to Zagreb with this new route in the summer of 2021.

But that is why the company announced an increase in weekly flights between Kyiv and Pula, and as of July 23, it operates on this route three times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays), and regular operations are planned until mid-September.

Interestingly, Windrose Airlines sent an ATR 72-600 aircraft on this route for the first time yesterday. The journey with this smaller type of aircraft took 3 hours and 40 minutes from Kyiv to Pula! The line is regularly operated by aircraft of higher capacity type A321.

The Kyiv-Split line will continue to operate three times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays) in August, on A321 aircraft.

Despite giving up the launch of the Kyiv-Zagreb route this year, Windrose Airlines connected, for the first time, the capital of Ukraine with Dubrovnik, and amid the pandemic, launched a new route to Croatia.

The Kyiv-Dubrovnik line has been in traffic from July 17, once a week (every Friday), and traffic will run regularly until the end of August, specifically until August 28 this year. ERJ145 aircraft with a capacity of 48 passengers operate on this route.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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July 24, 2020 - National airline Croatia Airlines and leading Croatian passenger shipping company Jadrolinija have signed an agreement on business cooperation, on the basis of which they will try to improve Croatia's tourist offer further.

HRTurizam reports that this cooperation aims to benefit from the advantages that both companies undoubtedly have as important participants in the Croatian transport scene, and thus offer Croatian citizens and tourists a unified service in the future, which will make Croatia even more accessible and its destinations more accessible.

Thus, Croatia Airlines and Jadrolinija will jointly develop a platform through which passengers will be offered an intermodal transport service in the future, i.e., a combination of air and sea transport for travel from European airports to Croatian island destinations.

"The challenging environment in which we operate and everything that has additionally affected the entire Croatian and global economy in recent months poses new challenges to all of us that need to be readily and strategically addressed in order to create competitive advantages in the future," said Croatia Airlines CEO Jasmin Bajic and added:

“That is why we have decided to unite our forces with Jadrolinija, the leading passenger shipping company in the Republic of Croatia, whose ships complement our air fleet perfectly. Croatia Airlines connects Croatia with the world by air, Jadrolinija by sea, and together we can create additional benefits for passengers during their travels. We believe that our cooperation will achieve the expected goals and thus create even more satisfied passengers and tourists, making the Republic of Croatia even more attractive and accessible," said the President of the Croatia Airlines Management Board.

Jadrolinija is particularly pleased to join the business cooperation with Croatia Airlines in order to bring Croatian islands closer to passengers arriving by plane, said Jadrolinija's CEO David Sopta, adding that the number of passengers transported, which in  2019 was a record 12.5 million passengers, certainly represents an excellent potential for both companies in terms of offering new travel.

"The cooperation, which is currently based on mutual advertising, will soon enable passengers to purchase a joint ticket, i.e., the passenger will be able to buy one ticket with which they will be able to use the services of both Croatia Airlines and Jadrolinija. We believe that the partnership between Jadrolinija and Croatia Airlines, the Croatian Navy and Air Force, will very soon contribute to mutual successful business results," Sopta points out.

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ZAGREB, July 23, 2020 - Slovenia will not put Croatia for now on the red list of countries for which quarantine is mandatory, Slovenian Health Minister Tomaz Gantar said in Ljubljana on Thursday.

For now "there is no initiative to declare Croatia a red zone," he told press.

Decisions on putting countries on the red list are not made so fast and epidemiologists who follow the situation in neighbouring countries want these decisions to be agreed and that there is a joint response, Gantar said.

It is good, he added, that Croatia has imposed new measures to contain the spread of coronavirus and restricted entry from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, all of which are on Slovenia's red list.

According to its Public Health Institute, Slovenia had 12 new cases per 100,000 over the past fortnight. Croatia had twice as many. Both are in the yellow epidemiological zone.

Gantar said that in order to determine a destination's safety, besides the number of coronavirus cases, additional criteria were being used over the past fortnight, such as whether a country was a neighbour with a high passenger frequency or a distant one from which the risk of importing the virus was far smaller.

Also taken into account is the number of persons tested per inhabitants and a comparison with Slovenia's epidemiological situation.

July 23, 2020 - The director of the Croatian National Tourist Board (CNTB), Kristjan Stanicic, said on Wednesday that Croatia was a hit tourist destination and that tourist traffic was already recording 40 percent of last year, and they hoped for further growth. At the beginning of the corona crisis, they did not expect numbers greater than 30 percent.

Vecernji List reports that the director of the Croatian National Tourist Board held a coordination meeting with the director of the Zadar County Tourist Board, Mihael Kadija, and 28 representatives of the county tourist boards of cities and municipalities at the Kolovare Hotel.

On that occasion, he pointed out that in this time of crisis, they focused on the nearest markets - Slovenia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, given that the Croatian coast is mostly an auto destination, which is an excellent thing at the moment.

"We conducted several promotional campaigns in foreign markets, and given the epidemic, we focused on the nearest markets in our area. The proximity of these markets to Croatia, and especially to Zadar County, is now a big plus for us. Growing figures show that Croatia is a hit destination. At the same time, we are ready to respond to articles in foreign media that are focused on keeping domestic tourists within the borders of their countries," Stanisic said.

When asked by the press how he commented on the fact that the Netherlands put Croatia on the orange list, without concrete data on how many people have been infected per 100,000 inhabitants in the last two weeks, he said that it is difficult to give any estimates for the season to continue.

"I believe that the situation will change soon, because every 14 days the list is updated, and the number of infected in our country is declining. I also believe that in good communication and the epidemiological situation, we will return to the green list. As for the criteria, they are not unique for all countries," said Stanicic and emphasized that this is only a recommendation of the Netherlands that their citizens go into self-isolation upon their return from Croatia.

Stanicic also presented the promotional activities carried out by the Croatian National Tourist Board to position Croatia as a safe tourist destination in the current market circumstances and future activities, which will, among other things, include the adoption of new bylaws and regulations that will further improve and regulate tourism processes. The director of the Zadar County Tourist Board, Mihaela Kadija, pointed out that the Zadar area is still a hit destination, and the numbers are much better than what experts predicted in March.

"Our figures are excellent. We planned to reach 30 percent and realized 67 percent of last year's tourist traffic, of which 60 percent is commercial traffic. As for events, we appealed to partner tourist communities to agree with their organizers a customized program with adherence epidemiological measures. Everyone is of the same view, and that is that we must be responsible," Kadija said.

The coordination meeting also discussed the development of the system of tourist boards with an emphasis on tasks and roles at the local and regional levels and the nautical segment, and announced a performance at the WTM tourism fair to be held in London in November.

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July 22, 2020 - Dutch media on why Croatia was put on the orange list, thereby requiring a recommended 14-day self-isolation on return from Croatia. 

We received a message from a reader in the Netherlands:

Yesterday the Dutch government gave a negative travel advice for Croatia. Lots of Dutch people already booked a holiday in Croatia, but now they can’t travel. Lots of people were surprised, because in Istria (where lots of Dutch people go during the summer holiday) there is no Corona contamination. The people want to know why they don’t give regional advice instead of for the whole country. The explanation was: because the Croatian government did not supply us with up-to-date information, we cannot do anything else than advise against travel to Croatia.

Croatia's borders remain open to all countries from the EU, EEA and the UK without restriction. In the last couple of days, however, first Lithuania and now the Netherlands have placed a 14-day self-isolation requirement on those returning from a holiday in Croatia. It seems a strange decision to many, given the worse situation elsewhere, but Dutch media is suggesting that part of the problem might be our old friend, Croatian bureaucracy. 

As Croatia 'breathes tourism', to quote the somewhat ill-judged corona-era metaphor of outgoing Minister of Tourism, Gari Cappelli, and while the Croatian police are busy answering all the tourism emails, it appears that the Kings of Accidental Tourism are still too busy to update the relevant EU partner authorities with the important information. When I asked our reader for a source, she provided a source:

According to RIVM the National Institute of Public Health spokesperson Loes Hartman, this has to do with a shortage of data. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) receives data from European countries on a daily basis. That information is then forwarded to RIVM. "Croatia is only divided into two regions: the information is not available in more detail," Hartman explains. "There was not much difference between those two regions. You should ask Croatia why so little data is being sent."

"Portugal did send more detailed information. "That country literally said: here we have outbreaks." As a result, RIVM had the necessary data to make regional decisions. 

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July 22, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar, and Pula. 

Croatian Aviation reports that easyJet returned to Split at the beginning of July with six international flights to Split, and from the end of this month to Dubrovnik, Zadar and Pula. Now, in August, the low-cost airline will significantly increase the number of destinations and weekly flights to Croatian airports.

Lines to Zadar

Zadar - Amsterdam continues to operate 2 times a week,

Zadar - Basel continues to operate 3 times a week,

Zadar - Berlin continues to operate 1 week,

Zadar - London Luton continues to operate 2 times a week,

Zadar - London Gatwick is introduced, from July 25, twice a week (Tuesdays and Saturdays),

Lines to Pula

Pula - Amsterdam continues to operate 2 times a week,

Pula - Basel from August will operate 2 times a week,

Pula - Berlin continues to operate 1 time a week,

Pula - London Luton from August will run 3 times a week,

Pula - Bristol is introduced, from August 1, 2 times a week (Tuesdays and Saturdays),

Pula - Liverpool is introduced from August 2 two times a week (Wednesdays and Sundays),

Pula - London Gatwick is introduced from August 1, the line will operate 4 times a week (Mondays, Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays).

Lines to Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik - Amsterdam from August 2 will operate 4 times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays),

Dubrovnik - Edinburgh will operate 1 time a week,

Dubrovnik - London Gatwick will operate daily,

Dubrovnik - London Luton from August 1 will operate 1 time a week (Saturday), from August 20 the second weekly flight is added, Wednesday,

Dubrovnik - Manchester will run twice a week,

Milan - Dubrovnik will operate 2 times a week,

Dubrovnik - Basel is introduced, 1 time a week through August,

Dubrovnik - Belfast is introduced from August 2, 2 times a week (Wednesdays and Sundays),

Dubrovnik - Bristol is introduced from August 2, 3 times a week (Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays),

Dubrovnik - Geneva is introduced from August 1, 1 time a week (Saturday),

Dubrovnik - Paris Orly is introduced from August 4, 3 times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays).

Lines to Split

Split - Amsterdam line will operate 6 times a week from August,

Split - Basel will operate daily from August,

Split - Berlin line continues to operate daily,

Split - Geneva continues to operate through August,

Split - London Gatwick from July 27 will operate daily,

Split - London Luton from July 22 will operate daily,

Split - Lyon continues to operate in August, 3 times a week,

Split - Manchester continues to operate through August, 3 times a week,

Split - Naples continues to operate through August,

Split - Paris line continues to operate through August,

Split - Bristol is introduced from August 1, 5 times a week (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays),

Split - Glasgow is introduced from August 2, 2 times a week (Wednesdays and Sundays),

Split - London Stansted is introduced from August 1, 4 times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays),

Split - Paris Orly is introduced, from July 24, 2 times a week. From August 3 flights a week (Mondays, Fridays and Sundays).

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July 21, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar, Rijeka, Osijek, and Pula. 

Croatian Aviation reports that well-known low-cost airline Norwegian Air, which operated on a number of routes to destinations in Croatia last summer, is announcing four international routes for August this year.

During the summer, Norwegian flew from Croatia to numerous destinations in Europe, mainly to destinations in Scandinavia, but also from Spain and Great Britain. Almost all lines have been canceled, and the company will operate on only four lines to Croatia in August:

Split - Oslo, twice a week in August, every Wednesday and Saturday,

Split - Copenhagen, once a week, from July 25, every Saturday,

Split - Stockholm, once a week, from July 25, every Saturday,

Dubrovnik - Oslo, once a week through August, every Saturday.

These are significantly fewer flights and weekly departures on existing ones, but the company was in financial trouble even before the outbreak of the pandemic, so it has radically reduced its flight schedule due to the current crisis.

Croatian Aviation also reports that from August, Eurowings will operate to 6 airports in Croatia with 32 weeks of flights from destinations in Germany.

Eurowings established traffic to Croatia in May, and since then, it has been increasing the number of weekly flights and routes to Croatian airports every month. Compared to this month, when Eurowings operates 23 weekly flights to Croatia, from August, there will be nine more for a total of 32.

Most lines, as usual, will be from six German destinations to Split Airport:

Hamburg - Split, instead of the previous two, will run three flights a week (Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays),

Stuttgart - Split, instead of the previous two, will run four flights a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays),

Dusseldorf - Split, instead of the previous three, will run five flights a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, Saturdays twice a day),

Cologne - Split, instead of the previous five, will run four flights a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays),

Hanover - Split line is reintroduced, once a week, every Saturday, from August 1,

Berlin - Split line is reintroduced, once a week, every Saturday, from 1 August.

As for Zagreb Airport, it will continue to be connected to two destinations, Cologne and Stuttgart, but the number of weekly flights on both routes will increase:

Cologne - Zagreb, instead of the previous three, will run four flights a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays),

Stuttgart - Zagreb, instead of the previous two, will run four flights a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays).

The lines Dusseldorf - Pula, Hamburg - Rijeka and Cologne - Zadar will continue to operate as in July, with one flight per week. Two already existing lines to Rijeka and Zadar will work more often than in July:

Dusseldorf - Rijeka, instead of the current one, will operate twice a week (Saturdays and Sundays),

Stuttgart - Zadar, instead of the previous two, will run three times a week (Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays).

The line to Osijek is being re-introduced, and it will also be the only regular international line from this airport. The Stuttgart - Osijek line will operate once a week, every Sunday, from August 2 on the A319 aircraft.

Eurowings has not announced traffic to Dubrovnik, making it the only airport in Croatia that hasn't re-established regular traffic.

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