May 11, 2019 - Novak Djokovic gave an exclusive interview for GOL.hr and IN Magazine in which he spoke about his relationship with Croatia.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Croatia celebrates Earth Day on April 22, 2019. 

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 9th of April, 2019, more than sixty meetings with investors were held by five Croatian and three Slovenian issuers as the Zagreb and Ljubljana stock exchanges presented their markets and issuers in New York on Monday, at the second largest international stock market - Nasdaqu, in cooperation with the Auerbach Grayson investment company and with a very good response from American investors, as the Zagreb Stock Exchange announced on Tuesday.

Although the Zagreb and Ljubljana stock exchanges have repeatedly presented their markets and issuers at local and regional investment conferences and on other similar occasions, this was the first time that such an event was organised outside of Europe, the statement said.

With the management bodies of both the Zagreb and the Ljubljana stock exchanges, investors were introduced to the Croatian companies AD Plastik, Arena Hospitality Group, Atlantic Group, Podravka and Valamar Riviera, as well as the Slovenian companies Krka, Petrol and Triglav Group. The Croatian investment association, Intercapital, presented the Croatian and Slovenian market and its potential, and, as previously mentioned, the companies held more than sixty individual meetings with US investors.

"For the first time in the history of the Zagreb Stock Exchange, we're organising the presentation of our most prominent issuers who have voluntarily accepted the highest standards of corporate governance and reporting to US investors.

We are very pleased with the level of interest and we hope that acquainting US investors with our companies and the potential of our regional market will result in their interest in investing in Croatian and Slovenian companies,'' said the director of the Zagreb Stock Exchange, Ivan Gažić, the president of AD Plastik, Marinko Došen, added that he hopes that the New York presentation will help attract new investors to Croatia.

"We support all the activities of the [Zagreb] exchange, which will enable us to revive the Croatian capital market with joint forces, we're pleased with the level of interest of American investors in AD Plastik, and I believe that the potential of our shares and business will be recognised on that market as well,'' Došen stated.

Make sure to follow our dedicated business page for much more.

Cinestar's cinemas include 23 multiplexes with 145 digitised halls in eleven cities across the Republic of Croatia.

As Sergej Novosel Vuckovic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 9th of April, 2019, the Cinestar cinema chain is the best cinema exhibitor in the whole of Europe, and Blitz-Cinestar is a true example of a company whose achievements, projects, growth and leadership in the industry continue to new standards and push the boundaries of this field.

The well known cinema chain won its new prestigious title after being rated by the International Cinema Association (UNIC), which brings together cinemas from 37 European countries and surrounding regions.

The award will be accepted by co-founder and board member of Blitz-Cinestar Hrvoje Krstulović in June at the CineEurope Cinemas Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

As previously stated, Cinestar's cinemas include 23 multiplexes with 145 digitised halls across eleven cities in the Republic of Croatia from Zagreb down to Dubrovnik, as well as in neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, with more than 23,000 seats in total, and a majority of 4.8 million cinema tickets sold in Croatia (according to CBS) for Cinestar's cinema halls.

This chain of multiplexes, which has been being managed by Blitz-Cinestar since the beginning of 2003, is the largest cinema in Croatia's close region. After Split Cinestar's 4DX in the Mall of Split won an award for the best European cinema in Europe last year, winning the title of the best cinema chain on the continent is the shining gem of this company's impressive business crown.

"It's an extraordinary honour to be able to receive this valuable CineEurope award and a pleasure and [a source of] pride that our profession has recognised our constant efforts and investments, as well as our knowledge. Our vision of a five star cinema was clearly a hit. CineStar has become a synonym for the best cinema experience in Europe, we've created a new generation of cinema chain in which we've brought some revolutionary formats like Imax, 4DX, created the Gold Class and Kaptol Boutique Cinema concepts, and destination cinemas with bars and various amenities where visitors like to spend time and everyone finds something to suit them,'' Krstulović stated.

Make sure to follow our dedicated business and lifestyle pages for much more.

Click here for the original article by Sergej Novosel Vuckovic for Poslovni Dnevnik

The Croatia water polo team failed to defend the Europa Cup title after losing to Hungary in the final in Zagreb 8:10 (2:2, 1:3, 2:3, 3:2), reports HRT on April 7, 2019. 

However, most important for coach Ivica Tucak is that Croatia’s semi-final victory over Spain secured the team placement in the final tournament of the World League, which will be held from June 18 to 23 in Belgrade. The winner of that tournament in Belgrade automatically qualifies for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The “Baraccudas” played a solid game, though there were visible flaws. Hungary opened the match with a 0:2 lead, but Croatia came back to make it 3:2 with Joković’s goal at the start of the second quarter. Unfortunately, Manhercz equalized at 3:3, and when Croatia failed to utilize having an extra player in the pool, Hungary scored again for the 3:4 lead. At the half-time, Hungary was up 3:5, and in the third minute of the third quarter, Kovacs scored for 3:6.

Joković was able to reduce Hungary’s lead (4:6), though nothing could help Croatia come back, and Hungary convincingly managed to hold onto an advantage of two or three goals until the end, which ultimately gave them the 8:10 victory and the Europa Cup title.

Loren Fatović was one of the most effective in the Croatian ranks with three goals, while Maro Joković scored two, and Andro Bušlje, Ivan Buljubašić and Josip Vrlić scored one.

Peter Manhercz was the best for Hungary with three goals.

In the match for third place, Spain was better than Italy 9:7 (3:1, 0:2, 5:3, 1:1), while Montenegro defeated Serbia in the match for fifth place 16:14.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković also attended the final match in Zagreb. 

In other Croatia water polo news, the national team has been grouped with Australia, the USA, and Kazakhstan for the World Championships, to be held from July 14 to 27 in South Korea. The draw for the tournament was held on Sunday at the Westin hotel in Zagreb. 

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

Croatia is known for its beautiful coast and booming gastronomical scene, party islands and breathtaking views. We offer art, music and food festivals which bring the tourists closer to our history and traditions.

However, we now also offer genuine creative content for all of those who seek adventures and out-of-the-box experiences, such as LARP (live action role-playing) games you can be a part of.

The most exciting and popular game, aptly named The Secret of the School of Magic, was created by the Ministry of Magic Croatia (the official Harry Potter fan association) and Terrible Creations (LARP game design collective) in 2018 and after a very successful first year, they're now starting a new adventure between May the 31st and June the 2nd, 2019, in the stunning medieval castle of Stara Sušica in Gorski kotar, Croatia.

The players will find themselves situated in a reconstructed medevial castle, immersed in a live action role-playing game inspired by the works of respected authors such as J. K. Rowling, Jim Butcher, Ben Aaronovitch and other urban fantasy writers with a more than a pinch of Slavic mythology thrown in.

Magic will boom from every corner in this original storyline celebrating our Slavic mythology and history. Players will have to use their wits, skills and magic to solve numerous mysteries and overcome challenges that will stand in their way. Players are also free to create their own experiences - keeping the confines and rules of the game in mind - by playing their character the way they enjoy to do so the most.

The game's rules follow the guidelines of the Nordic style of playing: minimal emphasis on the rules, maximum on the role-play. The game does not require a specific dress code.

Find out more about the world of the School of Magic by clicking here. A rare adventure awaits you!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As for other traditional markets, everything is under control.

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

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

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

A look at the possible Brexit scenarios and what they mean for Croatia's confused British residents.

Brexit has been delayed. If May can't get her deal through parliament, or if no other way forward is proposed, the UK could end up with a disorderly No Deal exit, despite parliament having voted overwhelmingly against it. If May passes her deal or parliament finds another route and that is passed then Brexit has been delayed until May the 22nd to allow for the necessary legislation to be passed. The UK cannot delay Brexit any further unless it agrees to partake in the European elections. Farcical, no? 

Anyway, La La Land, sorry... I mean Britain, aside, let's see how things currently stand for Croatia's resident Brits. I've tried to update you a lot, but as you know, the Brexit situation has changed more times than Boris Johnson has changed his political beliefs, so it doesn't always mean much. Still, let's give it a go.

May's deal/withdrawal agreement passes:

If, in the unlikely event May's deal passes during the third meaningful vote on it (third time lucky?), then the withdrawal agreement concluded back in 2018 will come into force on May the 22nd this year, giving way to a transition (implementation) period until what we currently believe to be the end of December, 2020. This however, could be extended and altered. 

What does this mean?

It means that you need to make sure you're correctly registered with the authorities (MUP/Ministry of the Interior) as a resident in Croatia. You need to be in possession of a valid residency permit or the white piece of paper proving you've been approved and you're just waiting for it to be made, before December 2020. If you're due to gain permanent residency (after five years of continuous, lawful residency in Croatia), you can apply for it as an EU citizen would during this time. In short, nothing will alter.

Here's a more detailed guide I wrote a few months ago.

May's deal fails again, parliament can find no way forward, No Deal occurs:

This remains unlikely as this is only the desire of a handful of people who seem hell bent on such an insane idea. Still, it could happen. You need to make sure you're correctly registered with MUP as stated above, and your registration, receipt of registration and/or residence permit will act as proof of your British citizenship and proof of you having been resident in Croatia before the UK's withdrawal from the EU. It's hugely important that you do this if you haven't already. 

Here's how you should prepare for all scenarios, this guide will help you make sure you're on the right side of the law should the UK crash out of the EU with no deal next month. 

Here are MUP's guidelines, with our explainers and points thrown in, in the case of a No Deal Brexit. Croatia has now finally confirmed it will protect British citizens living legally in Croatia and minimise any disruption as much as possible regardless of the Brexit outcome. Click the above link and read carefully. Here's MUP's original post on the subject.

Is there any new information?

Yes and no. Here's what we know so far: Croatia has committed to protect its British residents regardless of the outcome, which is good news. You can click here for an overview of each EU member state's guidelines for residence rights for Brits in the unwanted event of the UK leaving without a deal. It isn't in alphabetical order, so scroll down until you find Croatia, or don't, because I'll just write what you need to know here and explain each point as necessary anyway. Here goes:

''In order to provide for the regulation of residence status of UK nationals and their family members, who on the day of departure of the UK from the European Union have already registered their temporary or permanent stay or have been issued with a residence card pursuant to Title X of the existing Aliens Act, certain amendments to the draft proposal for the Act on EEA nationals and their family members have been proposed.  

Those provisions provide for keeping the existing residence status and lay down the right to work without obtaining additional authorisation (this provision will have no end date). 

The residence documents already issued under the existing Aliens Act will be recognised as temporary national residence permits for nationals of the United Kingdom and their family members after Brexit (option c). These temporary national residence permits will be valid maximum up to one year from the entry into force of the Act (or until their expiration date, if the said date is shorter).

An obligation has also been prescribed to replace residence documents within a year from the entry into force of the Act. New residence permits will be issued in the format laid down by Regulation 1030/2002. 

Pursuant to a special procedure, the draft Act will be sent before the Croatian Parliament for urgent legislative procedure.

b). On 19 March 2019 total of 655 UK nationals have regulated their residence in the Republic of Croatia (358 on temporary residence and 297 have permanent residence).

Having this in mind, we do not currently expect overburden of our administrative capacities.

We aim to implement a simple and straightforward procedure in order not to overburden UK nationals.

Therefore we are considering accepting applications for exchanging the recognised temporary national residence permits after 30 March 2019 (or no deal Brexit date) and issue first permits in accordance with Regulation 1030/2002 afterwards (in order to replace any temporary documents).

c). We have made a proposal for a recommendation addressed to all UK nationals and their family members residing in the Republic of Croatia who intend to continue residing in the Republic of Croatia, to register their residence in the Republic of Croatia in line with the provisions of the existing Aliens Act.

This recommendation was published on the website of the Ministry of the Interior https://mup.gov.hr/vijesti/information-concerning-the-future-relations-between-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union/283273

What does all that mean?

In short, legislation is being put forward to mean that the current residence document/permits you hold now, which were obtained via your EU treaty rights (the right to live and work in any EU member state) will remain valid for one year, or less if you're due to update them (renew or apply for permanent residence) in less than one year. 

This legislation will mean that essentially, British citizens already residing legally in Croatia will be treated like all other EU citizens and their unrestricted entitlement to access the Croatian labour market will remain as it is now - permanently.

There aren't many Brits living here, so there shouldn't be any particular extra burden felt by MUP or by individuals.

Eventually, residence cards obtained through EU law will cease to be valid for British nationals, but there's nothing to worry about, you simply exchange them for whatever the new ones will be. Croatia is considering beginning permit exchanges as of the 30th of March (however this might be worth bypassing considering the fact that the UK will almost certainly still be a member of the EU on that date).

Need an example?

1) Let's say you're due to get permanent residency this year. You'll apply for it as normal just like you were still an EU citizen, and you'll be granted under the same conditions as EU nationals. Ask the official if you'll need to alter it in a year's time. If you do, you won't be asked to make an application again, it will be a simple exhange for a new permit. It will still be permanent residence, just maybe a slightly different looking card.

2) You've still got a few years to go before you hit that magic five year mark. Your current temporary residence permit will remain valid for another year. Go and exchange it for whatever the new document will be as soon as MUP announce they're beginning exchanges to save you any extra burden. Ask at your local police station for information on this, or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

3) Let's say you've somehow managed to live in Croatia without any sort of residence permit (yes, it happens), you need to go and register your residence now and get a five year temporary residence permit. You can then exchange it for whatever the new document is when MUP begins exchanging cards, and then eventually get permanent residence.

What about healthcare?

If no other way forward is found and no further extension to the Brexit process is agreed, the UK will crash out of the EU. In this case, the EU health insurance card will cease to be valid for British citizens. As things stand, we can reveal that the Croatian Government is preparing a Draft Law Proposal on a Temporary Measure in the area of Obligatory Health Insurance designed to provide transitional healthcare arrangements after the UK leaves the EU to those who are residents in Croatia.

We'll update you as soon as we know more about what that means.

Make sure to follow British Embassy Zagreb on Facebook, and sign up for email alerts from gov.uk's Living in Croatia page, which is updated as soon as any new information comes out. Give our dedicated politics page a follow for much more on Brexit and beyond.

Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli was a guest on the HRT show 'Now the Government'. As expected, before the beginning of spring, there is a lot of talk about the upcoming tourist season, reports T.portal on March 20, 2019. 

Last week, reduced bookings for Croatia were announced, and those that panicked declared that the season would fail.

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

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

As for other traditional markets, everything is under control.

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

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

Some legal changes related to tourism have also been announced, and membership fees, sojourn tax and the system of tourist boards will be discussed. The counties will discuss the increase in the sojourn tax in the future, and the minister believes that they will have some significant breakthroughs. 

"We will determine the minimum and maximum sojourn tax in the rulebook, but the final decision will be made by the counties. We also want to set up the Croatian Tourist Board as a promotion agency, for example, like Italy, Austria or Portugal did a few years ago.”

In Dubrovnik, a sojourn tax for cruisers will be introduced by a new law. Similarly, it could happen in Zadar, Split, and other major cities. 

Cappelli added that private renters have flooded the market and account for 60% of the total accommodation capacities in Croatia.

“The problem is that more than 70 percent are apartments and rooms with three stars. We intended to equate quality. The market will regulate the surplus of apartments, and the loans offered are to give renters an opportunity to raise their quality. Already last season showed that there was a surplus and it is a warning that we should not continue to register new apartments and private facilities, but to upgrade them."

Investments in tourism in recent years grew by 40 percent. There are several large facilities, and there are significant investments in camping tourism. Croatia lacks large hotel chains and larger hotel capacities. We have ten percent less than what we should, Cappelli added.

"We will continue having this problem because the tourist season has been extended. We also have the first direct line between Philadelphia - Dubrovnik, three times a week. We have realized the possibility that objects can be opened a month to a month and a half earlier, and that some work until the New Year. We must send a message that we are no longer a seasonal destination.” 

Cappelli added that funds had been invested in additional medical teams on the coast.

“Next year, we should introduce a helicopter service, and build six new ships for transporting patients. There's a lot of work here, but a lot of progress has been made. They all understood that they must be in the service of tourism,” the minister concluded.

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