June the 6th, 2022 - Croatian marinas up and down the coastline are becoming more and more popular for those seeking nautical experiences in tourism. One marina even has a waiting list.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, while most facilities, from hotels to campsites, expect a more massive arrival of guests from mid-June onwards, the height of the summer tourist season in Croatian marinas has long since begun. There are no free berths left in many of them, and it seems that more and more wealthy sailors are coming to Croatia, reports HRT.

There is no free berth to speak of, for example, in the Pula marina. The owners of the largest ships have at least a three-member crew that they pay for all year round, and they sail the Croatian Adriatic only during the summer months.

"They spend very well, you know, we always sleep in marinas, there are costs, of course, they go out to restaurants in the evening, and the groceries they use on board cost a lot, they aren't just your average things, so they're good consumers," said Anton Cukon.

Those spending time in Croatia owing to nautical tourism tend to spend twice as much as the average guest and more and more of the wealthiest among them are docking in Croatian marinas.

"Every day we receive inquiries for much larger vessels. We used to have inquiries for ships of 15-16 metres in length, and now, on a weekly basis, there are inquiries for over 25 metre vessels. What's the cause of this, what do you think? There's obviously a surplus of money in the world,'' believes Aleksandar Suran, the director of the marina Veruda, Pula.

In the marina in Rovinj - only the largest boats are present. Renovated three years ago, the latest technological and service standards have brought it a maximum of five anchors, seeing it attract many who otherwise went to other countries.

"We've filled all of our capacities for annual berths and we have no problems in the sense of poor announcements, in fact more berths are needed, so we already have a waiting list," said Goran Bilic, the director of ACI Marina Rovinj.

"We came to Rovinj because we bought a new, bigger boat. And here we have all the necessary infrastructure,'' said Andreas, a sailor from Austria.

The Marina Association warns that further investments in Croatian marinas are questionable. Namely, most of them will have their concessions expire in 2030, after which a public tender will be announced.

"You can't invest some serious funds now, in 2022, and expect to depreciate them by 2030. That's why we ask that such a possibility be left for the existing Croatian marinas to decide whether they want to continue," explained Sean Lisjak, president of the Marina Association.

In order for existing Croatian marinas to have an advantage in such tenders, at least three ministries must agree: the Ministry of Maritime Affaits, Tourism and, of course, the Minstry of Finance.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business and travel sections.

November 5, 2021 - After it was believed that they had to pay an additional cost due to being considered sub-concessions, this raised a series of concerns, but in the end, there will be no additional taxation for Marinas in Croatia, as it was all a misunderstanding, points the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.

As reported by HrTurizam, the announcement that ancillary activities in marinas will be treated as sub-concessions raised a real storm among members of the HGK Marina Association, but after talks with representatives of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure (MMPI) it was determined that there was a misunderstanding and that the concession fee remained unchanged and no additional taxation for Marinas will be done, reports the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.

"We remind you that in early September, members of the Association of Marinas of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce received a notification on the calculation of concession fees for concession holders who have concluded contracts on sub-concessions, informing them that all sub-concession activities will be additionally taxed. 

Therefore, the Association of Marina HGK at its last session, held as part of the Biograd Boat Show, hosted Nina Perko, Director of the Maritime Administration at MMPI, to warn the relevant institutions of the serious consequences for the entire nautical sector if such a method of calculating the concession or sub-concession fees. Representatives of the marinas pointed out that they are already paying a fixed and variable part in the name of the concession on the maritime domain.

“The fixed part is paid on the basis of the occupied area, and the variable part on the basis of income. All this is included in the total income, of which the marinas pay a certain percentage in the name of the variable part ", explained the president of the HGK Marina Association Sean Lisjak, adding that after talks with director Perko they found that the disputed letter was misinterpreted. in no way does it refer to ancillary activities such as catering, charter, and various services performed on the premises of marinas, but exclusively to those activities with which marinas have concluded Sub-Concession Agreements. 

In the end, it was concluded that the calculation of the concession fee for concession holders in relation to ancillary activities remains unchanged", reads the statement of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

June the 24th, 2021 - Yet another Croatian marina, this time Marina Tribunj in Sibenik-Knin County, has entered D-Marin's already very impressive international portfolio.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, the well known global marina network of the D-Marin Group is now richer for yet another beautiful Croatian marina - Marina Tribunj. It is the fourth destination in the Croatian cluster and the fifteenth location in D-Marina's growing portfolio of exclusive nautical destinations across the Mediterranean and the United Arab Emirates, the company reports.

Marina Tribunj is located in the very heart of Dalmatia, between D-Marin Mandalina in nearby Sibenik and D-Marin Dalmatia, both of which are existing destinations from the same network. Marina Tribunj is otherwise quiet boutique marina with a complete service for the servicing and maintenance of vessels, with a total of 220 marine and 50 dry berths that will add 1760 existing berths, as many as D-Marin has in total in all of Croatia. In addition to restaurants and other facilities in the destination, guests of the marina will have at their disposal a fuel/petrol station, various technical services, restaurants and accommodation facilities.

Commenting on the latest acquisition of the D-Marin Group, Chief Executive Officer Oliver Dörschuck said: “We're pleased that Marina Tribunj is becoming part of our group's network. The marina has everything a boater might need: great facilities and excellent service provided by an experienced marina team, all in a location that guarantees sailors the best sailing experience. This is our fourth investment in the Croatian tourism sector and we believe that excellent road and air connections will enable travel even in the most challenging times, and such an approach, along with top destinations, creates a very attractive offer for our guests.''

The director of Marina Tribunj, Tomislav Paskvalin, added: “Our team is delighted with the fact that we're going to become part of the D-Marin group. A high standard of service is our priority and a common mission we all share, and the possibility of sailing to numerous destinations across Croatia is an excellent development opportunity for Marina Tribunj.''

D-Marin operates fifteen unique marinas here in Croatia, as well as in Montenegro, Greece, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, with a total of 7,150 berths.

And if you need a dry dock or stainless steel equipment near Sibenik you can find it on this link.

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Nautical tourism in Croatia is one of the areas of the country's strongest economic branch which was blossoming before the coronavirus crisis struck. Croatian marinas are a money pot at the best of times, and tourism based precisely on the soft waves of the sparkling Adriatic sea could be a gold mine. That being said, has the Croatian Government forgotten about marinas in their package of anti-epidemic economic measures?

As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 9th of April, 2020, after addressing the public a few days ago warning that the Croatian Government had forgotten them in their package of measures to help the economy and the tourism sector due to the effects of the pandemic, Croatian marinas also sent an official letter to the competent ministries and the government itself in order to attempt to halt the collapse of the sector in time for the upcoming season.

Despite the fact that many are claiming that 2020's tourist season is a no go, given the unprecedented circumstances we find ourselves in, Croatian marinas still believe this summer could attract tourists who have their hearts set on nautical tourism in Croatia.

''It's very urgent for us that they recognise the marina system that employs around 2500 people, and the specifics of the sector that mean that we're currently not eligible for the state's minimum wage support. As a rule, marinas are in operation since April the 1st, so we have no evidence that revenue has fallen previously because we were closed,'' explained Sean Lisjak, president of the Association of Marinas at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK)

During this period, Croatian marinas also started to pay for services from charter companies, and since everything in Croatian tourism has now come to a halt, they aren't in a position to pay for those services, nor are they entitled to state support.

The pressure is increasing, and some marinas have unfortunately begun to send foreclosures to charter companies, Lisjak states. Another problem they're facing is the concession for the use of the maritime domain, which they paid for this year back in February, before the onset of the coronavirus crisis.

''We're seeking for the state to equalise us with the rest of the tourism sector through a measure of release from having to make the concession payment, and the release of the concession payment for 2021. In addition, in the long run, we're seeking equalisation through tax treatment and the lowering of value-added tax rate on marina services to thirteen percent,'' concluded Lisjak on behalf of the Marina Association at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.

For more on coronavirus in Croatia, follow our dedicated section.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 10th of April, 2019, Croatia's ACI has published its revised annual financial statements for 2018. The company's revenue growth trend thankfully continued in 2018, its total revenue grew by seven percent when compared to 2017, amounting to 216 million kuna, while the company's operating income increased by eleven percent to 211 million kuna.

Revenues have been growing in almost all of ACI's marinas, and the company's profit also grew by 54 percent to a massive 38.4 million kuna, while its EBITDA increased by 22 percent to 93.9 million kuna.

The largest single investment project in ACI's history was also completed. In March, a new license was issued for the new ACI marina in Rovinj. This is a project that in which over 150 million kuna has been invested and can be briefly described in just four words: beauty, luxury, innovative solutions and security. The new marina's categorisation is now underway.

The new ACI marina has 1,400 m2 of commercial space available, and special attention has been paid to providing high level services on the premises, including catering facilities, restaurants and café-lounge bars, grocery stores, wellness centres, world-renowned brands, reputable sales offices for luxury yachts, charter agencies, a service centre for boats, etc.

The Rovinj ACI marina is equipped with the latest generation of WiFi systems, and luxury boats are provided with the most advanced video surveillance and access control system available. Particular care was taken to protect the surrounding environment and maintain the purity of the marine environment, construction materials and energy systems that provide maximum energy efficiency were used during construction, and all the benefits of LED lighting technology and lighting management were properly and readily applied. The official opening of the marina will be at the end of April this year.

The modernisation of the business that ACI has been intensively pursuing over the last few years is primarily focused on raising the quality of its services, attracting new clients and exploring the market potential of the Adriatic region as a whole.

Back in 2018, the company first published its own ACI No1 magazine, both in print and in digital format. It is a magazine which combines an ACI marina catalog, information for boaters, exclusive reportages and lifestyle themes, and a 2019 issue is just been made available.

ACI also achieves excellent results in the area of ​​digital business with its own reservation system. From last season, boaters have also had ACI's mobile application that provides easy and quick access to information and booking links available to them. For the third year in a row, ACI has also been using a digital sailing system with the help of special applications and devices used by sailors.

Given ACI's steady growth, 2018 was also marked by market research and a look into the development potential of the company, following which, a decision was made to embark on the development of new products and services, which will contribute to the diversification of the company's business.

Business cooperation includes the purchase of six ClubSwan36 sailing boats, and a range of marketing activities aimed at creating a recognisable image, regatta organisation, promotion and the creation of a tourism product aimed at raising the quality of ACI's services and the overall image of the Republic of Croatia as the world's leading nautical destination.

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