April the 12th, 2023 - The Croatian Tourism and Services Union (STUH) is calling for foreign seasonal workers to join it this year, and there's a very important logistical reason as to why.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, after the model of cooperation with foreign workers from a couple of years ago proved to be very successful on the example of seasonal employees from Macedonia, the Croatian Tourism and Services Union (STUH) has now launched a campaign for the first time ahead of this summer's tourist season, inviting all foreign seasonal workers to join the union and thus protect their rights.

On the one hand, this is an opportunity for the Croatian Tourism and Services Union to strengthen its overall membership, which was lost due to the emigration of workers from Croatia abroad, and to find new models of action in this increasingly unpredictable labour market, and on the other hand, it can bring additional security to foreign seasonal workers when it comes to their labour rights in this country.

Lower membership fees

The president of the Croatian Tourism and Services Union, Eduard Andric, expects that over time, a significant interest of these foreign workers from third countries, which therefore have no EU protection to fall back on, will gradually develop.

"The share of foreign seasonal workers in the Croatian hospitality and tourism industry is increasingly taking a significant place on the labour market due to the great need for workers in the aforementioned sectors. This year, a large number of workers are expected to come from third countries which aren't members of the European Union, and we see that this is not a temporary trend, but a new reality to which we need to adapt, and ensure the maximum levels of respect for these workers' rights.

It's also true that the number of members of our union is falling because people are moving away from Croatia, and this is an opportunity for us to find new members,'' says Andric, recalling the example of STUH's cooperation with the tourism union of Macedonia, which started two years ago and proved to be very successful, as touched on above.

In addition to workers being registered with the union during their time working here during the tourist season, thanks to this kind of cooperation, employers get professional workers who are selected by the unions based on their explicitly expressed needs.

"In fact, numerous employment agencies have appeared on the market that don't care so much about the quality of their workers, they usually bring in anyone who applies and then employers have the problem of not getting the workers they actually need," says Andric. In addition, as the Croatian Tourism and Services Union explains on its website, a large number of seasonal workers, especially workers from countries that are not members of the European Union, are entirely unaware of their labour and other rights. Most often, these workers are the most vulnerable category of workers, according to the European Commission (EC).

At the same time, the EU Directive on foreign seasonal workers, which binds the Republic of Croatia and whose provisions are included in the Law on Foreigners, in most of its provisions provides for the totally equal treatment of seasonal workers and EU/EEA citizens, with certain restrictions related to the legal length of stay in Croatia. The union is strong here when it comes to the proper infrastructure, because it has a branched network of commissioners in the field and alsp boasts its own lawyers.

"In accordance with the provisions of the Foreigners Act, the Labour Act, the national sectoral collective agreement for the hospitality industry, as well as a large number of collective agreements concluded with most employers in large hotel companies, The Croatian Tourism and Services Union provides free legal assistance to all workers in the hospitality industry and tourism who are members of the union, this includes foreign seasonal workers if they become members, all with the aim of the uniform application of legal regulations to all workers present in Croatia, their legal security and their better adaptation to the country," they explain from STUH. Andric notes that the membership fee for foreign workers is lower, given that they are only there for the tourist season.

They noted that their members have the right to access help when concluding an employment contract with a new employer, control of their rights from the Collective Agreement and the company's bylaws, or the national collective agreement, free legal protection at all times, including free representation in court if needed.

For more, check out our news section.

March the 30th, 2023 - A significant Ugljan tourism boost is underway in the form of the renovation of around fifty apartments in the Zelena punta tourist resort. While a big project in itself, it's only a small part of the ambitious plans which lie ahead.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, approximately fifty apartments in the Zelena punta tourist resort in Kukljica on the island of Ugljan will be thoroughly renovated and made ready for the tourist season, which is only a small part of the ambitious investment project of Slovak investor Adriatic Tourist Resorts (ATR) in the total amount of 40 million euros.

Currently, Zelena punta is a busy construction site, and five million euros have been invested into what's going on there so far. A good part of the project is still awaiting changes to the Urban development plan, according to Dino Manestar, director of Adriatic Tourist Resorts and Premium Star Hotels (PSH), owned by Prime Tourist Resorts from Bratislava.

Slovak-Croatian cooperation

As is already fairly well known, ATR, owned by JS Capital Management from Bratislava, took over Zelena punta, as well as Hotel Trakoscan after Coning's bankruptcy, for about 26.5 million kuna. Although it was open to guests every season from Coning's bankruptcy until the takeover, the resort has been neglected, with unused accommodation capacities, neglected sports fields and dilapidated infrastructure, and it extends over an entire peninsula separated from the old core of the resort, into a dense pine forest. The investor's idea is to preserve the natural heritage as much as possible and to create a four-star mixed-use resort. Namely, all the apartments that are being renovated now will go on the market, but under special conditions characteristic of such projects.

In the investment, Adriatic Tourist Resorts plans to create capacities of a total of 780 beds in different facilities accompanied by complete infrastructure, and the first major works started after the last summer season. The project for the new Zelena punta bears the signature of Slovak architects from the GFI Design House in cooperation with the Croatian I2D office, and the intention is to fit all the units into the natural environment as much as possible, with the use of natural materials in the interior design.

"The first six apartments in one building are finished and ready, and that building was a model for all of the others. An additional 40 apartments are under construction and will be ready by the summer season of 2023. After the season, another 80 apartments will be renovated and the plan is to have them ready by the 2024 summer season,'' explained Manestar.

The sale of all of the apartments, which are being offered as a combination of investment and use, has already started. The condition for purchase is that each buyer immediately leases back the apartment, with the resort having the right of first refusal in case it wants to sell it at any time. ATR takes care of everything, from maintenance, sales, cleaning, and rental income is divided according to the contract. On top of that, all operations are managed by Premium Star Hotels.

At the resort itself, in addition to work on the apartments, preparatory work on the construction of the beach club has begun, which will be a further Ugljan tourism boost. The plan at this moment in time is to have it finished by the summer season of 2024. In addition to the apartments and all of their accompanying facilities, the plan is to build luxury villas and a hotel, which will be the last phase of the investment.

All 80 bungalows, which were last used as staff accommodation, will be demolished, as they're completely dilapidated, and 52 new bungalows, mostly with two accommodation units, will be built in their place. The last accommodation capacity will be a four-star hotel boasting about 60 rooms and 120 beds. The first plan was for everything to be finished by 2025, but the set of circumstances on the market slowed down the process, as it did for many other investors.

"By the end of the year, we expect changes to the UPU by the Municipality of Kukljica, and then we'll continue with the design of villas and the replacement of old bungalows, as well as the beach club, sports fields and hotels. The old restaurant and reception are also in the design phase," Dino Manestar concluded.

For more, check out our news section.

March the 28th, 2023 - Tourists from across the rest of Europe and indeed the world are ready to pay more for sustainable tourism, and the situation for Croatian tourism is no different. With visitors ready to fork out around 20 percent more, Medjimurje sustainable tourism stands out from the crowd.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, as many as twenty years of dedicated and hard work at the level of the entire destination was needed for Medjimurje sustainable tourism to reach a level of sustainability that many are only just beginning to think about.

Confirmation that they're on the right track came back at the beginning of March at the ITB Berlin tourism fair, where beautiful Medjimurje County was declared a Green Destinations region and was awarded the silver Green Destination label. This made it the first region in all of Croatia and the fourth in the world to receive this certification.

''Green Destination'' is a globally recognised non-profit organisation that cooperates with 200 destinations across more than 80 countries of the world, and develops sustainable and responsible tourism in accordance with the principles of the United Nations (UN) and the goals of the Global Council for Sustainable Tourism.

Rudi Grula, the director of Medjimurje County's tourist board, and Nusa Korotaj, the director of the very well known Terme Sveti Martin, which generates an impressive 80 percent of tourist traffic in Medjimurje, spoke about how sustainability has become a lifestyle for the people of Medjimurje at the Place2Go tourist fair.

"The fact that sustainability has become imperative is also showcased by the new policy of the TUI group, which will no longer enter into contracts with hotels that don't have a sustainability certificate. In Medjimurje County, tourism makes up only 2% of the local economy and we see tourism as an activity that will improve the lives of the local population as well. That's why we can freely choose guests who are ready to pay 20% more for all of the services that are carried out in a sustainable way here,'' explained Grula. In the survey that preceded the certification process for Green Destination, as many as 80% of respondents, out of 60% of the total number of stakeholders in the county's tourism who responded to the survey, were in favour of introducing sustainable solutions.

The next step will be the introduction of the Good Travel brand, and a new analysis of the satisfaction level of locals is underway, which is being done for them by the Tourism Institute. The local tourist board frequently realises many projects with Terme Sveti Martin, which is the largest tourist entity in the entire county and also operates in a sustainable manner. For example, as Nusa Korotaj revealed, they have signed contracts with 25 OPGs (family farms) that supply Sveti Martin with local products, grown within a radius of 15 kilometres.

As many as 80% of employees working at Terme Sveti Martin are locals, and since many of them work the land, with the project ''Work, earn extra'', the company offered them to open their own OPGs and be priority suppliers, so that a waiter can also brag to his guests that they're eating zucchini that he grew himself.

Local products are more expensive than those we can purchase in retail chains, that's true, but this way we have foods we know the origin of and we know exactly who grew them, with extremely short supply chains. In addition, we support the surrounding restaurateurs, so we send our guests to eat at their restaurants, we also have packages in which guests can exchange dinner at our hotel for a local restaurant. In order to appreciate these locally grown foods even more, we introduced a programme to reduce food waste, after we determined that we were throwing 200 kilograms of food into the compost every single day. In order to reduce this, we reduced the number of plates at breakfast and reduced food waste by 40% on the first day," said Korotaj.

The road to sustainability is often paved with a lot of small steps, and the next one is to convince restaurateurs to stop serving biscuits wrapped in cellophane with their coffee, but rather to serve biscuits in bulk. At the same time, through promotion, they also educate the guests, who not only appreciate these solutions, but also look for them themselves. In fact, research by the Expedia portal showed that this year as many as 65% of travellers will look for some form of sustainable service in tourism, while companies will invest significantly more in marketing through which they show what they are doing to contribute to sustainable development.

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

March the 27th, 2023 - Two stunning Croatian destinations have found themselves ranked among 25 of Europe's most beautiful places by Travel+Leisure magazine.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the travel magazine Travel+Leisure recently presented a list of what it considers to be the 25 most beautiful places in Europe, which includes destinations from small towns to secret beaches, writes Klixba.

"Throughout this continent, and sometimes quite nearby to it, there are countless colorful small towns, magnificent castles, Roman ruins, church buildings, medieval castles, sparkling lagoons and secluded beaches," writes Travel+Leisure magazine presenting the list of the 25 most beautiful places in Europe.

"Although it isn't difficult to come across (or look for) a photogenic destination, defining the most beautiful places in all of Europe is a bit more difficult because there are so many of them,'' they added, pointing out that if you want to choose a place with endless photographic potential, they recommend the following destinations.

The first place on the list was taken by Villa Ruffolo in a small town on the Amalfi coast (Italy), and the top three are Egremni beach (Lefkada, Greece), Pena Palace (Sintra, Portugal).

Destinations from Croatia's most immediate neighboyrhood were also on the list, and Gospa od Skrpjela in Montenegro took an impressive fourth place.

When it comes to Croatian destinations, the magazine singles out the country's oldest and largest national park - Plitvice Lakes, and of course, the southern Dalmatian city of Dubrovnik. While rather obvious and sometimes overdone choices when it comes to the enormous offer of jaw-dropping places Croatia boasts, the portal considers both of them to be among the most beautiful in all of Europe.

"The search for the bluest water in the world leads travellers to many photogenic places, including the famous Croatian Plitvice Lakes National Park. Located halfway between Zagreb and Zadar, this natural wonderland delights more than a million visitors every year with its crystal clear lakes, waterfalls, caves and lush forests," writes Travel+Leisure.

For Dubrovnik, Croatia's tourist Mecca, they point out that a mandatory activity on every trip to the pearl of the Adriatic is "a walk along the iconic walls of Dubrovnik", which offers visitors an incomparable perspective of its protective fortifications, bastions and towers, plus its recognisable red roofs, clear blue sea and nearby islands.

While we certainly agree that both Dubrovnik and Plitvice Lakes National Park are absolutely gorgeous, it might be time to let the abundant offer of stunning Croatian destinations up and down this country take the throne from time to time.

For more, check out our news section.

March the 24th, 2023 - There has been a significant amount of interest shown by French tourists in visiting Croatia, and this was only further cemented by the recently held Salon Mondial du Tourisme, which took place in Paris.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, this year, the French tourist market has been showing great interest in the Republic of Croatia. This country's varied tourist offer has been included in the programmes of the largest and most important French tour operators and agencies, and there is growing interest in the introduction of new regular air routes, the Croatian Tourist Board (CNTB/HTZ) reported on Tuesday.

Good news for Croatian tourism comes from the recently held largest international tourist fair in France, "Salon Mondial du tourisme" in Paris, and from the accompanying business workshop organised by the HTZ representative office in Paris, which brought together more than 60 French travel organisers and travel agencies. Representatives of Croatia Airlines, Maistra, Falkenstainer, Hilton and other agencies discussed business opportunities and cooperation with them at the workshop.

"The Croatian offer for French tourists is well represented by the most important French travel organisers, and the further growth of specialised offers with an emphasis placed on wine and gastronomy, business, cultural and nautical tourism can certainly be an additional motive for the arrival of French tourists," said the director of the HTZ representative office in Paris, Danijela Mihalic Djurica.

This year, French tourists in Croatia have already spent 54 percent more registered overnight stays than they did back during the same period in the pre-pandemic, record year of 2019.

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

March the 22nd, 2023 - Accession to the borderless, passport-less Schengen zone has been excellent for Croatia and will be for its strongest economic branch - tourism. One type of tourism, however, Croatian cycling tourism, is set to benefit the most.

As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, entry into Schengen is an enormous opportunity for Croatian cycling tourism, given that borders no longer exist even administratively, we can begin to see the whole of Europe as a single, large market that needs to be discovered, its needs and wishes understood, and the huge cycling tourism potential of this country fully valorised.

''That said, we'll hardly hardly be able to use this huge potential without making some significant investments in infrastructure, catering and hospitality services and stronger support from local and national tourist agencies,'' warned Karlo Kucan, an organiser of the three-day Days of Cycle Tourism conference, which will be held from May the 10th to the 12th in Sinj.

It's the first and so far the only Croatian specialised professional conference intended for this segment of the tourism offer, and it brings together various representatives of Croatian cycling tourism stakeholders, from ministries, the Croatian Tourist Board, agencies, local self-government representatives to clubs and equipment manufacturers.

The conference is held in a different place every year, and the Adriatic and continental destinations alternate. The fifth edition of the Day of Cycle Tourism is going to be held in Sinj, given that the gorgeous Dalmatian hinterland has numerous excellent predispositions for the development of this type of tourism.

"In addition, the proximity of the largest coastal tourist centres, good traffic connections, well-preserved nature, a dynamic and diverse landscape and a wealth of heritage attractions, as well as food and wine offers, make this region valuable in terms of resources. We chose the theme ''No borders, no limits'', because after several challenging years, in which special forms of tourism, especially Croatian cycling tourism, have shown remarkable resilience, it's now time to fully develop its potential by using the incredible opportunities provided by Schengen's freedom without borders.

Suffice it to say that the cycling tourism market in Europe is worth a massive 44 billion euros, which is more than the entire cruising industry, which receives significantly more attention in Croatia. In addition, the global coronavirus pandemic has done a lot for the promotion of Croatian cycling tourism, because people have turned much more towards outdoor activities, to destinations that aren't overcrowded,'' Kucan explained.

"Croatia declares itself declaratively a country that wants to invest in cycling tourism, but the Slovenians have invested more in the Drava cycle route alone than we have in the infrastructure of the entire country. When building new roads, we're oriented towards motor vehicle traffic and the plans don't include paths that would be not only for tourists but also for local residents on two wheels. There are a lot of ungraded roads that could get such infrastructure if it were thought about at the local level. Another important factor is the offer. Cycling tourists come outside the summer season, and in many destinations in Croatia, they have nowhere to sleep, hotels, restaurants, and shops are no longer open. It's a question of the cooperation of all of those involved at the level of local government units, and not merely a question of one single ministry,'' Kucan added.

In addition, agencies specialising in Croatian cycling tourism can still be counted on one hand, so it happens that partners from abroad cannot find a local agency that will help them organise a trip.

For more, check out our news and travel sections.

March 21, 2023 - Four months a YouTuber, time to reflect on my journey into an unknown world while keeping an eye on the promotion over at the Kingdom of Accidental Tourism.

Full disclaimer: when someone sues you for no reason - twice - and plays with you for 2.5 years, before dropping two cases they knew they had no chance (and I suspect, interest) of winning, it changes one's perspective.  

Long before I was sued by the Kingdom of Accidental Tourism, aka the Croatian National Tourist Board, I had questioned the point of their existence. I genuinely think if we abolished the Kingdom, the Ministry of Tourism, and whatever that tourism thing is in the Croatian Chamber of Economy, and replaced them all with Nikola Tesla at the head of Croatian tourism, we would have the same number of tourists. And probably even more tourism ideas, even though he has been dead for 80 years. He wouldn't take a salary, and at least he is a brand. 

Does anyone disagree?

Over the years, I have listened to many self-congratulatory claims by the Kingdom's senior ambassadors, but one in particular stayed with me. It was back in October 2021 at the annual Days of Croatian Self-Congrratulation, aka Days of Croatian Tourism, the annual gathering of the official tourism industry to pat themselves on the back at great expense for a job well done. You can read more about it in my article of the time - Ever Been to a Party Where the Host is Suing You?

I will forever be grateful to Minister of Tourism and Sports, Nikolina Brnjac, for coming over to say hello in what was a fairly hostile atmosphere. Thank you, once again.

Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, Kristjan Stanicic, gave a typically self-congratulatory speech about his accomplishments over the year, including the great success of the digital nomad campaign, Croatia, Your New Office, which 'achieved over 8 million impressions' during the month-long campaign. 

It was all I could do to not laugh out loud at the time. The main sources of interest in digital nomads coming to Croatia were Jan de Jong, Saltwater Nomads, and TCN. While Jan became the face of Croatia's remote work welcome and Tanja Polegubic from Saltwater Nomads was delivering award-winning conferences and programmes, the Kingdom was doing nothing. But if the Director announced his campaign was a success, then it must be so, right?

(Source HTZ.hr Press Release)

And suddenly, a campaign which influenced nobody I spoke to (and I spoke to a LOT of nomads) was a great success. With over 8 million 'impressions.'

What is an 'impression'? Compared to a click when the person reads the article or watches the video? It simply means it appears in your social media feed and you see it. Often (as in this case) it is sponsored, and you see it and ignore it. The Kingdom spent 250,000 kuna sponsoring ads to get to that 'successful' campaign of 8 million impressions. 

Despite spending over THIRTY THOUSAND EURO on the campaign, they only got - by their own admission - 60,300 clicks to the site, not all of which necessarily came from the campaign (see email exchange with the Kingdom and I below). In other words, ONE EURO FOR TWO CLICKS.

A successful campaign, claimed Director Stanicic. 

(Source - email exchange with the Croatian National Tourist Board)

I couldn't help thinking that 250,000 kuna was an incredible amount of money to throw away on social media boosting. Why not invest that money in someone who could generate those clicks organically, genuinely, by producing great content and driving engagement?

Of course, it is all very well to talk about these things, but how realistic was it to be able to do that?

Four months ago, I started a journey, completely unrelated to this question, and I got my answer. 

When I decided to start the YouTube channel, Paul Bradbury Croatia Expert, I had limited expectations. Although I knew my content was good, and I was ready to engage and build a community, the reality is that I have a face for radio, no budget, and limited access to quality video materials of destinations. 

But that number of the 'successful' 8 million impressions would not leave me. I didn't have 30,000+ euro to buy those impressions, I would have to do it all organically. Budget zero, apart from my time and the time of my video partner, Igor Vuk.

Four months later, I have some answers. 

Passing the 8 million impressions of a 'successful' project took us 34 videos, zero euro, and an investment of our time. By far away the biggest time investment on my side was engagement and building community. Here are my (100% organic and unboosted) statistics after 4 months of a journey into a media I knew nothing about - video.

Paul Bradbury Croatia Expert, the first 4 months in numbers - November 14 - March 14

34 videos

928,399 - total views (compared to 60,300 clicks at a cost of 250,000 kuna)

27,300 average organic views per video

8.4 million impressions

3.02 minutes average watch time

9,302 subscribers, all organic, compared to the Kingdom's 21,000 - over 12 years. A national institution with a budget v a small vlogger.

98.7% - positive likes

300 - 10,000 - YouTube likes per vid

30-1200 - YouTube comments - per vid

80% of traffic from within YouTube

Most successful article - 1.6 million organic views

783k - Facebook

250k - YouTube

567k - Tiktok

Cost (apart from time) - ZERO

I present the statistics not to boast but to show the Emperor's clothes and the reality of what is happening. Of how tourism promotion money, when not being used to harass bloggers in court, is used so inefficiently that it is beyond sad. Getting organic views, building engagement and community takes a lot of work, of course it does, but with some 70-80 well-paid full-time employees, shouldn't that be someone's job description?

Some simple screenshots will explain things a little better. Here is the screenshot of the latest videos on the official YouTube channel of the Croatian National Tourist Board:

Of the last 8 videos, with all the promo and power available to the Kingdom and its 21,000 subscribers, only one has more than 1,000 views. And that one has an incredible 1.6 MILLION views. Let's take a closer look...

Some 1.6 million views, but only ELEVEN likes. What kind of video or viewer must it be that only 11 people out of 1.6 million like the video? Perhaps it was the Norwegian train which featured in this promotion of Croatian Tourism Month that kept the likes so low. 

And comments turned off, so that nobody can engage. Why? Too much work? Easier to throw hard-earned taxpayers' money at the problem, rather than do some work?

And one wonders at the cost of producing videos which get 157 views on the national tourist board flagship YouTube channel. 

It is not much better on the official Kingdom Facebook page, despite having 1.7 million followers - thankfully, Croatia has a great football team to boost traffic. 

Of course, it is always easy to criticise. Show how you can do better.

Not even 250,000 views compared to 1.6 million, but 10,000 likes compared to just 11. Over 1,200 comments v comments switched off. There are more likes on some of the comments than views on the Kingdom's videos.

And that is why I vote for the abolishment of the Croatian National Tourist Board, part 17.

And my vote goes to Nikola Tesla to run Croatian tourism.

Meanwhile, I am off to join the TikTok revolution - you can be at the start of the journey as we launch the Paul Bradbury Croatia TikTok channel this week.

And if you are interested in the culture of SLAPP lawsuits in Croatia, you can read about my experience in 10 Things I Learned from my SLAPP Lawsuits in Croatia.

****

You can subscribe to the Paul Bradbury Croatia Expert YouTube channel here.

What is it like to live in Croatia? An expat for 20 years, you can follow my series, 20 Ways Croatia Changed Me in 20 Years, starting at the beginning - Business and Dalmatia.

Follow Paul Bradbury on LinkedIn.

Croatia, a Survival Kit for Foreigners is now available on Amazon in paperback and on Kindle.

March the 20th, 2023 - What's the biggest grey zone in Croatian tourism? A consultant for private accommodation reveals more as illegal rental properties are still very much ''a thing'' across the country despite crackdowns over more recent years.

As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Croatia isn't yet moving in the direction of new taxation placed on private accommodation facilities, although it will strengthen the control of illegal rentals within the framework of an initiative that is still being developed at the level of the European Union (EU). In the meantime, a new analysis of that accommodation segment is currently expected, which the Institute for Tourism is preparing for the Croatian Tourist Board (CNTB).

The analysis will be finished in May and will be the basis for new branding and promotion of private accommodation,'' explained CNTB director Kristjan Stanicic at the Family Accommodation Forum held on Saturday in Zagreb, organised by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) and the CNTB.

Current figures say that more than 106,000 households are engaged in renting to tourists, and more than 600,000 beds have been registered. This accounts for about 60 percent of the total accommodation in Croatian tourism. Private accommodation/household facilities enjoyed 47 million overnight stays last year, slightly less than half of the total number of overnight stays realised in the country. At the same time, this is the segment of accommodation that has the shortest season, with just 15 percent annual occupancy.

"For as long as there aren't enough hotels in Croatia, in which we're two to three times behind the rest of our competition across the Mediterranean, family/private accommodation will play a very important role in the whole Croatian tourism offer,'' said HGK's Vice President for Agriculture and Tourism, Dragan Kovacevic, pointing out that it would be important to classify the offer of accommodation within the Croatian tourism offer, to divide things up in a better way.

"Renting is not only unfair competition to private and other registered accommodation, but also puts additional pressure on communal and other infrastructure, without the benefits paid by the households that are doing this," says Kovacevic.

Monika Udovicic from the Ministry of Tourism pointed out that the Tourism Strategy until the year 2030 foresees the modernisation of the categorisation of all tourist accommodation, including private accommodation. Admittedly, only 25 private landlords applied for the tender from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO), which shows the extremely low interest of this sector in entering into more serious entrepreneurial waters.

Private accommodation consultant Nedo Pinezic pointed out that for most renters this is their second income, and they pay tax on their first income because they are either employed somewhere or have their own businesses. With other income from their properties and their property rights, we have a form of income where housing is also concerned, and when we talk about tax reform, this whole group is affected.

''We want to see what sort of direction this is going to go in,'' said Pinezic, warning that there should be better regulations for non-commercial accommodation with around 300,000 facilities where owners and their families and friends occasionally stay, without paying for each night, and fees paid by those who are registered to rent to tourists.

For more, check out our news section.

March the 14th, 2023 - Do we need to be worrying about the Croatian 2023 tourist season this summer as prices continue to rise? With even the faithful Germans saying that Croatia is becoming too expensive, there's room for improvement.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, there are currently around three and a half thousand guests staying in the wider Kvarner area, which is a very good number for this time of year. The announcements are good for spring and summer across nearby Istria as well.

However, there are more and more warnings that we have to change the trends within the Croatian tourism sector. Overcrowding is an issue nobody enjoys and which is increasing, the real estate business is booming, and the prices of both accommodation and services are rising. And it won't stop there...

Winter is coming to an end and this country's most faithful guests of all, the Germans and Austrians, are busy warming up after the cold. Owing to that, gorgeous little Opatija, a favourite of both the Germans and the Austrians, is never empty.

"We're happy that in just the first two months of this year we achieved even 40 percent more overnight stays than we did back during the record year of pre-pandemic 2019. But that's a trend where, for a decade or so now, we've been see an increase in the number of arrivals outside of the main summer season from year to year," stated Irena Persic Zivadinov, the director of the Kvarner Tourist Board.

Kvarner's many hotels have prepared various arrangements and packages aimed at attracting guests for the Croatian 2023 tourist season, but they're now more expensive, writes N1.

"Considering the input costs, of course the situation is very uncertain for the entire market. We're really trying to be flexible here, but we're also working in accordance with the rate of inflation on the entire price policy. In accordance with the rate of inflation, there will probably be an increase in prices, but again, we're doing our best to be fair,'' Ivan Sarajlic, the spokesman of a hotel group, stated.

Impressions from the largest tourist exchange which was recently held in the German capital city of Berlin are still settling in. The Germans traditionally love Croatia and have been among the country's most faithful and most frequent visitors of all for many years, but even they are raising their eyebrows at some of the prices nowadays.

"Now some other countries in Croatia's immediate neighbourhood are already seriously competing with us, such as Montenegro, which is fighting for Western tourists after losing Russian and Ukrainian tourists, and there is also Albania with its beautiful coast, which is very competitive both in terms of quality and values. The Germans are saying Croatia has become too expensive,'' warned tourist consultant Nedo Pinezic.

Both expensive and overcrowded, warned Istria County's prefect, as the Croatian 2023 tourist season rapidly approaches.

"I think that, when we talk about quantity, we've reached that certain maximum. Istria has 468,000 registered beds. If 200,000 of us live there and take into account the number of unregistered facilities among that, the question is to what number we can go? Has Istria exceeded its limit in this sense? I think it has,'' said Boris Miletic.

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

March 5, 2023 - What is the most impressive tourism promotion project you have seen in Croatia? Something to beat the World's Biggest Welcome?

One man. One Project. One Word.

Welcome.

As a hospitable tourism country, what if Croatia could also offer the World's Biggest Welcome? Daniel Lacko, an adventure tourism expert, decided to do just that for Croatia.

It took him 65 days, more than 2,500 kilometres, but he achieved this goal back in 2011. For me, the most impressive tourism promotion project in my 20 years in Croatia.

The video premieres tonight at 19:53. 

Which Croatian tourism promotion project has impressed you the most? Answers in the comments below.

You can still visit the official Facebook page of the World's Biggest Welcome, where you can see many of the original photos of Lacko's amazing journey - https://web.facebook.com/welcomehr

****

You can subscribe to the Paul Bradbury Croatia Expert YouTube channel here.

What is it like to live in Croatia? An expat for 20 years, you can follow my series, 20 Ways Croatia Changed Me in 20 Years, starting at the beginning - Business and Dalmatia.

Follow Paul Bradbury on LinkedIn.

Croatia, a Survival Kit for Foreigners is now available on Amazon in paperback and on Kindle.