March the 29th, 2021 - When might we realistically expect the complete recovery of the Croatian tourism market and this now very deeply damaged industry? With competitor countries such as Spain and Greece to watch, it's interesting to see where Croatia falls in this regard.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, global tourism, which has been dealt an extremely heavy blow by the ongoing pandemic, will likely generate about 20 percent less revenue in 2021 than it did back in pre-pandemic 2019, and a full recovery for the tourism industry can be expected within 3 to 5 years.

When it comes to Europe, destinations such as Portugal, Turkey and Greece are expected to recover the fastest, Spain and France will have the slowest return, and for the Croatian tourism market - things will lie somewhere in between.

These are the predictions made by Euromonitor, more specifically made by the head of the tourism department, Caroline Bremner, at a webinar organised by the Institute of Tourism on the topic of building better and sustainable tourism following the pandemic.

The sustainability of tourism after years of excessive tourist congestion faced by many destinations long before the coronavirus struck is currently the number one topic for many. There are now plans in place to completely reset tourism and support the development of local communities but this will be difficult to achieve once travel is fully open again, warned the webinar's participants which included tourism workers from Croatia's immediate region.

Sustainability is mostly a matter of the subjective experience of different groups in any given community, about which there is very, very little real data and research with any concrete results. When it comes to the Croatian tourism market, there's a mixed bag of what is being utilised and what is still untouched (and perhaps better) potential.

"Split-Dalmatia County has a strategic plan for the development of sustainable tourism, with well-defined weak points, from infrastructure to crowding, but we should openly say that it will be very difficult to implement all this because we have very little support from partners and tourism workers. The most important thing for them is to achieve the growth of overnight stays and income,'' pointed out Josko Stella, director of the tourist board of Split-Dalmatia County.

Emil Kukalj from the tourist board of the Montenegrin town of Bar agreed with that sentiment.

"Destinations where individual accommodation prevails over collective accommodation have an issue because this sort of thing is mainly made up of entities which don't have a long-term vision of sustainable tourism, it's not something they're even interested in, they're usually only interested in how they can make more money. Especially in the years after the pandemic, when tourism recovery starts, I doubt that we'll be able to put the sustainability of tourism in the foreground," said Kukalj.

Although almost all of Europe is currently in a new lockdown due to the spread of the pandemic, recovery can be seen by companies such as TUI, which continues to record an increase in summer holiday bookings - they currently have about 2.8 million bookings for the period from July to November, with a bid capacity of 75 percent when compared to 2019.

For current information about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel and border rules, as well as testing centres up and down the country, bookmark this page.

March 27, 2021 - You'll want to HeadOnEast to Osijek-Baranja County after seeing all the region has to offer this year! 

HRTurizam writes that the HeadOnEast project, with which the Osijek-Baranja County Tourist Board has already successfully promoted the destination, will take a step forward in the new tourist season.

Namely, as could be heard at this year's first "tourist coffee," or socializing with journalists, HeadOnEast has been standardized, and an agreement has been reached on cooperation with all tourist boards operating in Osijek-Baranja County.

Thus, the Osijek-Baranja County Tourist Board, together with the tourist boards of Bilja, Baranja, Osijek, Draž, Đakovo, Erdut, Donji Miholjac, Valpovo, Bizovac, Našice, and Belišće, presented numerous initiatives and projects with which the system is actively preparing for the tourist season. And according to the program prepared by the tourist boards, there will be interesting manifestations and events in eastern Croatia this year!

As could be heard from the director of the Osijek-Baranja County Tourist Board, Ivana Jurić, the emphasis was on dispersed events. This means that there will be something for everyone, and events will be held throughout the year in different locations. Most importantly, the same visuals will be presented in the entire county in terms of communication.

The meeting began by reading the letters from Slavonian and Baranja citizens with an invitation to move your borders and discover this picturesque destination already in spring. This was the introduction to the new promotional campaign of the Osijek-Baranja County Tourist Board called "Move Your Borders," which started this week at the national level.

The further development of the brand platform HeadOnEast Croatia / Visit Slavonia Baranja was presented, and new visuals for destinations make up the offer in Osijek-Baranja County.

Thus, for the first time, all three Baranja tourist boards act under one visual identity: the Municipality of Bilje - Kopački rit Tourist Board, the Municipality of Draž Tourist Board, and the regional Baranja Tourist Board.

This informally united tourist board, in cooperation with the county tourist board, is organizing a new event called "Month of Baranja cuisine" this spring, in line with current epidemiological measures. From April 10 to May 2, every weekend, an open-air workshop will be held on rural estates for 25 participants to prepare authentic Baranja dishes, while Baranja restaurants will offer old dishes in a new guise.

Projects implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and the Croatian National Tourist Board, such as "Safe Stay in Croatia" and special offers for digital nomads, were also presented.

As the new Law on Foreigners has been in force since the beginning of the year, allowing you to stay in Croatia for up to a year, the Osijek-Baranja County Tourist Board has joined the project to promote the destination as an ideal place to stay for digital nomads, through special programs prepared in cooperation with Golden Slavonia Travel and Maksi Tours, local travel agencies that deal exclusively with attracting guests to Slavonia and Baranja.

Through the offer of congress and team-building programs, the destination was presented to international customers at the MEETEX business fair. This time, the Croatian Congress Industry Fair was held virtually, and the Osijek-Baranja County Tourist Board, Hotel Osijek, and Golden Slavonia Travel presented the destination's offer at a dozen B2B meetings held via the Zoom platform with potential buyers from Israel, Germany, Austria, Finland, Belgium. France and Italy. The interlocutors were representatives of large companies such as Ericsson and travel and event agencies specializing in smaller groups and incentive programs.

They are also actively working on developing new products such as circular cycling routes in the most attractive locations in cooperation with Osijek-Baranja County, which recently submitted a project on this topic to the tender of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. In the meantime, the City of Đakovo Tourist Board informally joined forces with the municipalities in the Đakovo region and started preparing the first "outdoor" routes.

The director of the Osijek-Baranja County Tourist Board, Ivana Jurić, points out that the goal of all activities and the new campaign is to invite domestic visitors to move to eastern Croatia and Slavonia and Baranja, but also to push the boundaries in the perception of this interesting and yet undiscovered region of Croatia.

For the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia, CLICK HERE.

March 26, 2021 - A large percentage of tourism workers in Croatia are awaiting vaccination in hopes they can have a safer season this year. 

Slobodna Dalmacija reports that as many as 70 percent of respondents from the tourism sector expressed interest in vaccinations, according to a survey conducted by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and the Croatian Tourism Association.

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports initiated the collection of employees' personal data through professional associations to implement the Vaccination Program, which would put the tourism sector in the priority group.

Priority within it is determined following epidemiological risks, with the advantage not only for employees who have greater contact with guests, but also, for example, those who, due to the nature of work, are unable to provide adequate social distance, especially indoors, such as in the kitchen.

Tourism workers in Croatia interested in vaccination were divided into two groups. The first includes operational staff (reception, waiters, household, drivers, guides, skippers, etc.) and those who are in direct contact with them daily. Priority number two refers to "administrative staff" and employees working at the dislocated location, which are not in daily contact with persons from the first group.

"The good news is that we are put on a priority list. All skippers will be vaccinated; there is no discussion. This is of vital interest to us, especially if clients would ask for it or if one of us is a member of a yacht crew," says Vicko Ozretić, president of the Croatian Skippers Association and members of the crew of yachts "Crosca."

The association has not yet received information on when the vaccination will begin, and they hope it will be as soon as possible. However, due to the current epidemiological situation across Europe and strict measures, they have little hope they'll start work soon.

All the figures, Ozretić says without hesitation, have dropped significantly.

"We believe in the peak season; we hope it will be good. As we have a pretty good pre-season and post-season in nautical tourism, we will be the first to feel the loss and lack of this pre-season because charters usually start slowly for Easter, and start working in May. It's about that now. Few of us will work this Easter, and maybe no one," says Ozretić. The first reservations are recorded only in June, but a new problem has arisen, further complicating business in nautical tourism.

"These are vouchers from last season. A part of these clients started asking for a refund, where charterers expect a big blow. This is one of the huge problems we are currently solving. It is easy to have one or two cancellations, but twenty or thirty are hard to bear," explains Ozretić.

The problem with voucher cancellations has escalated currently, as cases rise across Europe due to the rapid spread of new coronavirus strains.

Are travelers giving up even in the postseason?

"September is still under question; for now, what is booked is standing, but these are more or less bookings from last year. September is a ways away; it is no longer booked as in the period before the pandemic. No one can know anything more in advance. Everything is uncertain," concludes Vicko Ozretić.

For the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia, CLICK HERE.

March 22, 2021 - It's increasingly likely that there will be no Easter tourism in Croatia this year as the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across Europe.

Although no one seriously counted on tourist traffic for Easter, which falls relatively early this year, the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading across Europe has sunk the last hopes for the arrival of foreign tourists in Croatia, reports Poslovni.hr.

It is becoming increasingly clear that Croatian tourism will obviously rely almost exclusively on domestic guests in this pre-season. Still, the current epidemiological situation does not promise much here either.

Although it was announced earlier, there will be no 'Vacation-Worthy Week' campaign this spring, as it has been postponed to the fall. The Cro-card did not pick up as planned, either. 

Part of the hotels, or a total of about 1,100 in Croatia, will try to open their doors. 

One of the larger hotel houses selling Easter packages is Aminess hotels and camps, which announced the opening of facilities in Novigrad and on the island of Krk.

The Aminess Maestral Hotel in Novigrad will be the first to open its doors this Friday, March 26, while the nearby Aminess Sirena camp will open on April 1. The first guests will be welcomed on April 1 at Aminess Atea Camping Resort and Aminess Gaia Green Villas in Njivice on Krk.

“Aminess hotels and camps will present a unique gourmet offer this Easter holiday, which will be further enriched with the award-winning Aminess olive oil Vergal for all lovers of Istrian delicacies. We look forward to the first guests at our tourist destinations this year.

The year behind us was challenging, but we are optimistic about the future," says Mladen Knežević, Sales and Marketing Director of Aminess, whose facilities have been awarded the Safe Stay in Croatia label.

An Easter opening was also announced by Poreč's Plava laguna, which will try to fill its facilities with domestic guests by joining the Croatian tourist card (Cro Card) project.

From now on, all holders of the Cro Card will receive a 10 percent discount at Plava Laguna facilities and the mobile homes in the Istracamping campsites.

"We are glad that we got involved in this project to encourage our local guests to spend their holidays in Croatia.

Plava Laguna has facilities in Poreč, Umag, and Rijeka, so we invite all those interested to use their tourist cards for their weekend vacations or their summer vacation in our facilities. Guests can choose accommodation in one of our four resorts, 25 hotels or 13 suites.

The Cro Card is a great project that encourages domestic tourism, which is extremely important to us in this pandemic time, especially because other European countries will want to keep domestic guests in their countries," said Plava Laguna.

However, for now, they still have nothing to look forward to when it comes to realizing the Cro Card because this project is still in its infancy, largely due to the pandemic.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, from July 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, a total of 15,507 transactions were realized. Only 2728 tourist cards were issued by the Croatian Postal Bank (HPB) in the mentioned period.

As it is known, the Croatian tourist card is a project of the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to increase the consumption of Croatian citizens in catering and tourist facilities throughout Croatia.

Employers can pay up to HRK 2,500 of non-taxable income per year to their employees, and the tourist cardholder can cover their costs for using services and products within the tourist offer during the year. They can top up the card with their own money and use discounts.

The 'Vacation-Worthy Week' campaign, implemented by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports in cooperation with the Croatian National Tourist Board, will be delayed to the post-season, guided by the idea that the most important thing now is to contribute to a favorable epidemiological situation through responsible behavior to achieve the best possible results in the peak part of the tourist year, said the Ministry.

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March the 20th, 2021 - Croatian Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac has discussed what re-opening Croatia to British tourists could look like, and it could happen in May, the Daily Telegraph reports.

When it comes to extremely important European markets for Croatian tourism, it's difficult to contend with the British market. UK tourists came en masse to Croatia's beautiful Adriatic coast before the coronavirus pandemic threw a proverbial spanner in the works and flights were disrupted and became totally unreliable. Just how can we bring British tourists back to pre-pandemic levels?

The topic was breached by outgoing British Ambassador Andrew Dalgleish and Croatian Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac recently, and the pair discussed how a return of British tourism to Croatia can be facilitated amid the ongoing pandemic and the problematic border rules which continue to dominate.

The United Kingdom is currently under a full lockdown which is due to expire in its entirety on the 21st of June, according to PM Boris Johnson. As such, leisure and tourism travel from the UK is currently illegal. Travel is indeed permitted if one lives abroad and can prove it, or has pressing reasons for which they must leave their place of stay which they can also prove. Other than that, a stay at home order is in full force.

Croatian Tourism Minister has said that as soon as the epidemiological situation in the United Kingdom allows for it, or perhaps it is better to say when lockdown rules ease for international travel, British tourists will be absolutely welcomed back into Croatia. Otherwise, the UK has an extremely impressive vaccination rate which exceeded an enormous 25 million (people to have received their first dose) at the time of writing.

Croatian Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac and Andrew Dalgleish initiated the first serious conversation between the two European nations about the return of tourism between both countries, with the hope that border measures, a good vaccination rate and a better epidemiological picture overall, which will be what is key to decision making, will facilitate easier travel.

To read the Daily Telegraph's article, click here.

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March 20, 2021 - Mass tourism in Croatia is disastrous, and investments in it unsustainable says Dutch MEP Bas Eickhout.

In an interview with Hina, Dutch MEP Bas Eickhout from the GreenLeft said that Croatia's investment in mass tourism is unsustainable and that it could destroy Croatian tourism in the long run, reports Jutarnji List.

Eickhout understands large investments in mass tourism "from the perspective of quick earnings" but believes that such an investment is not profitable in the long run. "I am not sure that such an investment is profitable in the long run. You will see that people are increasingly looking for areas that provide peace," said the Dutch parliamentarian, adding that mass tourism means "quick but short-term earnings."

"Perhaps, in a longer period, you could even be left without tourism. That would be a great pity because I want people to enjoy the Croatian coast in the future as well," concluded Eickhout, who was named the most influential MEP in the field of environmental policy by VoteWatch Europe last year.

Eickhout believes that "the potential of the Croatian coast is huge" and that the European Union should "strengthen its visions of its development."

"It's a precious area," he said.

The use of wind as a renewable energy source can provide additional protection to fisheries along the coast, according to Eickhout, who advocates "sustainable fisheries."

"We need to think about sustainable fishing in a way that you do not only catch fish now but that the children of current fishers and their children should also benefit from this sector," he concludes.

Eickhout pointed out that in this segment, too, the key factor is biodiversity, "the preservation of which must become a priority so that the fish stock can be restored."

He also stressed the importance of the attitude of fishermen themselves towards this issue and believes that it is important to "achieve agreement and respect between fishermen and the ecosystem."

Referring to the impact the European Green Plan could have on the Mediterranean coast, including Croatia, Eickhout pointed out the huge potential of these areas in the processes of achieving biodiversity, renewable energy production, and the development of sustainable fisheries.

Asked how citizens, those in Croatia and the rest of the EU, could benefit from the Green Plan, Eickhout said that "not only will the current population in these areas benefit, but also the next generations," but to realize this, a “more coherent vision of coastal development opportunities” is needed.

He believes that this will also reduce the emigration of people from coastal areas to cities that, as he states, are "already overcrowded."

Eickhout believes the current European Commission has made a big step forward by clearly recognizing green policies as a priority.

"This European Commission understands that one of our great challenges for the future, for our European future, for the future of Croatia," said Eickhout.

"This is the core of the Green Plan's idea: to create a new economy that will not burden the environmental system so much, and at the same time will create new, better jobs," he added.

He emphasized that this transition was not easy and that to claim otherwise by any politician would be an attempt to deceive the European electorate.

However, that is "the only future we need," believes the representative of the Greens.

He believes that Europe can only take the lead in global innovation through the green transition and that there is no point in copying another model.

"We cannot, for example, compete with the Chinese in labor costs. They will always beat us in that. We have to come up with our own story," says Eickhout.

The European Parliament's negotiating team and the presidency of the Council agreed in November 2020 that with at least 30 percent of spending from the long-term budget and recovery plan, it would go to climate targets.

Eickhout said he was satisfied with the deal but said more money would be needed for the changes planned and that the European budget represented only a small fraction of the funds available.

"Each member state has at its disposal funds from the national budget, which, in total, are much larger than what the EU has. And there are large amounts of funds from the private sector," said Eickhout.

Eickhout emphasized in particular that the Green Plan is not and must not only be a matter for the EU but that neighboring countries, as well as candidate countries, must be involved in its implementation.

"We hope that the entire Balkans will become part of the European Union. That is our starting point and our goal," Eickhout said.

He also added that if this is the Union's goal, then it is the duty of Brussels to ensure the mutual implementation of the green transition in the entire area.

Otherwise, we will have "different dynamics of implementing the Green Plan," warned Eickhout, adding that they would "shoot themselves in the foot."

Bas Eickhout has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2009. At the heart of his political work are the fight against climate change and the creation of a social Europe, and he warns of the strengthening of anti-European forces in the EP.

In the last elections for the European Parliament in 2019, the European Greens singled out Eickhout and the German MEP Ska Keller as their candidates for the head position of the European Commission.

Eickhout is vice-president of the Greens' Group in the European Parliament (EP) and vice-president of the EP's Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee.

Although it does not hold leading positions, it has significant influence thanks to a strong network of relations, many years of parliamentary experience, and work on several important legislative proposals and initiatives, notes VoteWatch, an independent Brussels-based research organization analyzing political influences on public opinion and shaping EU legislation. 

The European Parliament will discuss the EU's strategy for sustainable tourism in the plenary next week. As announced on the EP portal, the European Parliament will call in the report for the EU to develop cleaner, safer, and more sustainable tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has redirected consumer preferences to greener options, the report said, calling for a plan to develop more sustainable forms of tourism to reduce the sector's environmental footprint.

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March the 20th, 2021 - The much talked about EU Green Certificates which will allow for easier travel within the bloc are already posing potential issues for Croatian tourism and they haven't even been agreed upon or approved yet.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak/Marija Crnjak writes, which vaccine will be accepted on the digital EU Green Certificates for travel is the main dilemma that arose the very day after the European Commission (EC) presented its idea for this model of free travel within the borders of the European Union (EU).

In addition to the above, it isn't yet entirely clear how the EU Green Certificates and their control will work with car tourists passing through several countries to reach their final destinations, each of which has the potential to have its own interpretation of typically strung out, complicated EU regulations and the recognition of both vaccines and certificates.

It doesn't apply to third countries

As is well known, the EC proposal, which has yet to be ratified by the Council and Parliament, states that only vaccines registered by the European Medicines Agency will be recognised by the EU Green Certificates at the European Union level, and it is up to individual member states to decide whether or not to quarantine or receive guests who have received vaccines not registered by the EMA.

These are, for example, guests from Russia, China, but also Hungary, which imported the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik, as well as countries in the region outside the EU, such as neighbouring Serbia. The Ministry of Tourism has since clarified that the mentioned EC proposal doesn't even refer to third countries.

"As a tourist country, Croatia welcomes any document that will facilitate tourist movement through uniform and predictable rules. In the forthcoming discussions within the Council, which must agree on the final version of the document, we'll strive that the announced EU Green Certificates, in whatever form they happen to be, doesn't represent a restrictive factor for free movement, we'll also make sure it isn't in any way discriminatoryIn parallel with the preparations for the adoption of this document at the EU level, the Croatian Government regularly coordinates positions regarding the conditions of crossing the border, taking into account the epidemiological situation. The proper facilitation of movement with the member states of the European Union, as well as with third countries, is also being intensively discussed," the Ministry said.

Minister Nikolina Brnjac met recently with British Ambassador Andrew Dalgleish, which officially opened a conversation between the two sides on facilitating travel, and said that Croatia would be ready to receive tourists from the UK as soon as epidemiological rules in Britain, which is currently under lockdown, allow for it.

Predictability and assurance for business entities

In addition, the Ministry pointed out that the Croatian Government, in order to ensure predictability for business entities in tourism, will make a timely and detailed decision on the conditions for tourists to enter Croatia, which will be in force at least until the establishment of a common European model. It follows that the controversial so-called Covid passports will not play a crucial role in tourist traffic.

At a recent conference organised by the Office of the European Parliament in Croatia, MEPs generally welcomed the idea of ​​introducing the EU Green Certificates, which they do not consider to be discriminatory, but they point out that there will still be discussions about possible changes to that proposal.

Valter Flego stated that we can talk about some concrete effects of these passes for tourism only during the month of June, but the model will significantly reduce the cost of travel because tourists won't have to pay for tests or for translations of various certificates.

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March 20, 2021- Croatia's plan to save the tourist season has been in the German media spotlight lately as travelers tentatively plan 2021 holidays. 

Index.hr reports that German and Austrian media have been writing about how Croatia plans to save the tourist season this year. Croatia will soon want to attract tourists again with its safety concept, Tagesschau.de writes. 

Author Nikolaus Neumaier of ARD Studio Southeast Europe cites the example of German citizen Elmar Vogel, who is trying to save his business in Croatia during the coronavirus pandemic. The 66-year-old has been running a surfing school on Lošinj, an island in the Kvarner Bay, for 40 years. With six employees so far, he has been able to make a decent living. Vogel also rents bicycles and surfboards. Lošinj, on the other hand, is relatively close to German tourists, and it is easy to reach by car, he points out.

Vogel hopes that enough people will be vaccinated by mid-May and they get their first guests on Lošinj this year. He does not expect Easter guests this year.

"The importance of tourism for the Croatian economy is huge. According to the National Tourism Association, the country was visited by about 21 million tourists in 2019, mostly from Germany. In the previous year, the share of tourism in the gross domestic product was 18.4 percent, much more than in any other country in the European Union," Neumaier says.

This time, Croatian Minister of Tourism Nikolina Brnjac wants to make it as easy as possible for tourists to come to the country, and now the program "Safe Stay in Croatia" has been created for tourists. It should guarantee special safety for tourists, including free tests. The Minister believes that it is good that accommodation is already being booked for Easter.

But in all steps, the Croatian government wants to act in a way that is in line with the European Union's values, which means without national independent efforts.

Anita Štefanič also hopes that tourism will start again soon. This German citizen of Croatian origin comes from Solingen and has been living in Croatia since 2010, running a travel agency on the island of Krk. She owns her own holiday apartments and rents and manages apartments and houses of other German owners - a total of more than 30 properties that could be rented for good money if guests come. Štefanič says that she urgently needs tourists now.

“We had a six-month loss of revenue financially, and you notice that, of course, especially now in the winter, when you have to make ends meet with the reserves from the previous year,” Štefanič revealed to Neumaier.

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March the 19th, 2021 - The UK and Croatia both want the rapid return of British tourists to the country, hoping for pre-pandemic levels as soon as possible. The British market, one of the most important European markets for Croatia, will be one of the keys to the return of the level of tourism the country is used to.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, Croatia is ready to receive tourists from the United Kingdom as soon as the epidemiological rules in the United Kingdom, which is currently under a lockdown, allow for that, said Minister of Tourism Nikolina Brnjac at a recent meeting with the Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Republic of Croatia, Andrew Dalgleish.

At the aforementioned meeting, Ambassador Dalgleish and Minister Brnjac exchanged information on the current epidemiological situation, the importance of continuing tourism trends, and discussed the European Commission's proposal to introduce Green Digital Certificates, as well as positioning Croatia as a desirable destination for digital nomads. Minister Brnjac informed Ambassador Dalgleish that the Croatian Government regularly coordinates positions regarding the conditions of crossing the border, having in mind the epidemiological situation in Croatia, but also within the borders of surrounding countries.

Ambassador Dalgleish expressed satisfaction with the presented Safe stay in Croatia project, which provides additional safety standards in the tourism sector, and expressed his hope that the United Kingdom will soon open once again for tourist travel. It is extremely important for Croatia to ensure the conditions for the number of British tourists in Croatia to return to pre-pandemic levels as soon as possible, in which good vaccination and the return of tourists' confidence in air travel will play a very important role. Clear and predictable rules for the entry of non-resident British citizens into the Republic of Croatia will also be properly regulated.

The Minister pointed out that a dialogue between the UK and Croatia on travel facilitation was opened recently, and that Croatia would be ready to receive tourists from the United Kingdom as soon as epidemiological rules on that Northern European island nation allow it.

According to the currently available data, Croatia is still perceived in the United Kingdom as a "high value" destination, and UK tour operators and airlines still have great interest in continuing to fly here. At the beginning of November 2020, Croatia was included in the top three world destinations in the category "Best Country Award 2020" awarded by one of the most prestigious UK newspapers, The Times & The Sunday Times, with over 16 million readers per month.

"We're pleased with the fact that the destination of Croatia is still perceived in the United Kingdom as high quality, desirable and safe. A dialogue has been opened with the British side on the modalities of travel facilitation between the UK and Croatia. Croatia will be open to British tourists as soon as they're able to travel, bearing in mind that the starting point for all tourist trips is the epidemiological situation in both countries," said Minister Brnjac, adding that the UK and Croatia will continue to nurture and strengthen their already very close cooperation in the fields of both tourism and sport.

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March 18, 2021 - The influential London Evening Standard runs a big feature of summer holidays for Brits, including Romania, Estonia, Georgia and Lebanon. But where is Croatia?

The Brits must be desperate to travel. 

It has been one hell of a year for us all, but the Brexit aftermath and the extended lockdowns in the UK have been brutal. 

The thought of a foreign holiday in the sun must be enticing indeed. 

And so when the London Evening Standard came out with an article covering almost all of the top sunshine holiday hot spots, it was widely read indeed. 

But, my friend asked me after sending me the link, where is Croatia?

I clicked on the link. Summer holidays 2021: Your guide to the countries opening up for travel with a Covid ‘vaccine passport’

A nice big section on how to visit Turkey in first place. 

Those Greeks are always good at preparing for the season, nestled in in second place in the feature.

Then comes Portugal, ah, the Algarve in June. Imagine. 

Next up Cyprus, welcoming guests from May 1.

The French can be visited now, and Spain from May 19 (maybe).

Israel from mid-2021, and the Seychelles from March 25. 

I remembered my friend's question again - where is Croatia?

We scroll on.

Thailand third quarter of 2021.

Hungary holidays. Unknown. 

Wow, so there is not even any concrete information about Hungary, but they made the list. Seriously, where is Croatia?

United States (Hawaii) holidays. Unknown.

Estonia, Romania, Georgia, Poland and Lebanon - now.

End of article, which you can read here.

As a senior member of the Kingdom of Accidental Tourism likes to tell people, I am not a tourism expert. He is correct, I am not.

But even I, with my lack of expertise, can see that Croatia should be on a list like this in SOME capacity. This is not me advocating Croatia opening its doors to allow in tourists, not at all. 

It is about communicating a message of what Croatia's position is, so that people can consider Croatia as a holiday destination. 

But I guess there are only 70-80 people working at the Croatian National Tourist Board with an alleged annual budget of 400 million kuna in a normal year. Perhaps we should double the workforce and triple the budget to get the message across. 

Kristjan Stanicic, Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, proudly announced a 50% increase in the visibility of the Croatian brand in key markets, without explaining that a lot of that had to do with 11 guys kicking a football around in Moscow in 2018, as well as some phenomenal private pro bono initiatives. 

A job well done, it seems from the Evening Standard article. 

Read more on this topic with Zoran Pejovic's Stay Safe or Safe Stay in Croatia or Go Elsewhere.

A London-based travel expert for the Croatian market speaks in Croatian Tourism 2021 Preparations v Competition: The View from London.