January 6, 2023 - Croatia National Tourist Board Director Kristjan Stanicic gives a wide-ranging interview on the direction of Croatian tourism - with some ideas sounding rather familiar... 

My lawyer thinks I am a little strange, but I am really excited about next week. 

For, more than 2.5 years after I got the first lawsuit of my life for an article I did not write, on a portal I do not own, which quoted me (nobody else got sued, there was no request for retraction, and the article is still live in its original format - you can read it here) - and after quite the journey, which you can read about in my mini-blog series, Diary of a Croatian Lawsuit, the judge has announced that there will be a verdict next week in the case. 

On Friday the 13th, that luckiest of dates. 

What could possibly go wrong?

I actually don't even mind if I lose at this point. It has been a lot of fun so far, and even if I do lose in Croatia, where justice has a more arbitrary feel, I am 200% confident that the European Courts in Strasbourg will be able to smell a SLAPP lawsuit from some distance. That will probably occur in the year 2063, if any of us are still alive, and if the Croatian National Tourist Board wants to continue until then, then so be it. 

I will confess that I have been impressed by the amount of paperwork the case has produced, and what level of lengths the prosecution legal team has gone to, in order to press their case, including impressive screenshots of my Facebook page to prove to whomever it mattered how unpopular I was. One folder with my name on it had so much paper in it that I wondered how many trees in the Amazon had been sacrificed for it. 

But one thing was clear - they were taking a LOT of interest in my words, which some might find intimidating, but I am actually encouraged. For it seems that by reading some of my thoughts, they are actually starting to implement some of my ideas, while at the same time suing me. Quite special

And then I came across this quite extraordinary interview of self-congatulation by the Director of the national tourist board the other day, the man whose organisation is suing me, and a man I have never met (this despite us both giving evidence in a courtoom for over 2 hours with only 6 people in the room). Lots of new initiatives, some of them very familiar. 

It is also an interview with some quite astonishing assertions, which goes some way, perhaps, to show why the national tourist board is so disconnected from the realities of tourism today. Let's put in the word 'allegedly' and 'at least in my opinion', just in case someone wants to take exception to my sentence and send me another blue letter.  

Back in June 2019, less than a year after the 2018 World Cup, I wrote an editorial called Branding Croatia for the Future: 5 Gifts and Trends to Focus On, which provoked a lot of discussion. Looking at Croatia through my foreign non-tourist-expert eyes, it seemed that Croatia was missing a trick or five. The article began:

It is seven years since the late Anthony Bourdain told the world about Croatia and its 'world-class food, world-class wine, world-class cheese.' Seven years later, Dalmatia still has no wine road, and gourmet tourism - despite its huge potential - is bringing in peanuts compared to destinations with much less to offer. 

And it is almost a year since probably the greatest gift of all time, much more even than Game of Thrones, as the tiny country which dared to dream won tens of millions of hearts during the World Cup and its aftermath. It was left to a small country with no football pedigree whatsoever that has never even been to the World Cup, to take advantage. Visit Rwanda's innovative partnership with Premier League giants Arsenal will include, among other things, exposure on the Arsenal shirt more than 35 million times a day. 

The fact that tiny Rwanda, a country I used to live in and know well, managed to take advantage of the football opportunity at a time when Croatia's footballing status was at an all-time high after the heroics in Russia, was particularly galling. If ever there was an opportunity to build on sporting success, this was it. And yet, it was Rwanda who made the moves, as you can read about in Lessons from Rwanda: Promoting Tourism Through Football, African-Style. 

Looking at Google Trends for information about interest in Croatia, especially with the hindsight of data from the 2022 World Cup and, to a lesser extent, the 2021 Euro Championships, it does not take a genius to see where the main interest and promotion opportunity for Croatia came from, as I wrote in November, 2018 in Where is Croatia? Why Football and Tourism Should Be Branded Together.

Interest in Croatia was insane, with Mediatoolkit reporting at the time of more than 60 BILLION mentions of the tiny country that dared to dream. And, as you can see from the Google Trends chart above, then everything died until the footballers came back to play in another tournament, as I wrote in Remember the World Cup? Google Trends on How Croatia Took Advantage (Not) in July, 2019. 

Time passed, as it does in Croatia. The footballing heroics were once again repeated, with Croatia once again coming home with a World Cup medal, this time from Qatar. More than 4 years after this - and after missing the golden opportunity of 2018 and Moscow, this week's interview in Novi List went like this:

How much did this World Cup do for tourism?

We will see the first results when we complete some more analyses. However, the fact is that this World Cup contributed a lot to increasing the visibility of Croatia again. I will remind you that when we won silver in Russia in 2018, Croatia jumped from 32nd to 27th place within a month or two.

We stopped measuring the showing of our famous video with Luka Modrić and other athletes, there were over 80 million views. Football is the most watched, the most important secondary thing in the world, it has a huge impact on recognition, visibility, strengthening the strength of the tourist country's brand.

So, to be clear - Croatia jumped from 32 to 27 based on the success of the football team. If the team had gone out in the first round, then presumably that would not have happened. Would that success have happened without the tourist board, who had nothing to do with it? Absolutely. 

Secondly, it is interesting to note that the tourist board is waiting to complete analysis on this year's World Cup. Did they do any analysis in 2018? If yes, were there any conclusions, and then any concrete actions?

The promotional video mentioned I know very well (I am the author of The Tiny Country that Dared to Dream text) and I interviewed the agency who made it in The Story Behind Croatia's Award-Winning World Cup Promo Video by BBDO. 

Although the video has only had 1.1 million views on YouTube, it has been watched, according to the director, more than 80 million times - you can see it below. Interestingly, as with almost all national tourist board videos, comments are turned off so there is no opportunity for would-be tourists to engage. And with no link to any website, nowhere for viewers to go if they want to know more. Basic stuff. 

But it is great to see the esteemed director talking about strengthening the brand through sport. Is there something concrete to this, or does it just mean applauding the sports stars who do the tourist board's work pro bono?

One of the other five gifts I mentioned in that 2019 editorial was medical tourism, where Croatia competes on the global stage in several areas, including St Catherine's Specialty Hospital, one of the Leading Hospitals of the World, and the first in Europe to offer pharmacogenetic testing, in partnership with Mayo Clinic. On the subject of health tourism:

As far as health tourism is concerned, Opatija is number 1 in that tradition and in everything that has been done. The Kvarner Health Tourism Cluster is doing a very good job and when we connect all these destinations we can seriously talk about year-round tourism.

It is great that the esteemed director recognises the work of the Kvarner Health Tourism Cluster, he is not alone. 

At the 2019 International Medical Travel Journal Awads conference in Berlin, where Ognjen Bagatin was named owner of the best international cosmetic surgery clinic in the world, a conference that was attended by the national tourist boards of most attending countries. Croatia was represented by just 5 people, two from Bagatin, two from the Kvarner Health Tourism Cluster, and one fat blogger with two lawsuits hanging over him. That Kvarner has a bigger brand than Croatia for medical tourism in the industry is beyond question. Here is what branding expert Iland Geva said in a TCN interview at the recent Crikvenica International Health Tourism conference - organised by Kvarner Health Tourism Cluster.

You are a global branding expert. Tell us about the branding of Croatia as a medical tourism destination. It almost seems that the organizers of CIHT, the Kvarner Health Tourism Cluster, has a bigger brand in the industry than Croatia itself.

Shall I be politically correct, or truthful? Yes, the Kvarner cluster is doing a better job than the rest of the country. Enough said.

So while it is great to cheer Modric and Kvarner, as well as finally recognise the opportunity, are there any concrete steps apart from cheering? 

Digital Nomads is a topic I have been writing on since May 2019, and one which made my life of 5 in that Branding Croatia editorial. My last ever meeting with the national tourist board, in March 2020, including a proposal to turn Trogir into Croatia's first nomad-friendly town. While they liked the idea, the national tourist board declined, stating that there was a tax issue with nomads which meant that they could not support the proposal. 

After I then introduced the concept to Jan de Jong and worked with him to make the nomad visa a reality, and after co-organising the first digital nomad in conference in Croatia in October, 2020, Dubrovnik for Digital Nomads, followed by the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads in Residence Program and Zagreb Digital Nomad Week, it was great (and I mean that sincerely) to see the Croatian National Tourist Board announce a partnership with the fabulous Digital Nomad Association Croatia. The lawsuits were the elephant in the room, particularly at the last nomad conference I was involved in organising  - Work. Place. Culture. in Dubrovnik. There was a wonderful situation where CNTB sponsored the opening evening, which resulted in the Head of CNTB Global PR greeting me and others as the evening's host, before flying back to Zagreb the next morrning to testify against me in court.

I wish both parties a successful partnership in this exciting opportunity for Croatia - the latest gift. 

But this is the Kingdom of Accidental Tourism (applauding the likes of Modric and co is a case in point), and two parts of this epic interview really made me smile. 

In fact, this had me falling out of my chair:

One of those contents that we may already be a little bored with, but it is certainly golf. In no way to break the deadlock, we are aware that, for example, the south of Portugal and Spain are working on golf during the winter season. Climatically, we are very similar.

We are similar, but with the difference that there are very mild winters, which means that you can play golf all year round. We can use it in some southern destinations, islands, even Istria. But nothing happens overnight. There is a lot of talk about golf, it has been worked on for many years.

There is a lot of talk about golf, it has been worked on for many years!?! Long-time followers of TCN may be familiar with the quite exceptional efforts from our tourism gurus in promoting golf. Who else remembers the legendary Jack Nicklaus and the 200 million euro signature course in Istria in 2006, complete with personal welcome from the then Prime Minister, Ivo Sanader (Whatever Happened to Jack Nicklaus' Croatian Golf Course, Approved by PM Sanader?)? Hopefully the first permit will be coming soon.

There is a lot of talk about golf, it has been worked on for many years. If memory serves me well, golf became a cornerstone of the strategic tourist direction as far back as 1998. What I do know is that in the 7-year strategic plan from 2013-2020 for Croatian tourism, the plan was to build no less than THIRTY golf courses in Croatia. Number of golf courses started in that time (or since) - zero. Indeed, the only developments in the golf scene during the last decade that I can see are a lawsuit of half a billion dollars against the Republic of Croatia from an Israeli investor over a golf course which will not be above Dubrovnik, and the Croatian National Tourist Board somehow promoting an 18-hole golf course located in central Zagreb, until I politely pointed it out in Tourism Quiz of the Summer: How Many Golf Courses Will Croatia Have Next Week? 

(Screenshot from www.croatia.hr promotion of the Dolina Kardinala gold course... in Central Zagreb!)

The golf course in question is actually a short drive out of the capital. 

Or was... 

No longer in function, it seems to me to be something of a symbol of the Croatian golf initiative which 'has been worked on for many years.' Take a look at the ghost town of one of the few (four) golf courses in the country, despite a quarter of a century of official efforts to bring all these wondrous golf courses to Croatia.

And while we are on the subject of the 2013-2020 strategic plan for Croatian tourism which delivered only a fraction of what was promised, has anyone seen the plan for 2021-2027?

Not yet, as it is not yet finalised. And so the Kingdom of Accidental Tourism has been floating without a strategy for three years now. 

Has anyone noticed?

My other favourite part of the interview was the self-congatulations on the success of a tourism initiative which has been panned by many in the industry, who refuse to take part in it - Croatian Tourism Month. According to the esteemed Director:

Are there any packages being prepared that would facilitate the arrival of our tourists to the Adriatic?

We expanded the Croatian Tourism Week to the Croatian Tourism Month and I must say that we have had excellent results in the past two years. We are already thinking about changing the dates, of course we will do an analysis and survey in the tourism sector itself. We see that our summer season is moving more and more into autumn and that our capacities are well filled in October as well. I don't want to prejudge some new terms, we will of course communicate that in time, but this action showed good potential and the result we achieved.

Another thing we tried to do through our promotional activities is to relativize rural areas. For two years, we had the campaign "Experience locals, discover rural Croatia" and I must say that even today we have calls in HTZ of thanks from small renters, OPGs, people whom our tourists and visitors have discovered in the past two years and who now and return.

I am not sure if he really meant relativise rural areas, or revitalise, but the thing that made me snort with this answer - and I have seen it a lot - is how a project is deemed successful just because the esteemed Director declares it so. 

Croatian Tourism Week and Croatian Tourism Month were great ideas, so poorly executed and at completely the wrong time of year for continental tourism that very few tourism businesses signed up. 

This is the same project, remember, where the only food to buy in several counties was popcorn at a 35% discount last year -  Gourmet Croatia: 35% Off Popcorn the Only Offer in Kingdom of Accidental Tourism.

They must have sold a lot of popcorn, as this 'successful' project was back in 2022, but with even less on offer - Ajme Meni! Shocking Truth of Amazing Official 'Croatian Tourism Month' Project.

And don't get me started on the promo video which included a Norwegian train... 

So yes, quite a success and lots to look forward to. Let's hope the sportsmen continue to overachieve, the Kvarner Health Tourism Cluster to fly the medical tourism flag, and for SLAPP lawsuits to silence curious writers who have the audacity to question the official narrative.

At least the digital nomad initiative seems to be moving in the right direction finally.

Friday the 13th, The Verdict, a new chapter in my Croatian journey. Vindication of free speech or the start of the long journey to Strasbourg. Whichever it is to be, you will hear about it on TCN first. 

If you want to get up to speed with the cases of the only blogger/journalist to be sued by the Croatian National Tourism Board in 2020, scroll down to the bottom for Diary of a Croatian Lawsuit, now in its fourth calendar year.  

You can read the full interview with the Croatian National Tourist Board Director in Novi List here.

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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.

Subscribe to the Paul Bradbury Croatia & Balkan Expert YouTube channel.

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

November the 8th, 2022 - Croatian hotels could soon become the practical classrooms for students from Austria's private IMC Krems as the need for high quality staff in tourism becomes more pressing.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, Croatian hotels could soon become classrooms for the practical parts of classes for students studying tourism and the wine business at the Austrian University of Applied Sciences (IMC), a leading private university with international significance that generates top-class personnel in tourism around the world.

With the growing need for top quality staff in tourism operations and management, it is also expected that the IMC university campus in the Austrian university town of Krems could attract more and more Croatian students. Even though it is a private university, thanks to significant state subsidies, tuition fees for IMC Krems are extremely affordable.

"Our University is the most international in Europe, and since its foundation back in 1994, it has been the first private university for tourism in all of Europe. We're committed to innovation and an international approach, with a special emphasis placed on the practical part of the teaching that our students must do abroad," revealed Karl Ennsfellner, president of the University's board, at a press conference.

IMC Krems was founded back in 1994 as the International Management Centre (IMC) by Dr. Heinz Boyer, who is now chairman of the university's supervisory board and majority owner, while the Austrian city of Krems itself holds a 30 percent stake.

Eight years after its establishment, they received the status of a higher education institution, and since then the university has grown rapidly. IMC Krems currently offers seventeen bachelor's and ten master's programmes, as well as three continued education courses, and about 40 percent of the programmes are taught in English. Programmes in three core areas - business, science and technology, and health - are all offered to full-time students, as well as those who choose to study while working.

Their programmes are closely related to the university's core focuses on business, digitalisation and engineering, health and life sciences, and they generate the most income from biotechnology studies, in which they closely cooperate with leading pharmaceutical companies. IMC Krems has more than 160 partner universities and they have attracted students from 50 different countries.

The practical part of the 22-week course takes place in hotels abroad all over the world, and currently students are very interested in South America," says Bauer-Krösbacher. In addition, classes take place at partner universities in Egypt, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, China, Latvia and Vietnam, and Croatian hotels may well be the next practical classroom for students.

For more, make sure to keep up with our dedicated news section.

November 6, 2022 - Central Dalmatia has a new tourist board director, after Ivana Vladovic took over the position in July. TCN asked about her plans for the region in an email interview. 

1. You are very new to the position of Central Dalmatia Tourist Board director, taking over in July. Give us your impressions of the season so far. 

We are all very pleased with the season so far, results are great, and there is a significant improvement in the quality of events and tourist offers. The season is extending, and we are heading in the right direction. 

2. A new director often brings a new perspective. What are your priorities for tourism in Central Dalmatia County?

My vision of developing tourism in the area of ​​Split-Dalmatia County is based on tourism that is authentic, high quality, sustainable and year-round. Also united and presented to the world through modern channels of communication and promotion. My perspective is based on bringing traditional products up in the first plan, values, gastronomy, and authenticity of local products. We have so much to offer as a destination, but we need to be authentic, recognizable by our values and unique way of life. 

3. Let's talk about Split, which has been in the media for all the wrong reasons this summer. An explosion of pub crawls, a significant increase in public drunkenness. What are your thoughts on the season in Split in particular, and how do we get the balance right?

Split has generated great numbers this season and delivered significant projects, but before anything is mentioned, the collaboration of different entities is what makes the difference. Great numbers often bring different issues that we need to cope with. Tourism needs to improve the quality of life for local inhabitants, and they need to feel positive effects.

It is our responsibility to offer quality contents and destinations that are opposite of what was happening this season. In cooperation with the city officials, we are working on keeping the order of communal infrastructure.

4. Having followed Croatian tourism for a decade, I have noticed an official obsession with numbers, numbers, numbers, with little consideration for quality or the damage to the environment or quality of life for locals. And yet in the same breath, we hear the mantra of sustainable tourism. Where do you stand on this?

Numbers are important but not crucial. Almost every interview begins with questions about numbers and results. We must not be obsessed with the results measured in numbers; we need to enforce ourselves with the quality of the offer, impress with tradition, and protect our way of living. Traditional values, local inhabitants, protection of our culture, and tradition are what make us distinct and unique. Tourism needs to be an advantage, not an issue for our citizens.

5. What specific ideas and plans do you have to introduce a more sustainable tourism strategy to the region?

I am addressing the problem of sustainability with projects branding our tradition,  and the specific way of life here in Dalmatia. We have plenty to offer, starting with our history, natural beauties, rich gastronomy, high quality of living, authentic products, and people. Branding our county as a whole year tourism destination including lots of potential that we have in the nautical segment is what makes us sustainable.

6. The beach and islands are understandably popular - tell us more about your plans to promote inland Dalmatia.

It is important to develop the area of Dalmatia Inland according to the principles of sustainable tourism and valorize the rural area, natural and cultural-historical resources and autochthonous traditional elements in the best possible way.

The goal is to encourage the development of tourism and eco-agriculture in symbiosis, to network the tourist communities of this part of the county, and to offer a number of unique products.

7. Last December, TCN and local partners organised the Split Winter Tourism Roundtable initiative, which brought all the stakeholders from the public and private sector together. Momentum is building, and KLM has just announced year-round flights to Split from Amsterdam. How much of a priority is winter tourism for you, and will you financially support the concept of winter flights?

I support the extension of the season, but it must be planned and sustainable. We are aware of the fact that 80% of the total accommodation capacity in the area of ​​our county is private family accommodation, which is occupied by students during post and preseason. Namely, our capacities, from infrastructure to the offer of events as well as gastronomy, must work together in synergy in order to achieve a true extension of the season. Winter flights are a very important part of market strategy, and we are in communication with airline companies. They are important, but by themselves, without an elaborated overall strategy, they are not enough. 

8. The remote work revolution is here, and Split is the de facto digital nomad capital of Croatia, even though almost nothing has been proactively done by official bodies. How important is developing this sector in your plans?

Digital nomads are another trend that became popular during the covid pandemic. People have embraced technology that allows them to collaborate virtually and increase flexibility. They are excellent promoters and tourism ambassadors of the country in which they are located. 

9. Define Central Dalmatia as a destination in a paragraph, including why people should come.

All the great emperors and kings who came to our region came in early spring or late summer, when Dalmatia is the most beautiful. The colors are the most intense, the sounds are the purest, and the fruits are ready for tasting. This is exactly what we want to show the world.

10. And finally, 3-5 of your favourite places in the region, and why?

The first place I hold dear is my native Marina, the place of my heart. The second in order for me is the unreplaceable view from Vidova Gora. And third but not last is the particularly moving and emotional place of Sinj during the procession on the day of the Great Lady.

For the latest news and features on tourism in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.

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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.

October the 26th, 2022 - Croatian OPG tourism has seen significant improvements since the pre-pandemic year of 2019, but continued digital marketing is absolutely crucial to further growth.

As Mladen Miletic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the tourism campaign entitled "Experience all Croatia has to offer" was carried out jointly by the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) and Mastercard this summer with the aim of promoting the Republic of Croatia as a tourist destination with a focus on the European markets of Italy, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

Croatian OPG tourism was also the topic of a panel discussion within the wider scope of this campaign in which the representatives of the Croatian National Tourist Board and Mastercard, Kristjan Stanicic and Gea Kariz, as well as the scientific advisor of the Institute for Tourism Josip Mikulic, all participated.

As digital marketing is crucial today when people make their decisions on the choice of a travel destination, the panelists agreed that this country is less recognised in general when it comes to continental and rural areas, and Mikulic also pointed out that overnight stays realised on family farms (Croatian OPG tourism) have a share of a mere 0.1 percent in all of Croatia, and as such they also recorded the smallest drop in the global coronavirus pandemic, and compared to the pre-crisis years of 2018/19, they're now at 146 percent.

OPGs as micro-destinations offer everything that a modern tourist is looking for - a combination of agriculture and tourism, being totally green, promoting what is native and non-massive, it is generally much less seasonal, and offers a personalised approach to the guest, to Croatian products, and to the secure employment of the resident population.''

The average CTR (click-through rate) of this particular tourism campaign was at least ten times better than the market average, and it was implemented entirely on the basis of data from Mastercard's Tourism Insights solution, which provides a comprehensive analysis of the attitudes, behaviour and preferences of tourists.

For more, make sure to keep up with our dedicated news section.

October the 9th, 2022 - Croatian hotels have the best reviews and ratings in the entire Mediterranean region, but there is one thing which could use some improvement...

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, Croatian hotels have the best guest ratings in the Mediterranean, but they haven't valorised them through their prices which remain lower than both in Italy and France, especially in the pre- and post-season.

In other words, claims that Croatia has become too expensive have little to no basis, especially in the five-star hotel segment. Admittedly, the country is still weak when it comes to the world of card payments, as was revealed by the leading analysts who gathered recently at a panel as part of this year's Days of Croatian Tourism event in Sibenik.

According to an analysis by Trust You based on guest ratings on all online platforms, Croatian hotels have higher guest ratings than hotels in France, Italy, Greece and Spain, and this country remains the most competitive in terms of friendly service, as stated by Larisa Dedus, the director of Trust You.

"Croatian hotels lead the way in high ratings when it comes to guest satisfaction. The top four categories that contribute to excellence and are mentioned the most in guest's texts are room categories, hotels in general, location and services. The guests give the highest marks to the friendliness of the staff, which contributes to the guest feeling good in Croatia," sais Dedus.

Sandra Jankovic from the Faculty of Tourism Management pointed out, however, that Croatian hotels didn't fully valorise these good ratings.

"Croatian hotels had the lowest room prices in the entire Mediterranean, and five-star hotels had lower prices than their competitors in both France and Italy, especially in the period before and after the height of the summer season, with room prices of less than 100 euros. However, in 2022, the average price per room increased by 25 percent. Despite higher costs and slightly lower utilisation, this season, five -star hotels managed to pick the cream of the crop, seeing them achieve an increase in gross operating profit,'' pointed out Jankovic.

When it comes to card payments, which is a proven generator of tourist spending, the Republic of Croatia is significantly below its competitors.

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

October the 8th, 2022 - Days of Croatian Tourism (DHT) 2022 is currently being held in the historic Dalmatian city of Sibenik, where the ups and downs of the Croatian tourism picture are discussed, and plans to move forward to a more sustainable future are showcased. One bit of excellent news for 2022 is that the number of Croatian arrivals in September this year were higher than they were back in the same month of pre-pandemic 2019.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, This year's DHT manifestation is being held in the City of Sibenik this year and kicked off in the atmosphere of a good season that filled the budgets and coffers of the tourism sector. Grants from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO) in the total value of 2.2 billion kuna for public and private sector projects are also about to be implemented, for which tenders were announced very recently and will remain open until February 2023.

Those figures on tourist traffic in September are encouraging as the number of Croatian arrivals that month surpassed those of the record year of 2019 by one percentage point in terms of the number of overnight stays realised. According to data from Croatia's eVisitor system, during September this year, 2.2 million Croatian arrivals and 12.9 million overnight stays were achieved across the country. This is equal to 16 percent more arrivals and 7 percent more overnight stays than in September 2021. Compared to September 2019, 95 percent of arrivals and 101 percent of overnight stays were achieved, equal to one percent more overnight stays realised than in September 2019.

In the first nine months of 2022, there were 17.2 million Croatian arrivals and 99.7 million overnight stays realised, that is, 37 percent more arrivals and 24 percent more overnight stays than last year.

"This year, we're going to be placing special focus on the importance of developing sustainable tourism, as well as on doing sustainable business in Europe as the most competitive regional tourism market in the entire world. There can be no competitive tourism without high-quality and professional personnel, therefore we're giving the opportunity to young high school students who will present their own projects and solutions as to how tourism can combine tradition and new technologies in a very innovative way, as well as offer challenges and solutions.

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

October the 8th, 2022 - Advent in Zagreb this year is set to be spread out further than the heart of the city, with cottages boasting festive food and drink of all kinds returning to Zrinjevac and King Tomislav Square as has become the norm.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, although the City of Zagreb announced the tender for Advent in Zagreb 2022 this summer, it will have to be repeated for certain city locations. The reason for the repetition, according to the city administration, is the non-fulfillment of the conditions that Zagreb does insist on. This year, unlike last year, festive cottages will be returning to Zrinjevac, and Advent in Zagreb in general will be spreading further out to the city's neighbourhoods, according to a report from HRT.

After the City of Zagreb changed the tender conditions for Advent in Zagreb, the interest of restaurant owners and various craft owners seems to be less than expected. Out of 32 locations, 25 were leased through bidding, and now another new round of bidding will follow for the remaining seven.

"The offers that came in for those locations didn't really match. None of them corresponded to the formal conditions of the tender when we talk about occasional sales and catering in the so-called bidding model of auctions,'' explained Tomislav Tomasevic, Mayor of Zagreb. Craft owners are also outraged, as they claim that entry into the Advent in Zagreb tender for this year costs a minimum of 3,000 kuna. Even if that sum is paid, it isn't any sort of guarantee of success. In order to seriously compete, the price goes up to 20,000 kuna, a sum far too much for most craft owners.

"It's a tender in which we didn't have any right of precedence, but it was open to everyone and our colleagues had to offer quite high prices in order to get to their positions for which they've already been recognised for years," said Antun Trojnar, vice president of the Zagreb Chamber of Crafts.

Bidding for the eight locations on the main square under the clock is a real roulette for most artisans. Besides having to spend money on the actual bidding, they also need it for production. When all is said and done, such a move is actually unprofitable for the vast majority. Restaurateurs are also being very careful. A weaker interest may also lie in the fact that this year many facilities will celebrate Advent in Zagreb on their own terraces.

"It's certain that this autumn and winter bring a certain amount of fear for restaurateurs due to the overall economic situation and the energy crisis we're currently in, not to mention the potential lack of manpower," said Ivan Tadic, secretary of the Zagreb Restaurateurs Association. That said, they do welcome the fact that the festive cottages are returning to Zrinjevac and King Tomislav Square, and this, they say, is the direction in which the capital should continue to go.

"When Advent in Zagreb was organised, it accounted for almost one-fifth of the total turnover in the hospitality industry that year," Tadic pointed out.

For the first time this year, Advent in Zagreb is expanding outside of the boundaries of the city centre, but even there, the level of interest is half-hearted. Out of ten different locations, the tender is going to need to be repeated for five of them.

Last year, Advent in Zagreb was held in a different atmosphere which was still dominated by the general fears of the public health situation and lockdowns. Some liked it, some didn't. This year, the city administration has claimed, will certainly be different.

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

October the 7th, 2022 - The proverbial race for a massive 2.2 billion kuna post-pandemic Croatian tourism aid package is now on, with the focus being placed on the continental part of the country as well as on the coast.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, on Wednesday this week, the Ministry of Tourism and Sport announced public calls/invitations for the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Croatian: NPOO) which comes with a total value of 2.2 billion kuna.

"I'm extremely proud that we've managed to reach this step, because the road to it was extremely demanding. I consider the fact that 2.2 billion kuna has been provided for a Croatian tourism aid package within the National Recovery and Resilience Plan a huge success and a great pledge for the achievement of the goals we've outlined in our Strategy for the Development of Sustainable Tourism, which will be adopted this year.

We started this process from a position where there was no provision for funding tourism down on the coast, nor tourism that takes place during the summer, and we've reached this moment when we have 930 million kuna in grants for public tourist infrastructure and as much as 1.25 billion kuna in grants for investment in private tourism infrastructure, both in the continental part of the country and on the coast," said Minister of Tourism and Sport, Nikolina Brnjac.

To speak more specifically, this regards two public calls. The public call for grants called "The regional diversification and specialisation of Croatian tourism through investments in the development of tourism products with high added value" carries with it a total value of 930 million kuna.

Its goal is the construction and adaptation of public tourist infrastructure that can stimulate the recovery and resilience of the Croatian tourism sector, contribute to the reduction of excessive tourism in the most developed tourist areas and the stronger tourist profiling of less developed destinations. As a Croatian tourism aid package, it is seeking to ''level up'' the country's tourist offer in a more well-rounded way.

These projects will also contribute to raising the quality of the destinations they regard and enable the extension of the tourist season through the encouragement of sustainable forms of tourism and the development and further adaptation of public tourist infrastructure in accordance with EU environmental protection standards, which also contributes to the green transition.

The second public call is for private companies and is worth a massive 1.25 billion kuna, and its purpose is the construction of tourism infrastructure, the development of tourism products acceptable to the environment and the efficiency of resources, especially those in less developed touristic areas by connecting enterprises in the tourism value chain, increasing the resilience and productivity of companies, as well as allowing for their better positioning on the demanding market through the introduction of innovation and digital technologies.

"Last year, the Ministry of Tourism and Sport started holding a series of workshops with all interested parties throughout the Republic of Croatia, and both invitations were also announced at a public consultation so that everyone would have an equal opportunity to submit their comments. In order to achieve maximum transparency, grants from these two calls will be awarded through an open procedure.

The applicants will be able to enter their project proposals into the eNPOO system from November the 7th, 2022, from 12:00 to February the 3rd, 2023, until 12:00. which means that everyone in the Croatian tourism sector has another thirty days to familiarise themselves with the documentation in great detail before submitting their project applications, and they're also free to ask questions about possible ambiguities. These invitations will be open for a total of slightly longer than 120 days,'' the Ministry revealed.

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

October the 2nd, 2022 - Croatian congress tourism is making an absolutely solid post-pandemic return after two years of uncertainty, instability and a worrying lack of traffic and income.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, much like the regular holiday tourism segment, the Croatian congress tourism segment seems set to return to almost full extent this autumn, after more than two years of decline and stagnation due to the global coronavirus pandemic. National and regional events have both returned to the levels we saw back during the record year of 2019, despite the fact that European and international congresses are still lagging behind.

A hybrid model for this is still being implemented, because it also enables organisers to earn extra money. In addition to Croatian congress tourism, sport tourism is also returning, which traditionally fills up the hotels and destinations outside of the harshly hot summer season, and the "last minute" booking trend still applies to all of them.

However, as in any business, the biggest challenge in this segment is spiralling inflation, which could also affect the quality of events quite easily.

"After an extremely demanding couple of years, we've returned to the old-normal, and although there's still a dose of caution, in the event industry, we've learned to adapt to the situation and have developed new products or solutions for events held during the pandemic. That said, just when the prices on the market, from equipment rental to hall rental and catering, have stabilised and moved away from dumping, a new danger has come in the form of price increases and inflation. There will be events, that's for sure. We can see this from the state of our reservations, and from our competitors, agencies, hotel halls, and other service providers. The question is whether the quality will be maintained, how much things will end up costing, and who will pay for it," warned Iva Saric, project manager and producer at PROteam, which deals with the organisation, production and implementation of events.

It has also been learned from various hotel companies that after a very active September, October and part of November are also very well booked, depending on the destination, and events have made a return to the City of Zagreb as well. Valamar Riviera's business segment this year in the destinations of Dubrovnik and Porec has started to recover well and is catching up with those recorded back in 2019. At the same time, the autumn part of the season is much richer in events than the spring part typically is.

"The trends are as we expected, there's been slight increase in the corporate segment and a distinct 'last minute' trend of inquiries and the eventual realisation of events. Among the more significant business gatherings, we can single out the recently concluded Fusion Technology Symposium in Dubrovnik SOFT 2022 with almost 1,000 participants organised by the Rudjer Boskovic Institute, as well as several larger corporate events throughout the month of October. In Porec this autumn, we're expecting four major conferences in the fields of pharmacy, science and education, each numbering several hundred participants", they revealed from Valamar.

Maistra also point out that national and regional events have returned to the levels of 2019, but events such as European and world congresses, which require longer preparation and a large number of international flights, are not yet at the pre-pandemic level. The most important events this autumn for Maistra are the Weekend Media Festival (Rovinj), which was held last weekend, followed by Reboot Develop in Dubrovnik and the Lions Europa Forum in Zagreb.

"All three destinations, especially Rovinj and Dubrovnik, recorded a notable result in the Croatian congress tourism segment of sales throughout 2022. We expect the continuation of positive trends in 2023 as well, which we base on the current state of our bookings and enquiries," Maistra stated, Revenues from Croatian congress tourism in Aminess facilities this year are even higher than the revenue they achieved in that segment back in 2019.

"We realised the most business events in facilities in Novigrad in Istria. This year, when it comes to Croatian congress tourism, there's been a characteristic trend of last-minute inquiries emerging, which have been much more frequent than they were back during previous years. We mostly organised business conferences and team building sessions for up to 200 people. Our Aminess Khalani Beach Hotel should definitely be highlighted here, which additionally enriched the congress offer of Aminess, but also of Makarska in general. This 5* hotel was already quickly recognised in the first year of its operation by both local and foreign clients, who chose Aminess Khalani Beach Hotel as the location at which to hold important business events. The trend of growth in the number of business events should continue in the next year. Therefore, as part of our facilities that offer a congress offer, we can once again expect good business results in the segment of business gatherings,'' they said from Aminess.

Larger congresses and conferences are returning to the City of Zagreb as well, and with them the traffic in hotels, which traditionally sees autumn marked out for MICE guests (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions). Hotels within the Hilton group almost never have free time, and events take place even on weekends, Josipa Jutt Ferlan, Cluster General Manager at Hilton Zagreb and director of Zagreb City Hotels, explained.

"They aren't even called hybrid events anymore, but on-site events. Reservations are still coming in at the last minute, and those who do make reservations for the future are asking to be accommodated in the event of an escalation of the coronavirus pandemic," said Jutt Ferlan, adding that even the prices aren't being questioned, as they have risen within reasonable limits, which was necessary due to higher costs and ongoing inflationary pressures.

Zagreb's Hotel Dubrovnik is also fully returning to the results they enjoyed from business people back in 2019, hotel director Antonio Piantanida confirmed.

"After a weaker spring, demand in this segment has exploded now, we have very good occupancy rates and results that will bring us back to pre-pandemic numbers, unless something significant happens on a global level. The market has finally woken up, it has definitely been shown that people aren't satisfied with just online meetings if they aren't forced to do so, people do want to come together in person and meet, chat, and network through personal contact,'' said Piantanida, noting that the summer also went very well, with the return of American tourists in addition to European ones.

For more on Croatian congress tourism, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

September the 29th, 2022 - The gorgeous Brijuni islands which are also one of Croatia's several stunning national parks have had an excellent season, with excursions still being very well booked throughout the month of October.

As Morski writes, the beautiful Brijuni islands have never had a better main summer season and post-season. All excursions for this particular national park are sold out, and the boats heading there from the mainland are all full. Special events are being prepared for the month of October, which will further attract visitors to the Brijuni islands and promote their astonishing beauty.

The location in Fazana on the Istrian mainland from which you can hop aboard a vessel to the Brijuni islands is always crowded, and people are having to wait in lines. Every day, up to a thousand excursionists come by boat. During the four-hour guided tour, visitors get better acquainted with history of these unusual islands, see their cultural monuments, and get to spend time in their natural beauty.

Organised groups of visitors are making frequent returns to the Brijuni islands, and every single day there are many people who want to visit the National Park even as the season winds down.

''It would be good to make a reservation a few days earlier, especially for weekends when we have a larger number of visitors,'' pointed out Marija Stokovic, head of the Department for Visiting, Sport and Recreation of the Brijuni National Park.

''This year, we managed to reach a 40 to 45 percent increase in the number of visitors, which essentially means that we managed to reach 240 visitors from 180,000 visitors, which is the park's maximum record,'' said Marno Milotic, the director of NP Brijuni. In order to extend the season, NP Brijuni is preparing numerous recreational and sporting events, such as open days and a family golf weekend.

''Throughout the year, we hold various events through which we try to educate our visitors, work on the sustainability of tourism and promote the interesting parts of this national park,'' pointed out Reanna Bajkovic Relic, a spokeswoman for NP Brijuni. Autumn will therefore be a very active one on the Brijuni islands, and many events and excursions will be available at affordable prices, reports HRT.

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