Croatian hotels were closed for a long time, and as things begin to re-open in attempt to save what remains of 2020's season, one of the most luxurious Croatian hotels announces the opening of its doors.

The coronavirus pandemic has turned the world on its head, and tourism is one of the most heavily affected industries across the globe. Croatia, which relies heavily on tourism as it makes up 20 percent of the nation's GDP, has been far from immune from the virus' negative consequences.

As Novac/Jozo Vrdoljak writes on the 8th of August, 2020, Adriatic luxury hotels is set to open their fifth hotel in the gorgeous Dubrovnik area. Hotel Bellevue will receive its very first guests this year on August the 11th. In addition to Hotel Bellevue, Hotel Excelsior, Hotel Dubrovnik Palace and Hotel Croatia in Cavtat and Hotel Odisej on Mljet have also opened their respective doors.

"The operational procedures in our hotels have been fully adjusted to comply with all of the prescribed measures and recommendations for the operation of Croatian hotels during the COVID-19 epidemic, as issued by the Croatian Institute of Public Health, with maximum effort placed on maintaining the expected level of luxury hotel service," reads a statement from Adriatic luxury hotels.

To quickly recall, Hotel Bellevue was completely reconstructed in April last year after the renovation that began on the last day of October of the previous year. In the complete reconstruction of rooms and apartments, the company has invested an impressive 400,000 kuna in each room, which is the first significant investment made within Hotel Bellevue since its opening back in 2006. The hotel boasts 115 rooms and 14 luxury suites with the Lovor Presidential Suite.

The redesign saw the complete renovation of the reception area and the area of ​​the Spice Lounge bar and restaurant Vapor with its terraces overlooking the bay. The investment, which included fundamental changes to all accommodation facilities and part of the hotel's interior, created a boutique hotel with stunning panoramic sea views. The Boutique Hotel Bellevue, is carved high into the rocks above Miramare Bay. The Portuguese design studio Tereza Prego was hired for the project, specialising in interior design of exclusive hotels and residences. After the renovation, in addition to the existing restaurants Vapor and Nevera, a new The Wine bar was also renovated.

The company to which it belongs is a leading hotel company based in Dubrovnik. Its brand has six hotels of the highest category under its belt: Hotel Excelsior, Villa Orsula, Hotel Bellevue, Grand Villa Argentina, Hotel Dubrovnik Palace, Hotel Kompas, Hotel Croatia Cavtat, two luxury villas: Villa Agave, Villa Sheherezade, Hotel Supetar in Cavtat and the only hotel - Odisej on the island of Mljet.

Photos of the aforementioned hotel can be viewed by clicking the link in the first paragraph of this article.

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In the first five days of August, more than 3.9 million overnight stays were realised by Polish tourists in Croatia, which is almost 70 percent of last year's result achieved in the very same period.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes on the 6th of August, 2020, about 65,000 arrivals and almost 380,000 overnight stays from the Polish market have been made so far in August, which is a 4 percent increase in traffic in arrivals and 10 percent in overnight stays realised by Polish tourists when compared to the same period last year. Even for such a small sample of a mere 5 summer days, the data is almost unbelievable for this year, in which all markets around the world are declining as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

"After an excellent July, we expect even better tourist results in August. Namely, in addition to the Polish market, where the turnover has also increased, we've excellent results in August from the markets of Germany and Slovenia, where we recorded about 96 percent of last year's turnover in the same period. These results confirm that our country is perceived as a safe and quality tourist destination, and it's up to all of us to respond by behaving and adhering to all of the prescribed epidemiological measures and maintain that status,'' said the director of the Croatian Tourist Board, Kristjan Stanicic, adding that from the Czech market, Croatia achieved almost 80 percent of last year's result in the first five days of this month, and from the Austrian market - more than 60 percent.

The Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) pointed out that recently the national Polish television TVP dedicated its edition of the most watched morning show in Poland entirely to Croatia as a tourist destination. It is a show called "Pytanie na śniadanie" which, according to the Nielsen Audience Measurement, is watched by about 485 thousand Polish viewers every day for three hours. The show about Croatia presented natural beauty, cultural heritage and eno-gastronomic offer of the country, and the guest on the show was Agnieszka Puszczewicz, the director of the CNTB Representation in Poland.

"Visiting the show was a great opportunity to present different motives for the arrival of Polish tourists to Croatia in front of a large number of viewers. We mustn't forget that Croatia is one of the favourite summer destinations of Poles to which they're always happy to return. I believe that the Polish market will have a strong share in the overall results of Croatian tourism during this very challenging year as well,'' concluded Puszczewicz.

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As Novac writes on the 5th of August, 2020, as the Croatian tourist season progresses, Croatian nautical records are getting better and better, this was especially true for the month of July. If we exclude the data on mini cruisers, the total decline since the beginning of the year is 59 percent, while in July there was a decline of only 25 percent.

"The changes in the structure of guests are huge, Americans, and people from the UK, France and Scandinavia have practically disappeared in the area of ​​Sibenik, but Croats, Slovenes, Austrians and Germans have been a lot more present. The northern Adriatic has the least loss, and the further south we go, the more difficult the situation becomes. Dubrovnik is totally cut off. There is, yet again, the same denominator - planes,'' explained Pasko Klisovic, President of the Association of Vessel Accommodation Providers - Charter of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK).

The total number of charter guests fell by 65 percent, so in the first seven months of this year, Croatia was visited by 112,810 charterers, while in the same period last year that number stood at 317,700.

In particular, the decline in more northern marinas such as Punta or Marina Veruda is at 54 percent, while Dubrovnik has a decline of 85 percent. Central Dalmatia (Sibenik and Zadar) hold 45 percent of last year's turnover.

From the beginning of the year to July the 30th, 28,400 foreign yachts and boats were recorded in Croatian waters, up 67 percent when compared to the same period last year (42,700). For yachts longer than 20 metres, even better results have been recorded - 669 arrivals in 2020, which is 83 percent when compared to 2019, when 780 arrivals of such yachts were recorded.

On the other hand, small multi-day cruise ships had 48,587 guests in the first seven months of 2019, and only 2,690 guests in 2020, a drop of almost 95 percent.

As for the development of the situation until the end of the Croatian tourist season, Klisovic is cautiously optimistic. "The announcements for August and autumn are acceptable, if there are no more situations like this with the Dutch who put us on the orange list,'' he stated.

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As Novac/Jozo Vrdoljak writes on the 4th of August, 2020, during this crisis, the largest hotel chain on the island of Hvar and one of the largest in Dalmatia, Suncani Hvar, lost 90 percent of its market overnight. As many as 90 percent of the guests of this hotel company were tourists from the USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil and from closer to home in Europe - Great Britain.

Every other guest came from outside of Europe in 2019. With a quick reaction in a very short time, they managed to change the market in order to get new guests from other markets. The good occupancy of the hotel at this time instills optimism in the President of the Management Board, Gordana Tomicic, and she's of the belief that in spite of the woes of 2020, this year will end positively. She is especially pleased with the occupancy of the Palace Elisabeth hotel, which, she says, is proof that exclusive hotels have their pull even in times of crisis.

How many guests are currently holidaying in Hvar Town?

According to official data obtained from the Tourist Board of Hvar Town, at the end of July, Hvar Town realised slightly more than 50 percent of the overnight stays it had when compared to the same period in 2019. Since the beginning of April, Slovenia has been the leading market for Hvar terms of the number of overnight stays realised, recording 97 percent of last year's result, followed by Croatian tourists with 92 percent, German tourists with 58 and Polish tourists with 63 percent when compared to the same period last year.

What is the situation with Suncani Hvar?

At the moment, we have 66 percent of the guests staying in the facilities when compared to last year. At Suncani Hvar, due to objective reasons of the inability to arrive, our main markets of the USA, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Australia are in significant decline. We compensated these markets with closer markets, so Croatian guests are the leading market in the number of overnight stays now, and 66 percent of last year's result was achieved. This is followed by Germany with 31 and Denmark with 73 percent compared to the same period last year, and they're then followed by other closer markets.

Which hotels are open?

As for the opening of the hotels, the Riva hotel was opened back in June, and due to the increase in demand, our largest hotel, Amfora, was opened on June the 30th. Camp Vira opened in July. In addition to these hotels, the Palace Elisabeth, the first five-star hotel on the island of Hvar, was opened in July and was completely renovated last year. We're pleased with the fact that we've had unexpectedly high demand for the Palace Elisabeth hotel, which is 90 percent full, which makes us happy and shows that exclusive products have their pull even in times of crisis. In the past few weeks, we've been working intensively on preparations for the opening of the Pharos Hotel. With its opening, we'll have more than 80 percent of the capacity belonging to Suncani Hvar in operation, with the planned high occupancy during the month of August.

What are the announcements for the coming months?

Considering the circumstances and the change in the structure of guests, the announcements for the coming months are positive, and today at the Amfora Hotel, we're recording occupancy rates at last year's levels and even as much as one hundred percent occupancy at the Palace Elisabeth Hotel.

How are you doing in terms of reservations?

The condition of the reservations being made is also very good. We're currently achieving a higher entry of reservations into the system compared to last year, although this is partly the result of higher capacity availability compared to the same period last year.

How did you attract guests?

During the lockdown due to the pandemic, we literally lost more than 90 percent of all our standard markets overnight. In addition to Dubrovnik and Split, we were the most affected in the Croatian tourism sector. We had to adapt to the new business conditions in a very short time and with timely reactions. So, we had to adjust our prices and business conditions and establish cooperation with new partners. We focused on the fact that there are those for whom Hvar was unattainable due to its exclusivity and price, so this season those people can experience the charms of Hvar at a more affordable price. In a short period of time, we managed to attract markets that aren't really dominant for Hvar. So, from the beginning of the season, we were faced with a situation that resulted in a complete change in the structure of our guests both at the level of the destination, and especially at the level of our hotels.

You say you have completely changed the structure of guests?

In 2019, in the hotels of Suncani Hvar, every second guest came from outside Europe. Mainly from the USA, Canada, Australia and Brazil. These are the countries that were or are still the most affected at this moment in time with respect to the pandemic.

As many as 90 percent of our guests arrived here by plane, so the cancellation of the operations of some airlines and the generally significant drop in flights to Split Airport further affected us. With the easing of the measures and the opening of borders, things began to change rapidly, so we've been recording an increase in guests from neighbouring countries such as Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic, as most people from there travel to their final destination by car, and with the increasing number of summer flights to Split, we're getting guests from the UK.

What else have you done? Did you lower your prices? 

These good figures are the result of price corrections, relaxed sales conditions, and adjustments to our offer and the packages that we've implemented this season. For example, one of the advantages of staying at the Palace Elisabeth Hotel and in the rest of our luxury offer is the use of what's on offer at the luxury beach Beach Club Hvar, the former Bonj ‘les bains’ beach club, which we renovated this year.

What business changes have you made as a result of this crisis?

In moments of likely revenue decline, the emphasis was placed primarily on optimising the cost side, so we reorganised our operations, we reduced our operating costs and we focused on optimising the workforce. We created an internal labour exchange and redistributed work responsibilities within the existing team of Suncani Hvar. We've reduced all cost categories that aren't necessary for current operations in a timely manner. All of our employees have been providing their contributions throughout a very difficult year. Despite the difficult business conditions, the operating staff didn't have any salary reductions. We also applied for the Government measures to help us to preserve jobs, which is crucial to retain workers and preserve the stability of the tourism system during the crisis.

What are the prospects in terms of business results?

Despite the fact that this is the most difficult tourist year in the past 20 years, we expect a positive result at the level of the year itself, which confirms the market value of Suncani Hvar, and also the potential of the destination. We don't expect the normalisation of business in terms of the return to the results we had in our most successful year of 2019 even in 2021. I believe it's more realistic to expect a return to these figures during 2022.

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As Novac writes on the 3rd of August, 2020, finally, we have crowds and traffic heading towards the coast. Currently, there are about 800,000 tourists in the Republic of Croatia, of which 200,000 are German, 135 thousand Slovenian, 130 thousand are domestic, 74 thousand are Polish and 46 thousand are Czech tourists. A boost for Croatian tourism indeed.

Most tourists are currently staying on the island of Vir, followed by Rovinj, Medulin, Crikvenica and the Istrian city of Porec.

Back in May, the Croatian National Tourist Board (CNTB/HTZ) said up to 30 percent of last year's turnover was expected. However, Croatia has already reached 45 percent of its turnover compared to 2019, and July itself was above expectations.

Foreign tourists realised 2.13 million arrivals (50 percent of last July's results) and 15.70 million overnight stays (58 percent of July 2019's results), while domestic tourists realised 325,000 arrivals (91 percent of July 2019's results) and 2.90 million overnight stays (81 percent of last July's results).

If these trends continue, we could have an August with traffic which could exceed all previous expectations for Croatian tourism in 2020. In particular, if we take into account the following data: In July, the largest number of overnight stays was realised by the German market (4.43 million overnight stays, which represents 87 percent of the overnight stays realised last July), followed by Slovenian tourists (3.44 million overnight stays, 88 percent of overnight stays realised last July) followed by Croatian tourists (2.90 million overnight stays, 81 percent of the overnight stays realised last July), Polish tourists (1.60 million overnight stays, 79 percent of the overnight stays realised last July) and nationals of the Czech Republic (1.42 million overnight stays, 72 percent of the overnight stays realised last July).

"These are, given the circumstances, great results and a good announcement for the road ahead. Intensified promotional activities, both invitational advertising campaigns and those of an informative nature, will be carried out until the end of August on the markets of Germany, Austria, Great Britain and Italy, given the fact that these are very important markets for Croatian tourism, and these are countries in which Croatia is on the list of safe countries,'' said the director of the Croatian Tourist Board, Kristjan Stanicic.

The leading destinations in July in terms of overnight stays were Vir (711 thousand), Rovinj (619 thousand), Medulin (553 thousand), Novalja (486 thousand) and Mali Losinj (475 thousand).

In the first seven months of this year, Croatia recorded 4.11 million arrivals and 26.34 million overnight stays.

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As Morski writes on the 2nd of August, 2020, Korcula hadn't even bothered to hope for their overnight stay count for the coronavirus dominated 2020 tourist season to reach 70 percent of the amount of overnight stays recorded this time last year, but it has. In Korcula town, the very structure of the guests arriving has altered.

Most Croatian guests, who are being heavily relied on this year as tourism continues to be affected (albeit somewhat less heavily) by the global pandemic, tend to arrive on Korcula and into Korcula town in their cars. This is closely followed by boaters and the enfeebled nautical tourism sector. Although the results are getting better, the people who live and work on the island are hoping for a return of regular air travel, as Vijesti.hr/Andrea Zarak reports.

There are no crowds to be seen on the gorgeous Dalmatian island of Korcula this summer. Hotels that opened on Korcula back in late June are still only 40 percent full.

''This year, Croatian guests predominate. These are guests who come in their personal vehicles. We also have Germans, Austrians, Slovenes, and French tourists,'' said Maja Lena Lopatny, public relations manager of hotels on Korcula.

Due to the smaller number of airlines operating, travel agencies are recording a drastic drop in traffic.

''Transfers have all been cancelled, air arrivals are minimal and that's one of the main reasons why there are no excursions taking place that we normally do,'' said Vlado Iliskovic, the owner of a travel agency on Korcula.

The most sought after type of accommodation on the island is currently private accommodation, and in the very heart of Korcula town centre, you can spend the night for up to fifty euros, a dramatic drop when compared to this time last year, long before the coronavirus pandemic swept the globe and dragged the tourism industry to its knees.

''We have our lowered prices, the prices have been lowered by some 25 to 30 percent,'' said Katija Depolo, the owner of an apartment. The very structure of the guests arriving on the island has changed. They typically stay for a week or more, and accommodation outside of Korcula town is increasingly desirable.

''These are mostly guests looking for more distant places which are close to the sea, they're mostly families,'' said Hana Turudic, the director of the Tourist Board of Korcula town.

''Korcula is very beautiful and charming. Especially the old town. Last night we walked and had dinner at the tavern. It's really, really nice,'' said Manuel from Spain.

Croatian singers who can't work because of the coronavirus also recognise Korcula's sheer beauty and claim that that's why they're spending their time on the Dalmatian coast.

''I gladly come back here because this place provides me with maximum protection. This place is magical,'' said popular Croatian musician Nina Badric.

Well known for its glorious beaches, interesting history, beautiful architecture, proximity to places of interest on the Dalmatian mainland and its fascinating gastronomic scene, Korcula usually has no issue when it comes to attracting guests from all over the world and has since long managed to rest on its laurels - until now.

Nautical tourism, along with guests who have arrived either from the rest of Croatia or other countries in Europe by car are by far the most represented on Korcula at this moment in time. There are currently about three thousand and three hundred tourists staying there.

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As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 31st of July, 2020, many tourists visiting the much loved Plitvice area have a brand new, very interesting tourist attraction at their disposal - the ability to hike along trails that follow the footsteps of wolves, bears and lynxes.

This area is rich in both flora and fauna, and by tracing the footsteps of animals, visitors will be able to get a unique insight into the activities of Lika's large wild animals.

This is a protected area managed by the Barac Caves Public Institution, and in addition to adventurers and animal lovers, this offer will certainly be interesting to walkers, recreationists, nature lovers and Nordic walkers.

"Back when we initially came to this idea and began with the arrangement of the trails, we had the visitors to Barac's caves in mind, to whom we offer additional, very attractive things to do before or after the tour of the cave itself. Going deep into the forest and following in the footsteps of wild animals is something that you will definitely remember for the rest of your life and that will connect you with nature forever,'' says director Tihana Ostrina.

The trails close to Plitvice are circular in shape, with a total length spanning 11.5 kilometres, with markings in the shape of paws, they are additionally marked with signposts at important intersections, and the start and finish is at the Barac caves picnic area.

The wolf trail is the shortest and the tour takes only twenty minutes to walk, so it is also suitable for novice walkers. Wolves, as well as humans, like to move in their "pack", and to trace this path it was necessary to follow the wolves who live in the area very closely.

The lynx trail is three kilometres long and follows in the footsteps of the Eurasian lynx, which is an endangered mammal species in Croatia. Large areas are needed and used for lynxes, and in that sense it is one of the most demanding and challenging species for conservation, and its presence is a sign of excellent preservation of the ecosystem. The movement of lynxes was recorded in the area of ​​Barac's caves, and visitors to the new trail near Plitvice can discover the uniqueness of the forest ecosystem in which the lynx finds his occasional refuge.

The bear trail is designed for eager walkers who like a challenge and who have at least three hours at their disposal, as it is 7.5 kilometres long. The trail follows in the footsteps of the gorgeous brown bear, the giant of Croatia's mountain forests, the trail also hides some of the most beautiful lookouts and even naturally occurring refreshments from several forest springs and streams.

The new trails located close to the much loved Plitvice area of Lika pass through a larger complex of mixed forest that offers a home to a large number of plant and animal species. They also stretch over dry and semi-dry grasslands that represent important habitats for many rare and endangered plant and animal species. Due to the unfortunate abandonment of the traditional way of management, many mountain grasslands are disappearing due to the gradual overgrowing of woody and shrub species from nearby forests and are among the most endangered ecosystems in Croatia.

Visitors are invited to choose the trail according to their physical fitness level, to bring adequate footwear and clothing, and follow in the footsteps of some of Croatia's most majestic large animals.

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August 1, 2020 - During June and July, Valamar gradually opened 21 hotels and resorts and all 15 campsites in eight Adriatic destinations, which currently house more than 30,000 guests.

HRTurizam reports that in the first six months of this year, Valamar generated total revenues of HRK 134 million, or 81% less than in the same period last year, as a result of the closure of tourist facilities from March to the end of May and significant disruptions to tourist flows caused by the global pandemic that continued to negatively affect business volumes in June as well.

However, in the first half of this year, Valamar actively managed the crisis and launched action plans to stabilize the business in time, Valamar Riviera points out, adding that the business was successfully "paused" on March 15, all jobs were preserved, and they were ready to welcome the season-opening in June.

"The necessary liquidity is provided until 2021 through plans for operational savings, investment savings, deferred payments and agreements with investors. Operating costs were reduced by 61% compared to the same period last year, and the measures of the Government of the Republic of Croatia helped to preserve all jobs during the closure of facilities. Despite the crisis, Valamar Riviera confirmed the status of the best employer in tourism this year as well and took a high 6th place on the list of the best employers in Croatia," the company emphasized.

As of April 1, with the support of the social partners, they implemented the Pause, Restart program, under which all employees who do not work are provided with a salary compensation for waiting for a job in the amount of at least 60% of their regular salary, but not less than HRK 4,250 net.

From March to June, over 90% of Valamar's employees were on Pause, for which the costs were jointly borne by the shareholders and the state, which subsidizes the compensation for waiting for a job. After the successful opening of most facilities and the start of the season, today, Valamar has more than 4,000 employees, while 1% of employees are still on Pause. They will continue the Pause, Restart program during the autumn and winter in order to preserve jobs until the spring of 2021 when business normalization is expected.

In addition to preserving jobs, the company's priority was to ensure sufficient liquidity to amortize the crisis and continue development in 2021. "In March, the decision on the payment of dividends for 2019 was revoked, the members of the Supervisory Board waived their fees, and the management's salary was reduced by up to 30%. Also, policies and mechanisms of agreed payment deferral for 6 to 12 months to other stakeholders, including sales partners, suppliers, contractors, banks and others, have been introduced, with the aim of a balanced approach to crisis management and achieving business sustainability in times of crisis. In agreement with the banks, Valamar has postponed the repayment of loans in 2020, and the finalization of a new medium-term liquidity plan is expected these days. Achieved financial stability and ownership-operational management model will enable full business start-up and continued development in 2021."

The initially planned investment cycle for 2020 amounted to over HRK 800 million, but was reduced by HRK 125 million by the end of June.

Valamar also temporarily slowed down the construction of the Pinea Collection Resort in Porec, the largest single investment in Croatian tourism worth a total of HRK 790 million, and postponed the completion of this investment. "The investment in raising the quality and capacity of the Valamar Parentino Hotel in Porec has been successfully realized, and the new family hotel received its first guests in the second half of July. The Supervisory Board of Imperial Riviera has given its prior consent for the continuation of investments in 2021 in the amount of HRK 36 million, which will complete the previous investments in Valamar Meteor hotels in Makarska and Valamar Parentino hotel in Porec in the fall," they added.

During June and July, Valamar gradually opened 21 hotels and resorts and all 15 campsites in eight Adriatic destinations, which currently house more than 30,000 guests.

"Croatia has a unique opportunity, given the high level of security, geographical and political position in Europe, to impose itself as the most desirable destination in the Mediterranean and achieve strong growth already in 2021. It is, therefore, necessary to preserve jobs in tourism and support business systems that have the ability and responsibility to start a business quickly. With the support of all stakeholders, Valamar actively managed the crisis, launched the 2020 tourist season, and ensured a quality position for a successful return to the development phase of business during 2021," concludes Valamar.

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As Novac writes on the 31st of July, 2020, according to all strategies for the development of Croatian tourism's offer, health tourism has a priority role, but this segment has also suffered a heavy blow due to the coronavirus pandemic. On the other hand, The appearance of the new coronavirus has forced us to become much more aware of the importance of health on a global scale, which could be a great advantage in the development of Croatia as a leading destination for health tourism in the future.

Marcel Medak, president of the Health Tourism Association of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) and director of Sunčane toplice, agrees. He believes that in the future, the demand of patients for certain services, such as for the rehabilitation of chronic diseases, will fall, but he also sees this as a great chance for institutions that are ready to turn more strongly towards the health tourism market.

"I'd especially like to emphasise thallasotherapy, it uses marine natural healing factors that have a beneficial effect on the respiratory system, which is especially important in these pandemic times. This is an opportunity to use all our of potential and put a lot of hotels along the coast into the function of health tourism, which would significantly extend the existing tourist season. However, one of the key preconditions for that is the privatisation of special hospitals and health resorts, which is stated in the Action Plan for the Development of Health Tourism in the Republic of Croatia prepared by the Institute for Tourism,'' Medak points out, adding that it is crucial to connect all stakeholders, and that the HGK's Health Tourism Community should play a key role.

Terme Tuhelj Management Board Advisor Ivana Kolar believes that the Law which enables the registration of economic activity in health tourism brings great benefits with it, primarily for special hospitals and health centres that have not operated as companies and were as such not in the VAT system.

"Private entities operating on the open market and financing their business exclusively from sales activities depend on the quality of their services, communication with the market and their innovation, which motivates them to go forward with vcontinuous development and is the only long-term sustainable business model. It's necessary to soften the borders between special hospitals, rehabilitation and wellness centres in order to get closer to European standards of health tourism and provide guests with a richer service,'' said Kolar, and Medak agrees that such regulations bring about much more transparent business, simpler tax policies and a simpler employee recruitment procedure.

Krešimir Škof, deputy director of the Special Hospital for Medical Rehabilitation Stubičke Toplice, which is also registered for health tourism, emphasises that the new legislative framework is good because there is no need to establish a subsidiary, but everything is done "under the same hat". However, he says that the registration of the activity itself means nothing if it isn't accompanied by an adequate offer.

"If the facilities are old and of poor quality, if the service doesn't meet the criteria of a demanding market and if there's no evidence of quality, then there can be no progress in the market. We've invested in our workers, services and facilities for years - over 80 million kuna has been invested in the last ten years,'' said Škof.

Another great strength of health tourism for Croatian tourism is that most of the facilities are located in the interior of Croatia and provide great potential for the development of continental tourism, and good examples of such development can be seen in Croatia's neighbouring countries. Strengthening continental tourism capacities would bring about more balanced economic development and reduce seasonality, but the precondition for all this is a quality and well-educated workforce. All our interlocutors agree with this, so they're paying special attention to their employees and their education.

In addition to the existing educational institutions, the Regional Centre of Competence in Tourism and Hospitality in Zabok will soon be established. The centre should contribute to the education of future staff needed in this sector, adult education and the monitoring of new technologies and trends across the rest of Europe and the world, and this is especially welcomed in the already popular Terme Tuhelj.

"Terme Tuhelj has always actively cooperated with the hospitality school in Zabok, which is the foundation of the development of the competence centre, and we'll be very happy to involve all those who actively participate in the development of tourism in its work and activities. It's difficult when it comes to staff working in tourism in the whole of Croatia, and Zagorje is no exception, so Terme has developed internal protocols for training, education and the further development of its employees, from the point of their employment to their entire career. There have been cases of hiring foreign staff, but in small numbers, so for now the team is managing to fill up with staff from Croatia, mostly from Zagorje and the surrounding areas,'' said Horvat, and Medak thinks similarly, pointing out that in Sunčane toplice they had no problems finding workers, as well as other employers in health tourism.

"The biggest staffing problem is the chronic shortage of specialist doctors that we had in Sunčane toplice, so we imported two doctors from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia," explaind Medak, concluding that currently, the biggest challenge is the promotion of health tourism, especially through the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ), for which it is necessary to significantly increase funds.

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July 31, 2020 - According to e-visitor data, there are currently 760,000 tourists in Croatia, of which 126,000 are domestic. Most are from Germany, said Kristjan Stanicic, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, on Thursday.

T.portal reports that in addition to Stanicic, the coordination meeting of the Croatian National Tourist Board, with the tourist boards of Split-Dalmatia County, was attended by the director of the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, Josko Stella, and 34 representatives of tourist boards of cities and municipalities from Split-Dalmatia County.

"Split-Dalmatia and Dubrovnik-Neretva counties are the most affected because air traffic has decreased because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am glad that we currently have intensified air traffic. I believe we can be more optimistic in the coming weeks, as we will intensify marketing campaigns in certain markets and do our best to do this tourist season the best we can," said Stanicic.

He pointed out that marketing campaigns are underway in Germany, Austria and the UK. "Currently, we record the most guests from our most important markets - in the first place is Germany, followed by Slovenes, Austrians, Czechs, Poles and Hungarians," said Stanicic.

When asked how he commented on the negative campaign towards Croatia from some European countries, in which Croatia is placed on the list of undesirable countries for the arrival of guests, Stanicic said that it was part of the market competition because some competing countries had significantly lower tourist traffic than Croatia this year.

"We react to negative PR promptly and immediately through the network of our representative offices and publications in foreign media. We react with concrete, continuous positive campaigns and try to mitigate negative signs about Croatia. This is all the context of market competition by our competitors, which are below ten percent of this year's tourist traffic compared to the same period last year, while Croatia this year is cumulatively at 45 percent compared to the same period last year," said Stanicic.

Referring to 'Ferragosto', during which a large number of Italians traditionally come to Croatia, Stanicic said that given the situation in Italy, it is "irresponsible and unserious to expect" that Italians will come to us in numbers this year as before. "We must be aware that the situation in Italy is not good," he added.

The director of the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, Josko Stella, pointed out that in July this year, the number of overnight stays was 53 percent compared to 2019, and that there is a tendency to increase if the epidemiological situation remains stable.

He also said that there were almost as many Germans in the county as last year, i.e., 96 percent compared to last July. "Almost all Germans who were in Split-Dalmatia County last July came this year as well," he said.

Responding to a journalist's remark that the British, who have been the most numerous guests in the Split area in recent years, are almost non-existent this year, Stella said that marketing actions had been taken in the British market to encourage them to come to Split-Dalmatia County.

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