A journalist writing for the German publication Suddeutsche Zeitung has criticised the Austrian prime minister and the Austrian authorities for their attitude towards Croatia in the coronavirus era.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 31st of August, 2020, the Republic of Croatia has unfortunately found itself placed on the red lists of numerous European countries as an epidemiologically insecure country, and as such has been the subject of many media outlets in our neighboring countries over recent days - which is not surprising, because Croatia ''reddened'' in August, in the heart of the tourist season when the country still had a very large number of tourists within its borders.

For example, Kvarner almost reached 100 percent of last year's figures. But non-compliance with anti-epidemic measures and an increase in the number of people infected with the new coronavirus has led to reactions from countries with large numbers of tourists; Austria and Slovenia put the whole of Croatia on its red list, Germany put ''only'' two Dalmatian counties with the largest increase in newly infected people on its red list… All together, this move resulted in a large number of tourists going home overnight, which meant crowds at the borders and at airports.

Over recent days, the chairman of the Supervisory Board and the co-owner of Valamar, the largest tourist group in Croatia, Gustav Wurmböck, criticised the Austrian Government's decision in an Austrian weekly called Profil, pointing out that the Austrian authorities failed to ask anyone about the situation in Croatia's numerous hotels and camps.

''Nobody has been infected in any of Valamar's facilities," he said, adding that the sector had previously called for hotbeds such as nightclubs to be regulated.

The new regime was also commented on by Austrian journalist Felix Haselsteiner in his column for the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung. He was actually among the tourists who had to return home due to the new measures. In the article ''The virus in the car'', he also asked the question of whether Austria's move was necessary at all. Namely, he criticised the policy of the Austrian Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz towards Croatia. Kurz stated that the virus was ''coming to Austria by car'', and suggesting that this was due to Austrian returnees from Croatia. The journalist said that the Austrian Prime Minister thus denied the reality that the virus had been in Austria since March and that it had no intention of leaving, adding that Croatia had been demonised as a party destination, which wasn't removely true, and that Austrians traditionally come to Croatia to camp.

The return of the virus

"Croatia gets a quarter of its GDP from tourism and they couldn't afford to just cancel the summer season, so they were one of the first countries in Europe to open up to tourists. The virus returned to Croatia as the tourists did. So, to continue with Kurz's metaphor, coronavirus travelled by car for the holidays and then it returned,'' said the journalist from the Suddeutsche Zeitung. The author also pointed out that it would be better if Austria, like Germany, put certain regions on its red list, which would be a real European solution, and that in that case Austria could play a crucial role in the European response to the pandemic. The columnist for Suddeutsche Zeitung believes that revenge will be carried out in some way or another, particularly because many Croats go to Austria to ski.

He also discussed the experiences of some tourists who were more than satisfied with the adherence to the measures in Croatia.

The German RTL also reported on the experiences of a group of German tourists returning home from Croatia. They remind that on August the 20th, the Robert Koch Institute declared the Croatian counties of Sibenik-Knin and Split-Dalmatia as risky areas. However, tourists said that Croatia was "an idyll without traces of the COVID pandemic".

For all tourists, however, the infuriating issue was the sudden departure home on the orders of a higher political force that didn't sit well with anyone whatsoever. In addition, many tourists had to isolate themselves or have had to be tested for the virus in the last two weeks at their own expense, Novi list writes.

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August 31, 2020 - There are currently about 310,000 tourists in Croatia, of which 240,000 are foreigners, and 106,000 came during the last weekend of August, the Croatian National Tourist Board revealed on Monday, whose director Kristjan Stanicic assessed the results in August as extremely good given the circumstances.

"August is behind us, in which we have achieved extremely good results given the circumstances. Our further strategic and marketing activities will primarily depend on the epidemiological picture of Croatia and the surrounding countries, and uncertainty in this regard requires flexibility and readiness for rapid and continuous adaptation. We are witnessing that some countries in the region have started to close, which we also consider when defining activities in the off-season," Stanicic said for HTZ at the end of August.

Stanicic presented eVistor data according to which slightly more than a million overnight stays were realized on the weekend of August 28 to 30, of which 319,000 were realized by German tourists, followed by Poles (109,000), and Slovenes (83,000).

Over the weekend, the highest number of overnight stays was again in Vir (52,000), followed by Rovinj and Crikvenica. Vir and Rovinj, according to eVisitor data, are the top two destinations in the total number of overnight stays for the whole of August - Vir with 756,000, and Rovinj with 651,000.

Medulin, Porec, and Crikvenica are among the top five destinations per night in August.

A total of 2.6 million tourists came to Croatia in August, more precisely until August 30, with 20.7 million overnight stays, which is 64 percent of last year's result in the same period.

The German market maintained its leading position with 5.2 million overnight stays, followed by domestic tourists with almost four million overnight stays. Slovenia is third with 2.7 million overnight stays in August, while Poland and the Czech Republic are fourth and fifth with 2.2 and 1.3 million overnight stays, respectively.

By counties, most overnight stays in August were realized in Istria County - slightly more than five million, while in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, there were 4.1 million overnight stays, in Split-Dalmatia County 3.9 million, in Zadar County 3.7 million, and Sibenik-Knin County 1.6 million overnight stays.

Noting that complete statistics of arrivals and overnight stays for August and the first eight months of this year can be expected in the first part of September, the Croatian National Tourist Board adds that given the pandemic, they have prepared several different communication concepts to apply depending on the market and circumstances.

"If the situation allows, in the autumn we plan to launch a campaign 'A week's vacation is worth it' for domestic tourists and encourage their consumption in the off-season by using tourist services in the country at lower prices," announced Stanicic.

In conclusion, he emphasized that "domestic tourists have a share of 20 percent in the total result of the current part of the tourist year, which is an important share, and that their contribution is expected in the off-season with shorter and weekend trips."

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As Novac writes on the 28th of August, 2020, Liburnia Riviera Hotels are proud of their long tradition of providing superior services and an outstanding experience to all of its guests, as well as care for the safety of guests during the current coronavirus pandemic, while at the same time offering a pleasant and carefree stay in Kvarner.

In order to provide all residents and guests in the region with the most reliable and accurate testing for the disease caused by the COVID-19 virus currently available on the market, with their donation worth 1.3 million kuna, Liburnia Riviera Hotels enabled the purchase of RNA isolation devices and reagents to the Institute of Public Health of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County.

The results of this test are available within 24 hours of sampling, and in emergencies - within just five hours. Such a possibility of testing for COVID-19 in Croatia and the country's immediate region is extremely important because Kvarner and the Liburnia Riviera Hotels are traditionally the favourite destinations of tourists who tend to come from an environment of up to 600 kilometres away. These visitors are generally from Slovenia, Italy, Austria and Hungary - and the anti-epidemic measures taken in these countries have tightened. If necessary, Liburnia Riviera Hotels will provide its guests with PCR testing inside their facilities, and thus make the whole process even safer, faster and more comfortable for guests.

On the occasion of the recent presentation of the donation, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Prefect Zlatko Komadina said that this is a commendable gesture and expressed his satisfaction that the leading hotel company in Opatija has received a new ownership structure now dominated by experienced hoteliers who show that they want to invest. He emphasised that Opatija has great prospects for investments not only in hotel facilities but also in infrastructure and along the coastline. He welcomed them and said that in all their plans and further investments they can count on the help and support of the County.

The director of NZZJZ PGZ, Vladimir Micovic, emphasised the importance of public health and thanked Liburnia Riviera Hotels on behalf of all employees of the Institute who continue to work diligently not only during the epidemic, but also for the preservation of the of health of the local population and of tourists.

"It is in our interest that testing for citizens and guests is prompt, done on time, with the best possible technology, and your donation will certainly help us in that. We'll procure an automatic nucleic acid isolation device to help us speed up the process, which also complements our infrastructure. We'll also procure a large amount of tests in the amount of 900 thousand kuna,'' Komadina stated.

During the current tourist season, which has been heavily influenced by the spread of the coronavirus, nine of the 23 accommodation units belonging to Liburnia Riviera Hotels were opened. Furthermore, a total of 582 employees are currently providing top quality services to all guests, while applying strict security measures in all open hotels, accommodation units and restaurants to best protect health and provide the necessary safety. In addition, this hotel group has increased the frequency of cleaning, especially in the case of frequently used areas. The prescribed hygienic means used meet European standards and don't endanger human health.

Given the current coronavirus pandemic, the cancellation policy has been adjusted and guests have been offered the greatest possible flexibility in changing the length of their stay during these demanding times, as well as a 30 percent discount on normal prices.

''The coronavirus pandemic is continuously changing the circumstances in which we live and affects all aspects of life, including the ways in which we do business and how we travel. We're grateful to all of our guests who are currently staying with us, and their safety, as well as the safety of our employees, is a priority. With this donation, Liburnia Riviera Hotels wants to ensure the safety of the City of Opatija and the region as a tourist destination, and to provide residents and guests with the most reliable and fastest way of testing currently available on the market. As a long-term investor in the region, we're committed to creating long-term socially responsible partnerships, such as the one we have with the Thalasso Therapy Opatija team led by prof.dr.sc. Viktor Persic. Like all of our socially responsible activities, this donation is an investment in a partnership with the local community that has lasted for decades,'' said Waldemar Hirn, CEO of the Liburnia Riviera Hotel Heimo.

In addition to this significant donation, Liburnia Riviera Hotels presented the naval rescue ship "Nis Randers" a little earlier on this year, which will be used in the area of ​​Opatija and Kvarner as a whole. "Nis Randers" will contribute to the diversity of the tourist offer in the region.

The boat is available for rent to all tourists who are interested in a unique sailing experience on a naval lifeboat. However, if necessary, the ship will also be made readily available to local emergency services, and will greatly help them reduce the consequences of danger on the high seas and thus improve safety in the entire Kvarner region.

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August 27, 2020 - A coordination meeting of the Croatian Tourist Board was held with the tourist boards of Lika-Senj and Karlovac counties at the Jezero Hotel in Plitvice Lakes.

Along with the director of the CNTB Kristjan Stanicic, the coordination meeting was attended by the director of the Lika-Senj County Tourist Board Ivan Radosevic and the director of the Karlovac County Tourist Board Dina Begic and 17 representatives of tourist boards of cities and municipalities from these two counties. The meeting was also attended by Tomislav Kovacevic, director of the Plitvice Lakes National Park, announced HTZ.hr.

The meeting was opened by Ivan Radosevic, who emphasized that the situation in Lika-Senj County is very good, especially if the initial projections from the beginning of the year are taken into account.

"In August, we achieved an excellent 67 percent of last year's result in the same period, and in terms of the cumulative period, i.e., from the beginning of the year until today, we are at about 54 percent of last year's result in the same period," said Radosevic. At the moment, there are guests, mostly from the markets of Germany, Croatia, and Poland. Dina Begic pointed out that at the moment, they are achieving 30 percent of last year's tourist results and that this year they are recording an increase in domestic guests who have a share of 30 percent in the total tourist traffic of Karlovac County.

CNTB Director Kristjan Stanicic said that the tourist results achieved so far, with a favorable epidemiological picture on the basis of which Croatia opened its borders to tourists in May, are a consequence of focused marketing and information campaigns conducted in key European markets, which ultimately generated the largest tourist traffic.

"Given the circumstances, we are extremely satisfied with the summer part of the tourist year, where only in August we recorded 67 percent of tourist traffic compared to last August. We have prepared campaigns for the post-season where we have put continental tourism, nautical, but also eno-gastronomy in the foreground, and we will focus on the markets in our immediate surroundings. In the domestic market, in October, we plan to implement the project 'A Week's Vacation is Worth It'. At the same time, we are preparing a plan for the next tourist year, which we know will be extremely demanding and in which we will rely on enhanced marketing and PR activities in selected markets and especially on advertising on digital communication channels," said director of the Croatian National Tourist Board Kristjan Stanicic, adding that in this tourist year, we will surely have two more months of tourist traffic if we adhere to the prescribed measures and recommendations and if the epidemiological picture in the country is stable.

Stanicic also presented future activities that will, among other things, refer to the adoption of new bylaws and regulations that will further improve and regulate tourism processes. The Ordinance on Underdeveloped Areas and the Ordinance on Associated Tourist Boards were discussed, as well as the future of the country's tourist board system, given the new circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced revenues, but also the new law on tourist boards and the promotion of Croatian tourism, which came into force in early 2020. Topics included the further development of the tourist board system with an emphasis on the tasks and roles of tourist boards at the local and regional levels.

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August 26, 2020 - The Mayor of Vir, Kristijan Kapovic, and the Director of the Vir Tourist Board, Srdjan Liveric, are dissatisfied with the Croatian Tourist Board's attitude towards the island of Vir, the most successful tourist destination in Croatia so far this season.

Namely, HRTurizam reports that in the last two August press releases of the Croatian National Tourist Board (CNTB) which list the most successful tourist destinations, Rovinj, Porec, Split, Medulin, Crikvenica, Dubrovnik, Umag, Zadar, Pula and Novalja were highlighted as the destinations with the most achieved tourist arrivals. Contrary to the practice of all previous years, the most successful destinations by realized tourist overnight stays are not mentioned, i.e., the total data of realized overnight stays in Croatia and the most successful counties are given.

The fact that the island of Vir has the most in Croatia until August 15 - about 1.5 million overnight stays with 80 percent of last year's record numbers - is somehow bypassed at the peak of the summer season when the impression of the most successful and best destinations this year is created. In addition, Vir is the best destination in terms of overnight stays so far in August (433 thousand). With more than 700 thousand overnight stays (the only one in Croatia), it was also the most successful tourist destination in July.

However, the island of Vir simply does not appear in the CNTB's press releases in August. It is this fact that raised the whole of Vir to its feet, and the Municipality of Vir and the tourist board are asking: Is the island of Vir fancy enough to be the best destination in Croatia?

Realized tourist overnight stays measure the success of each destination. This fact is covered up in the CNTB's August media reports, according to a joint statement from the Municipality of Vir and the Tourist Board of Vir.

"They favor destinations in which billions of kuna of public state money have been invested so far, in communal, tourist and media-marketing infrastructure, so they are obviously bothered by Vir's success, which has never gained anything from all this. However, when the CNTB's coffers are filled, one does not ask where the money comes from, and a significant amount of money comes from Vir," says the mayor of Vir, Kristijan Kapovic. Thus, millions from the island go directly to the CNTB, and hundreds of millions to the state budget, adding: “No one can deny that, but we can also ask ourselves whether the time has finally come for that money to start coming back to us. Vir certainly deserved it," said Mayor Kapovic. The director of the Vir Tourist Board, Srcjan Liveric, agrees with him and feels first hand the complete neglect of the most popular Croatian destination.

“Several million kuna go every year to the CNTB's coffers at the state and county level, and not a penny has been returned to some media and marketing campaign for Vir. We do not have the support of the system and the people within the CNTB who, among other things, are paid with real money and whose job it is to help us. We rely only on our own strength," says director Liveric and adds that it is finally time for state institutions, tourism, and others, to start doing their job finally. "If we talk about tax revenues, hundreds of millions of kunas went to the budget from Vir. We would be satisfied if we got them back if we could arrange Vir as a top tourist destination in every sense," adds the director of Vir Tourist Board.

In their joint statement, they point out that a significant phrase of the CNTB director Kristjan Stanicic, who, speaking about the most successful destinations so far, mentioned only some of them. Even then, the island of Vir was not mentioned in a single word, letter or thought. When the CNTB director was confronted with the fact that Vir was the destination with the most overnight stays in Croatia, he responded to the journalist's statement somewhat reluctantly: "Vir is a specific destination of non-commercial accommodation."

According to UNWTO, the umbrella organization of international tourism and the United Nations agency, a tourist is any person who stays or spends the night in a place where there is no residence address. Therefore, that person can have their own house, cottage, caravan, tent, or brothel in the destination if they want. Still, if they do not have a residence - it is a person who is statistically registered as a tourist. This is what is called non-commercial accommodation in the structure of tourist traffic, according to Vir.

Vir also emphasizes that for a local or foreign citizen to buy or build a house in Croatia where they do not reside, it is necessary to set aside at least about 700 thousand kuna for the minimum facility and then pay taxes and other receivables. In one move, a foreigner or a local person invests about 100 thousand euro to have a housing or tourism business facility, on which they pay taxes and all possible benefits, and further use the goods and services at the destination. Only one such owner of the facility, or a tourist in non-commercial accommodation, spends at least one million kuna at the start, and their further consumption at the destination takes place at least three or four times a year.

In the case of Vir, we are talking about foreigners who spend 16 nights on average in the previous part of the season and domestic guests with 26.7 nights on average. The so-called commercial tourists that the CNTB likes, spend 500 to 600 euro once for accommodation and maybe the same amount for goods and services at the destination where they stay for two to three days, or a maximum of one week. They do not spend more than ten or fifteen thousand kunas without a guarantee that they will be in Croatia again next year. In order to equalize the financial performance of a non-commercial guest in the future, commercial tourists would have to stay at the destination for 100 years or there would have to be 100 times more of them, Vir points out.

"All tourism professionals know that reports are made according to the realized overnight stays, because it is the practice of measuring tourist traffic. Now that Vir is the best, suddenly reports are made in arrivals, which is strange, to say the least," concludes Liveric.

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The new Croatian Government, at the head of which Andrej Plenkovic remains, has a historic chance to finally put Croatian tourism's ''house'' in order, but with so much on its plate, will it do so?

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes on the 24th of August, 2020, it has become clear that this year's tourist season in Croatia is already over. When the last Germans, Slovenes, and Austrians have packed up and gone home, most tourist facilities have little to no choice but to close their doors prematurely until next spring and throw themselves into preparation for next season.

Despite the fact that it enjoyed a far lower income than it did last year, the season went better than most had hoped and expected. Tourists showed great confidence in terms of their safety in Croatia and the whole system, loyalty to the hosts with whom they spend their summers, and their passion for a summer holiday wasn't particularly shaken by the atmosphere of coronavirus-induced fear that has dominated 2020 so far.

We should thank them and congratulate them on this, just as we should with the very many enterprises operating in Croatian tourism who were in a constant state of crisis management this entire summer. It took courage to open a facility at all with the risk of booking cancellations. For them to organise their business in a completely different way than usual and continue to smile at guests from whom they are unlikely to make any profit is admirable. Many are now somewhat relieved.

Not everyone was equal, and not everyone will survive this year, however. The most serious situation is currently taking place within tourism agencies, which didn't even rise above 10 percent of last year's turnover, as well as the organisers of small cruises.

Despite serious preparations and the application of strict infection protection protocols, which cost them a lot, Croatia's hotels have, on average, drawn the short straw in terms of accommodation. Camps, for which Croatia is known throughout Europe, fared much better, even with the smallest of price corrections. Private accommodation, although statistics show that there were plenty of overnight stays realised, will still have only a slim income as there were plenty of discounts and hosting friends filling gaps in the market.

Data on fiscalisation shows that caterers and hospitality facilities on the Croatian Adriatic operated fairly decently, and additional staff were even sought throughout the summer, despite the huge economic issues which swept the country back in spring. Maritime transport also proved to be quite resilient.

What's next? By all accounts, a very modest congressional fall, as most events have been cancelled or postponed until next year. In that sense, Dubrovnik, Opatija, and Zagreb, which is the weakest city in terms of tourism this year due to the earthquake, will suffer the most, at perhaps a quarter of last year's traffic, if that.

The attention of every serious player in Croatian tourism is therefore on next year, in which things should be better. In that sense, every smile and every gesture which made a tourist think of returning in 2021 counts. This certainly includes the decision of hotel companies to finance their guests' test for coronavirus before departing.

In this way, hotels made life a lot easier for their guests and showed them that they really value their money and the fact that they chose Croatia during such circumstances. Such moves are not forgotten and hotels can count on some of these guests to come back at the first possible opportunity or recommend them.

However, it will take several years for Croatian tourism to fully recover, and those years should be used very wisely. The picture of Croatian tourism has never been clearer than it is now, and Croatia has never had a better opportunity to improve that picture. We have more than enough people in Croatia to move things forward, but we need the political will in order to go full steam ahead.

The new government headed by PM Andrej Plenkovic to rethink the way Croatia ''does'' tourism and come up with a more sustainable way of doing things. If this extremely harsh year has highlighted anything, it is that we need a rethink - and now.

There is an urgent need to stop the devastation of certain coastal areas and the seemingly constant construction of new apartments, which continued even this year, and to once and for all stop bowing down to the interests of certain unsavoury individuals, from local sheriffs to other powerful people who hold entire destinations in their grasp.

Croatian tourism needs to modernise its promotion system at all possible levels, and use technology that can do market research and promotion for less of a cost. Measures for all this exist and there is money available to engage in the process, but whether the will is there and whether or not lessons have actually been learned is yet to be seen.

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August 24, 2020 - The main tourist season in Croatia is over. Still, since tourists want to come despite tightened measures in some countries, the post-season could last, says the director of the Croatian Tourism Association (HUT), Veljko Ostojic.

Glas Istrereports that commenting in an interview on achievements in Croatian tourism this year, especially in hotels and camps of member companies of the Croatian Tourism Association (HUT), which are among the largest and leading in Croatia, Ostojic emphasizes that the foundation of success this season is safety and that Croatia is the winner of the Mediterranean this summer.

"We can all be proud of that, we had a quality epidemiological situation at the beginning of the main tourist season, thanks to the great efforts of epidemiologists, staff systems and the government, and we recorded great interest from tourists. But now, with the worsening of the epidemiological situation, we find ourselves in trouble over the continuation of the season," says Ostojic, adding that everyone in tourism warned that due to several clubs and weddings, the whole season should not be questioned, but that is exactly what happened in the end.

However, even now, after some countries put Croatia on the red list, Ostojic says that we should not give up the rest of the season, because tourism accounts for about 20 percent of domestic GDP and "giving up tourism revenues in September and October would not be responsible neither from us in tourism, nor from anyone in Croatia".

With epidemiological improvements, the postseason may take some time

On the other hand, he points out that "most countries that have tightened travel rules for their citizens in Croatia have clearly communicated the numbers we need to return to in order to go back to the category of safe countries, without restrictions. This should also be seen as a result of the continuous work of our institution, because when things are clear and transparent, then you know what needs to be done".

All this means that by the end of August, September and the future period, as well as the current tourist season, will determine the epidemiological situation in the country and individual counties and regions.

"If in the next ten days we manage to improve the epidemiological situation significantly and as a result change the travel rules from certain countries, we can expect that some hotels and camps will work until the end of October, possibly one in the destination will be open all year," he says. Ostojic, noting that hoteliers have no expectations from the congress post-season, for which they will have to wait for better times.

He also believes that the CNIPH, national and local headquarters have invested a lot of effort since the beginning of the epidemic, and the HUT has cooperated well with everyone, as well as that more can always be done, especially in communication. But instead of criticizing, he keeps looking for solutions more correctly.

Due to increased transparency and showing that the epidemiological situation is not the same in all parts of the country, HUT launched the COVID-19 regional tracker website this summer, updating data from headquarters, which was viewed by about 350,000 people.

They also published 12 weekly newsletters with the most important tourist information, which they sent to more than a thousand addresses and communicated daily, although this is not the main purpose of HUT, with domestic and foreign media, tour operators, individuals with the sole aim of making the season in Croatia better.

High occupancy of camps and hotels, but lower revenues

For the occupancy of facilities in the peak season, it reveals that it was the best in campsites, more than 80 percent, while hotels utilized more than 70 percent, in these categories of accommodation, the best occupancy was recorded by large facilities, both camps and hotels with more than 50 beds, with the fact that, as he points out, it is clearly shown that occupancy increases with the number of stars or quality.

Hotel houses in the northern Adriatic worked best, which was expected considering that this is the year of car guests, because everyone wanted to avoid the risks of joint transport, distant destinations, possible sudden repatriation and the like.

State assistance and ‘quick’ measures needed by the end of August 

However, the financial results, says Ostojic, will be lower than the physical ones, which is also expected, and the realized revenues will definitely not be enough to cover winter. Help from the state will be needed, as it was from March to August.

"We expect the measures to be defined quickly. HUT has given its proposals to the relevant ministry and we expect answers by the end of August at the latest. Otherwise, the process of taking care of extra workers will begin," Ostojic said, noting that they are satisfied with the first messages by the new Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac, but also with the overall commitment to tourism of the Prime Minister and the Government.

It seems, he says, that there is an understanding in the government that tourism needs a set of short-term measures to maintain liquidity and jobs, and then a set of long-term measures to strengthen the competitiveness and resilience of the entire sector, for which they also expect concrete measures soon.

"It is certain that the EU Recovery Fund and the new financial envelope will help us all, for which we must prepare for concrete programs and projects. Talks about it have been launched and it seems to me that we are on the right track. We have a new tourism development strategy ahead of us, and we expect the active involvement of the sector and the adoption of ambitious, but also pragmatic and feasible results, because no one needs another strategy that will remain a dead letter on paper," Ostojic believes.

Recognition, quality and sustainability are still key to success, but there is still a lot of work to be done

Although tourism is at a turning point globally in these circumstances, and it seems that the coronavirus will forever change some of the established ways of working in tourism and even the expectations of tourists, Ostojic still considers recognition, quality, and sustainability the keys to success.

"We have to focus here because we have to strengthen the overall competitiveness of Croatian tourism on these 'pillars' and there is a lot of work ahead of us," he said. He believes that, in addition to the new tourism strategy, a number of fiscal issues need to be addressed - VAT brought to the level of Mediterranean competition, which is important for investment, increase the number of hotels with incentives, but also improve spatial planning, reduce bureaucracy, finalize the law on foreigners and the issue of the permanent season and to regulate the system of tourist boards with stronger control over the spending of funds.

He adds that the implementation of the Law on Tourist Land should be continued and a decree should be passed that will regulate the issue of the rental price.

"In the sector, we also expect an exemption from the payment of the fee for tourist land for this and next year due to a significant reduction in income," concludes Ostojic.

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As Morski writes on the 23rd of August, 2020, the beautiful Croatian island of Rab still doesn't have a single recorded case of coronavirus under its belt, reports HRT. Tourists feel safe on the island and Rab's tourist results for this year reflect that and are very good in light of the circumstances. In the first two weeks of August, as much as 80 percent of last year's tourist traffic was realised.

The crystal clear sea of ​​the Rab aquatorium attracted tourists this year just as it has for countless years before it. An Italian family came to spend some time on Rab despite the ongoing pandemic, and they won't let it get in their way.

''I can see that there are a lot of people in Croatia, I don't see them wearing masks, I see a lot of people gathered together, and when I return to Italy I'll have to take a test because a lot of people come back with coronavirus,'' says Monica.

Some tourists, however, are not worried about the situation at all.

''Rab is a beautiful island, with beautiful beaches, and great gastronomy. I'm not afraid of coronavirus, as long as we keep our distance, then everything is fine,'' claims German tourist Thomas. For now, they are extremely satisfied with the tourist season on Rab.

''We're working with 60 percent of last year's results and I think that's very good considering the situation, our expectations were much, much lower,'' admits Larisa Jaska, the owner of a Rab-based restaurant - Astoria.

About 14 thousand tourists are staying in the town of Rab. In the first two weeks of August, they achieved as much as 80 percent of last year's results. But they have to admit that they are afraid for the rest of the season.

''Of course there is fear, there's been fear since the proclamation of the very first case of infection in Croatia, if not before, we're following everything, every press conference held by the National Civil Protection Headquarters, we're looking at the situation in the area,'' says Ivana Matusan, the director of the Rab Tourist Board.

They are also satisfied in Lopar. They have exceeded 300 thousand overnight stays, and currently there are more than 7 thousand guests staying there. But the situation is changing.

''We already have information from these slightly larger renters that tourists from Austria have started to cancel their reservations slowly, diplomacy will have to do its part, and we on the ground can only hope that there will be no major cancellations,'' says Marin Musco, the director of Lopar Tourist Board.

Everyone on the island of Rab is hoping that this season will be dragged out for as long as possible despite the situation.

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Croatian tourism is taking a hit as several European countries, including the United Kingdom and Germany which are of extreme importance to Croatia, have either placed the entire country on a red list, or have done so with popular regions.

As Morski writes on the 21st of August, 2020, in line with the recent announcements from numerous European countries, Slovenia introduced a restriction for Croatia. The Slovenian Government prescribed that from Tuesday, all those returning from the country must go into two-week self-isolation. After Italy and Austria, restrictions were introduced today by Germany, the United Kingdom and Slovenia.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 20,000 Germans have visited Split. Now there are about a thousand and a half more in the city, reports HRT.

''We know everything, today Split was declared risky. We're going to stay, we'll get tested on the way back, we're not going to leave ahead of time,'' said Sandra, a tourist from Germany.

It is what it is, they say in Sibenik. Now we need to save the situation and try to keep hold of our guests, at least with cheap testing.

''Even at the expense of the hosts, to try to prevent at least a part of the guests from leaving,'' said Dino Karadjole, director of the Tourist Board of the City of Sibenik.

Austrians staying in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County are being tested to avoid having to go into a two week quarantine when they return home.

''It's passing quickly, I've already missed some people, I'm waiting for my boyfriend to pay for the testing. In half an hour I think we'll manage to solve everything,'' said Irina, a tourist from Austria.

Tourists from Slovenia, Croatia's immediate neighbour to the north and its second emitting market, are also leaving Croatia. If he doesn't leave Croatia by the end of the week, Matej will have to be quarantined upon returning home to Slovenia. He says he feels safe and is reluctant to make tracks back home.

- Yes, why not, I'm taking care of myself and of others, and that's especially important to me,'' said Matej Koenig. Out of the current number of 7,000 tourists staying in Fazana, Istria, 800 are Slovenian nationals.

''The owners of holiday homes and apartments turn to us in particular, they come to the Tourist Board and say they want to shorten their stay until tomorrow,'' revealed Melita Perokovic, the director of the Fazana Tourist Board.

On the island of Vir, the situation has gone from great to somewhat sad. Their great season is over, Vir locals say. Since the beginning of the year, they have been visited by more than 15,000 Slovenes and have made a success of what was set to be absolutely dire in earlier predictions.

''At the moment, there are maybe another 500 Slovenian tourists staying on the island and a good part of them will leave during the day and will keep going home until Sunday, unfortunately,'' said Srdjan Liveric, the director of the Vir Tourist Board. Some are leaving, others are coming. At the border at Gorican there are queues at the entrance to Croatia, some people spend time there, waiting for more than an hour.

''We didn't even think of spending our summer somewhere else, we wanted to come to Croatia, we love it,'' said Dajana, a tourist from Romania.

''We're going to the vicinity of Split, for ten days. We go to our friends and stay in a secluded house,'' added Agnieska, a tourist from Poland.

In the queues along the roads heading for Croatia, Poles, Czechs, Romanians, Hungarians are among the most numerous who are looking forward to a holiday in Croatia without the burden of fear of the virus.

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August 22, 2020 -The Croatian National Tourist Board has created a new website dedicated to the Croatian part of the new Mediterranean cycling route EuroVelo 8, as part of the EU project MEDCYCLETOUR, in which it actively participates as one of the eight project partners.

HTZ announced that this interactive page in Croatian and English would help in planning a cycling holiday and better navigation in the seven Croatian tourist regions through which the EuroVelo 8 cycling route passes in Croatia.

"Cyclotourism is generally one of the fastest-growing tourist products, which in these market circumstances can make a significant contribution to the faster recovery of tourism, given that it is a year-round, healthy and safe activity that basically absolutely respects social distancing measures. I believe that the Croatian part of the beautiful Mediterranean route will attract many domestic and foreign cyclists, who can now find comprehensive technical and tourist information on our website to create their trip," said the director of the Croatian Tourist Board Kristjan Stanicic. 

The new page invites you to explore and discover the natural beauties, cultural sights and rich tourist offer of destinations on the coast, islands and hinterland, offering information on twenty main and eight alternative Croatian sections of the Mediterranean route. The Croatian section of the route covers the entire coast from Istria to Dubrovnik, 1116 kilometers long, while the total length of the entire Mediterranean route, from Cadiz to Cyprus, is about 7500 km and passes through the most attractive parts of eleven countries in the Mediterranean region, namely Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece and Cyprus.

Let us remind you that Croatia is integrated into the EuroVelo network of bicycle routes, which connect the entire European continent via 17 bicycle routes in the length of 90 thousand kilometers, through 42 European countries. Marked routes throughout Europe can be used by tourists on excursions, those who are on multi-day and multi-month trips and the local population who walk shorter sections of the EuroVelo route in daily cycling or enjoy them on cycling trips.

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