7 March 2022 - The Dubai-Croatian Business Forum, held as part of Croatia Day at Dubai Expo 2020 on Sunday, brought together around 100 companies from Croatia and the United Arab Emirates, with energy, industry and construction companies, as well as IT and food companies being dominant in the Croatian delegation.

The forum was organised by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with HGK president Luka Burilović noting that "adaptability and resourcefulness are critical to the survival of business, notably in the current circumstances."

The Croatian business delegation included representatives of Končar and Rimac Automobili, the IT companies Geld Data and Poslovna Inteligencija, as well as the Podravka and Paška Sirana food companies.

Trade between Croatia and the UAE has been growing in the past few years. In 2020 and 2019 Croatia's exports to that country totalled US$ 70 million, and the trend continued in 2021 as well, with trade amounting to $63 million in the first eleven months of that year.

In previous years exports totalled half the amount of exports in the recent years, around $30 million.

Croatia mostly exports electrical transformers to the UAE, and they account for 40% of all exports to that country.

Burilović said that one of the current challenges, requiring adaptability and resourcefulness, was business sustainability.

"The most important thing that we have to change in that regard is the perception and vision of the future because only those companies that prepare on time and adapt to the challenges of the green transition will be competitive," he said.

The Croatian business delegation also included businesses offering products in the area of sustainable development and renewables, with the HGK noting that Dubai Chamber vice-president Faisal Belhoul confirmed openness to cooperation and support in the UAE market.

The forum was also attended by Croatian PM Andrej Plenković, who said the event provided a unique opportunity for intercultural and business cooperation.

"Many Croatian companies contribute to and promote our cooperation, including Infobip, Podravka, Končar, Đuro Đaković, HS Produkt and others," he said as carried by the HGK.

Dubai Expo 2020 is taking place from October 2021 to the end of March 2022. It has brought together states, multilateral organisations, companies and educational institutions, with 192 countries presenting their products. An estimated 25 million visitors are expected to attend, of whom 70% are international guests and 30% local.

Originally scheduled for 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021, Dubai Expo 2020 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite being postponed, organisers kept the name Expo 2020 for marketing and branding purposes.

The theme of the event is "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future", with three subthemes: opportunity, mobility and sustainability.

The World Expo event is marking its 170th anniversary.

ZAGREB, 6 March 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Sunday attended the marking of Croatian National Day at Expo 2020 Dubai, saying Croatia is a "country of investors" and that it has centuries-long ties with the Arab world.

Croatia is attending Expo for the first time since 2010 in China.

Today the Croatian Pavilion at Expo 2020 was visited by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, a member of the United Arab Emirates government and commissioner of the exhibition.

"UAE-Croatia relations have been growing considerably in the last decade and we wish to expand the cooperation in the commercial, political and cultural spheres," he said, adding that the Croatian pavilion symbolises the "growing relations" between the two states.

Plenković said he was proud of the "history, talent and creativity" of the Croatian people and the "beautiful and preserved nature and the diversity of the cultural heritage."

He mentioned the necktie, Faust Vrančić as the first man to jump with a parachute in 1617, criminalist and fingerprinting creator Ivan Vučetić, modern seismology founder Andrija Mohorovičić, and Nikola Tesla.

"Thanks to him (Tesla), in 1895 Šibenik became the first city whose street lighting received energy from a hydroelectric power plant," Plenković said and also mentioned the Rimac Automobili company, which made the fastest electric car in the world, which is displayed in the Croatian Pavilion.

"Besides an innovative and creative spirit," Croatia is also full of talent in sports, culture, music and art, he said, calling on those present to visit Croatia.

Plenković said the relations between Croatia and the Arab world dated back to the Middle Ages.

"For centuries, the Croats were the only Slavic people which maintained relations with the Arabs in the Mediterranean, and the Croatian republic of Dubrovnik traded intensively with the Arab states as a mediator between East and West," he said.

"Therefore it's no coincidence that the first mention of Croatia on the world map was on the one designed by the great Arab Islamic geographer and cartographer al-Idrisi in the 12st century," Plenković added.

He also mentioned Croatian philosopher Hermann the Dalmatian, one of the most important translators from Arabic to Latin, the author of the first Latin translation of the Qur'an, and the fact that Croatia was the third European country to officially recognise Islam as a religion in 1916.

Plenković was accompanied to Dubai by Finance Minister Zdravko Marić, Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman and Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac.

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March 6, 2022 - The world's tallest skyscraper displayed the Croatian flag on Saturday night during Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's visit to Dubai. A look at the Croatian-colored Burj Khalifa!

Croatia should "pay great attention" to Gulf countries that are significant investors, said Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Saturday, who is in Dubai at the world exhibition EXPO 2020, reports Vecernji List.

"This part of the world, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, are all countries we need to pay great attention to," the Prime Minister added about the countries that invest significantly "thanks to their oil fields."

During his trip, the Prime Minister met with Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Prime Minister of the Emirates, with whom he visited the Croatian pavilion at the EXPO. He will also meet with the Minister of Trade of the United States Gina Raimondo.

Better yet, Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, was decked out in Croatian colors on Saturday. 

"After the meeting with the Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed and the Crown Prince of the UAE and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan - a nice gesture of the host. Burj Khalifa is in the colors of Croatia," Prime Minister Plenković said on Twitter.

Croatia will try to attract Arab investments at the Dubai-Croatia Business Forum, held in the city on Sunday, organized by two chambers of commerce.

"Tomorrow, together with about eighty Croatian business people, I will participate in the opening of the Dubai-Croatia Business Forum, organized by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce," the Prime Minister added on Twitter.

Apart from the Prime Minister, Croatia is also represented in the Emirates by the Minister of Finance Zdravko Marić, the Head of Diplomacy Gordan Grlić Radman, and the Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 5 March 2022 - Croatia should "pay great attention" to the Gulf countries which are big investors, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in Dubai on Saturday on a visit on the occasion of Expo 2022. 

"This part of the world, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, they are all countries we should pay great attention to," he said, adding that they invest a lot "thanks to their oil fields."

Plenković is visiting the UAE together with Finance Minister Zdravko Marić, Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman and Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac. They will try to attract Arab investment at the Dubai-Croatia Business Forum scheduled for Sunday.

Plenković said it was a good opportunity to establish contacts with potential partners to increase trade. "I'm confident that it will return to the numbers we had before the COVID-19 pandemic, to about $95 million, as well as that the cooperation can be enhanced."

He said fast-growing economies such as the UAE, notably Dubai as "the centre of sustainable development, tourism and innovation" and Abu Dhabi, where 90% of the country's oil fields are, "have their role in the development of economic cooperation with Croatia."

Plenković met with Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE prime minister with whom he visited the Croatian pavilion at Expo 2022, while on Sunday he is due to meet with US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

ZAGREB, 1 Oct 2021 - Croatia's exhibition at the EXPO 2020 in Dubai from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 will be presented as an inspiration to great minds which is based on the EXPO's main theme "Connecting minds, creating the future," the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) said on Friday.

EXPO 2020 Dubai will attract 190 countries, including Croatia, whose pavilion has been named "Croatia Inspiring Great Minds."

During the six months that EXPO 2020 will run, it expects about 25 million people from around the world to visit, including business people as well as government representatives, as well as many virtual visitors, with the organisers expecting more than 3 billion people to see the exhibition.

HTZ underscored that Croatia's exhibition will be interesting and it will present various innovative projects, inventions and creative individuals because, "thanks to many advanced minds, Croatia is recognised in the world today for numerous achievements."

Croatia's exhibit will present genius minds like Nikola Tesla, Ruđer Bošković and Slavoljub Penkala, who left a significant trace on the world's future. The exhibit will also include the Rimac Nevera, the fastest electric car in the world.

Apart from science, Croatia will present itself as a sports nation with renowned athletes like Dražen Petrović, Janica and Ivica Kostelić, Luka Modrić and many others.

Visitors will be able to become familiar with Croatia through multi-media projections and virtual experiences, including travelling through all of Croatia's natural beauties and its cultural heritage.

The creative concept for Croatia's pavilion at EXPO 2020 was created by the Real Group, Architect Ante Vrban and the Morium company.

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For a long time now, we've been trying to show and tell people that Croatia is far, far more than just the sun and the sea. Sure, the sparkling Adriatic and the warm climate is of course a big draw for many who take to Croatia's beautiful coastline every summer, but those who think that's all that this incredible little country has to offer are sadly mistaken.

I'm not just talking about the more encouraging numbers of tourists starting to uncover continental Croatia, Eastern Croatia and the country's various hidden gems, but about the Croatia which lies outside of the tourism bubble entirely, well... almost.

Tourism makes up a large part of Croatia's GDP and there's no denying that it is by far the country's strongest economic branch, this is not always a particularly positive thing and owing to it, Croatia has been plagued by enormous seasonality in terms of the economy and the labour market. Unemployment traditionally drops quite suddenly and by a significant amount during the run up to the bustling summer tourist season, especially on the coast, and then rises once again come the end of October thanks to the attempted lengthening of the tourist season, if not before.

Now a victim to a demographic crisis, mass emigration thanks to the country's membership of the EU's single market and a strange paradox in which there are no jobs but plenty of would-be employees but also many jobs and nobody who wants to do them, it's becoming more and more obvious that despite it being the country's strongest economic branch, relying almost entirely on tourist money might not be the best plan. 

So, what else does Croatia have? It has some excellent doctors and nurses and many truly outstanding medical facilities. As Croatia tries to position itself as much more than ''just sea and sunshine'', medical tourism, or perhaps better to say ''health tourism'' has begun to take off, and with some promising results. Just recently, Donald Trump's first wife, Ivana, was in Zagreb for eye surgery at the well known Svjetlost clinic, where she underwent a procedure to restore her vision to normality and afford her a life without glasses and/or contact lenses. People like Ivana catch people's attention, and she's just one of many who have found their way to Croatia for a procedure of some sort.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes on the 29th of April, 2019, tourists from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are increasingly travelling to Croatia and love luxury hotels and villas, and the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) is set to present Croatia's rich tourist offer at the ATM Arabian Travel Market in Dubai on May the 1st, 2019.

In the scope of the above, HTZ Director Kristjan Staničić met with media and partners such as WEGO, Medical Ozone, AVIAREPS, Jordan's Tourism Organization, Meetin and Think Strawberries.

"Presenting Croatia on this market and cooperation with the UAE has multiple effects for Croatian tourism and for the economy, and the direct air link between Zagreb and Dubai with Emirates has led to an increased demand from business travellers, as well as tourists from East Asian countries such as South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and then even Australia,'' he said.

There are also high expectations from the new Fly Dubai line, which will link Dubrovnik and Dubai from June the 2nd to October the 13th.

Citizens of the UAE realised 25.5 thousand overnight stays in Croatia last year, and most of them came to Zagreb, Dubrovnik and Split. They are typically demanding guests who love a touch of luxury and are travelling more and more.

In addition to HTZ, there are seven co-exhibitors, TZ Zagreb, TZ Dubrovnik-Neretva County, NP Plitvice Lakes, HUP, Amathus Travel Croatia, Abacus Tours and Jung Sky.

Zagreb will be presented in Dubai as a city break, as well as a health tourism destination.

Make sure to follow our dedicated travel and lifestyle pages for much more. If it's just the Croatian capital you're interested in, give Total Zagreb a follow or check out Zagreb in a Page. Find out more about Croatia's blossoming health tourism story, as well as the health system in general, here.

Click here for the original article by Marija Crnjak for Poslovni Dnevnik

Prices in Zagreb dropped by anywhere between 50 and 70 percent yesterday, sparking a shopping frenzy among many hungry for a bargain amid the chaos of the traditional post-Christmas sales. One family came not from another city, or even from over the border from Serbia, Slovenia, Hungary or Bosnia and Herzegovina, but all the way from Dubai to Zagreb, just for the Croatian capital city's price cuts.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 28th of December, 2018, the family, who arrived from Dubai to Zagreb stated that when compared to their prices over in Dubai, there are some real bargains to be found in Zagreb.

''So, that's why we come to Zagreb every year when the sales are on,'' Shamma AlZaabo explained while he and his family were searching for said bargains in the very heart of Zagreb's city centre, choosing between a multitude of colourful pullovers, dresses, and shirts.

In the [United Arab] Emirates, prices are much more expensive, he says, so there he needs to deliberately choose every garment wisely and calculate how much exactly he needs to purchase it. In the Croatian capital however, this isn't the case, he says, and even though he didn't come all the way from Dubai to Zagreb for anything special in particular, he certainly left the stores with his hands full, according to a report from Večernji list.

As is commonplace, the big winter discounts have begun in order to shift stock, and according to the Consumer Protection Act, the sales and price cuts are set to last for the next sixty days, and during that time all of the goods must be clearly labeled with both their old and new price tags, as well as the exact percentage discount customers will be getting for their purchase.

While some stores inevitably keep hold of the same prices for the entire sales period, others, such as the popular clothes store New York, will lower their prices once again following the turn of the year, in 2019. Although yesterday was just the first day of the "first round" of sales, ''scandals'' at the hands of bargain-hungry shoppers have already taken place at the entrances to numerous shopping centres in Zagreb.

Make sure to stay up to date with our dedicated lifestyle and news pages for much more.

ZAGREB, April 23, 2018 - Potential for economic cooperation between Croatia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is great, and the EXPO 2020 which will be held in Dubai will serve as a good opportunity for the promotion of Croatian companies in the country, Ivan Barbarić of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) said at a Croatia-UAE forum in Zagreb.

Smart bikes from Pisarovina are winning the hearts (and legs) of people across continents.

Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli is currently on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates.