ZAGREB, 26 July 2022 - Pelješac Bridge is already becoming a tourist attraction and is expected to further boost the demand for holiday destinations in Croatia's south, Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ) Director Kristjan Staničić told Hina ahead of the bridge's opening on Tuesday.

"The bridge will certainly be a new tourist attraction, both for boaters, for whom sailing under the bridge will be a special experience, and for travellers and tourists who will be able to enjoy the magnificent view of the bridge from surrounding vantage points and roads," Staničić said, adding that the HTZ would use the bridge in its promotional campaigns.

He said it was still early to speak about the direct impact of the bridge on tourist trends and destinations in Croatia's far south, but added that the bridge would certainly reduce the dependence of the local tourist industry on air traffic.

"Although the United Kingdom and the United States are among the most important markets for Dubrovnik-Neretva County, also important are the markets of Germany, Poland, France and Slovenia, as well as the domestic market, so it is expected that Pelješac Bridge will increase the demand from these markets and contribute to the image of Croatia of a well-positioned car  destination," Staničić said.

He said that a Euronews crew had visited the bridge last week for a travel story. He noted that this leading European news channel was available to about 70 per cent of households or about 145 million people in Europe.

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March the 2nd, 2022 - Dubrovnik-Neretva islands, which are heavily frequented during the height of the summer tourist season, have been included in a new year-round tourism strategy for Mediterranean islands.

As Morski writes, as part of the ''WINTER MED'' project, the DUNEA regional agency organised an online workshop for decision-makers at the local, regional and national levels, presenting the "Transnational year-round tourism strategy for destinations on the Mediterranean islands".

The Winter Islands Network project for year-round tourism experience in the Mediterranean - WINTER MED aims to develop sustainable and responsible year-round tourism for the Mediterranean's many islands while preserving and valorising both cultural and natural heritage.

The strategy presented recently was based on best practices and lessons learned from the regional action plans of six pilot project areas - Tuscany, Cyprus, the South Aegean, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Corsica and the Balearic islands. This document is aimed at all Mediterranean island areas that are ready to move from so-called "3 S tourism" (sun, sea and sand) to a sustainable model of year-round tourism. The move which has included Dubrovnik-Neretva islands will be excellent for Croatian tourism as a whole, which is still very much trapped in its summertime constraints.

Among other things, the Expert Study of Integral Protection and the Revitalisation of Historical Settlements in the Landscapes of the Islands of Korcula and Mljet was presented. Representatives of the Institute for Physical Planning of Dubrovnik-Neretva County also participated in the workshops, presenting the purpose and importance of preserving the cultural landscape as part of general regional planning.

The WINTER MED project was contracted from the Interreg Mediteran 2014-2020 cross-border cooperation programme and the project holder is the Association of Tuscan Regions, while the DUNEA regional agency is one of the nine project partners. The total value of the WINTER MED project stands at two million and 650 thousand euros, and 85 percent of the grant was provided through the European Regional Development Fund.

More detailed information can be found on the official website of the DUNEA regional agency and on the website of the WINTER MED project itself.

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ZAGREB, 16 Dec 2021 - Dubrovnik-Neretva County has procured equipment for its firefighting units as part of an EU project for the strategic development of flood management. 

The equipment, worth around HRK 600,000, is intended to remove damage caused by floods in the county.

Next year, equipment worth more than HRK 1 million will be procured as part of the STREAM project to alleviate the consequences of serious river and sea pollution accidents, county head Nikola Dobroslavić said.

The total value of the STREAM project is HRK 70.5 million (approx. €9.4 million)), of which 85% comes from the EU through the Interreg Italy-Croatia cross-border cooperation programme while the remaining 15% is secured by project partners.

The value of project activities in Dubrovnik-Neretva County is HRK 5.8 million.

(€1 =  HRK 7.5)

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

October the 18th, 2021 - Trsteno Arboretum is one of the most beautiful little places hidden away on the southern Dalmatian coastline to visit. Filled with rich plantlife and boasting million dollar views across the Adriatic Sea, it's the perfect place for a recharge. The brand new Trsteno Arboretum Education and Multimedia Centre will only add to its allure.

As Morski writes, as part of the "Historical Gardens of the Dubrovnik area" project, the Trsteno Arboretum Education and Multimedia Centre was officially opened, having been partly financed by European Union (EU) funds.

The brand new centre will contribute to the interpretation of the arboretum's stunning natural heritage, work to further increase the tourist attractiveness of the area and the development of the local economy. There will be education sessions and workshops for locals, tourists and visitors of all ages on the traditional cultivation of olives and vines, the use of medicinal and aromatic plants, ornithofauna and entomofauna of Trsteno Arboretum and the role of forests in the reclamation of negative environmental changes.

The new Trsteno Arboretum Education and Multimedia Centre was built with ''being green'' firmly in mind, meaning everything involved sustainable procurement, which is shown in the use of indigenous materials and products, such as wooden joinery (windows and doors), stone facade finishing, wooden pergola constructions on terraces and so on. As part of the project, a thematic-educational trail was also fully arranged in the olive groves of the Arboretum.

The second main activity of the project has also now been announced, and that involves the procurement of a ship and the opening of a new ferry line that will connect Trsteno Arboretum and the island of Lokrum which lies just across from the City of Dubrovnik and will likely prove extremely popular with nature lovers needing a breath of fresh air away from the hustle and bustle of Croatia's tourism Mecca. The aim of the project is to preserve local biodiversity, encourage the sustainable use of natural heritage and promote its cultural and historical values ​ through the interpretation and presentation of protected natural heritage, thus contributing to sustainable development at both a local and regional level.

The total value of the project stands at 18,289,422.37 kuna and most of the grants for it have been provided from the European Regional Development Fund. In addition to the project beneficiary, the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Lokrum Reserve Public Institution, the Dubrovnik Tourist Board and the Dubrovnik Art Association without Borders (DART) are all participating in the project.

This beautiful arboretum is otherwise very well known for its historical parks and its impressive and vast collection of Mediterranean and exotic plant species. It was founded in 1948 on the site and base of the historic country estate of the Dubrovnik noble family Gucetic-Gozze, dating from 1494, and is protected by law. Covering an area of ​​28 hectares, it unites several different units: a historic Renaissance park with a summer house, a historic neo-romantic park, a historic olive grove, and natural vegetation boasting numerous tree species from near and far.

For more, make sure to check out our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 19 April, 2021 - A demonstration exercise was held at the Dubrovnik General Hospital helipad on the occasion of the beginning of the year-round helicopter emergency medical service in the southernmost Dubrovnik-Neretva County.

"Without this service, it would be impossible for a patient to reach a medical institution in Dubrovnik or Split within 60 minutes, where they can be given adequate medical help to save their life. The service will operate throughout the year. Residents of our county will now have the same conditions as other Croatian and EU citizens," said county head Nikola Dobroslavić.

He noted that under a long-term government programme, the service should be based in Opuzen, however, technical conditions for it had still not been created.

"A helidrome and accompanying facilities need to be built. For the time being, the service will be based at Dubrovnik Airport," he said.

The head of the Croatian Institute for Emergency Medicine, Maja Grba-Bujević, said that over the past five years it had become evident that the helicopter emergency medical service needs to operate throughout the year and not just during the summer tourist season.

She said that with helicopter emergency medical service bases on the island of Krk, at Divulje near Split, and at Dubrovnik, the entire country was now covered with that service.

By the end of the year, 24 doctors and 28 nurses will be involved in the helicopter emergency medical service project and they will work in weekly shifts, she said.

The project in Dubrovnik-Neretva County is financed by the ministries of the interior and health and the county authorities.

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January 20, 2021 – Let's be honest, Croatia has a lot more photogenic inhabitants than this. But, from over 120 molluscs registered, the indigenous Croatian species Congeria kusceri have been chosen as one of the top five finalists in this year's Mollusc of the Year competition.

There's actually quite a good reason why Congeria kusceri isn't so photogenic – it lives underground. In fact, Congeria kusceri comes from the Congeria genus, which are the only known freshwater underground shellfish in the world. Most of this genus has sadly become extinct. However, three members of the family survive in this region - Congeria jalzici which can be found in Slovenia, northern Velebit and northwestern Lika, Congeria mualomerovici which lives in the Sana basin in Bosnia, and Congeria kusceri which is endemic to underground cave systems of the Neretva and Trebišnjica basins in Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia. Although, that wasn't always the case.

Congeria kusceri are albino molluscs, having lost their pigmentation while living away from sunlight. They live in southern Dalmatia, whose strongly supported football club, Hajduk Split, are also associated with the colour white © The Croatian Biospeleological Society (CBSS)

The ancestors of these molluscs used to live on the surface of lakes. Some of the molluscs followed the flow of water downstream and ended up inhabiting cave systems underground. Those which were able to adapt to a life of complete darkness survived. Having existed for so long in such a sunless environment, Congeria kusceri have lost their pigmentation - another reason we might consider them unphotogenic.

Congeria kusceri is on the Croatian Red List of Cave Fauna, in the category of critically endangered species, and at the European level, it is protected by the Directive on the Protection of Natural Habitats and Wild Fauna and Flora of the European Union. It is extremely rare. To date, these molluscs have been found in only fifteen underground locations of the Dinaric karst region.

The Predolac hill in Metković © Jure Grm

The largest living colony of Congeria kusceri that we so far know about can be found at the foot of the Predolac hill in Metković. Congeria kusceri is around two centimetres in length. Once part of a flourishing mollusc family, most of the Congeria genus died out around five million years ago. The genus was considered to be entirely extinct until shells of recently deceased individuals were found near Vrgorac in 1934. Congeria kusceri's new cousins - Congeria jalzici and Congeria mualomerovici – were only described and recognised as distinct sub-species as recently as 2013.

The Mollusc of the Year competition is run by the Senckenberg Research Institute and Museum, and the Centre for Translational and Genomic Biodiversity (TBG) in Frankfurt. Congeria Kusceri's success in being chosen as one of the finalists was announced by the Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb.

Voting for Mollusc of the Year is open to the public. Anyone who is not too shellfish with their time and who may wish to support this endangered Croatian underdog in the competition can vote here

ZAGREB, November 21, 2020 - Dubrovnik-Neretva County has submitted 272 projects totalling HRK 6 billion for the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility, ruling HDZ MP Branko Bacic said in Korcula on the southern island of the same name on Saturday.

He said the projects were aimed at improving living conditions in southern Croatia and recalled that HRK 760 million was secured earlier for eight ports in the county.

Accompanied by local officials, Bacic toured the port infrastructure in Korcula where HRK 39.5 million worth of construction and reconstruction works are under way.

County head Nikola Dobroslavic said Croatia's southern-most county was the most successful in the country in terms of EU fund absorption.

His deputy Josko Cebalo said they were preparing documentation for two projects worth HRK 60 million for fishing ports in Dubrovnik and Vela Luka.

Korcula Mayor Andrija Fabris said port infrastructure was key for islanders as it provided better connectivity with the mainland.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

September 23, 2020 – Following incredible success with Game Of Thrones, Mamma Mia and others, Croatia filming locations prove to be the best again as HBO's Succession wins 7 Emmys

Historic Dubrovnik was always pretty enough to attract people from far and wide. Dubrovnik has a lot of sights to visit. In addition, it offers many activities such as hiking, cycling, sailing, boat ride, Seabob experience etc. But, following its appearance in TV show Game Of Thrones, interest in visiting the walled city went through the roof. Tourists were not the only ones who wanted to come.

HBO drama Succession is just the latest hit to take advantage of the spectacular scenery while filming in Croatia. The show has just bagged no less than seven prestigious Emmy awards for the season partially filmed in Croatia. In the drama series category, it picked up Emmys for Best Leading Male Role, Best Guest Role, Best Casting, Best Directing, Best Screenplay and Best Picture Editing.

Cast members filmed aboard a yacht with beautiful Croatia and its Adriatic waters as the backdrop © HBO

The shooting took place over 12 days in July 2019, primarily on a yacht on which the show's central characters, the Roy family, were taking a holiday. The Croatia filming locations used were the waters around Cavtat, Korcula, Mljet and Sipan. The series ventured into more urban areas of Croatia and, for those scenes, filming locations in Zagreb and Rijeka were sourced. The German-built Solandge was the yacht used in the filming and costs as much as $1.1million (£850,000) to rent for one week.

The Roy family aboard the yacht Solandge in Croatian waters © HBO

Now in its third season, Succession centres on the dysfunctional Roy family, owners of a global media and hospitality empire. It stars British actor Brian Cox as the ailing family patriarch with Kieran Culkin heading up the otherwise all-American cast. A total of 613 people worked on the shooting of Succession in Croatia, of which 595 were Croatian (161 film workers, three trainees and 431 extras).

Solandge is currently one of the most luxurious yachts in the world © Moran Yachts

In recent years, major movies such as Star Wars, Robin Hood and one installment in the long-running James Bond series have joined the likes of Game Of Thrones and Mamma Mia in enjoying Croatia filming locations. However, filming in Croatia goes back much further than that. During the 1970s and early 1980s, no less than three Oscar-winning movies used Croatia filming locations - Fiddler on the Roof (1971), The Tin Drum (1979) and Sophie’s Choice (1982).

You can read more about filming in Croatia and Croatian filming locations by reading our dedicated section here

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September 18, 2020 – Six items of Croatian protected produce are among the 100 European items to go on sale in China

Six items of Croatian protected produce are among the 100 European items to go on sale in China. In a reciprocal deal, 100 Chinese products will also be recognised and recommended on the European market.

Dalmatian prosciutto © TZ Vrgorac

Baranja kulen, Dalmatian prosciutto, Drniš prosciutto, Lika potatoes, Dingač wine and Neretva mandarins are the premium six Croatian protected produce chosen to be among the European 100. All of the Croatian protected produce is already recognised at a national and at an EU-level and designated its status based on its unique place of origin.

Dingač wine © Silverije

Neretva Mandarins

The European products will be specially marked and receive special privileges when they go on sale in China. Alongside the Croatian protected produce, other items on the European list are French champagne, Greek feta cheese, Italian Parma prosciutto, Italian mozzarella, Irish whiskey and Portuguese port. On the Chinese list of products are distinct varieties of rice, bean and vegetable products, some of which will already be popular with Europeans who eat or cook Chinese cuisine.

Drniš prosciutto © Tourist Board of Drniš

The full list of Croatian produce protected at an EU-level currently includes Istrian olive oil, Dalmatian prosciutto, Pag cheese, Lika lamb, Poljički Soparnik, Zagorje turkey, Korčula olive oil, Istrian prosciutto, Sour cabbage from Ogulin, Neretva mandarins, Slavonian honey, Drniš prosciutto, Cres olive oil, Pag salt, Baranja kulen, Bjelovarski kvargl, Varaždin cabbage, Pag lamb, Šolta olive oil, Meso 'z tiblice, Zagorje mlinci, Krk prosciutto, Lika potatoes, Slavonian kulen, Krk olive oil.

Baranja kulen, featured within a traditional Slavonian platter © Romulić & Stojčić

Lika Potatoes

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September 15, 2020 – Construction of the Pelješac bridge continues despite the ongoing pandemic – a monster-sized shipment of bridge segments is currently on its way to Croatia

The Pacific Alert is 160 metres long and 27 metres wide. She set sail from Nantong, China on 10th September. Her cargo? 4000 tons of the Pelješac bridge.

We say 4000 tons, but, that's a slight exaggeration. The actual weight of the Pelješac bridge pieces she carries is more accurately 3,840 tons. The 13 pieces are heavy construction elements for the bridge and are expected to arrive in Croatian waters on 5th October.

This is the second such heavily loaded ship to set sail for Croatia carrying the Pelješac bridge parts, which have been constructed in China. The first ship with Peljesac bridge segments arrived in February this year, but production in China was thereafter halted due to coronavirus. The recent arrival of 100 Chinese welders who will connect the Peljesac bridge segments, and the resuming of production in China, indicate that the project is back on track despite the ongoing pandemic.

The Peljesac bridge will connect south Dalmatia to the rest of Croatia and will negate crossing the time-consuming Bosnian border to reach Dubrovnik. This will improve southern Croatia's accessibility to road users. The region of Dubrovnik and Neretva has in 2020 suffered worst from a fall in visitor numbers because it is mostly reliant on charter flights and large cruise ships. The activities of airlines and such ships has been curtailed by coronavirus.

The Pacific Alert is a general cargo ship that was built in 2010 and is sailing under the flag of Cyprus.

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