Friday 11 September 2020 - As part of the national campaign Tjedan Odmora Vrijedan (Holiday-worthy week) there will be Luxury Hotel Rooms in Dubrovnik for 50 Euros in October. We're signed up! But will others follow?

Luxury Hotel Rooms in Dubrovnik for 50 Euros in October? Idemo (let's go)! In an interview given to dnevnik.hr, assistant mayor of Dubrovnik Jelka Tepšić has confirmed that many businesses in and around Dubrovnik are prepared to sign up to the national Tjedan Odmora Vrijedan (Holiday-worthy week) initiative.

The campaign, conceived by the Croatian Ministry of Tourism, has set aside a week – well, actually just over – in which they are encouraging all within the tourism sector to offer a 50% discount. Covering two weekends, from Friday 16 October to Sunday 25th October, the offer should see some luxury hotel rooms, fabulous meals, and transport carriers offering premium products at half the price. If they sign up.

Luxury hotel rooms in Dubrovnik for 50 Euros in October sounds like a good deal. And it is. During a typical October, visitors are still enjoying the sunny streets of the Old City in Dubrovnik. A luxury hotel at that time would usually cost €200 per night. Because of this year's extraordinary circumstances, those rates are currently €113 per night. Dnevnik.hr, therefore, estimates luxury hotel rooms in Dubrovnik for 50 Euros in October.


View of the islet Lokrum from Dubrovnik © visitdubrovnik.hr

Dubrovnik is a special case within Croatian tourism. In recent years it has benefitted from its ability to extend its season beyond that which other Croatian destinations can. This is due to its world-famous attributes and excellent marketing. However, being a city linked mostly by charter flights and large cruise ships, it has suffered greater this year than destinations traditionally visited by road users. It's understandable that they would want to optimistically join the initiative.

Some in the tourism sector seem less keen on the initiative. They regard October as too late in the season for such a scheme. Their pessimism may be justified. It has been a much more difficult month to promote for places other than the special case of Dubrovnik – the sea is beginning to see a drop in temperature and in continental regions, the early mornings and evenings in October may necessitate a hoodie and long pants.

But, that's not to say that such destinations couldn't benefit from attracting, in particular, domestic visitors during the initiative week. That is if such homegrown tourists have any holidays remaining. Only time will tell just how widespread the industry will embrace the initiative, and just how beneficial it will be.

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Thursday, 10 September 2020 - Diana Rigg star of Game Of Thrones has died aged 82 “I loved that location,” she said of filming the series in Dubrovnik and Gradac Park, “it was absolutely beautiful.”

Dame Diana Rigg, famous to younger generations for playing Olenna Tyrell in Game Of Thrones, has died aged 82. The star spent time in Croatia, filming the Purple Wedding in Gradac Park, Dubrovnik. “I loved that location,” she said of Dubrovnik and Gradac, “it was absolutely beautiful.”

“I love locations, I love traveling,” Rigg told one journalist after the filming had ended. “Locations, for the most part, have always been interesting. To begin with, it was Croatia, and that was wonderful because I’d never been to Croatia, and on my days off I’d do some exploring.”


Diana Rigg star of Game Of Thrones, pictured in 1973

Born in 1938, to older generations Rigg was well known for playing Emma Peel in the hit TV series The Avengers between 1965 and 1968. In 1969 she played Countess Teresa di Vicenzo, wife of James Bond, in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

Rigg joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1959, just after the start of her career. She made her Broadway debut in 1971, won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for the BBC miniseries Mother Love in 1989, and an Emmy Award for her role as Mrs. Danvers in an adaptation of Rebecca in 1997. For her title role in Medea, she won the 1994 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She was made a CBE in 1988 and a Dame in 1994 for services to drama.

Despite achieving much in her career, she is said to have been pleasantly surprised to have become known as Diana Rigg star of Game Of Thrones, so late in life. She played the role of Olenna Tyrell in the series for four years, between 2013 and 2017.

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September 5, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Jet2 cancels all 12 lines to Croatia, namely to Dubrovnik, Split and Pula. 

Croatian Aviation reports that Jet2, a British airline focused on leisure passengers, is suspending traffic on all routes from the UK to Croatia. This is the result of the introduced restrictive measures for travelers coming from Croatia to the United Kingdom, which resulted in a significant drop in demand.

In the first half of July, Jet2 launched as many as 12 international routes to Croatia, from numerous British airports to Pula, Split and Dubrovnik, almost immediately after lifting restrictive measures in the UK. The company returned to the Croatian market, but with a significantly smaller number of routes and weekly flights compared to last summer season, thus adjusting its offer and capacity to current demand.

Jet2 stated the reasons for the cancellation, and in addition to flights to Croatia, the company is also suspending traffic to Spain.

"Due to the global pandemic and reduced demand, as well as due to the measures introduced for travelers coming to the UK from Croatia, we have decided to cancel all flights and travel arrangements for the rest of this summer season. Our last flight from Croatia this year will be on Sunday, September 6, 2020."

This week, the company will operate the last flights to and from Croatia and stop operating on as many as 12 scheduled flights to Dubrovnik, Split, and Pula:

Birmingham - Dubrovnik,

London Stansted - Dubrovnik,

Manchester - Dubrovnik,

Newcastle - Dubrovnik,

Birmingham - Split,

East Midlands - Split,

Leeds - Split,

London Stansted - Split,

Manchester - Split,

Birmingham - Pula,

Leeds - Pula

Manchester - Pula.

After the flights and tourist arrangements for this summer season were completely canceled by the British TUI, Jet2 was the only one that offered British tourists holiday packages in Croatia this summer season. The company achieved an average Load Factor (passenger cabin occupancy) of less than 40% on the lines operating to Croatia, which cannot be considered satisfactory.

Jet2 plans to return to Croatia in the spring of 2021, but this will certainly depend on the pandemic and restrictive measures.

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September 5, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Air Baltic maintains Dubrovnik-Vilnius and likely cancels all other Croatia lines.

Croatian Aviation reports that according to the original plan, Air Baltic, the national carrier of Latvia based in Riga, was supposed to operate on four routes to Croatia in September, but this will not happen. Only one international line remains active.

Air Baltic started regular traffic to Croatia very early, back in June, and was also the first international line after a complete lockdown to Rijeka Airport. The company operates new A220 aircraft on all routes to Croatia.

The Riga - Dubrovnik route has been announced once a week in September, every Monday, but the company has been canceling flights on this route for some time. Currently, flights from September 14 are on sale again, but it is quite certain that they will also be canceled.

The Riga - Split line is also announced once a week through September, every Friday, though this line should see the same fate - the company ran the last flight on this line on August 21, while all flights after that date were canceled. Air Baltic has been offering flights on this route until September 18, but as is the case with the Dubrovnik route, it is obvious that they will not return to Split this year and will cancel the mentioned flights.

On the Riga - Rijeka line, the last flight operated on August 19, though it was originally planned that the last flight would be on September 16. However, in the meantime, all departures have been canceled and the company no longer offers direct flights between the two cities.

The last, fourth Air Baltic line, also a completely new line that started operating this year, Vilnius - Dubrovnik, is the only one that operates regularly, and Air Baltic plans to maintain it until the end of this month (September 25), once a week, every Friday.

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September 2, 2020 - After spending time in Dubrovnik, Owen Wilson plays football with local kids on the island of Korcula. 

Hollywood star Owen Wilson has been exploring the Croatian coast, and getting to know the locals, too.

After Dubrovnik.net reported that he was seen joining the Belvedere Dubrovnik team for a pick-up game of football tennis, Korcula Online reported that the Zoolander star strolled through the streets of Korcula, where he was filmed with the locals playing a game of kick-ups.

The Hollywood actor is no stranger to Croatia, as he spent time in Split last summer filming Bliss with Salma Hayek. Wilson was open-hearted to locals then, too, and was photographed with the staff of Zrno Soli and fans in the city-center supermarket. You can read more about Wilson's stint in Split here.

Owen Wilson is an American actor, producer, and screenwriter from Dallas, Texas, famous for his collaboration with filmmaker Wes Anderson, which saw him nominated for the Academy Award for his role in The Royal Tenenbaums. Wilson's biggest films include Marley and Me, Zoolander, Wedding Crashers, and Starsky & Hutch. He has acted alongside Jackie Chan, Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, and Ben Stiller, to name a few.

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September 2, 2020 - Continuing a look at the recent TCN trip to the Elaphiti islands off Dubrovnik, meet magical Lopud. 

Although I am fairly well travelled around Croatia, there are certain gaps in my knowledge and experience, one of the most gaping of which has been the fabled Elaphiti islands of Kolocep, Sipan and Lopud. That changed this summer in what was for me the discovery of 2020 so far, as well as a new perspective of Dubrovnik as a tourist destination. 

My first enchanting introduction was the nearest island to Dubrovnik - Kolocep (known locally as Kalamota), just 30 minutes by regular daily ferry from the Pearl of the Adriatic (you can read more in Arise Kalamota! Kolocep, 30 Mins from Dubrovnik But a World Away).

Next along the Jadrolinija route was Lopud, another island free of cars, and one which my friend Kresimir Macan has been championing for years, as he spends a month there every August. When he showed me the bedroom view from one of the apartments he stays in, I could quite understand why. Not a lot wrong with waking up to that each morning... 

Every island is different in Croatia, and if I was seduced by Kalamota, I was blown away by Lopud. It seemed to be an island with so much simplicity and yet so much depth, history, tradition and culture. And the more I looked into things, the more unusual things I found. 

(Photo credit Wikipedia)

Lopud is essentially two parts. A hike through the trees to the other side from the ferry will reward you with one of the best sandy beaches in all Croatia at Sunj. If you are looking to truly get away from it on a beach day, it doesn't get much better than this on a carless island.

(Photo credit Taliah Bradbury)

But the main action happens on the other side of the island, one gorgeous stone drag of Dalmatian life with not a car in sight. It is a hive of activity, with fish deliveries an improvisation. A good lunch for someone.

And beaches right in the centre of town, very family-friendly. The Lopud riva for me was a really interesting place. It had the feel of a lively Dalmatian town, while at the same time appearing a complete chill zone for tourists and locals alike. So many different types of people mixed into one, and intermingling. The locals of course, as well as those born here who return religiously each year (I met several of these, including a restaurateur in New York), plenty of people from Zagreb reconnecting with each other under relaxed and azure Dalmatian skies. And tourists of course who interacted freely with their friendly local hosts.

The riva was also the living room for those living and renting on the waterfront. Dining tables and each chairs put out in front of the houses. It added to the feeling of welcome and intimacy. this was a very friendly island. 

And one of great seafood, the freshest catch of the day. 

Lopud also has some rather unusual claims to fame, including apparently the tallest palm trees in all Europe, as well as Europe's first ever concrete hotel, built in 1936, which is scheduled for renovation soon. You can learn more on both in Secrets of Lopud: Europe's Tallest Palm Trees Shade Europe's Oldest Concrete Hotel. 

And next to the palm trees and the concrete hotel, just one of 30 impressive churches and two monasteries on Lopud which tell part of the tale of the island's former wealth and glory days. 

(Photo Lopud-1483)

Glory days which are coming slowly back, perhaps, with one of those monasteries opening this summer as one of the top luxury 5-star hotels on the Adriatic. Check out the fabulous LOPUD-1483 converted island monastery. 

For Lopud has quite a history, with human habitation dating back at least to the 7^th century. Refugees fleeing from the Ottomans in the 15^th century increased the population considerably until the 17^th century when an incredible 14,000 people lived on the island. That compares to just 249 in the 2011 census.

Lopud was at the heart of the dominance of the Dubrovnik Republic's seafaring success, and at its height, the island was home to about a quarter of the republic's navy, with some of its most famous sailors being Lopud men.

At its height of the seafaring prominence of the Dubrovnik Republic, it was a place of immense culture, but disaster struck in 1667, with a devastating earthquake which badly damaged both Dubrovnik and Lopud, but while the Pearl of the Adriatic recovered, Lopud did not. The result for tourists today is a charming and lush island full of wondrous vegetation and historic buildings.

(Romulic and Stojcic)

Lopud's most famous son is undoubtedly Miho Pracat, the wealthy 16th-century merchant, who won made and lost (through shipwrecks) fortunes, and whose bust today can be found in the Rector's Palace in Dubrovnik.

According to legend, having lost his fortune for the second time when he lost his fleet, Pracat decided to return to Lopud and live out his days in a modest manner. While sat alone feeling sorry for himself, he noticed a lizard trying to climb a wall. The lizard failed twice, falling both times. But on the third attempt, the lizard succeeded, prompting Pracat to swear an oath that he too would try again. As with the lizard, it was a question of third time lucky, and he went on to become not only immensely rich, but also a great benefactor and meritorious citizen of Dubrovnik.

Perhaps his most famous hour was a conversation with a grateful Charles V after his ships circumvented a blockade and delivered grain to the king's troops. The king summoned the merchant during his morning shave to ask him what he wanted to show the king's gratitude, to which the Dubrovnik merchant replied that he had no need for anything as he was wealthy enough, but he would take the king's shaving serviette.

The serviette is on display in the Museum of Lopud to this day.

Enough of the history, as the sun is setting at the end of another perfect day. Time to enjoy one of the true highlights of this magical island - sunsets. 

Kreso's Facebook feed in August is always dominated by Lopud sunsets, which are truly some of the most spectacular on the coast. The ideal day to chill after another relaxing day in carless, timeless Dalmatian heaven before taking in the night view. 

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September 2, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia with updates for Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Rijeka, and Zadar. Israir to Zagreb, SAS and Norwegian Air to Split, and Polish LOT to numerous destinations in Croatia this September.

Croatian Aviation reports that Israir, an Israeli airline based in Tel Aviv, has resumed traffic on the route between Zagreb and Tel Aviv. The line was not in circulation this year because it is seasonal, and due to the pandemic, the company did not launch it earlier.

Regular flights between Tel Aviv and Zagreb started operating on August 19 this year, and so far 8 rotations have been made in August. The company offers departures on its official website throughout almost the whole of September, and as many as 11 rotations are available on this line:

between September 1 and 6, three flights are announced (Tuesday, Friday, Sunday),

between September 7 and 13, three flights are announced (Monday, Thursday and Friday),

between 14 and 20 September, three flights are announced (Monday, Tuesday and Sunday),

between September 21 and 27, two flights are announced (Friday and Saturday).

In last year's summer flight schedule, the company operated with significantly more weekly departures to Zagreb. Night flights, the only regular flights in the Croatia Airlines network, were operated on the regular line between Tel Aviv and Zagreb.

On the Israir Airlines route to Zagreb, there are A320 aircraft with a capacity of 180 seats.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that Norwegian Air and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) will continue to operate on their scheduled flights from Scandinavia to Split Airport throughout September.

Although there are restrictions when traveling between Croatia and certain Scandinavian countries, the two mentioned airlines will continue to operate on their scheduled flights to Split Airport through September. The number of weekly flights on all routes has decreased compared to July and August.

Norwegian Air operates on three routes in September

Norwegian will operate only to Split Airport this month, with three direct routes from Oslo, Stockholm, and Copenhagen.

Oslo - Split will operate twice a week in September, every Tuesday and Saturday,

Stockholm - Split will operate once a week, every Saturday,

Copenhagen - Split will operate once a week, also on Saturdays.

Scandinavian Airlines flies to Split

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) will also keep three routes to Split, from Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Gothenburg. All lines operate once a week, on Saturdays:

Stockholm - Split,

Copenhagen - Split,

Gothenburg - Split.

The Gothenburg - Split route is not for sale on the airline's website, given that it is a charter line. SAS will use A320neo aircraft on all three routes to Split Airport, which have a capacity of 174 seats in the fleet of this carrier.

Croatia Airlines offers one flight a week (Saturdays) on the Split - Copenhagen route, while flights from Zagreb to the Danish capital are daily (certain flights have been canceled on this route).

Finally, although the Polish government announced a ban on flights from several countries from September 2 this year, including flights from Croatia, Croatian Aviation reports that the countries were subsequently revised and Croatia is no longer on the list.

Polish LOT will thus continue to operate on as many as 7 lines to Croatia in September this year:

Warsaw - Zagreb, daily,

Warsaw - Rijeka, once a week, on Sundays (until September 13),

Warsaw - Split, once a week, on Sundays,

Warsaw - Zadar, once a week, on Saturdays,

Rzeszów - Zadar, once a week, on Saturdays (until September 19),

Warsaw - Dubrovnik, four times a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays,

Krakow - Dubrovnik, once a week, on Saturdays.

LOT also planned to operate on the Budapest-Dubrovnik route in September, which was canceled because Hungary has practically closed its borders as of September 1.

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September 1, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia with updates for Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik as Croatia Airlines cancels numerous flights in September. 

Croatian Aviation reports that Croatia Airlines has announced its flight schedule for September this year. The company will continue to fly to the same number of destinations as in August, but there are cancellations of certain departures on almost all routes.

Airline companies are currently revising their flight schedule 2 to 3 weeks in advance, so we have taken the period from September 1 to 21 into review. 

Lines from Zagreb

Zagreb - Amsterdam: flight canceled on September 16,

Zagreb - Dubrovnik - Athens: flights canceled on September 6, 8, 13 and 17,

Zagreb - Brussels: flights canceled on September 3, 10, 15 and 17,

Zagreb - Copenhagen: flights canceled on September 12, 16 and 18,

Zagreb - Dublin: flights canceled on September 10 and 17,

Zagreb - London Heathrow: flights canceled on September 2, 4, 9 and 11,

Zagreb - Munich: canceled flights on September 2, 8, 9, 10, 13 - 18,

Zagreb - Paris: canceled flights on September 2, 8, 9 and 10,

Zagreb Split / Dubrovnik - Rome: canceled flights 1-3, 7-0 and 14. September,

Zagreb - Sarajevo: canceled flights on September 6, 7, 9, 11, 16 and 20,

Zagreb - Skopje: flights canceled on September 11, 14 and 18,

Zagreb - Vienna: flights canceled on September 2, 12, 16 and 19.

Lines from Split

Split - Frankfurt: flight canceled on September 18,

Split - Vienna: flights canceled on September 2, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14 and 18

Split - Zurich: flights canceled on September 7 and 16,

Lines from Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik - Athens: flights canceled on September 6, 8, 13 and 17,

Dubrovnik - Frankfurt: flight canceled on September 18,

Dubrovnik - Paris: flights canceled on September 10, 13 and 17,

Dubrovnik - Zurich: flights canceled on September 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 16.

Croatia Airlines canceled a total of over 80 departures (160 operations in both directions) from September 1 to 21 on international routes from Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik. Flights on routes after September 21 have not yet been considered, so further cancellations are also possible.

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August 29, 2020 – In a time when Dubrovnik is usually crawling with tourists, it is tourist guide Ivan Vukovic who thinks that the city needs to be free of the hundreds of tourist groups that stay in the city just for a couple of hours. The movie tours, local insight, and the cross-section of the past with the present – meet Dubrovnik's beloved tourist guide.

Ivan gives tourists a different perspective of the Pearl of the Adriatic. As a traveller himself, he noticed how a lot of destinations offer film tours. And people love it. Besides, as he states, film and series are a medium that does good to the local economy, and it is easy to create marketing from this. Since he started to representing Dubrovnik in a different way back in 2012, this brought him a lot of attention from TV companies and foreign journalists, so through them, he got a lot of marketing, connections, and references. The Austrian national ORF, German RTL Taff, The Times, Telegraph, Zeit, The Economist, Forbes, are just a few big names that featured his work.

“2012 turned my life upside down because this business started. My life was like a spin cycle on a washing machine,” says Ivan, for whom this coronavirus-year is now like a little break.

Many people wanted to discover Dubrovnik through the Game of Thrones stories, but Ivan had to reduce the number of people to 10 per group, in order to give them a quality tour. “Nobody will enjoy the tour when there is a terrible crowd, combined with hot and sweaty weather. This is why it's best to visit Dubrovnik during the winter.”

But besides the places where Star Wars: The Last Jedi was filmed, Ivan gives people a local experience. “I inserted a wanna be Croatian tour to give guests a sense of the city. I introduce them to the locals on the tour and gave them a cross-section of the past with the present,” says Ivan, who always picks a different local person to introduce to tourists.

Those stories include statements that rakija cures everything, that propuh is the silent killer, but coffee in a slow, Dalmatian way is a must. Usually sitting on the stairs with a cigarette between their fingers, elderly locals tell tourists that it was way better before. They say that life inside of the walls with so many apartments is unbearable, even though each of those locals has two apartments themselves.

“With all the overtourism, there were a lot of people selling themselves as a local experience which was not true so I want to somehow correct that with these ideas.”, says Ivan. “The tourists appreciate it and it isn't a tourist trap because they get local tips along the way.”

As the one with many experiences, a knowledge of history, and years of giving people the very best of Dubrovnik, it is safe to say that Ivan is among the people who know this city best. That's why he keeps saying that Dubrovnik is not just the walls around it. “The city is beautiful outside the walls, too. A path to the church on Orsula, a walk on Petka hill, or simply a walk on Kono which still has that Dubrovnik charm of garden architecture. And every corner carries its own story - a historical one or one from childhood.”

Dubrovnik is breathtaking, but it certainly isn't a city to visit for just one day. “This city has that wow effect, those old Dubrovnik captains who sit on the stairs in the shade, drink coffee for hours, read the newspapers and never like the weather forecast. It still has that local verse. Not all is lost,” says Ivan, who would prefer this town without so many cruisers.  

After months of giving himself to tourists, it’s time to pack his things and return to his beloved Africa. “It has somehow become my second home. The African bustle is life, emotion, and survival,” says Ivan, who worked as a humanitarian aid after the ex-Yu conflict with children from Bosnia and Croatia. His mother, who is a teacher, conveyed love to him to help those in need.

After he got a chance to go to Kenya, he developed a depth of emotion for it that words cannot describe. “I was a stranger to the children in the orphanage, and then I became their friend with whom they grew up. During a long period of 7 years, I watched all the struggles those children went through. For us, it’s normal to have the basics like water, electricity, asphalt, education, but that isn't the case for them. And now they have grown into serious people. That's my medal. And I know I will always come back there. And I will always leave them sad and travel back to Croatia with a lump in my throat.”

The number of countries he visited climbs to an incredible 123 in total. Currently, he is planning where to goes next to experience travelling in the coronavirus era, as well. As a fan of the Middle East, the propaganda doesn’t have any influence on him. “Maybe people are telling different stories, but I love the heartiness of those people,” says Ivan, advising everyone to go there and experience the Middle East’s charms.

Besides working as a tourist guide in crowded Dubrovnik and exploring the world, Ivan works as a photographer for the Agence France Presse, an international news agency based in Paris. His photos were also in the Croatia Airlines magazine, as well as those for Transavia and Aer Lingus, on the web for Travel agency Croatian Passenger Club, Laus Travel, and sometimes for foreign agencies such as Topdeck.

Still, one of the photos he lacks is one of the old Dubrovnik captains. They are always a bit grumpy, with grey hair showing under the cap. “They never want to be photographed,” says Ivan, who believes that they're the real spirit of this old town.

This traveller by passion, photographer by love, and tour guide by profession, creates the balance in his life by combining Dubrovnik’s rush and Africa's peace. “It's hard to explain to anyone here that life in Africa takes place on the street and that life isn't worth much there. But the African plateau is where I find peace. It’s a place where I listen to the silence. And I realise how happy I am.”

Check out Ivan Vukovic's amazing photos on his Instagram profile: dubrovnik_tourist_guide. If you want to book his tour, you can do this here.

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August 29, 2020 – Renowned British newspaper compares destinations across Europe and claims, though hit economically, Dubrovnik residents can finally enjoy summer again.

Popular British newspaper The Guardian have today published a feature comparing popular European tourist destinations in the year of Coronavirus. Comparing Magaluf, on the Spanish holiday island of Mallorca, Barcelona on the Spanish mainland and Dubrovnik in Croatia, they tell a story of once packed destinations whose streets this summer are comparatively barren.

The positive side of the story is that this breath of fresh air, though damaging economically, has allowed local residents to rediscover their cities.

“At the moment it’s wonderful,” Dubrovnik tour guide Vesna Celebic is reported to have told the Guardian journalist. “The old town is definitely the place that the locals reclaimed. Now you see a lot of kids riding bikes and playing soccer in some of the public squares, you hear the locals again. You hear the local language.”

However, Celebic's words are not wholly optimistic. In the article, she acknowledges that economic difficulties are looming.

“While I think this is a disaster and economically it’s scary, I think it’s also a moment to pause and reflect,” she said to the newspaper in conclusion. "Tourism should be a pleasure, not only for those coming in but also for those staying in and residing in [the city]."

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