November 3, 2019 - The CO-EVOLVE project is looking to revitalize the Neretva Valley.

Guidelines for the integral protection of rural landscapes and sustainable tourism development of the Neretva River Delta were presented this week at the Valamar Lacroma Hotel in Dubrovnik, at the final conference of the CO-EVOLVE project organized by the DUNEA Regional Agency.

HRTurizam writes that the guidelines have created conservation, urban, landscape, and architectural bases that identify and valorize neglected, or abandoned, villages and hamlets in the hinterland of the Neretva, and planning guidelines that can be implemented in the spatial planning documentation of local self-government units in the Neretva valley.

Prefect Nikola Dobroslavic discussed the importance of the CO-EVOLVE project for Dubrovnik-Neretva County. "These Guidelines provide answers on how to revitalize the Neretva and give it new value through tourism development. We must work to raise awareness of the importance of the quality of the space we have and at the same time protect them to create the preconditions for the development of sustainable tourism,”  said Dobroslavic, adding that the Neretva is an example for the development of other rural parts of the county.

The importance of this project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund was also addressed by the director of the DUNEA Regional Agency, Melania Milic. “With a budget of €215,000, the DUNEA Regional Agency, together with the Institute for Physical Planning of Dubrovnik-Neretva County and external experts, created integrated management plans and activities for the Neretva River Delta - one of seven pilot areas. This was also the aim of the project - raising awareness, analyzing the situation and promoting the cooperation of man and nature in coastal areas with high tourism rates and high tourism potential. Through joint efforts, exchanging experiences, and searching for the best solutions, we have come to the end of this project and we can really be proud of the Guidelines that have emerged from the project,” said Milic, expressing her desire to provide funds for other clusters in order to continue developed rural areas.

Director of the Institute for Physical Planning of Dubrovnik-Neretva County Marina Oreb warned that most of the villages in Neretva, but also in other parts of the County, are not protected as cultural property by law. “Dubrovnik-Neretva County will ask the Ministry of Tourism to consider and recommend this pilot project to be implemented in all of Croatia, and to introduce a special measure, namely the program ‘Revitalizing rural landscapes’, from which funds would be allocated for projects that are aimed at the tourist valorization of abandoned villages,” Oreb explained.

The Guidelines for Integral Protection of Rural Landscapes and Sustainable Tourism Development of the Neretva River Delta consist of three documents: "Recognizing the Values of the Rural Landscapes of the Neretva Valley", "Guidelines for the Integral Protection and Revitalization of Rural Landscapes of the Neretva Valley" and "Guidelines for the Sustainable Development of Rural Tourism in the Neretva Valley" .

They rely on the previously prepared Neretva Cluster Tourism Development Plan 2015-2025 and serve as a recommendation and example of good rural development practice for other Dubrovnik-Neretva County tourism clusters.

The budget of the project is EUR 3 million, while the budget of the DUNEA Regional Agency is EUR 215,000, and 85% or EUR 2,559,000 is co-financed from the European Regional Development Fund through the Interreg MED Program.

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October 31, 2019 - Jadran Split, Jug Dubrovnik, and Mladost Zagreb all appeared in the third round of the LEN Champions League this week. 

Jadran Split suffered their second defeat in the Champions League on Tuesday. In the third round of Group A, Jadran lost in Kazan to Sintez 16:11 (4:3, 4:4, 5:2, 3:2).

The Russian side scored two goals in the first two minutes to lead 2:0. Jadran quickly responded, and Rino Buric scored twice to equalize 2:2. Jadran’s first and only lead of the match came in the 11th minute when Zovic scored for 6:5.

Sintez answered with three consecutive goals, but before the end of the second quarter, Delic reduced their lead to 8:7. The third quarter was crucial, in which Sintez scored five goals for 13:9. The game ended 16:11. 

Jug AO played right after Jadran on Tuesday and defeated German club Spandau 04 12:7 (2:4, 2:2, 3:0, 5:1) in the third round of Champions League, thus topping Group A.

Jug did not enter the game well, with Spandau 04 leading 4:2 after the first quarter - and they even maintained their two-goal lead after halftime (6:4). Jug, however, showed their worth in the second half. 

The third quarter saw a turnaround, and with goals by Loren Fatovic, Luka Lozina, and Filip Krzic, the Dubrovnik side reached their first lead of the game (7:6). After three and a half minutes in the last quarter, they increased their lead to 10:6, and their victory was all but confirmed. Jug went on to win 12:7.

Loren Fatovic was great for Jug with six goals, while Lozina and Alexandros Papanastasiou added two. 

In the fourth round on November 8, Jadran and Jug will meet in Split. 

In the 3rd round of Group B on Wednesday, Mladost played 11:11 against the mighty Pro Recco, led by former Croatia national team coach Ratko Rudic, and managed the draw in the last second of the match.

Mladen deservedly scored a point against the most expensive team in the world to record 24 wins in their last 24 Champions League games.

Mladost led 2:1 after the first quarter, at halftime, they were up 6:5, and in the middle of the third quarter, they were up by two (7:5). However, Pro Recco led 8:7 by the end of the third quarter, then 10:9 and 11:10 in the last leg. The Italian side scored for 11:10 with three seconds to go, and it seemed that would be the end. However, Mladost managed to equalize in the time remaining, and the hero of the match became Cosmin Radu, who scored for 11:11. 

The best player for Mladost was Luka Bukic, who scored three goals and Milos Cuk, who scored two goals, while Ivan Marcelic had eight saves. For Pro Recco, Filip Filipovic, Francesco di Fulvio, Dusan Mandic were the most efficient with two goals. 

It was a collision of the teams that together have the most European Championship titles - Pro Recco 8, Mladost 7. Pro Recco, however, has been waiting for the European title since 2015, while Mladost hasn’t been the best in Europe since 1996.

Mladost currently sits in 4th place of Group B and will visit the Spanish team Terrassa on November 9. 

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As Morski writes on the 26th of October, 2019, Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković recalled that on October the 26th, 1979, forty years ago, Dubrovnik was officially included on UNESCO's prestigious World Heritage List at the third session of the World Heritage Committee held in Egypt.

''Over the past four decades, Dubrovnik has faced two major disasters - the 1979 earthquake and the brutal 1991 Serbian-Montenegrin aggression. From both these tragedies, the city, like the mythical Phoenix, rose up and was reborn in some way. The tragedy of the war in particular has left numerous scars and still memorable wounds. Due to this aggression, Dubrovnik also ended up on the UNESCO List of Endangered World Heritage in December 1991 and remained on it until 1998.

To commemorate the fortieth anniversary, we also organised the "Dubrovnik, a Scarred City" exhibition, which was staged at the United Nations (UN) Centre in New York, then in Washington, and from October the 1st in Lazareti, it is about war casualties and the city's rapid and impressive reconstruction.

The exhibition is a testimony to the suffering of the City of Dubrovnik during the Homeland War, and that war also brought with it two precedents. The first is that for the first time in its history, UNESCO sent envoys to the area affected by the war, while the verdicts for the commanders of attacks on the city before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia were the first convictions for crimes against cultural heritage. These are things that we as Christians can forgive, but which we must by no means forget.

Likewise, the City of Dubrovnik's experience in restoring and treating its heritage in situations of natural disasters and warfare makes us a convenient location where various experts and scholars from around the world can be trained, share experiences and create a framework in which to operate in similar situations,'' stated Mayor Mato Franković before thanking everyone who helped in any way in the listing of the city on two UNESCO lists, and in the restoration and presentation of the city as a part of UNESCO's protected cultural heritage.

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October 26, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Dubrovnik and Pula.

Avio Radar reports that Spanish low-cost carrier Volotea announced yet another new route to Croatia in their 2020 summer flight schedule, this time from Sicily to Dubrovnik. The new Palermo-Dubrovnik line will operate once a week, on Wednesdays, from July 8 to August 26, 2020. A Boeing 717 aircraft is expected to service this line. 

At the same time, the Dubrovnik-Bari line has been strengthened. In addition to one flight per week on Wednesdays, Volotea will add another trip in the heart of the season on Mondays. On the other hand, both routes from Bergamo to Croatia will no longer operate next year. These are the flights to Dubrovnik and Split. 

Recall, Avio Radar reported earlier this week that Volotea announced a new flight from France to Dubrovnik in their 2020 flight schedule. The new Toulouse-Dubrovnik route will begin operations from April 4, 2020, with two flights a week - on Wednesdays and Sundays. The end of the seasonal service is currently unknown, as tickets are on sale until the end of August. An Airbus A319 aircraft will fly on this route. 

This route will take the place of German carrier Germania, which filed for bankruptcy in February this year. Germania flew only once a week between Toulouse and Dubrovnik on Sundays. 

Volotea also strengthened three flights from France to Split in its 2020 summer flight schedule. Namely, flights from Lyon, Nantes, and Toulouse will fly to Split three times a week next year - on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Sundays in the peak season. On the other hand, the Marseille-Split route, which only ran three flights a week, was reduced to two flights per week. 

Volotea will reduce traffic to destinations in the northern Adriatic for the 2020 summer flight schedule. Namely, only the Nantes-Pula route will remain with flights once a week, on Thursdays. This year’s new Bordeaux-Pula line is no longer on offer for 2020. Rijeka received its first Volotea line this year between Marseille and Rijeka, though it will not operate next year. 

Avio Radar also reports that TUI Airlines Belgium has announced a new route between Brussels and Pula in its 2020 summer flight schedule. Namely, this line will begin operations from April 25, 2020, with two flights a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays. A Boeing 737-800 aircraft will serve this line. 

Two more trips will be offered next year - from Brussels to Dubrovnik on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and Antwerp to Split on Mondays and Fridays. 

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October 25, 2019 - Dubrovnik Restaurant 360 and chef Marijo Curic have been recognized yet again for their culinary prowess after TripAdvisor names 360 among the top 100 fine dining restaurants in the world. 

Namely, at the top of the TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice Restaurants Awards list of the top 100 fine dining restaurants in the world, is the Michelin-starred 360, in 15th place. And when looking at the top European restaurants in the list, 360 finished 10th. 

360's forte is superb food and a quality, extensive wine list. They are inspired by the "flavors and ingredients of Dubrovnik & Mediterranean cuisine and framed in French cooking techniques", while their gourmet dishes are "ready to be served to discerning culinary guests from all around the world."

“Restaurant 360 Dubrovnik with its chef Marijo Curić (Michelin star 2018) is focusing on modern gastronomy developed on the ground of Dalmatian and Dubrovnik culinary heritage, which is to say we respect the flavors and ingredients but play with textures and techniques. The restaurant earned a Michelin star in 2018 and confirmed it in 2019. Among the accolades is the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence 2017 and the Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence 2018. The Falstaff restaurant guide gave us 91 points while, according to Gault Millau, our restaurant deserved 17.5 and 4 toques. Our wine list contains more than 500 entries. We serve 90 wines by the glass. Our concept of food&wine pairing focuses on regional and local wines and grape varieties. We aim to give you the total experience of food, wine, and hospitality,” writes 360 on their TripAdvisor page. 

Restaurant 360 can thank chef Marijo Curic for their success, who was born and raised in Dubrovnik and has been behind kitchens since he was 17. With a culinary diploma in hand, Curic has worked with some of the world's best chefs, including Claude Bosi, Brett Graham, Philip Howard, Yu Sugimota, Marcus Wereing, and Enrico Bartolini.

"His concept is based on adapting the favorite dishes of Dalmatia and Dubrovnik to very modern cooking based on the old French school. Each dish by Marijo Curic is creative and a skillful play of contrasts and textures, with at least one local segment accentuated. Marijo Curic earned a Michelin star in 2018 and confirmed it in 2019," reads Restaurant 360's website. 

You might recall that one of the best footballers in the world dined here with his sweetheart on their Dubrovnik holiday last spring. Namely, Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina arrived at the restaurant located within the old city walls in a van followed by several security guards. It certainly created quite the buzz.

Number one on the TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice Restaurants Awards list is TRB Hutong in China, while the European restaurants are led by Epicure in Paris.

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October 25, 2019 - Car sharing is recognized around the world as a quality alternative to ownership, and an excellent upgrade to the public transportation network. Thus, the city of Dubrovnik will become the first in Croatia to boast a 100% electric car-sharing system. 

Namely, HRTurizam reports that the first thirty Avant2Go vehicles will soon be deployed in seven locations around Dubrovnik.

It is estimated that one car in this system can replace more than ten privately-owned vehicles, and the value of this is particularly evident in cities such as Dubrovnik, in which transport infrastructure is hugely burdened. 

Grad Dubrovnik

“The city of Dubrovnik is systematically working to address the problems of traffic. In this regard, we have initiated numerous projects, primarily aimed at our fellow citizens. Among them is the first comprehensive smart parking in Croatia, for which we were awarded the first prize in the Smart City category this year. This is a sequel to the story. The car-sharing project has fully integrated into our vision of the city's development, which is why we have supported its implementation in Dubrovnik, which thus becomes a pilot project and once again takes the lead in introducing new technologies and smart solutions to raise the standard of living of its citizens. We believe that this service will help to unburden transport infrastructure and parking, which is currently one of our main focuses, and includes all other positive aspects that the City strives for, such as sustainability, energy efficiency, and environmental protection,” said Mato Franković, mayor of Dubrovnik.

Dubrovnik's new car-sharing service is called Avant2Go and is led by Avant car, the leading provider of this service in the region. 

"Electric mobility and co-sharing vehicles are currently the biggest global trends in the automotive industry. We believe that the 100% electric car-sharing Avant2Go will meet the needs of locals and their city. Among the main benefits of the system are noise-free driving and emissions, the availability of the service to a wide range of people, easy use of the service 24/7 via smartphones, and secured parking spaces,” said Matej Cer, founder of Avant car.

Grad Dubrovnik

The vehicles will be deployed in seven locations in the city from the second half of November at Dubrovnik Airport, Gruz Harbor, by the cable car leading to Srđ, the Public Garage, in Lapad, and at the Rixos and One Suite parking lots.

For starters, there will be thirty vehicles available, and mostly the Renault ZOEa models. The fleet and number of locations where the cars can be picked up and dropped off will increase in line with the needs of users, adds Avant. 

Car sharing is a service intended for Dubrovnik residents and their guests, since tourism destinations must systematically develop the diversity and complementarity of mobility services. 

"At the same time, Dubrovnik is one of the most demanding cities in terms of traffic optimization, but also a jewel of cultural heritage. Services such as car-sharing should, therefore, serve the development of mobility but also contribute to the sustainability of Dubrovnik. This project strategically links vital parts of the city to the most important traffic hubs. This makes Dubrovnik even stronger and more environmentally friendly with the rest of the world,” said Vladimir Markulin, director of Avant in Croatia.

The vehicles are booked, unlocked, and paid for with the mobile application. As an upgrade to public transport, car-sharing will contribute to relieving traffic in an environmentally friendly way, while giving citizens easy access to the roads without needing to own a car. 

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October. 24, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Zadar and Dubrovnik.

Avio Radar reports that Austrian low-cost carrier Lauda announced the introduction of a new route from Vienna to Zadar as part of their 2020 flight schedule. The line will begin operations from March 20, 2020, with three flights a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. An Airbus A320 will fly on this route. 

This is the second new Lauda line to Croatia in their 2020 flight schedule after the Vienna-Dubrovnik route was added. It is also interesting to note that the Austrian national carrier and Star Alliance member Austrian Airlines also announced a new route between Vienna and Zadar for next year, which will run daily. Compared to this summer, when only Eurowings ran two flights per week between Vienna and Zadar, there are now ten flights a week on this route for next year. 

Furthermore, Avio Radar reports that Spanish low-cost carrier Volotea has announced a new flight from France to Dubrovnik in their 2020 flight schedule. The new Toulouse-Dubrovnik route will begin operations from April 4, 2020, with two flights a week - on Wednesdays and Sundays. The end of the seasonal service is currently unknown, as tickets are on sale until the end of August. An Airbus A319 aircraft will fly on this route. 

This route will take the place of German carrier Germania, which filed for bankruptcy in February this year. Germania flew only once a week between Toulouse and Dubrovnik on Sundays. 

Volotea also strengthened three flights from France to Split in its 2020 summer flight schedule. Namely, flights from Lyon, Nantes, and Toulouse will fly to Split three times a week next year - on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Sundays in the peak season. On the other hand, the Marseille-Split route, which only ran three flights a week, was reduced to two flights per week. 

Volotea will reduce traffic to destinations in the northern Adriatic for the 2020 summer flight schedule. Namely, only the Nantes-Pula route will remain with flights once a week, on Thursdays. This year’s new Bordeaux-Pula line is no longer on offer for 2020. Rijeka received its first Volotea line this year between Marseille and Rijeka, though it will not operate next year. 

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October 21, 2019 - Popular British television series ‘Travel Man’, which airs on Channel 4, will open its ninth season from the 'Pearl of the Adriatic' and the Dubrovnik region. 

HRTurizam writes that famous British actor and TV presenter Richard Ayoade and comedian Stephen Merchant will showcase the city's cultural content and entertainment, a wide range of wine and gastronomy experiences, active vacations and sights of Dubrovnik and its surroundings. The episode on Dubrovnik will highlight this Croatian hotspot as a year-round city break destination for the British.

As part of the first episode, Richard Ayoade and Stephen Merchant tour locations from the Game of Thrones series, taste oysters from Ston, explore the slopes of Srd, search for a tie, join peacocks on Lokrum Island, visit cult hotels and interact with the locals, uncovering Dubrovnik as an authentic destination with various tourist offers.

The director of production company North One TV, Nicola Silk, noted that the selection of Dubrovnik in the first show is a testament to the incredible demand for this destination in the British market. "Dubrovnik has the perfect combination of history, culture and sunny weather, making it a great choice for the show's 9th season premiere. We were absolutely delighted with the local hospitality and knowledge of the destination, and we will definitely return to Croatia and continue to discover other places and cities,” said Silk.

"Channel 4, which is the most-watched British TV channel next to BBC, will showcase our country's beauties to its millions of viewers. The broadcasting of this show will contribute to the continued recognition of Croatia in the important British market, from which we have a growing interest from year to year, which is confirmed by the increase of tourist traffic of four percent in the current part of the tourist year,” said the director of the Croatian National Tourist Board Kristjan Stanicic.

The ninth season of Travel Man, which is watched by more than two million viewers in the UK and millions in the US, Canada, Australia and India, is scheduled to air on October 21 at 8:30 pm.

The TV coverage, i.e., promotion, comes at a great time, precisely to promote Dubrovnik’s winter program in the UK, which is the largest tourism market for Dubrovnik. 

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October 21, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Dubrovnik and Zagreb. 

Avio Radar reports that Turkish airline Freebird Airlines began a winter charter service from Dubrovnik to various cities in Europe, which started on September 30. One Airbus a320 aircraft is based in Dubrovnik and has two charter routes each day to various destinations in Europe, including Amsterdam, Vienna, Berlin (Shonefeld), Billund, Brussels, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Gothenburg, Hamburg, Hanover, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Leipzig, Munich, Oslo (Gardermoen), Rotterdam, Stockholm (Arlanda), and Stuttgart. 

The charter lines are organized by the travel agency RSD Reisen. Last year, Greek charter carrier Aegean Airlines flew on these lines, and before them was Turkish Corendon Airlines. 

Freebird Airlines began operating in 2000 with its main operating base at Istanbul Ataturk Airport. Currently, an Airbus A320 aircraft, registered TC-FBR, is based in Dubrovnik. It was produced in 2005 for the Indian airline Air Deccan. Following the collapse of the Indian carrier in 2009, it was taken over by the current Turkish carrier. Freebird has 10 Airbus A320 aircraft in its fleet. One Airbus A320 is registered with its Maltese subsidiary, Freebird Airlines Europe, which allows the Turkish airline to fly charter flights to destinations within the European Union. 

In other flight news, Avio Radar reports that Flydubai has further reduced winter traffic on the Dubai-Zagreb line. While traffic has already been reduced from seven to five flights per week, it has now been decreased to four fights per week. The route will be in service on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays with the Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

During the Christmas and New Year holidays, the line will be increased to six flights per week. This line operates in conjunction with Emirates, which runs daily summer flights on the Boeing 777-300, while Flydibai takes the winter period. 

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October 20, 2019 - Croatian water polo clubs Jug, Jadran, and Mladost played their second-round LEN Champions League games over the weekend. 

HRT reports that Jug AO registered their second win in the second round of Group A after topping Spain's Barceloneta 13-15 (2-4, 3-3, 6-3, 4-3) in Dubrovnik. Paulo Obradovic was massive for Jug with six goals. 

Barceloneta led 3-2 two minutes before the end of the first quarter and held the lead for a long time - and on two occasions, they were up by three goals. But in the third quarter, Jug scored six consecutive goals, coming from 5-8 to an 11-8 lead.

Barceloneta scored two goals in the last minute of the third quarter and Jug entered the final quarter with a minimal lead of 11-10. A minute and a half into the last quarter, goals by Paul Obradovic and Loren Fatovic pushed Jug to 13-10, and by the end of the match, Jug’s victory was no longer in question.

Paulo Obradovic was the best for Jug with six goals, while Loren Fatovic scored three. Alvaro Ortega led Barceloneta with four goals.

The second Croatian representative in Group A, Jadran Split, won their first point against Berlin club Spandau 04 with a 12-12 (4-5, 2-3, 4-3, 2-1) result in Split.

At no point in the game did the Jadran have an advantage. The German side also led by three goals during the second and third quarters - and Jadran’s first equalizer only came thanks to Buric's goal for 11-11 in the middle of the final quarter. 

Spandau led again, though Buric equalized with a goal with just over 3 minutes to go to make it 12-12. By the end of the match, both teams missed several chances to win, the last of which was Jadran’s Butic, though his last-second shot was defended by Spandau's goalkeeper.

Zvonimir Butic scored three goals for Jadran, with two added by Rino Burić, Nathan Power, and Antonio Dužević. Tiberiu Negrean was the best for Spandau with four goals.

After two rounds in Group A, Jug, the Olympiacos, and Szolnoki have the maximum six points.

Mladost met Dinamo Tbilisi 21:11 (8: 2, 3: 1, 6: 4, 4: 4) in the 2nd round of the Champions League Group B on Saturday in Zagreb.

Cosmin Radu was the best for Mladost with five goals, while Lovre Milos, Josip Vrlic, Milos Cuk, and Konstantin Kharkov each scored three.

Zagreb-born Marko Jelaca was the best for Dinamo with four goals.

Recall, Mladost lost to OSC in Budapest at the start of the Champions League 10:13. 

In Group B, Ferencvaros leads with six points, while Mladost, Pro Recco, Terrassa, and OSC Budapest have three, though Mladost has one match more. 

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