ZAGREB, 17 April 2022 - Celebrating Easter mass on Sunday, the Archbishop of Zagreb, Cardinal Josip Bozanić, called on the faithful to stand ready to help, notably displaced persons from Ukraine, and said "the future does not belong to thugs."

We are called upon not to be closed in ourselves, to build a world of unity and solidarity against discouragement and selfishness, the cardinal said.

He recalled philosopher Max Horkheimer's statement that one should refuse to accept a reality according to which the executioner is always right in relation to his victim.

"The future does not belong to violence, that is the deep point of Easter," Bozanić said.

Today we are praying for all our needs, for the homeland, for world peace, and primarily for peace in Ukraine, he said, adding that peace is necessary to those attacked as well as to the attackers, and mostly to the instigators and commanders.

"Let's continue to stand ready to help charitably, notably in taking in the displaced. Our recent experience of war, suffering and exile strengthens our openness for generosity. We deeply believe that innocent victims will bring a blessing to those who in these weeks have been going through an ordeal unworthy of man."

Bozanić concluded his sermon by quoting the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac, who said in the Zagreb Cathedral on 13 April 1941 that peace was one of Christ's most beautiful gifts after the resurrection. The relevance of his words is a strong message for our times, he said.

The mass was attended by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Veterans Minister Tomo Medved, Interior Minister Davor Božinović, Culture Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek, and Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman as well as, according to Bozanić, a group of refugees from Ukraine.

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April 3, 2021- President Zoran Milanović on Saturday extended his best wishes to all Christian believers who celebrate Easter according to the Gregorian calendar.

He said that this year, the faithful worldwide are celebrating this greatest Christian holiday while facing challenges put before them by the coronavirus pandemic and related threats to their health and their social security, and peace.

"In these difficult and challenging times, the Easter holiday should remind us of the most important religious and universal secular principles such as goodness, unity, and love for our neighbors, and should strengthen in all Christian believers the faith and hope of a victory of light and a new beginning," the President said in his message posted on Facebook.

"Let us recognize and accept the principles of goodness, unity, and love as a universal way of life and a path to a better tomorrow. May this greatest Christian holiday encourages us to foster the values of mutual solidarity, in particular with our compatriots who need assistance in this challenging time," Milanović said.  

Jandroković calls for solidarity and unity.

In his message, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković also called for solidarity and unity in the present challenging circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic and last year's earthquakes.

"Our thoughts are in particular with our compatriots in need and with all the people suffering illness, loneliness, suffering, injustice and sometimes a feeling of hopelessness," he wrote and added: "Easter is a time of hope because life conquers death and light conquers darkness, giving us the strength to overcome all of life's difficulties. May the atmosphere of Easter bring joy and peace to everyone in need and call us to stop and question ourselves and our attitude towards others."  

"By celebrating Easter, we celebrate universal, timeless, and fundamental human values that rest on love and encourage our faith and hope of a better tomorrow. We also pray for our Croatian homeland, recovery and stability, and a better and happier life for our citizens. In the spirit of Easter, let us again express our gratitude to both known and unknown heroes who are taking care of others' health and lives and to our fellow citizens who are generously exposing themselves to help their neighbors. Let us follow this example of accepting the message of Easter and fostering solidarity and unity among people. Each of us can set an example and make our society better," Jandroković said in his message.

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ZAGREB, 2 April, 2021 - More than 22,000 tourists are staying in Croatia ahead of Easter, including 17,000 foreigners, and although the number is expected to increase over the holidays, turnover is not expected to reach the pre-pandemic levels, National Tourist Board director Kristjan Staničić said on Friday.

"Considering all the circumstances, we don't expect for the coming Easter holidays the level of turnover from previous years and previous Easter holidays but, by adhering to all epidemiological measures and protocols, we expect tourism activities, with an emphasis on the domestic market," he told Hina.

Since the school spring break follows the Easter holidays, more domestic tourists are expected next week, alongside those from Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Italy and the Czech Republic, he said.

More than 130 hotels and 60 campsites are currently open and most tourists are staying in Istria County, the northern Adriatic Kvarner region and Split-Dalmatia County, Staničić said, calling on all citizens and tourists to behave responsibly.

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March the 29th, 2021 - Easter might be rapidly approaching, but this means very little for the country as the coronavirus pandemic and all of the various travel restrictions rage on. Croatian coastal tourism usually begins waking up with the arrival of Easter, but this year will be different as a result of the current unfavourable global situation.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, here in Croatia, the Easter holidays usually mark the beginning of a more intense arrival of guests, particularly along the Adriatic coast. However, due to the continuing pandemic, this year, for the second time in a row, this won't be the case. Hotels up and down the coast have a few reservations to boast of, but nothing in comparison to what they're used at this time of year, and most tourist workers are preparing anxiously for yet another uncertain and unstable tourist season.

Scenes from April 2019 for tourist workers now seem like a strange and very distant dreamlike memory, despite the fact that this year there are more tourists in the Zadar area than there were last year, when we were in a complete "lockdown". Most of these people are, however, Croatian tourists from other parts of the country. Due to the unfortunate epidemiological situation, the expectations for Easter in terms of Croatian coastal tourism are also quite poor.

"We're also afraid that what we have reserved at the minute will just end up being cancelled. Entries to Croatia have been simplified with these rapid coronavirus tests, but unfortunately for people returning home to neighbouring countries, things continue to be complicated,'' said Tomislav Fain, president of the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies.

Owing to the problems surrounding travel and lockdowns still reigning strong in many European countries, particularly in the UK, the expectations are that only Croatian residents travelling around the country are to be expected. Frane Skoblar from Turisthotel believes that Croatian hostels throughout this pandemic crisis have drawn the short straw due to their connection to air traffic, which has been unreliable and costly.

The short straw was also drawn by private accommodation owners/renters who have almost no reservations to speak of. On the other hand, hotels and large resorts claim that they're more or less satisfied with reservations for the upcoming Easter holidays.

"We're mainly focused on the Croatian market, and some guests from Austria and Slovenia are also coming," said Goran Sremec from Falkensteiner Hotel & Spa Iadera.

Guests feel safe in the camps as well. Misela Lastric (Falkensteiner Hotels & Residences Borik) says that they expect increased interest from local guests and that the bookings are looking very good for now, adding that they're currently at more than half capacity.

The ongoing pandemic has completely changed the tourist picture all over the world, with Croatian coastal tourism taking a very, very heavy blow.

"There will certainly be no Slovenes coming here at this moment in time. On the days of Corpus Christi, which come after that, the Germans traditionally come, and you know yourselves what sort of situation they've found themselves in,'' said Mario Paleka, director of the Tourist Board of the City of Zadar.

All tourist workers expect the first large number of tourists to arrive only in June, reports HRT, and that still depends entirely on the epidemiological situation not only in Croatia but in the country's emitting markets, as well as the rate of vaccination.

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March 22, 2021 - It's increasingly likely that there will be no Easter tourism in Croatia this year as the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across Europe.

Although no one seriously counted on tourist traffic for Easter, which falls relatively early this year, the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading across Europe has sunk the last hopes for the arrival of foreign tourists in Croatia, reports Poslovni.hr.

It is becoming increasingly clear that Croatian tourism will obviously rely almost exclusively on domestic guests in this pre-season. Still, the current epidemiological situation does not promise much here either.

Although it was announced earlier, there will be no 'Vacation-Worthy Week' campaign this spring, as it has been postponed to the fall. The Cro-card did not pick up as planned, either. 

Part of the hotels, or a total of about 1,100 in Croatia, will try to open their doors. 

One of the larger hotel houses selling Easter packages is Aminess hotels and camps, which announced the opening of facilities in Novigrad and on the island of Krk.

The Aminess Maestral Hotel in Novigrad will be the first to open its doors this Friday, March 26, while the nearby Aminess Sirena camp will open on April 1. The first guests will be welcomed on April 1 at Aminess Atea Camping Resort and Aminess Gaia Green Villas in Njivice on Krk.

“Aminess hotels and camps will present a unique gourmet offer this Easter holiday, which will be further enriched with the award-winning Aminess olive oil Vergal for all lovers of Istrian delicacies. We look forward to the first guests at our tourist destinations this year.

The year behind us was challenging, but we are optimistic about the future," says Mladen Knežević, Sales and Marketing Director of Aminess, whose facilities have been awarded the Safe Stay in Croatia label.

An Easter opening was also announced by Poreč's Plava laguna, which will try to fill its facilities with domestic guests by joining the Croatian tourist card (Cro Card) project.

From now on, all holders of the Cro Card will receive a 10 percent discount at Plava Laguna facilities and the mobile homes in the Istracamping campsites.

"We are glad that we got involved in this project to encourage our local guests to spend their holidays in Croatia.

Plava Laguna has facilities in Poreč, Umag, and Rijeka, so we invite all those interested to use their tourist cards for their weekend vacations or their summer vacation in our facilities. Guests can choose accommodation in one of our four resorts, 25 hotels or 13 suites.

The Cro Card is a great project that encourages domestic tourism, which is extremely important to us in this pandemic time, especially because other European countries will want to keep domestic guests in their countries," said Plava Laguna.

However, for now, they still have nothing to look forward to when it comes to realizing the Cro Card because this project is still in its infancy, largely due to the pandemic.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, from July 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, a total of 15,507 transactions were realized. Only 2728 tourist cards were issued by the Croatian Postal Bank (HPB) in the mentioned period.

As it is known, the Croatian tourist card is a project of the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to increase the consumption of Croatian citizens in catering and tourist facilities throughout Croatia.

Employers can pay up to HRK 2,500 of non-taxable income per year to their employees, and the tourist cardholder can cover their costs for using services and products within the tourist offer during the year. They can top up the card with their own money and use discounts.

The 'Vacation-Worthy Week' campaign, implemented by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports in cooperation with the Croatian National Tourist Board, will be delayed to the post-season, guided by the idea that the most important thing now is to contribute to a favorable epidemiological situation through responsible behavior to achieve the best possible results in the peak part of the tourist year, said the Ministry.

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April 12, 2020 - There are 13,500 tourists registered in Croatia for Easter this year, and most of them are on Vir Island. 

Dnevnik.hr reports that thousands of tourists will still spend Easter in Dalmatia this year. While some are hiding from the coronavirus, others are stuck here and unable to get back home. Most tourists, however, are on Vir Island.

Namely, out of the 13,500 tourists registered across Croatia, there are currently 600 tourists on the still corona-free island.

Barbara and Atila arrived in Croatia a month ago and have been staying in a weekend house on the island of Vir instead of an apartment in Budapest.

"Everyone would like to come here now, of course, but they need to wait a little longer," Atila says, adding that he followed the news and prepared his family to go to Croatia as soon as the pandemic appeared in China.

At a time when the coronavirus pandemic has taken over the world, Vir has become their haven.

"The tourists who found themselves on Vir at the time when the measures were announced are now sharing the fate of the corona crisis with us," says Kristijan Kapović, Mayor of Vir Municipality.

Barbara from Hungary says she feels completely safe on Vir, too.

"I feel safer here than in Hungary because there are no infections on Vir," says Barbara.

The Vir Crisis Headquarters says there are no infected people because they adhere to all the rules. However, a few days ago, the fishing rules were broken by two Czechs who, after a 20-hour search, were found on the high seas with high temperatures.

"The temperatures they had probably came from being outside all night. But no coronavirus was detected," says Antonio Vucetic, Chief of Vir Municipality's Civil Protection Headquarters. 

Around 600 tourists, mostly 'weekenders', will welcome Easter on Vir.

"All of them are welcome, all of them are registered, and everyone who changes their place of residence for more than 24 hours belongs to the status of a tourist," explains Srdjan Liveric, director of the Vir Tourist Board.

And not only Croats are among them.

"They are from central Europe, from those 700-800 kilometers around Vir. There are Slovenes, Hungarians, Slovaks, Poles, Czechs, Germans, Austrians, Bosnians, from the places that surround us. Vir is an auto destination," says Kristijan Kapović, Mayor of Vir Municipality.

Currently, out of the 13,500 tourists in Croatia, 3,800 of them are from abroad. Thus, nearly 10,000 Croats are likely escaping the coronavirus in their weekend homes. 

The least are registered in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, while in some counties, tourist numbers are rising despite the pandemic.

Zadar County ensured that it was a unique county in Croatia during this corona period. Specifically, in the corona-fueled March, and the first quarter of 2020, they recorded 5 percent more overnight stays than last year.

Vir is also convinced that this season will be an advantage for them, concluded Dnevnik.hr.

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

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