April 9, 2021 - The second largest city in Croatia has been highlighted not only for its tourism but also for meeting the expectations of seniors around the world. The esteemed travel portal Travel and Leisure lists Split among the 9 best European cities to retire!

The international travel web portal Travel+Leisure recently published a list of the best places in Europe where people can make their retirement plans come true. Although the cost of living is a factor to take into consideration, the list considered others such as the climate, environment, culture, sights, and the health system quality.

Photo: Romulić and Stojčić

Despite the list recognizing Croatia in general as a tempting destination for retirees, due to its decent climate in both summer and winter along its nearly 6000 kilometers of coastline, the city of Split stood out above the rest.

‘"The Roman emperor Diocletian built his palace in Split, and its remains have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Restaurants, bars, cultural and entertainment venues, and many English-speaking residents make it relatively easy to adapt," writes Travel+Leisure.

It should come as no surprise then that the Roman Emperor Diocletian decided to spend his last years in retirement in his palace, located in the heart of Split.

Photo: Romulić and Stojčić

The portal also added that to get permanent residence in Croatia, it is necessary to spend five years in the country as a temporary resident. Likewise, it considers the Croatian health system to be adequate and something positive for those traveling from abroad is the availability of English-speaking doctors. You can find what you need to know about living in Croatia here.

Those interested in fulfilling their retirement plans on the Dalmatian coast can also consider other locations near Split, such as Trogir, Omiš, Makarska, Stobreč, or Podstrana. To learn more about Split, be sure to read our dedicated Total Croatia page.

Split also stands out for its gastronomic offer, its beaches, its museums and history, and the ease of setting sail in the Adriatic either from its ferry ports or by purchasing a boat; something that all interested seniors should definitely keep in mind.

Photo: Romulić and Stojčić

The full list includes the following cities:

• Algarve, Portugal
• Bordeaux, France
• Budapest, Hungary
• Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Split, Croatia
• Alicante, España
• Valletta, Malta
• Kinsale, Ireland
• Prague, Czech Republic

Follow the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

November 21, 2020 – The European Cities Marketing organization has named Zagreb Visitor Center employee Morana Suton as the tourist informant of the year in Europe.

As the Zagreb Tourist Board reports, at the 7th Tourist Information Centres Expert Meeting, which was held online, Morana Suton was selected among the registered candidates and became the first tourist informant from Croatia with such valuable recognition.

According to the ECM, for the 5th year in a row, before this year’s edition of the TIC Expert Meeting, European Cities Marketing organized a friendly competition amongst its members, who were asked to nominate a member of their tourist information center staff who gave added value to their work on customer services.

Among all of this year’s applications, the TIC Knowledge Group jury awarded Morana Suton from Zagreb with the ECM TIC Hostmanship Award 2020 for being present at the Zagreb Airport Visitor Center on the day of the earthquake, to greet, encourage, and guide visitors in extraordinary circumstances.

The Zagreb Tourist Board nominated Morana Suton because she showed the qualities of a true tourist worker. Namely, Sunday, March 22, 2020, was planned as the last working day of the Visitor Center at the Franjo Tuđman International Airport due to the introduction of the lockdown. However, the earthquake hit Zagreb and extraordinary circumstances occurred. Informant Suton called immediately in the morning and expressed her desire to go to work, explaining that all visitors who find themselves there will need help and guidelines for further action. After the security checked the airport building, the informant Suton was permitted to go to work and she went there around 10 am. Despite the immediate cancellation of all flights, scheduled air traffic was soon re-established, and all passengers who found themselves at the airport were very grateful for the help and information provided by Morana Suton.

"The job of an informant at the Visitor Center is not only to provide information and present a destination to tourists but also to provide a sense of security and a carefree stay to every visitor. Our informant, Morana Suton, did her job professionally and with the maximum level of responsibility, and I am extremely proud of her composure and dedication, which showed the qualities of a true tourist worker in particularly difficult circumstances. We have decided to nominate her for the European Informant of the Year, and we are happy that the profession has recognized this, awarding her this valuable recognition," said Martina Bienenfeld, the director of the Zagreb Tourist Board.

The 7th Tourist Information Centres Expert Online Meeting / Source: European Cities Marketing

"This year, our tourism workers have shown exceptional responsibility, creativity, and adaptability. In this way, they contributed to the positive image of Croatia as a safe tourist destination. I am proud that the quality and professionalism of the Croatian tourist worker has been recognized by the profession, and I would like to give my sincere congratulations to Morana Suton. This recognition is another confirmation that the people are the key to success in tourism," said Croatian Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac, who welcomed Morana Suton and the director of the Zagreb Tourist Board at the ministry.

Along with this award, Morana was granted a gift box from other TICs of Europe and a two-day work experience at Girona’s TIC in 2021 where the next TIC Expert Meeting will be held.

"On behalf of the Zagreb Tourist Board and myself, I want to express that I am very happy and truly honored to win the TIC Hostmanship Award 2020. It was a great pleasure for me to be able to represent the Croatian capital Zagreb at the TIC Expert Meeting and to meet TIC experts from other countries. I also want to thank my office, Zagreb Tourist Board, for nominating me for the TIC Hostmanship Award, thus allowing me to be a part of this year’s meeting and competition. TIC Expert Meeting 2021 in Girona is already on my calendar and I look forward to attending it next year. It will be my pleasure to get in touch with other people doing the same job as I do and sharing professional experience. It’s always interesting to meet my European colleagues and talk about the similarities of our job while learning at the same time how to improve our work to give the best in representing our city to the visitors," commented Morana on her award.

European Cities Marketing (ECM) is a non-profit organization for tourist boards, convention offices, and city marketing organizations in Europe, founded in 1991. It gathers more than 120 members, including tourist offices from cities such as Vienna, Berlin, London, Madrid, Paris, Rome, and others. Apart from Zagreb, the Croatian cities of Dubrovnik, Rijeka, and Opatija are also members.

The TIC Expert Meeting traditionally takes place physically for two days, but due to the pandemic, it was held online this year. As many as 140 Tourist Information Centres’ professionals representing 42 leading European cities joined this year's Digital ECM TIC Expert Meeting to exchange knowledge and best practices of adaptation and innovation on Tourist Information Centres.

To read more about Croatia, follow our dedicated page.