January the 20th, 2023 - If you've been following any investment news over the last few months, you'll know that the very first Hayat hotel in Croatia, a luxury investment by the Turkish Dogus Group worth around 120 million euros, is on the horizon. In addition to the new Zadar Hayat hotel, the construction of a residential complex is planned on the site of the former Maraska factory.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, a mere four months after Turkish President Erdogan's official visit to Croatia, a group of Turkish businessmen have been staying in the heart of Zagreb. They are mainly from the construction sector, as two Turkish companies are participating in the renovation of a major Zagreb hospital and the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Turkish business owners are also investing in tourism in Croatia, and next week they will open the construction site of a new luxury hotel in Zadar, reports HRT.

"Next week in Zadar we have the opening ceremony of the construction site of the new tourist complex of the Dogus Group, and with that we want to strengthen our tourism cooperation", emphasised the Turkish ambassador to Croatia, Yavuz Selim Kiran, when referencing the new Zadar Hayat hotel.

It isn't just the upcoming Zadar Hayat hotel that has a Turkish signature, as one of the largest Turkish construction companies is also busy renovating Zagren's KBC Sestre Milosrdnice/Sisters of Charity hospital as well.

"Six hospital buildings are now under reconstruction, which we want to restore in 23 months, and we hope for more new jobs on the buildings damaged during the Zagreb earthquake," stated the deputy project manager of Akfen Construction, Mustafa Caner Ulukaya.

The building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also being renovated by the Turks. "We want to be a good partner to Croatia as a member state of the European Union and to get involved in other public projects," said Feka Construction's project manager Tugrul Turgut.

Trade exchange between Croatia and Turkey is currently rather modest, but some domestic companies have stepped into the Turkish market which represents a massive 85 million people.

"Our dominant export is scrap iron, which accounts for almost 50 percent of Croatia's exports to Turkey, we also have oil derivatives and the chemical industry," pointed out Croatian Chamber of Commerce Vice President for Industry and Sustainable Development, Tomislav Rados.

A metal processing company from Rijeka is also looking for a partner in Turkey. "We work according to the wishes of the customers, they send us designs of what they would like and we then export it,'' explained Marin Micetic, the director of Metalobrada from Rijeka.

After the Turkish ownership of Petrokemija from Kutin, their business here in Croatia is expanding, so the idea of opening a representative office of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce in Turkey is getting more and more support as time goes on.

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