October 13, 2019 - The season may be ending but the promotion goes on - an ambitious project to connect the Lesina of old (Hvar) with Lesina in Italy today - by kayak. 

The island of Hvar has had many names over the centuries. When the Ancient Greeks from the island of Paros sailed into what is now Stari Grad some 2,400 years ago, they named the island Pharos. In the 3C BC, the Greek poet Apollonius of Rhodes referred to it as Piteyeia after its pine trees, while the Romans changed the name slightly to Pharia and then Fara. Slavic influences changed the name to Quarra and finally to Hvar, but there was one other important period of the island's history when the name changed completely, as you can see from the postcard of the original Hotel Elisabeth, now available on eBay for a cool 12,000 euro - Lesina.

Lesina was the Venetian name for Hvar, and it remained its name for centuries, and Venetian culture, history and architecture has left its mark on the island over the years.  

This week sees an ambitious attempt to connect the island formerly known as Lesina (Hvar) with the settlement of the same name in Gargano, some way up the coast from Bari. And what better way to join the project 'From Lesina to Lesina' than by kayak, thereby showcasing Hvar's adventure tourism credentials. Hvar Tourist Board has teamed up with adventure tourism specialists, AndAdventure, and the plan is for representatives of the tourist board and the tour agency to set off from Hvar on October 15 - weather permitting - and undertake a six-day kayak across the Adriatic to Lesina in Italy. Stops on the way will include the Croatian islands of Korcula, Palagruza and Susac, as well as the Italian islands of Pienose and San Domino. 

After arriving in Italy, our kayaking heroes will hold meetings with representatives from the representatives of Lesina, as well as visiting the island of San Clemento, which shares its name with the largest of the Pakleni Islands, Sveti Klement. 

Assuming perfect weather conditions, the expedition From Lesina to Lesina will depart on October 15 from the harbour in Hvar at 08:00.  

Feeling inspired to get into a kayak and start a journey of discovery of your own? AndAdventure among the top regional kayak specialists, whether that is kayaking between UNESCO World Heritage Sites Trogir and Diocletian's Palace in Split or a sunset paddle around the Pakleni islands. Take a tour of their services or check out the kayak promo video below.

October 13, 2019 - A special evening for Dagmar Meneghello in Zagreb, as she receives a lifetime achievement award for her dedication to art and culture at Zagreb Tourfilm Festival. 

Croatia's islands are dotted with incredible characters, whose personalities have helped shape the personality of the communities where they have chosen to reside. 

Nowhere is this more true than on the largest of the Pakleni islands in front of Hvar Town, Sveti Klement. Here, in a bay better known as Palmizana, rather than its actual name of Vinogradisce, lives a remarkable woman from Zagreb who has dedicated more than 50 years of her life to turning Palmizana into one of the top destinations on the Adriatic, as well as a haven for art and culture in an era where party tourism was deemed more important elsewhere. 

I first met Dagmar Meneghello a few years ago soon after I started the Total Hvar project. I knew little about the Pakleni Islands except that Carpe Diem Beach was where the best party was, Jerolim was a naturist island, and most of the best restaurants were to be found at Palmizana. I had no idea that Palmizana went way beyond the beach and good food, but once I had negotiated the peacocks and tortoises roaming around, and having explored the arboretum and art gallery, I came to appreciate that I found somewhere rather special indeed. 

As had many others. Hvar is known as a celebrity island, but it is really the number of celebrities who visit that nobody ever hears about which is the bigger story. The Meneghello haven on Palmizana is known as a great celebrity escape as in addition to the excellent food and hospitality, the cameras of the paparazzi never make it past the front door. 

On the occasion of her 50th anniversary living on Palmizana, I went to visit Dagmar Meneghello and asked her to reminisce on the early days and the golden eras. It was a fascinating interview, enrichened by photographs provided by Dagmar - you can read it here. 

Her achievements are all the remarkable when one considers that she was a sophisticated Zagreb lady who came to Hvar and ended up falling in love and living with a local man, Toto Meneghello. But Toto was not a man with a fancy address on the pjaca in Hvar Town, rather on a deserted Pakleni island with no water, electricity or inhabitants. His family had been engaged in tourism since 1906 when Eugen Meneghello opened up his stone house for tourism there, but this was Robinson tourism at its most Robinsonesque. 

Never mind the thought of art and culture, just providing guests with enough food and drink was the main challenge. But surely, slowly, Dagmar added an element of culture to proceedings to satisfy her starved artistic soul. And slowly, Palmizana became known not just as a place of extraordinary tranquillity and beauty, but one of art, culture and outstanding exhibitions and concerts from world-class performers. 

A lifetime of dedication, rightfully recognised at the Zagreb Tourfilm Festival with its lifetime achievement award for Dagmar Meneghello. Congratulations, richly deserved!. 

Learn more about the paradise created by the Meneghello family here. 

October 13, 2019 - What exactly lies on the Kabal Peninsula above Stari Grad on the island of Hvar?

It is one of the most photogenic - and deserted - parts of the island of Hvar, voted last week at the best island in Europe by readers of Conde Nast. The lead photo above is one of my favourite of Hvar, taken by Mario Romulic and depicting a sleepy turtle watching a speedboat pass by.  

But for all its beauty from the air, not many people visit the Kabal Peninsula, which juts out into the Adriatic above Stari Grad on the north of the island. One reason, perhaps, for the lack of visitors is that there is also very little information about the peninsula. What exactly is there?

As you can see from the aerial shots, the Kabal Peninsula is a green paradise, largely undeveloped and uninhabited. Indeed, there are only two villages, Mala Rudina and Velika Rudina, and Mala only has a full-time population of two! The peninsula enjoys a protected status, so there are unlikely more villages being built in the future, although there is a slightly different story on the coastline. 

But while the Kabal Peninsula may look as though is it merely untouched nature, it does have a couple of interesting things to see. Did you know, for example, that at the very tip of the peninsula and at the entrance to the Stari Grad bay, Tito built some bunkers to protect the island from attack?

You can see them clearly from the ferry as you are entering the Stari Grad bay if you know where to look (on the left hand side of the bay as you enter), but if you want to explore them physically, a drive the length of the peninsula is called for. The road is not asphalt, but it is fine for a regular car, and about 12 km in distance from the Rudine villages. 

Take a tour in the video above. And a little tip - you can see some of the best sunsets on the island from the bunkers. A fun and alternative way to experience the considerable beauty of the island. 

There may not be many villages on the Kabal Peninsula, but there are plenty of bays. And where you find an isolated bay in Croatia, you often find a house. And sometimes with a celebrity inside... Here is Goran Visnjic a few years ago boarding a seaplane in Jelsa after a visit to his waterfront house on the Kabal Peninsula. 

Mala Rudina is tiny, but it is one of the prettiest settlements in Dalmatia, and it has been included in various projects with EU funding along with other eco-ethno villages on Hvar - Humac, Velo Grablje and Malo Grablje. Check out the video below. 

The area around Mala Rudina underwent a huge change about 15 years ago, when construction of a new villas project began. Eleven luxury villas, whose area was bigger than the village itself. 

Paperwork issues meant that the project stopped shortly before completion in around 2005. And there the project lay, rotting, for more than a decade. 

Things changed this year, as a Czech company took over the project and managed to resolve the paperwork issues and complete the project. The villas finally opened for renting in August this year, some 15 years after construction began. You can take a tour from my summer visit here.  

Velika Rudina, a much bigger settlement, is my favourite living village on Hvar. it is also a little different to the rest and is also known locally as 'Little Bosnia.' There is a small historic centre, but the village has expanded in various directions, and there is a great sense of community. Unlike most villages on the island, Velika Rudina does not have a historical tie with a bigger settlement - Vrisnik with Humac, Pitve with Zavala, Svirce with Ivan Dolac - and its population reflects that. 

And if you are looking to swim in Stari Grad, the bay of Zukova is less than two kilometres away by car and a short walk from Velika Rudina. A gorgeous spot for a family day at the beach. Zukova is one of many bays on the peninsula, some much wilder than others. The majority are deserted, even in the season.  

The biggest change to the peninsula planned is in Brizenica Bay, one of the many beautiful bays on Kabal, and very close to Stari Grad. The first Four Seasons resort in Croatia was due to open this year, a 140 million euro investment of luxury hotel and villas, which would raise the level of hospitality in the region. At time of writing, the project is inching forward, but a full building permit has yet to be issued. If constructed, the project will change the local landscape permanently, with some welcoming the development and others opposed. Time will tell is Croatian bureaucracy is the final arbitrator. 

The Kabal Peninsula plays an important role in the most challenging sporting race of the Hvar calendar, the annual Faros Marathon. Now in its 44th year, the Faros Marathon is a 16-kilometre open sea swim, which attracts some of the top names in international swimming, including Olympic medal winners. The race, which takes place in late August/early September starts and finishes in the harbour of Stari Grad, and the athletes swim the length of the Kabal Peninsula to its very tip 8 km from the town, before turning round and returning to the finish line in Stari Grad. 

Want to learn more about Stari Grad and surrounding area? Here are 25 things to know. 

October 10, 2019 - A big volunteer action this weekend has removed a lot of trash from the Hvar sea - congrats to all involved.

A nice initiative and some great coordination and teamwork this weekend on the island of Hvar, as 30 volunteer divers from all over the world combined to clean the Hvar sea and nearby Palmizana of an incredible 7 tons of trash. Four tons were removed from the sea close to Hvar Town, and a further three tons from off the Pakleni Islands as part of a 2-day international environmental campaign called Blue Cleaning. The event, now in its third year, was organised by Aqualis / Viking Diving Centre, with the support and co-organisation of the Hvar Tourist Board and Hvar Town local authorities. 

The team of experienced volunteer divers included citizens of Croatia, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Czechia, Hungary, Greece and the United States - a truly international operation on the island which Conde Nast readers voted the best island in all Europe earlier this week. The focus of the clean up on Saturday was in the harbour of Hvar Town, moving to ACI Marina Palmizana on Sunday.  Viking Diving provided two boats and equipment, and the Hvar Red Cross provided 15 volunteers, as well as lunch each day.  Nautic Centre Hvar also coordinated the action with the Hvar Harbourmaster's Office, and town authorities took care of the disposal of the recovered trash. A thank you dinner was provided by ACI Marina Palmizana, whose staff also took part in the cleanup operation, and volunteers also included two people from the public institution, More i Krs. Popular Hvar bars Aloha nad Nautika were on hand with warm refreshments for the hardworking volunteers. 

A great initiative, and one which is being replicated in other parts of the island and elsewhere on the Croatian coast and island. 

To learn more about environmental activities on the island, follow the efforts of local NGO, Eco Hvar. 

October 8, 2019 - It has been a great year for the island of Hvar, the best island in Europe in 2019, says Conde Nast Traveler.  

It was back in - I think - 1997 that the readers of Conde Nast Traveler put the island of Hvar truly on the global map, with an award that has been quoted so many times since:

Hvar is one of the 10 most beautiful islands in the world. 

And it is. Having lived there for 13 years full-time, I was fortunate to experience more of its beauty than most people. 

And the Hvar love continues to enchant the readers of Conde Nast in 2019, as the results of the annual and influential Conde Nast Readers Choice Awards have been announced. With a record 600,000 plus votes cast, the number one island in Europe is... Hvar!

Here is what they had to say. 

1. Hvar, Croatia

With warm summers and mild winters, the island of Hvar is the sunniest spot in Croatia—there are over 2,800 hours of sunshine annually. It may be known for its beaches and turquoise water, but there’s another side to this resort island. From the town of Hvar on the island’s southern shore, make the slow, uphill climb to Tvrđava Fortica, a 13th-century fortress with the best views on the island.

Pro tip: To see Hvar’s spectacular fields of lavender in full bloom, visit in early summer. The harvest takes place in late July, but you can buy all sorts of scented souvenirs in the local markets year-round.Getting there: The Split Airport is just a 2.5-hour flight from London. From there, take a cab 20 minutes to the ferry station and board a catamaran or ferry to the town of Stari Grad. The entire journey takes about 90 minutes.

You can see all the winners in the original article. 

To learn more about the island, check out the Total Croatia Hvar in a Page guide. 

October 7, 2019 - Hvar's 5 tourist boards will promote the island as one destination. A look at how that might look promoting UNESCO Hvar heritage. 

 It may come as a surprise to some, as it did to me, to find that the island of Hvar has five tourist boards, each tasked with the job of promoting its own part of the island. If you think that is crazy, look at Brac where there are 7 or 8... After long discussions, the 5 Hvar tourist boards have decided to come together and will promote the island as one brand and with one strategy. As I understand it, the tourist board directors will rotate the position of main director each year, and the mayors will also do the same in their capacity of President of the Tourist Board. 

So what kind of projects may the island promote together as one island? There are several that come to mind, including one I came up with for all the UNESCO Hvar heritage. For the 6 UNESCO Hvar heritages the island possesses is more than any other island in the world. We will come to them in a minute. For a visit to Baranja last week showed another obvious and popular activity - wine and walk tourism. 

In Baranja, they have 12 wineries spaced over 12km and there is a map (pic of one of the stations above). They pay an initial fee and get a glass and holder to put around their neck and off they go. In Baranja, they have 12 wineries spaced over 12km and there is a map (pic of one of the stations above). They pay an initial fee and get a glass and holder to put around their neck and off they go.

Plancic in Vrbanj, Pavino in Stari Grad, Zuvela in Ager, Caric and Pinjata in Vrboska, Dubokovic, Tomic, Huljic in Jelsa, Marjan in Pitve, Ahearne in Vrisnik, PZ Svirce. Plenty to see on the way in terms of island sights, and some thought would have to go into the route and whether or not to include all these, but there is the makings of a fun way for tourists to discover the wine island of Hvar.

But the joint project I really like is to bring together the six UNESCO heritages of Hvar at the same time in one location, which can only happen at one very specific time of the year.  

Location, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Stari Grad Plain, or Ager (or Hora, depending on your approach to its history). A dinner at Agroturizam Pharos for a group of guests, some paying, some international media, so that they can cover this unique event of the island showing its UNESCO Hvar credentials. 

Tablecloths and napkins made from the agave lace from the Benedictine Nuns in Hvar Town.  

In the very fertile filed where the Ancient Greeks first planted vines and olives 2,400 years ago, a feast for the guests featuring the UNESCO Hvar Mediterranean Diet, one of 9 locations in the Mediterranean which had its diet inscribed as intangible heritage in 2013. 

Music? What other option that the romantic sound of traditional a cappella klapa from southern Dalmatia. 

An evening to be savoured with wondering at the craftmanship in the dry stone walls that are to be found all over this world heritage site

And at a certain time on Maundy Thursday, just before Easter (and the reason this unique event must be time sensitive), the 500-year tradition of Za Krizen, or Behind the Cross. Six simultaneous processions depart at 22:00 from Jelsa, Pitve, Vrisnik, Svirce, Vrbanj and Vrboska, following the same 22km circular route through the night until 07:00. All processions pass through the Stari Grad Plain. A magical evening of culture, heritage, nature and reflection. 

UNESCO Hvar all in one place and one location for one night only. It could be a fantastic story, as well as promoting aspects of Hvar that many tourists miss. 

To learn more about the island of Hvar, check out the Total Croatia Hvar in a Page guide. 

For a look at all the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and intangible heritages, head on over to the Total Croatia UNESCO guide. 

October 1, 2019 - It has been a very good year for Hvar Town, which is successfully moving away from its party destination image in favour or heritage, culture and luxury. Hvar Tourist Board director Petar Razovic on the year so far and what is coming next. 

1. You have been in the job for about 18 months now and this was your first full season. How do you feel and how was the season from your perspective?

From the business perspective, my first impression is that the 18 months have gone by so fast and that they were very dynamic. The baptism of fire was the ITB Berlin 2018 tourism fair, after that we celebrated the 150th anniversary of organized tourism in Hvar Town, we hosted the Days of Croatian Tourism (best organized yet!), and in 2019 we achieved the best tourist results in history since Croatian independence, as we will see 2% increase in arrivals and 1% increase in overnights. And finally, the first 5-star hotel, Palace Elisabeth, was opened, which finally put Hvar on the world map of top destinations, where it has always belonged.

From a personal perspective, I'm happy that my quality work and the projects I started managed to win the sympathies of the tourist workers of Hvar.

2. There has been a noticeable change in the presentation of Hvar, less on the party and more on heritage and culture. The reopening of the theatre, Arsenal and first 5-star hotel obviously helped with that perception. Tell us a little bit more.

The reopening of the renovated Arsenal and the oldest theatre on the Mediterranean improved the cultural and historical tourist offering. The renovation of the town Loggia, the clock-tower and the programme of events the Tourist board has planned for the next season on Fortica will bring to life the idea of "Hvar - fortress town".

The renovated monuments, as well as the Palace Elisabeth hotel, will be used for congress tourism as well, so Hvar Town will get the opportunity to prolong the tourist season, starting in the preseason on April 1st, and finishing on November 1st.

3. There has been a new arrangement with the town's nightclubs, which seemed to work well with no major incidents in the media for the first time in several years, Tell us about that relationship and how it is working.

Thanks to the town councillors who were the first to make an arrangement with the nightclub owners, this was the first year in many when we went through the main high season without any incidents. And that is the way we should develop the luxury night-time entertainment.

Hvar Town Tourist Board managed to make a deal on the marketing and promotion with the best-known night club in Hvar, to promote wines and gastronomy of Hvar and Croatia, which resulted with a reduced number of daytime parties in the town. I believe that the project aimed at improving the quality, in which the night clubs also participate, will increase the quality of hospitality services ass well. The safety and the reduced number of incidents can also be attributed to great cooperation between Hvar police, Hvar Town and the tourist board.

4. The renovation of the theatre etc above is just part of the town's upgrade. What other changes are coming?

The finalisation of the renovation of the town Loggia and the clock-tower, as well as the beginning of the replacement of the stone slabs on the main square (Pjaca), ie, complete renovation of the square, will create the perfect image of the historical identity of Hvar town.

Hvar Pjaca will finally shine bright, and will be the most beautiful postcard for the new brand identity of Hvar Town.

The reconstruction of the road entry points to the town, the reconstruction of Vira port, as well as the reduction of the passenger boats from Krilo Jesenice anchored by the Hvar port - those are all in the tourism development strategy for Hvar town.

5. Hvar is also leading the way in terms of measuring the quality of its tourism with the IQM project. Can you tell us a little about that and the early results?

Hvar Town has started to conduct the IQM Destination HVAR project, which highlights the innovation, creativity and quality, binds the private and the public partnership with all the partners that influence the tourist development in a destination. We analysed the opinions of the inhabitants about the tourism in the destination, public presentations to the locals and our partners were held, the IQM Destination HVAR standards were adopted and a public call was put out, inviting any subjects to participate in the project. Currently, the online reputation of each IQM Destination HVAR project partner is being measured, also the online reputation of the destination, and we're just starting with the audits and individual education. During the winter, coordinating groups and group educations with the subjects will be conducted, the recommendations for improved business will be implemented and destination networking will be innovated.

The entire project is based on the individual approach to each participating subject, care and adjustment of the project to the needs of the inhabitants and the needs of the guest, the trends in tourism and responsible and sustainable destination management.

For the period of January 1st until September 30th, 2019, the results are as follows:

• GRS (Guest Rating Score) 89.5/100; 1.7% improvement compared to the same period last year. Hvar Town's goal was to achieve 90/100,
• There were a total of 10,655 reviews, which is 560 more than in the last year,
• The service quality in IQM objects was given 96/100 score,
• The price-to-service ratio was 94/100,
• Location 92/100,
• Cleanliness 93/100.

The quality of the hospitality objects was:

• GRS is 89.4/100; increased by 1.6% compared to the same period last year,
• The measurement was made based on the 3,413 customer reviews,
• The food quality was graded at 88.7/100,
• The service 91/100,
• The price-to-service ratio was 85/100.

6. Minister Cappelli was recently on the island where he signed an agreement with the four Hvar mayors whereby all 5 island tourist boards will now work together to promote the island as one destination, which is great news. What changes do you think this will bring in the promotion of Hvar Town?

After a year of all of us talking together we finally signed the agreement of the project co-operation by the local tourist board from the Hvar island, which is in accord with the new law on the tourist boards and the promotion of Croatian tourism.

From now on, all of the tourist boards will work together to promote the island of Hvar as one unique destination. Our plan is to create a marketing strategy for the tourist development of the island, as well as a new branding of Hvar island.

The town of Hvar will continue our successful promotion on the UK and US markets, where we will present ourselves as a destination of rich and luxury cultural, food, wine, sports and entertainment tourism offer, as well as the leading Croatian destination for sustainable tourism development.

7. And lastly, looking ahead already to season 2020, anything new to look forward to?

As I follow the changes in travel trends, I foresee that the tourist year 2020 will be even more demanding than 2019.

I believe that only the continuation of the implementation of the projects already initiated can lead to the improved numbers in arrivals and overnight stays in Hvar Town, especially where we improve the quality of private accommodation.

We managed to agree upon the increased number of catamaran lines from Split each day, starting on April 1st (not an April fool's joke!), as well as the introduction of the direct catamaran line Hvar - Dubrovnik, which will support the Philadelphia - Dubrovnik flights each day, bringing even more American guests to Hvar.

Along with the town, we plan to additionally brand the famous inventor of dactyloscopy Ivan Vučetić, born on Hvar, to create a kind of CSI Hvar story, while on the level of the entire island we will additionally promote the UNESCO heritage (6 non-material heritages), especially the revitalisation of the Ager and "Za Križen" procession.

And, finally, of course, I announce that we will continue working successfully with Total Croatia News.

To learn more about the island of Hvar, check out the Total Croatia Hvar in a Page guide. 

September 26, 2019 - One of the nicest videos I have ever seen of the Croatian coast - postcards from British tourists in the 1960s And the truth about a Hvar myth.  

A true gem!

Summer on the Croatian coast over 50 years ago, seen through the eyes - and postcards - of British tourists sending their impressions to friends back home. 

Rijeka, Opatija, Sibenik, Split, Hvar, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Budva and Sveti Stefan, as well as plenty or remote bays thrown in - a really special tour of a different era of tourism in Croatia. A real trip down memory lane for those who remember the Adriatic coast back then. 

And for an added bonus, the truth behind one of the myths of life on Hvar that I have heard many versions of, but never any proof. As the sunniest island, the hotels of Hvar are said to offer a free stay if it snows - so confident are they about the perfect weather. I managed to put this to the test in February 2012 when we awoke to find the entire island covered in snow. 

So, was a free stay on offer at the hotels? The answer I got back was that if it had snowed for a week, then you were entitled a free extra night. Not quite the same thing... 

However, the video reveals the truth about the origins of the claim... Come stay in winter and get the following guarantees:

1. 50% reduction if it rains more than three hours between 7 am and 5 pm (imagine if this was on offer in 2019...)

2. Free stay for each snowy day

3. Free stay for each foggy day

And a free stay if the temperature drops below a certain temperature (0 degrees). 

But there is plenty of GREAT footage of the destinations mentioned above and postcard commentary from an era gone by. 

Enjoy!

ZAGREB, September 23, 2019 (Hina) - The City of Hvar on the island of the same name is the first destination in Croatia to have implemented quality assurance measures for tourist facilities and services and online reputation according IQM (integrated quality management) standards and the ReviewPro global platform, which confirmed its improved quality in all categories compared to 2018, project leader Djurdjica Simicic reported on Monday.

Two experts in tourism and consulting with years of experience Djurdjica Simicic and Anamarija Cicarelli designed  the IQM (Integrated Quality Management) Destination standard with the aim of raising the quality of services in tourism and in training of tourism personnel as well as enhancing the destination's overall brand.

The IQM system is implemented in cooperation with the ReviewPro platform that networks about 150 different websites where guests evaluate and review tourist destinations and services around the world and can analyse previous scores for various destinations in Croatia.

Hvar's tourism board is implementing the project along with private and public partners that impact the development and quality of a destination.

The project was implemented on a total of 122 tourism facilities in Hvar, 94 were accommodation facilities (hotels, hostels, private accommodation, camps...) and 28 hospitality facilities (restaurants and cafes) and the results for the first eight months of the year indicate that Hvar achieved a higher and better score than for the same period last year.

In the Guest Rating Score (GRS), Hvar achieved a score of 89.5 of the possible 100 points which is 1.7% better year-on-year. The city aims to achieve a score of 90.

Of a total of 10,655 evaluations of services (560 more than last year), the quality of hospitality services were assessed with a score of 96. The score for price compared to quality was 94, location scored 92 and cleanliness 93 points.

Hospitality facilities were given a score of 89.4 or 1.6% higher than last year while the quality of food scored 88.7. The food quality received 88.7 points and services 91, while the ratio of price and quality in the reviews restaurants and cafes was 85.

The project was welcomed by state-secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Tonci Glavina who underscored that the national tourism policy is focused on sustainable and responsible tourism and its development has to satisfy the local population and tourists too.

September 23, 2019 - Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli visited the island of Hvar this weekend. Some observations from a TCN fly on the wall. 

Looking back, I can say for certain that it started with last year's World Cup, although I am not quite sure why I had not noticed it before. But during the World Cup, it was more pronounced than ever. 

Last summer was a fascinating exercise in watching people jumping on the bandwagon of the national team's footballing success, as though it was their contribution which contributed to the unprecedented global interest in Croatia, when in fact of course it was entirely due to the heroics on the pitch, the incredible fans and THAT shirt. The first time I noticed it was reading an interview with the national tourist board director talking about a spike in traffic of 250% to show what they were doing to promote Croatia. Given that TCN traffic spiked a lot more than 250% in mid-July last year, perhaps we had been doing even more to contribute to the global interest in Croatia. 

Or perhaps it was because any website with even a vague association with Croatia was getting unprecedented love from the 60 billion article views in the wake of 11 Croats kicking a football around in Russia. 

It was a theme that came back to me this weekend on Hvar, as I attended the opening party of the gorgeous 5-star Palace Elisabeth hvar heritage hotel, a very special evening and a very special project (you can read more about the evening and enjoy a video tour here). Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli was among the high-profile guests, and as I heard him and other tourism officials talking of the importance of the hotel opening and the ministry's strategy of attracting more luxury hotel accommodation, I found myself smiling. 

What exactly did that strategy involve? What exactly was the ministry doing proactively to attract more luxury hotels to open in Croatia in general, and on Croatian islands in particular? The opening of Palace Elisabeth, a fully private initiative with private investment, is now the third 5-star hotel on Croatian islands (excluding a handful of very small boutique hotels). The total number of 5-star beds in Croatian island hotels now stands at around 300. By contrast, just for comparison, last year alone, more than 1,600 5-star island hotel beds opened in one of Croatia's main competitors - Greece. 

Just what exactly, in practical terms, does the minister's talk of quality hotel accommodation mean? It was something I asked myself again this weekend as it was announced that Ritz Carlton is to be the latest luxury brand to open in Montenegro, a list which includes One & Only, The Chedi, Regent, Raffles, Four Seasons (more on this brand in a moment) and others. Brands which are not coming to Croatia despite the minister's apparent focus on the issue. 

It was something I thought about again last weekend, as the Deputy Minister of Tourism posted photos on social media of another 5-star hotel on Hvar, Maslina in Stari Grad, which is currently under construction and due to open next year. Again, the impression given - at least to me - is that this is somehow in line with our magical strategy, whereas it actually looks like a private investor is finally building after coming through a marathon battle with bureaucracy. 

Saturday's opening was not the first Hvar 5-star hotel event I have attended where Minister Cappelli has spoken. More than 2 years ago, he made a speech (also in Croatian in front of international investors - is it really too much to expect a tourism minister to speak fluent English in the modern age, especially in front of guests who are investing tens of millions in Croatia?) telling the world about the Four Seasons Resort of Brizenica Bay near Stari Grad, which would open in 2019. Here is what he said (from the 2017 TCN article at the time):

"This extremely important project, almost a billion-kuna investment, will be of great importance to Stari Grad on the island of Hvar as well as for the whole of Croatia. The island of Hvar will be provided with the necessary quality accommodation facilities, which will certainly stimulate further investment in additional facilities, thus enabling the further development of tourism on the island of Hvar. This is also an opportunity for the local tourist community to begin with the complete management of this destination and thus make the island of Hvar a high-quality destination. As an islander, I am particularly pleased to see that the potential of our islands has been recognised and I would be delighted if such investments were made on my island as well.'' said Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli, adding that this investment would certainly trigger other potential investors to pay deeper attention and look for opportunities for investment on the island of Hvar, in Split-Dalmatia County and in Croatia in general. 

I think this investment certainly has "triggered other potential investors to pay deeper attention." As the stated opening year of 2019 is drawing to a close, the project still does not have a building permit. It is over two years since that grand announcement from Gari Cappelli, a lovely event complete with mock-up hotel room in Sesvete and including a specially chartered train from Zagreb main train station, it is more than 3 years since I was asked to talk about Hvar and the project with a list of influential journalists at the Park Lane Four Seasons in London. And still no building permit. 

The project has also been removed from the Four Seasons website and no longer features, not even in the list of 10 Four Seasons hotels due to open by the end of 2020. 

Further along the coast on the same island, some Norwegian investors are still trying to own the land they thought they bought in 2007 to develop a 270 million euro hotel project. And it is now 5 years since I wrote about that project and how Greece was moving ahead in Croatia and Greece: A Tale of 2 Nikki Beach Resorts back in 2014, a story which had a sequel 6 months ago in A Tale of 3 Nikki Beach Resorts: Croatia, Greece and Montenegro.

These are the sorts of projects the Ministry of Tourism and the Croatian Government should be trying to resolve to deliver its stated goal of more luxury tourism. There are billions of euros of foreign investment stuck on the Croatian coast and islands. And for those who always enter the debate at this point to say that Croatia does not want or need such investments, that is more than fine, but then why start the projects in the first place and trash Croatia's reputation for a place for foreign investors, as such investments would certainly trigger other potential investors to pay deeper attention.

And, as we all saw from the case of the islet of Zecevo last year, the paperwork can move VERY quickly on Hvar (land split and rezoned in just 8 days) when there is an interest from the movers and shakers.

From my observations, it is hard to conclude that the strategy, such as it exists, is much more than turning up and speaking at such events and claiming some of the credit and justifying some so-called strategy. And if there is still no building permit by the time you announced the hotel would be open, well say no more about it and people will still think it is happening. 

There is another angle to this, at least in my opinion. In the same way that Croatia will have no less than three golf tourism conferences in 2019 (each attended by a senior tourism ministry official), despite spectacularly failing to start even one of the 30 planned courses in the 2013 - 2020 strategic plan, looking busy and talking projects is often substituted for actual progress. And it works. In 2018, some 940 million euro was invested in Croatian tourism, of which 140 million euro (confirmed by the Ministry of Tourism press department) was that billion kuna investment in Four Seasons Hvar. 

The project which at the end of 2019 still has no building permit.

And yet, the 940 million figure invested in 2018 is now established fact - I have seen it used by very senior officials from big international companies on a number of occasions this year. 

And so Croatian tourism DOES look busy and brimming with investment. The opening of a 45-room 5-star hotel is proof of that (never mind the 1,600 5-star island rooms in Greece last year alone). And appearances are everything in The Beautiful Croatia.

Ordinarily, one would have thought that the opening of only the third 5-star island hotel would have been the media highlight for the island and the minister, but a much more bizarre celebration competed for the gushing column inches in the national media. An event which not only required the presence of the minister himself, but one which was covered in the national television news. The same event which was covered by high-profile press conferences at ITB Berlin, the biggest tourism fair in the world back in March. 

The event? Five local tourism boards on one island decided to work together to promote the destination as one. 

With all the hype that this blatantly obvious step brought, one might be forgiven for thinking that Croatia had succeeded in putting a man on the moon.  

Here we are, in Berlin 6 months ago. When I first saw this I thought it was a joke - at the world's biggest tourism fair, Croatia was telling the world that they had an island which had decided to work together to promote itself as one. What kind of tourism country was this, and what the hell were the other islands doing if this milestone merited such high-profile international attention?

And here we are this weekend on Hvar on the national news (and more on the detail in English here).

As a foreigner, I was quite surprised when I moved to Hvar to learn that the island had 5 tourist boards. And not just Hvar. So does Korcula, and Brac has 7 or 8. And they all traditionally promote their own individual towns and villages only. So much so in fact that they really do go to tourism fairs and promote themselves as individual towns rather than an island. Crazy. 

The key to working together is common sense and common interest. I met one tourist board director from Brac last year who proudly told me that he didn't speak to one other director on the island, and that while there were plans to produce an island brochure by the 7 (or is it 8) Brac tourist boards, things were stuck because the directors could not agree which photo to use on the cover (various directors were insisting their destination was the most important). No amount of legislation is going to fix that kind of problem. By contrast, the Hvar directors managed to come together a couple of years ago to produce the combined brochure above without legislation or contracts signed. 

I have met a couple of the newer Hvar directors in the last year and have been impressed by their vision and desire to work with not only the rest of the island but also neighbouring islands to present a better product for their guests. It is common sense. 

The same common sense that this fat Englishman used 8 years ago when he started the first portal for Hvar to include the whole island with regular daily updates. There was no rocket science to it, and Total Hvar's quick popularity showed that this was the way forward. I am very glad that the tourist boards of Hvar are now following suit. 

It is the same common sense shown by the tourist boards of inland Dalmatia and the Central Dalmatia Tourist Board back in 2013 when we proposed combining several great inland Dalmatian destinations into one Total Inland Dalmatia portal in English. It is a partnership which has worked well for six years now and which has played its small part in effectively promoting tourism in that wonderful region. 

It is great news that 5 island tourist boards have decided that they can work together and do their job and promote their destination as one, but is it really such a big deal that the minister needs to tell the world at the biggest tourism fair in the world, then remind the nation on the national news six months later?

Looking at those list above of those 2013 strategic objectives, would it not be more useful to be telling the world of the Dalmatian wine road completed, the medical tourism task force's progress report (after it had been formed), the 15,000 sailing berths delivered, the focus on marine ecology that a reduction in cruise ships has brought, and a promised golf course or two delivered?

Nothing to report on these fronts, and no consequences for an abject failure in the delivery of the seven-year plan? I look forward to reading about the tourist boards of Brac working as one in the New York Times while awaiting the next 5-star hotel opening, which manages to open its doors despite - not because of - all the bureaucratic help it received along the way. The minister has a strategy to deliver, after all.