April 9, 2020 - The Sinj Tourist Board wishes all a Happy Holy Week and Easter Sunday. 

"After forty days of Lent, after suffering and death, a new life is born. Spring inevitably awakens nature, decorates trees in floral dresses, and coats winter greyness with green meadows. Up next is Easter, which will be celebrated differently this year due to the current coronavirus crisis, but at the very core, everything is unchanged - it is a victory of faith and hope, of life over death.

Every Friday, during Lent, believers participate in the Way of the Cross in the Old Town. In the meditative environment of the centennial conifers, just a few steps from the city center, an oasis of peace and tranquility and an ideal setting for this ceremony. The monumental 14 stations of Christ's suffering on the path to Golgotha were erected on the road leading to the fort and the covenant church. Each work is one of the eminent Croatian sculptors and a true masterpiece. The Way of the Cross is devotion in which all generations are glad to participate.

With Palm Sunday, believers prepare for the Holy Week, the week of the Passion of the Lord. The blessed olive branches remind us of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, and as a symbol and reminder, they will be present in our homes as well as in the graves of the dear deceased. The rites of the Holy Week, like Palm Sunday, will take place this year without the presence of the faithful, but certainly, no one will be absent in spirit.

Known for its exceptional and unique culinary specialties, the Alkar city prides itself on offering holiday meals where no one's table is scarce, from traditional lamb and cabbage on Good Thursday to cod, trout, and frogs on Good Friday, when "wine is blood". 

On Easter itself, the celebration culminates - on early Sunday morning, Easter breakfast is served, both in homes and with fellow citizens. In the last few years, thanks to the efforts of the Sinj Tourist Board and active associations, to the joy of the locals and their guests, an Easter breakfast was organized outdoors, an initiative that has received numerous positive reactions. The greatest Christian holiday is thus celebrated truly solemnly, in the spirit of communion and prosperity. The afternoon is usually reserved for family gatherings in nature, as the Cetina region is truly a piece of paradise on Earth.

We must believe that the present circumstances will soon be over and that the light of the risen Christ will dispel the darkness and bring us salvation. Until then, a Happy Easter to all!"

To read more about Inland Dalmatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

April 8, 2020 - Why should Sinj be on the top of your travel list after the corona crisis? A closer look.

CNTraveler (USA) conducted a survey in March on luxury travel trends for 2020, the year that will be remembered for the coronavirus crisis, reports HotSpots.hr.

A total of 565 respondents participated in the study of CNT readers who travel at leisure, at least once a year. This online survey was conducted between March 18 and March 19, 2020.

Luxury travel lovers are following the news and look forward to the situation changing, and are planning their trips accordingly

As many as 56% of travelers have canceled their trips due to the impact of the coronavirus in the selected destination.

32% of travelers said it was not yet certain whether the coronavirus would affect their travels or future travel plans.

Short trips are on the rise, as well as trips to domestic destinations

There was a significant increase (+ 20%) in interest towards domestic destinations and travelers who mentioned that they would replace their travels with a few shorter trips. 

Interestingly, travel to the Caribbean, an area not yet threatened by the coronavirus and still considered safe for travel, has seen only a small number of cancellations.

According to Bloomberg, the Chinese government has spoken about the prospects for rapid economic recovery from the coronavirus in the coming months, and this is expected to be reflected worldwide. Travel will also experience increased booking expected in May and June.

30% of luxury travel lovers will monitor the coronavirus in the next three months, and 43% will monitor the coronavirus for the next 6 months.

Travelers are looking for security at their destination and facility

The decision to travel is related to a number of factors:

- information from reliable sources about when it is safe to travel (52%)

- how secure a property is, how safe it is/whether public transport is recommended (46%)

- details on how to filter air in an airplane (40%)

- marketing communications of tourism companies (3

Until then, luxury travel lovers plan and fantasize about traveling, and when this crisis passes, they will travel as normal.

When asked which destinations CNT readers want to visit most, there were various answers, both domestic and international. When travel restrictions are lifted, the luxury travel audience will be the first to book flights, rooms and plan sailing.

According to this research, luxury travel lovers never stop thinking about travel and it is obvious, according to the answers, that travel is a state of mind.

So, why should you travel to Sinj once all of this is over? Let the photos tempt you.

To read more about Inland Dalmatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

March 21, 2020 - The OPGs in the agricultural area of Vrgorac will now be promoted on a digital platform for buyers all around Croatia. 

Dalmacija Danas writes that the town of Vrgorac is an agricultural region with over 450 active farms. This area produces tons of strawberries, peaches, apples, plums, table grapes, various fruits and vegetables, and the region is famous for its honey and wine production. Vrgorac now wants to make information available on local OPGs.

“We will maximize our digital green market by agricultural season. Our application can bring domestic products closer to everyone in Croatia.

The "Buy Local - OPG Fruits and Vegetables" app is the result of work on the Think Global, Buy Local project, which we designed within the City and our Entrepreneurial Center to encourage the sale of local producers' agricultural products on the national market.

As part of the conference Smart Cities - Cities of the Future 2018, the City of Vrgorac was awarded the Smart City Award 2018 in the category - Smart Digitization for the android app Buy Local - OPG Fruits and Vegetables.

First, we created a website with a database of family farms, their products and the quantities available, and then an android application that easily connects producers and end-users in just three steps. This creates a direct connection between the buyer and the farmer.

The base will be filled by the agricultural season. I invite all farmers from the Vrgorac area to enroll and submit information on their quantities. This will enable every Croatian citizen who wants to buy local products so that they can reach you.

The contact person for information will be employee Goran Franić, mobile number: +385 99 3558 606,” said the Mayor of Vrgorac, Ante Pranić.

The Vrgorac digital market is available on the Buy Local website here.

To read more about Inland Dalmatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

March 3, 2020 - Four Croatian wineries were among the 163 from 15 countries at this year's Vancouver International Wine Festival. Among them was Krolo Winery, the only representative from Split-Dalmatia County.

VanWineFest was held for the 42nd time and is considered the best international wine festival in North America.

“We traveled to Canada this year, inspired by the great experience from last year's fair. It is one of the oldest food and wine fairs in the world, which makes it the right place to promote Croatian winemakers as well as our Dalmatian hinterland. The theme of this year's fair was rosé, so our brand was Šjora. Using Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Crvena kastelanski, three extremely powerful red varieties, we were able to produce one of the most impressive rosé wines on the Croatian market, whose quality has now been recognized by world experts,” said Drazan Krolo.

Krolo’s vineyards are located in Strmendolec, in the Trilj region, a specific area for viticulture. Because the continental climate is blended with the Mediterranean, Krolo wines have one special spark that deserves many international accolades and awards. It is of particular curiosity that, a few years ago, they won a bronze medal for one of the biggest blind trials in the middle of Bordeaux for the Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, a product that has been admired by the French for decades.

“The reactions of visitors from all over the world were excellent. We need to stand by the biggest ones to confirm our value and I can proudly say that we, together with other colleagues from Croatia, excellently presented our winemaking capabilities. Americans have been passionate about Zinfandel for many years, and our great advantage is the quality of the product we have and the fact that Croatia, or my Kastela, is where this variety comes from. And besides praise, we continue to ship our bottles to the Canadian market,” Drazan Krolo added, noting that after filling the capacity of 40,000 bottles, they do not plan on expanding because he wants to remain committed to every grape and every bottle.

In addition to Krolo Winery, this year's Croatian representatives in Canada included Korta Katarina from Peljesac and Istrian wineries Franc Arman and Coronica.

The Vancouver International Wine Festival was held from February 22 to March 1, and 57 different events were held as part of the fair - dinners, tastings, workshops, lectures and seminars. Numerous guests had the opportunity to enjoy the "Tastes of Croatia" dinner, where Croatian wines were served with delicious snacks.

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

February 29, 2020 - A meeting was held in Sinj for the informal clusters association of the tourist boards of Inland Dalmatia.

Ferata.hr reports that the meeting was attended by State Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Tonci Glavina, Mayor of Sinj Kristina Križanac, Mayor of Vrlika Jure Plazonic, Mayor of Dugopolje Perica Bosancic, Mayor of Klis Jakov Vetma, and directors of tourist boards of Vrlika, Trilj, Sinj and Dugopolje - Dijana Maras, Andriana Ivkovic, Monika Vrgoc, and Tomislav Balić.

The meeting discussed the model of merging the tourist boards of Inland Dalmatia into a single cluster, due to pulling funds from the Ministry of Tourism intended for underdeveloped tourist areas, as well as from funds intended for associated tourist boards through quality joint projects.

 The tourist boards of Inland Dalmatia have so far participated in a series of joint projects and would continue to do so in the official form with the new legislation. This is one of the first meetings on the informal association of Inland Dalmatia tourist boards.

To read more about Inland Dalmatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

February 25, 2020 - On February 29, 2020, the Sinj Tourist Board will hold the educational tour “Tourist in Your Town”.

For the ninth year in a row, the Sinj Tourist Board is organizing the educational tour “Tourist in Your Town”. Namely, since 1990, on the initiative of the World Federation of Tourist Guide Association based in Vienna, February 21 has been marked as the International Day of Tourist Guides.

On this occasion, the Tourist Board invites all esteemed citizens and their guests to join them on Saturday, February 29, at 11 am, at the Alojzije Stepinac Promenade, from where you will visit the Franciscan Monastery Archeological Collection and the Sinjska Alka Museum, the Church of the Miraculous Lady of Sinj and the Kamičak Fortress, under the expert guidance of the members of the Sinj Osinium Tourist Guides Association (duration of the tour - 2 hours).

The aim of this free educational tour is to popularize the historical and cultural heritage as an essential factor for the development of tourism in Sinj, but also to raise awareness of its importance in the whole society.

Do not miss out on the chance to visit the Church of the Miraculous Lady of Sinj, Kamičak fortress, as well as impressive exhibits of the Archaeological Collection of the Franciscan Monastery and the Sinjska Alka Museum.

Please confirm your arrival by telephone at 826 352 or by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

To read more about Inland Dalmatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

February 18, 2020 - Behind us is another hugely successful Cetina region Carnival.

Organized by the City of Sinj, the Sinj Tourist Board and the Sinj Krnjeval Association, for the sixth consecutive year, we had the opportunity to experience an unusual, colorful, noisy and cheerful carnival procession. Nearly 400 participants from Glavice, Karakašica (Bukva), Vrpolje, Čačvina, Bajagić, Obrovac Sinjski, Gala, Gljev, Krenjaval Association of Sinj and Grobničko Donolaši (a traditional carnival group from Čavle near Rijeka), started from the hippodrome and continued through the streets of Sinj. The lively groups were led by Kristina Krizanac, Mayor of the City of Sinj, and Monika Vrgoc, Director of the Sinj Tourist Board.

After a parade through the city streets, the carnival groups gathered in the Pjaca where the central event was staged. The splendid and inimitable didi vividly portrayed the long and unique tradition of carnival customs of the Cetina region.

The carnival groups didn’t fail to be comical either. For example, the Karakašica group demonstrated that local transport provides passengers with emergency services.

The carnival crowd continued their colorful day at Dr. Franjo Tudjman's Square in Sinj with delicious beans, donuts and live music by Piromani.

It is worth noting that the 6th Cetina carnival was perpetuated by famous photographer Sime Strikoman with his 701 and 702nd-millennium photography at the Hippodrome in Sinj.

On this occasion, the Sinj Tourist Board would like to thank all participants of the jubilee 6th Carnival of the Cetina Region who, through their participation, supplemented and refined this event, important both for the tourist promotion of Sinj and for the preservation of valuable traditions and carnival customs. 

They would also like to thank the SRMA and the Red Cross Sinj for their valuable assistance in organizing and preparing the Sinj Majorettes and Sinj City Music for their performances, as well as the employees of KUS-Sinj, JVD Sinj, PP Sinj, Cetinska Krajina Čistoća, Alkar Hotel, Alkar KK and Zagrebačka Brewery.

We hope that we have successfully driven away the evil spirits of winter and welcomed spring!

To read more about Inland Dalmatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

Photos by Ivan Pavičić and Roko Pavlinušić

February 13, 2020 - The products of Vrgorac will soon receive the unique designation label, “Vrgorac Quality”, the City of Vrgorac announced on Wednesday. 

Dalmacija Danas reports that this will thus differentiate Vrgorac products from its competitors, raise and maintain product quality, and stimulate sales in the local, regional and national markets.

“This will be one of the most significant projects for our agriculture. In today's competitive market, communication is becoming an increasingly important factor for a successful business. When it comes to agri-food products and services in rural tourism, the emphasis is on networking supply, creating common labels, and joint promotional activities. For a year, we worked on a project to help our farmers.

Agricultural production is highly developed in the town of Vrgorac, with the most important products being strawberries, prosciutto, wine, peaches, nectarines, grapes, table grapes, vegetables and honey. We are among the leading areas in Croatia for grapevines, prosciutto, strawberries, and table grapes. One way to increase the mutual knowledge and value of these products is to create a recognizable brand.

The purpose of the label is to differentiate these products from competitors, to raise and retain the quality of these products, and to encourage the sale of these products in the local, regional and national markets.

Our quality mark will be protected by the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Croatia as a figurative trademark owned by the City of Vrgorac, which in accordance with the prescribed procedure (Rulebook and contract on the right to use the quality mark) will give interested manufacturers the right to use the label. The quality label will be able to be used on product packaging and labels, and promotional materials. Every OPG that meets the criteria gets the label, and the OPG number will be visible at the end of the label.

The quality label, in the first phase, will be awarded to the following categories of agri-food products:

• Strawberries and other strawberry products;

• fresh fruits and vegetables and other products resulting from the processing of fruits and vegetables;

• honey and other bee products;

• wine and other grape and wine products in accordance with the Law and the Ordinance on wine

We will soon present this project in detail with a public presentation, which is in cooperation with our agricultural associations, agricultural advisers and the Tourist Board, i.e., members of the Commission."

To read more about Inland Dalmatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

February 7, 2020 - After Sinj mayor Kristina Križanac handed over the city keys, the Sinj Carnival Association, in the presence of a dozen of its members, announced its brief but memorable rule in the Alka city. The Cetina Region Carnival can officially begin!

Through February 25, the citizens of Sinj and their guests can expect a lot of fun and laughter as part of the vibrant Carnival program.

Thus, on February 8, the traditional Tripiciada, a competition in the preparation of tripe, will be held. As always, when it comes to food, there is no compromise - this competition is ruthless, and the winner’s secrets are not revealed at any cost.

Saturday morning, February 15, is reserved for the children’s masquerade. The colorful and cheerful procession of little superheroes, princesses and princes, fairy tale characters and cartoons is always accompanied by playful laughter. 

Milan Sabic

Later in the day, at 2 pm, a different kind of carnival procession begins. From the Sinj Hippodrome, the Carnival procession of the Cetina region begins. This year, they will gather for the sixth time, driven by the success and attendance of past events. The Carnival tradition of this region has been preserved for centuries by carefully and strictly established rules. 

After the Feast of the Holy Three Kings, the best bearers and guardians of the Carnival customs in the region visit the villages and hamlets. How precious they are is also evidenced by the fact that they are on the list of protected intangible cultural assets of the Republic of Croatia.

The Carnival groups are from the villages of Gljev, Han, Obrovac Sinjski, Bajagic, the municipality of Otok (Jelašce, Priblace, Živinice, Gala, Ruda, Udovičići, and occasionally groups from Glavičica-Priblace, Ovrlja and Korita), while in Trilj, there are groups from Grab, Jabuka, Košuta, Vedrine, Vrpolje, Čačvina and Velić.

The most attractive and impressive part of the procession is the ‘didi’ (old men), who carry the fleece of sheep on their heads, standing tall at a height of up to 1.5 meters, with bells around their waist. They are dressed in old clothes with colorful fringes sewn on. The 'didi' symbolizes the ritual battle of good spirits in winter, and chase them away by making noise and jumping.

Zeljko Zrncic

This year's Carnival will also feature Grobnički Donodolaši, an old carnival group from Grobinscina (near Rijeka). 

In addition to the traditional Carnival groups who preserve the precious traditions of the Croatian people with ritual, numerous groups participate in the spectacle, and with their comical stage performances, completes the whole procession.

Sime Strikoman will also commemorate this year's show with his famous millennium photo.

On February 21, a memorial evening will be held to commemorate the early departure of dear and beloved fellow citizen Vlatko Rogulj.

On February 22 and 23, the Sinj Carnival will be presented at the Rijeka Carnival and will crown their reign in Sinj on February 25, on the carnival Tuesday, with a traditional parade procession and masquerade at the Alkar Hotel.

To read more about Inland Dalmatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

February 7, 2020 - The Dalmatian trail league, a year-round mountain running competition consisting of a total of 11 races, will have its premiere this year in Dugopolje.

The Marjan Trail - Dugopolje edition is a mountain race in the northern and western parts of Mosor, which will be held on Saturday, February 8, in two categories: Let's Move (approx. 9.5 km) and Stronger Maniacs (approx. 24 km). There will also be a race for the dog lovers - Canicross (approx. 9 km). The race organizer is the Strka Trail and Trekking Club, and the sponsor of the race is the Dugopolje Tourist Board. The Secret Mosor Trail will introduce all its competitors to some exciting and unknown locations just twenty minutes by car from Split.

Let's Move about 9.5 km long

Starting point next to the Church of Our Lady at the bottom of the field in Dugopolje, from where the old Roman road runs along the west side of Mosor to the Kraljeva peć cave. After passing through the cave, through the settlements Balići-Džakići and Smodlaka, it descends into the field and along the small road through the hamlets Križani and Kutska strana, and continues to the finish in Kotlenice on the plateau above the Vranjača cave. The course is not physically demanding and is adapted for both recreationists and beginners. Parking will be provided next to the Vranjača Cave (where the finish is). Also, all participants will have organized transportation to the start as well as transportation from start to finish.

Stronger Maniacs, 23.3 km long

The race begins in the Majdan area (Solin). Through the Klis field, it rises to the old road above Mravinci and Kucin. The trail continues along the hiking trail above Žrnovnica, from where it rises to Debelo brdo, the westernmost tip of the Mosor. From Debelo Brdo, a marked hiking trail descends to the north side of Mosor towards Kraljeva pec and Balići-Dzakici. It then continues across the hamlet of Smodlaka and descends into the field and along the small road through the hamlets of Krizani and Kutska strana. The trail then proceeds to the finish in Kotlenice on the plateau above the Vranjača cave. The trail is for more advanced runners and requires better physical fitness. Parking will be provided next to the Vranjača cave (where the finish is). Also, all participants will have organized transportation to the start as well as transportation from start to finish.

Canicross (race with dogs), about 9 km

The track is identical to "Let's Move" except that competitors with dogs will not enter Kraljeva peć cave.

Schedule:

Start of the Let's move race (9.5 km): 10:45, next to the church of Our Lady at the bottom of the field (Dugopolje)

Start of the Stronger maniac race (24 km): 9:30, Majdan (Solin)

Start Canicross dog race: 10:15, next to the church of Our Lady of the Field (Dugopolje)

First place in all categories: 1:30 pm, on the plateau above Vranjača (Kotlenice)

The Vranjača Cave will be open to all visitors from 11 am to 3 pm.

Detailed information for all guests and competitors can be found on the Strka Trail and Trek Club Facebook page.

To read more about Inland Dalmatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.