April 25, 2021 - From incredible flight news to The Total Croatia Travel INFO (TCTI) Viber community winning an award, the past week has been exciting. Here are TCN's five highlights of the week in Croatia from April 19 to 25, 2021.

The week started with the exciting introduction of a new direct route between New York and Dubrovnik. While things may have taken a slight turn in the middle of the week, the latest news regarding The Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community ended the week on a high. From Monday to Sunday, we list five events featured on Croatia's news portals on the front pages.

Highlights of the week: TCTI Viber Community, Manjgura, Mediacor Wins 2021 Crisis Management PR Grand Prix 

The Total Croatia Travel INFO (TCTI) Viber community, in partnership with Manjgura and Mediacor, has won the 2021 HUOJ International Grand Prix Award for Crisis Communication. It was a project with a total investment of just 2,000 kunas (US $320) that generated more than 10 million euros of tourism spend for the Croatian economy in 2020. 

Although the award is associated with TCN, it actually goes to the partners, Croatia's oldest PR agency, Manjgura, and Mediacor. You can check out Manjgura services here and Mediacor here. The project was conceived by Manjgura founder Kreso Macan, who had the vision to see the need and the determination and drive to pull off the project. It was a masterclass of how to achieve the goal. 

Highlights of the week: Forbes Included Istria in 50 Spectacular Places to Visit Post-Pandemic 

Another recognition of Croatia's beauty and tourist offer as the American magazine Forbes included Istria among 50 spectacular destinations for post-pandemic travels. The article states that Istria is an ideal destination for all gastronomy lovers who wish to taste quality olive oil, truffles, prosciutto, wine, and seafood in Istria. It also emphasizes the beauty of Istrian towns and their excellent geographical position.

Srecko Niketic

"Foodies should consider Croatia's Istrian Peninsula for their next taste-testing vacation. As the crow flies, you're practically in Italy; in fact, there's a ferry that runs between Venice and Pula, Croatia. You'll find truffles, olive oil, prosciutto, wine, and all types of seafood, plus delicacies that are 100% Croatian.

This region is popular with European travelers, but Americans are only just beginning to visit. If you go, be sure to split your time between a coastal city (such as Rovinj or Pula) and inland villages (hill-top Motovun is a favorite)," writes Forbes.

Highlights of the week: United Airlines Flights to Croatia Announced with New York-Dubrovnik Line this Summer! 

United Airlines, one of the largest American airlines, is launching a direct route between the United States and Croatia! After American Airlines permanently canceled the Philadelphia-Dubrovnik route due to the global pandemic, Croatia will directly connect with the United States. 

Pixabay

Croatia has met all the conditions for abolishing tourist visas to enter the United States, and American guests can plan a vacation in Croatia this summer, so United decided to be the first to react and introduce a direct line to Dubrovnik from New York this summer! United will operate to Dubrovnik as early as July 8 this year with three flights per week. Departures from New York are planned on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, with the return from Dubrovnik a day later.

Highlights of the week: Croatian Tennis Federation Rejects Established Croatia Player for Brother's Social Media Posts? 

A member of the Croatian tennis community and organizer of the Croatia Bol Open, Feliks Lukas, announced on his Facebook page that the Croatian Tennis Federation (HTS) rejected the request of his sister, Tena Lukas, to play at the ITF Zagreb Ladies Open. 

"The Croatian Tennis Federation rejected the request to invite the seven-time senior national team member and #268 WTA tennis player of the world to the ITF Zagreb Ladies Open, explaining it to Tena as follows:

'Because of your brother's Facebook posts, you are not a candidate for an invitation to the tournament!'

Davor Javorovic

Namely, in its defense, HTS stated that the mentioned tennis player Tena Lukas did not get a wild card because she has practically not been able to beat anyone lately. "As a member of the Croatia national team, Tena Lukas was certainly among the candidates for an invitation to the Zagreb Ladies Open because she deserved this opportunity with her performances in the former Fed Cup (now the Billie Jean King Cup) and on an individual level. However, her latest results were crucial not to be shortlisted this time: she played seven tournaments this year, and she was eliminated in all seven in the first round, either in the main event or in the qualifiers."

Highlights of the week: Croatia Rally Day One: Belgian Driver Thierry Neuville in the Lead 

The 2021 Croatia Rally, part of one of the world's most attractive auto racing competitions (World Rally Championship - WRC), is being held from April 22 to 25 this year. The race is held on across three counties, on the local roads of Zagreb, Karlovac, and Krapina-Zagorje counties.

Luka Stanzl

The two-day race began on Friday with Belgian driver Thierry Neuville (Hyundai i20) leads with three-morning victories on the WRC Croatia Rally day one. Even with small delays in the four-afternoon specials, he kept the top spot, while the current and seven-time world champion Frenchman Sebastien Ogier broke into second place (Toyota Yaris).

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