November 22, 2019 - The Istria County Tourist Board, in cooperation with the world-renowned auction house Sotheby's, is organizing the first-ever auction of the Istrian white truffle in London on Monday, November 25. 

Glas Istre writes that the event will be held at the prestigious Harry's Bar in Mayfair, an elite area of London's West End, one of the most exclusive private clubs featuring members of the London elite, international jet setters and UHNW individuals (ultra-high-net-worth individuals).

The Istria County Tourist Board will organize the auction in cooperation with the world-famous auction house, led by its chairman for the UK, Lord Dalmney, and with the support of the FOX Communication PR agency in London. During the auction, guests will have the opportunity to enjoy dinner based on the Istrian white truffle, and extra virgin olive oils and wines from Istria.

Zigante Truffles from Plovanija near Buje is also involved in this vital project for Istria. Namely, Zigante will provide the main ingredients for the auction and Istrian dinner. The auction will be conducted in four parts, and will be intended for both guests present and interested who will bid by phone.

In the first part, truffles of smaller sizes will be auctioned, and in the second part, medium-sized truffles, followed by the "Truffle Experience in Istria” package. In the end, the biggest truffle of the season will be auctioned, which resulted in a sold-out dinner and a long waiting list of truffle-hopefuls. Better yet, all proceeds from the auction will go to charity.

In addition to Istrian white truffles, Istrian extra virgin olive oils from the Chiavalon family will be served with truffle-based specialties. They will also be available at Harry's Bar tables for all guests to taste. 

Along with extra virgin olive oils, the attendees will be served wines from the Kozlovic family of Momjan - the Malvasia, Teran and Momjan Muscat.

“Istria has given increasing importance to the UK market, where many promotional efforts have been made over the years, increasing the number of UK guests, intensifying existing ones, and opening new routes - especially in the pre- and post-season. Also, since last year, the Istria County Tourist Board has been working with the London-based PR agency, FOX Communication, so that Istria becomes more and more present in the media and events there, which is why the region is seeing an increasing growth of British guests.

The Istria County Tourist Board is working intensively to make the region more famous in London and its surroundings, with a focus on medium- and high-spending power guests. Thus, the truffle auction is listed as one of the activities that will help build the image and reputation of Istria as a destination. I believe that this auction will contribute to the affirmation of the Istrian brand," said Istria County Tourist Board Director Denis Ivošević, adding that Istria is most commonly recognized worldwide for its gastronomy and lifestyle.

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The tourist season is just around the corner, and with the employment paradox of there being too many jobs but not enough workers, yet there being too many works and not enough jobs continuing in Croatia, some traditional seasonal employers are staying one step ahead when it comes to their level of care for their seasonal staff, at least in Novigrad.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 23rd of May, 2019, the Aminess tourist company has started building a hotel solely for its employees in Novigrad, Istria. The new hotel for the company's staff, along with all of the necessary prerequisites for participating on the commercial market, will be ready for the 2020 summer season.

The location of the new employee hotel in Novigrad extends up to 2,500 square metres is just ten minutes from the farthest Aminess tourist facility, the closest location at which said staff are likely to be working during the tourist season.

They will have a reception desk, a common kitchen with a dining area, a parking area and a closed bicycle storage room. The new Novigrad hotel's rooms will mostly be double with private bathrooms and with French balconies or terraces, modern furnishings and TV, as well as a heating and cooling system. In addition to the hotel's free Wi-Fi access, employees will also be able to enjoy a shared lounge area, and specially equipped rooms for the washing, drying and ironing of clothes.

"Happy and satisfied employees are key to the company's success. Therefore, with the benefits we offer, we have decided to build a hotel for our employees in order to make them feel comfortable. This will enable all employees coming from other regions to have even better quality accommodation with numerous benefits on offer to them,'' stated Sanja Žužić, Aminess' Human Resource Manager.

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Investment in Croatia continues despite problematic red tape, and thanks to EU funds (among others), Istria County is set to see a huge cash injection for their numerous ports.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 4th of March, 2019, Istria County is the founder of five port authorities: Pula Port Authority, Rovinj Port Authority, Rabac Port Authority, Poreč Port Authority and Umag-Novigrad Port Authority, which are expecting big investments this year, according to a report from Glas Istre.

In Pula, the completion of the new 130-metre-long coastline is expected, which will surely contribute to the further overall growth of maritime traffic in the busy Port of Pula. The construction of the new operational coast/shoreline is a project which has been being carried out in several phases, and the latter part of it is worth 3.5 million kuna. Another significant move is that at the end of this year, the design of the passenger terminal project in Pula should begin.

In addition to the ''doing up'' of Pula's coastline, Pula Port Authority is also expecting several other projects to begin, including the replacement of pontoon at Bunarina, the continuation of the promenade towards Veli Vrh, the redoing of the coastline in Fažana, as well as the harbour in Krnica, and works on the beloved Brijuni island which stand at about seven million kuna.

In 2019, Rovinj Port Administration plans to build the San Pelagio communal port, estimated at a value of 32 million kuna, in which Istria County, the City of Rovinj and Rovinj Port Authority will jointly participate.

Significant investments, announced by county prefect Flego, are also expected in the area of ​​the Port of Rabac. The plan is to reconstruct the Trget communal barges, the value of which is estimated at 13.3 million kuna.

Other projects in the works are the construction of a primary breakwater in the port of Rabac, estimated at 72 million kuna, for which a financing model is currently being sought, while the project of Brestov Port, worth 23.7 million kuna, is set to be financed through European Union funds.

Poreč Port Authority is also expecting a number of projects, and the most significant of them all is extension is the existing naval structure in Vrsar Port, which serves as a home for fishing vessels, amounting to 10.5 million kuna. With the extension of the existing area, fifteen brand bew anchorage sites will be provided, meeting the needs of Vrsar Port, as one of the most active fishing centres on the western coast of Istria.

In addition, progress is being made on works on the Barbaran breakwater, through with Poreč Port Authority continues to invest in the Poreč aquatorium. This is the most important investment this year in Poreč, worth 4.8 million kuna, which is financed from the aforementioned port authority's own funds, Istria County and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure.

A welcome 5.1 million kuna was allocated by the EU Maritime and Fisheries Fund to the Umag-Novigrad Port Authority, for the demolition of the old pier and the construction of a new one in Savudrija harbour, seventeen new lighting posts, the introduction of video surveillance cameras, and the installation of an ''eco-island'' for waste separation for local fishermen.

In addition to all of the above, another major project is under preparation for the construction of the new Dajla-Belveder port, and all the necessary permits to get the green light are now underway.

The start of construction is planned for this year and will continue through 2020. The construction of the port will provide sixty communal berths, a landing place for fishing vessels and an appropriate operational shoreline for small boat excursions. The project value amounts to 24.3 million kuna, with the funds provided by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, Istria County, the City of Novigrad, and the Umag-Novigrad Port Authority.

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Click here for the original article by Glas Istre

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