A summer storm followed by a torrential downpour and strong southern winds caused problems along the coast of Croatia on Sunday.

In Istria and Kvarner, the red Meteo alarm was switched on, while the rest of the coast is on the somewhat weaker, orange Meteo alarm, reports Index.hr on July 28, 2019. 

"The weather is mostly cloudy and unstable with intermittent rain and thunderstorms. There can still be thunderstorms along the coast followed by intense winds, but also waterspouts, especially in Dalmatia. The wind is blowing weak to moderate to the southeast, on the most of the Adriatic to a moderate southwest, and in Dalmatia, there is a very strong southern wind. In the evening, the wind will weaken everywhere. The highest daily temperature is between 25 and 30°C,” read the DHMZ forecast for Sunday.

The summer storm particularly hit Šibenik-Knin County. The wind knocked down trees and thrust them onto the roads.

One sailboat was swept to the shore in Primošten, as was a small dinghy near Šibenik, and the wind carried it to the bridge, said the Center 112.

"The Harbor Commander has been informed about everything, and the main thing is that there are no victims, everyone is safe," said the watch operator.

In addition, Center 112 received numerous reports and requests to remove branches from the roads in Skradin, Pirovac, Kistanja, Srima and Šibenik.

In Kašić, a strong wind collapsed a tree through the wire of a pipeline and the villagers are having problems with electricity. 

A short water spout flooded Poljička cesta in Split. A hundred meters of the road near the intersection with Ulica Bruna Bušića was completely flooded. 

In the video, you can see how the road looked between the two Split hospitals. 

The Blatine neighborhood in Split also saw fallen trees.

Hvar couldn't escape the floods, either.

Heavy rain fell all morning in the area of Imotski, and some thirty liters of rain per square meter is said to have fallen in two hours, which caused flooding on the roads. 

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

The Tourist Board of Istria recently premiered the new Istria promotional video for the entire destination of Istria, with the slogan Experience life as it should be in Istria!

Goran Rihelj writes for hrturizam.hr about the newest promotional video for entire Istria as a destination, not separate towns, inviting guests to come to Istria to explore it. That video is a part of the new digital strategy of the Istria Tourist Board. The video is fun and attractive, it's filled with emotion and experiences, has a very interesting narrative and the closing message. It attracts attention, it is just the perfect length (under one minute of extremely attractive footage of the best Istria has to offer). It makes the viewer want to be in the video, and that makes you want to come to Istria to do your own exploring. The video is different from what we're used to, lively and energetic but still laid back and not imposing.

Goran Rihelj says that compared to the video promotional materials done by the other destinations, which tend to be more mosaic, boring and don't really tell a story, this one is at the very top. The footage done by drones have recently become a hit, but they rarely tell a story and often last too long. This video is short, interesting and effective.

And it's a part of the smart strategy of the promotion of Istria, both offline and online. This Istria promotional video wants the users to visit the destination website, also recently reorganized site www.istria.hr, which premiered early this year. That site is an actual destination portal, and the focus has been shifted from the b2b information, which used to be the main content. Now the focus is solely on the user/tourist and selling the experience and the story of Istria. That gives the whole website a whole new purpose, as it actually attracts the user's attention which prompts them to perform the action we want - and that's coming to Istria for a vacation and to experience the life it offers.

July 20, 2019 - Continuing our look at tourism in Croatia almost 50 years ago through archive video, a visit to Rovinj in 1973. 

This article started out as a blog about Rovinj back in 1973, and the video shot by an Englishman on holiday which you can see below. Having done the same with Dubrovnik, I thought it would be fun to do a short nostalgic series on Tourism as It Once Was. 

And then I noticed one of the comments below the video:

With the exception of people's clothes, this video could easily pass as 2018. 

Which is not quite the same feeling you get with Dubrovnik these days. 

Interestingly, Rovinj has the most overnight stays of any destination in Croatia, more than 3 million a year, while Dubrovnik has by far the most cruise ship visitors. 

Which destination do you prefer these days, and why?

The small town of Tinjan in central Istria, near Višnjan, hosts the International Prosciutto Fair each year, a highly anticipated and prestigious event which welcomes many prosciutto makers from all over the world and a large crowd each year.

This year, they're organising the summer variant of the event, held between July the 19th and the 21st, somewhat smaller in terms of the number of presenters, and also aimed at getting the tourists acquainted with this delicacy, the Istrian pršut.

The word mostly used to translate pršut to English is the Italian Prosciutto, although there are siginificant differences between what's called pršut in Croatia and prosciutto in Italy. It is an original Croatian product, with a protected geographical origin label (shared with Slovenia, as the Istrian pršut is made in both countries). It differs from other kinds of pršut one can find in Croatia, which is one of the reasons why it was protected.

To celebrate their premium product, the makers of pršut from Istria have been hosting the international fair, usually in October, but have decided that they need to present their products to the numerous tourists arriving to Istria, and to attract them to central Istria for a day.

While obviously not as big as the main event, this one will also be international and you'll be able to taste pršut made by the following producers: Pršuti Antolović, Pršutarna Dujmović, Pršutana Jelenić, Pršuti Milohanić, Pršuti Radetić, OPG Danijel Erman, OPG Franjul, Budak Pršuti, Compari Pršuti, and Pršutarna Tomaso.

In addition to all the meat, you'll be able to enjoy the cheeses made by the Robert Fabris, Orbanić Silvano and Cetina Franko family farms, olive oils by the Milohanić, Marčelo Rioža and Pinezić Anđelo family farms and honey from the Brečević family farm and Vinko Dantinjana.

Each day, the events start at 20:00, and the party will go on until 02:00 - so having some pršut in Tinjan will not ruin your day on the beach. Maybe, if there's a bit more wine involved, it might get in the way of the next one... There will be music and dancing, provided by the local bands.

In a very long interview given to tportal, Leopold Botteri, aged 47, a former journalist from Split turned entrepreneur tells the tale of his several companies, businesses and finally how he became a partial owner of a high-end hotel in Istria, Hotel San Canzian.

He tells Luka Filipović how he started from nothing and now his businesses make over 10 million kunas per year. Up until 2006, he worked in Slobodna Dalmacija, a local daily newspaper. His first foray into the business world was getting the olive growers from the island of Brač to join the Brachia cooperative, which turned into a brand of the olive oil under the same name - and then he started the company called Uje to distribute those products. Today there are 19 Uje stores in Croatia, distributing various olive oils and other delicatessen brands from Croatia. There are several restaurants operating under the brand, they're working closely with Croatia Airlines. His recent investments are in the Aqua Maritime clothes company, and building of the luxury boutique five-star hotel near Buje, Hotel San Canzian.

He explains to the journalist that the hotel is his first business extravagance, as up until now he's invested in what he knows and is competent at. But he and his partner Siniša Šare were looking for a vacation house and got the opportunity to purchase an estate with a renovated house near Buje. The house was too big, so they decided to build a hotel, similar in concept to Meneghetti estate. There will be one base house with the restaurant, bar and the reception, and all of the 25 rooms will have individual entrances. They're aiming at the guests who know what Istra is, who do not need explanations of the best hotels and restaurants around - so the prices will be according to that, upwards of 280€. There is a special villa within Hotel San Canzian with its own separate swimming pool and that will be priced at around a thousand euro per night at high season.

He also commented on the purchase of the Aqua company and brand, saying that this is a deal that made much more sense than the hotel. Uje and Aqua are in the same business, specialising in premium tourist souvenir market, and that their stores are often located in the same destinations: the towns with four-star hotels and guests who arrive by airplane. They have big plans for the company, as they plan to expand and grow the market further.

He says that he would be open to selling his share in Uje, as his idea is to make it as independent as possible, and then his position is negotiable. He explains his entrepreneurial start, when he was an editor of the "Olive" section of the paper and started the whole brand on his own, a bit more ambitious then he planned. He says that he's not the complaining type, that it's very easy to complain about everything in Croatia, but that complaining doesn't solve any problems and that it's a waste of time. He just wants to adjust to problems. He refuses to justify and failure with the market in Croatia because a high-quality product will always find a buyer in Europe. To close the interview, he says that he has three sons, aged 20 and 16, but that he does not feel the pressure of ego for one of them to take over the family business.

July 10, 2019 - There is a 'village' in Istria with only three registered inhabitants. It (Donji Mužolini)is in the 'middle of nowhere', actually not far from Buje and Motovun, but interestingly enough – it is soon to be an exquisite place for all the fine dining lovers who also want a secluded post to relax surrounded by nature. It is called San Canzian and although seemingly a modest stone village like many in Istria's hinterland, it will soon accommodate guests with the full luxury of five stars and offer a restaurant that is already famous in Croatia, Noel.

Behind the project is Leopold Botteri from Dalmatia, who is specifically from the island of Brač and lives in Split, and his business partner Siniša Šare from Zagreb, owner of a marketing agency. Botteri's background is in journalism, but for years he is in business with extra virgin olive oil and his Bracchia premium EEVO is famous and popular just as his 12 Uje stores all over Croatia are.

"Siniša and I have long dreamt of a big house in Istria where we could relax and party, cook and enjoy with our families. When we finally found a property we actually liked, it was much larger than we have previously thought. Thus, we decided to turn our sincere love for good and healthy food, natural and organic products and fine wines into this project. And it had to be high class, like a place where we would like to stay and eat," says Botteri.

Seven hundred fifty square meters of the first house they have initially purchased grew into 25 little villas that have perfectly merged into the surrounding nature, thanks to the vision of Botteri, Šare but also of the Istrian visionary in architecture and design – Boris Ružić.

The young architect Nika Serdar has also contributed to the overall picture. It is an idyllic place, calm and secluded and at the same time easily accessible and close to other interesting places in Istria like Roxanich Wine and Heritage hotel or Meneghetti Wine Hotel & Winery. So, the idea is to keep the guests in San Canzian – where they will have pools, spa, views, extreme peace and calm, beautifully arranged villas and last but not least - top quality food in Noel2, “the brother restaurant” of the one in Zagreb that has recently been awarded with a Michelin star.

Fine dining will be offered in the evening by the chef   Daniel Tschachler who has ten Michelin stars in his working biography, while the head sommelier will be Filip Savić, a renowned Istrian sommelier. Special evenings with special wine pairing of the wine from different years will be paired with the dishes with the wine producer himself present. During the day a bistro food will be served on the first floor and terrace with a breathtaking view of the sea.

The opening is scheduled for the end of July and if you are a foodie, love nature and fine wines - this is definitely a must see and a place to put on your bucket list.

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

The legends of Bayern Munich Giovane Elber, Paolo Sergio, Klaus Augenthaler and Croatia’s very own Ivica Olić delighted the people of Pula as they announced the football spectacle held tonight at the Pula Arena. As announced, Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli and his associates joined them, reports Glas Istre on July 8,  2019.

Filip ŠKATAR

The football greats of one of the largest clubs in the world signed photographs, shared club souvenirs and attracted numerous tourists, including many Bavarians and supporters of the club, who could not miss the opportunity for a photo or the chance to take home a valuable souvenir. The Legends of the Croatia national team were not able to address this morning’s crowd, though they will be ready to participate in tonight's spectacle. 

Filip ŠKATAR

Recall, the ancient amphitheater in Pula will transform into a football field for the first time in history for a spectacular sporting event which will feature the legends of Bayern Munich and the legends of the Croatia national team. This spectacle is the result of the strategic partnership between the Istria County Tourist Board and the powerful Bavarian club which was agreed year ago and will continue for three years. 

The basic idea of the strategic partnership was to combine two premium brands that would help to identify quality and superior products by linking marketing activities in the offline and online segment, e-marketing, social networks, and a specific marketing campaign in collaboration with Bayern.

The strategic partnership allows Istria to cooperate on nine major marketing projects. All projects are positioned so that they take place in the period that is most important for the tourist promotion of Istria, i.e., the winter months and the preseason.

The Istria County Tourist Board announced the names of some of the Bayern Munich legends we can expect in Pula, including Ivica Olić, Paulo Sergio, Giovane Elber, Martín Demichelis, Luca Toni, Klaus Augenthaler and Marcel Witeczek.

Some of the famous footballers who will represent Croatia are Stipe Pletikosa, Robert Jarni, Ivan Klasnić, Marjan Mrmić, Ardian Koznik, Petar Krpan, and Ognjen Vukojević.

Inside the arena, a small field of 40 meters by 20 meters will installed. 

Between the games, the experience will be complemented by a music program and numerous performances, and after the winner is announced, the VIP Lounge in the Arena will continue with an entertainment program and DJs.

Schedule of events:

20:00 - 20:30 Junior’s match

20:30 Event announcement with a presentation of partners and sponsors

          Presentation of all teams (two ‘Vatreni’ and two Bayern Munich teams)

          Draw

20:50 – 21:15 First semi-final match

21:20 – 21:45 Second semi-final match

21:45 – 21:55 Music program/Performances

22:00 – 22:25 Match for third place

22:30 – 22:55 Final

The games are followed by an awards ceremony and after-party with DJs in the VIP lounge of the Arena.

FC Bayern Munich is the 4th most valuable club in the world and one of the main brands in Germany, and the key is the market. Namely, Germany is Croatia’s most significant and largest broadcast market, and within Germany, Bavaria certainly has the largest share. Thus, the strategic partnership between FC Bayern Munich and Istria is certainly one of the largest and most significant marketing projects in tourism.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

ZAGREB, July 5, 2019) - The mayor of the northern Croatian coastal town of Umag, Vili Bassanese, has been voted best mayor in Central and Southeastern Europe, the town's public relations office said on Friday.

Bassanese, who has been running Umag for 10 years, was declared best mayor by an international jury of the Directorate of the European Independent Agency for Central and Southeastern Europe in Sarajevo on Thursday.

The award is given at the proposal of international companies, chambers of commerce, organisations and individuals, and is supported by government departments and jury members from the countries of the region.

In the last ten years, Umag has made huge improvements on municipal infrastructure and economic and social policies, and has been voted best town in Croatia with regard to education, demography, youth policy and social policy.

Mayor Bassanese inherited the award from last year's winner, the mayor of Graz.

"If we want to succeed in life, we have to get out of a comfort zone and have the courage to translate our own ideas and ideals into reality. I managed to do that together with my team and my fellow citizens, and I am very proud of that," the mayor said.

More Umag news can be found in the Lifestyle sectionc.

July 3, 2019 - As we have previously announced, the ancient amphitheater in Pula will transform into a football field for the first time in history on July 8 for a spectacular sporting event which will feature the legends of Bayern Munich and the legends of the Croatia national team. This spectacle is the result of the strategic partnership between the Istria County Tourist Board and the powerful Bavarian club which was agreed year ago and will continue for three years, reports HRTurizam.

The basic idea of the strategic partnership was to combine two premium brands that would help to identify quality and superior products by linking marketing activities in the offline and online segment, e-marketing, social networks, and a specific marketing campaign in collaboration with Bayern.

The strategic partnership allows Istria to cooperate on nine major marketing projects. All projects are positioned so that they take place in the period that is most important for the tourist promotion of Istria, i.e., the winter months and the preseason.

So far, they have accomplished seven of the nine major activities.

1. Selecting and filming three FC Bayern Munich players as the main testimonials for the tourist promotion of Istria - significant destination campaigns;

2. Appearance of Bayern representatives at the renowned tourist fair 'Free' in Munich with all relevant promotional activities at the fair;

3. Matchdaypresenter intended for owners, co-owners and strategic partners;

4. Promotion of Istria through all channels in the online and offline segment with all presentation channels at the Allianz Arena for seven days;

5. Matchdaypresenter intended for media representatives;

6. A communication campaign through all of FC Bayern Munich's channels worth €150,000;

7. Ticket package for promotion of Istria at the Allianz Arena in Munich

The remaining two are also the most important projects - the annual workshop of FC Bayern Munich (which was just held from June 25-27) and the best way to complete the first year of cooperation - the legends match between Croatia and FC Bayern Munich. 

The football legends of Bayern Munich and the Croatia national team will meet at the Pula Arena on July 8. The ancient amphitheater will transform into a football field or, more accurately, due to the lack of space, a futsal field, for the very first time. 

The Istria County Tourist Board announced the names of some of the Bayern Munich legends we can expect in Pula, including Ivica Olić, Paulo Sergio, Giovane Elber, Martín DeMichelis, Luca Toni, Klaus Augenthaler and Marcel Witeczek.

Some of the famous footballers who will represent Croatia are Stipe Pletikosa, Robert Jarni, Ivan Klasnić, Marjan Mrmić, Ardian Koznik, Petar Krpan, and Ognjen Vukojević.

Inside the arena, a small field of 40 meters by 20 meters will installed. 

Between the games, the experience will be complemented by a music program and numerous performances, and after the winner is announced, the VIP Lounge in the Arena will continue with an entertainment program and DJs.

Schedule of events:

20:00 - 20:30 Junior’s match

20:30 Event announcement with a presentation of partners and sponsors

          Presentation of all teams (two ‘Vatreni’ and two Bayern Munich teams)

          Draw

20:50 – 21:15 First semi-final match

21:20 – 21:45 Second semi-final match

21:45 – 21:55 Music program/Performances

22:00 – 22:25 Match for third place

22:30 – 22:55 Final

The games are followed by an awards ceremony and after-party with DJs in the VIP lounge of the Arena.

FC Bayern Munich is the 4th most valuable club in the world and one of the main brands in Germany, and the key is the market. Namely, Germany is Croatia’s most significant and largest broadcast market, and within Germany, Bavaria certainly has the largest share. Thus, the strategic partnership between FC Bayern Munich and Istria is certainly one of the largest and most significant marketing projects in tourism.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

June 25, 2019 - The football legends of Bayern Munich and the Croatia national team will meet at the Pula Arena on July 8, as part of a spectacular program prepared by the Istria County Tourist Board. The ancient amphitheater will transform into a football field or, more accurately, due to the lack of space, a futsal field, for the very first time. 

Copyright Romulic & Stojcic

The Istria County Tourist Board announced the names of some of the Bayern Munich legends we can expect in Pula, including Ivica Olić, Paulo Sergio, Giovane Elber, Martín DeMichelis, Luca Toni, Klaus Augenthaler and Marcel Witeczek.

Some of the famous footballers who will represent Croatia are Stipe Pletikosa, Robert Jarni, Ivan Klasnić, Marjan Mrmić, Ardian Koznik, Petar Krpan, and Ognjen Vukojević.

Inside the arena, a small field of 40 meters by 20 meters will installed. Presale tickets can be purchased online at ticketshop.hr. Prices begin at 12 euro, and proceeds will be directed to humanitarian purposes.

Between the games, the experience will be complemented by a music program and numerous performances, and after the winner is announced, the VIP Lounge in the Arena will continue with an entertainment program and DJs.

Presale tickets can be purchased at ticketshop.hr, at all Tisak selling points, and the box office in front of Arena on the day of the event. 

Schedule of events:

20:00 - 20:30 Junior’s match

20:30 Event announcement with a presentation of partners and sponsors

          Presentation of all teams (two ‘Vatreni’ and two Bayern Munich teams)

          Draw

20:50 – 21:15 First semi-final match

21:20 – 21:45 Second semi-final match

21:45 – 21:55 Music program/Performances

22:00 – 22:25 Match for third place

22:30 – 22:55 Final

The games are followed by an awards ceremony and after-party with DJs in the VIP lounge of the Arena.

This event is the result of the strategic partnership of Istria and FC Bayern, which was signed in June last year for three-year cooperation.

Before the friendly match, from June 25 to 27, there will be about 110 representatives of the management of the German first-division club, co-owners and strategic partners of Bayern.

The strategic partnership is the largest and most important marketing project in Istrian tourism, and it is also a strategic project in positioning Istria as a destination.

The basic idea of the strategic partnership was to connect two premium brands which would be identified by their quality and top-class products through the networking of marketing activities offline and online, e-marketing, social networks and concrete marketing campaigns in cooperation with Bayern.

In the framework of the strategic partnership, the Istria County Tourist Board has contracted 10 marketing projects to use the strength of the FC Bayern Munich brand and thus incorporate a part of the image and reputation of Bayern into the brand of Istria. This contract represents the biggest and most powerful advance of Istria as a destination in the marketing sense, and the effects of this partnership will have an impact on the global level, primarily thanks to the popularity of the legendary club around the world.

The organizer, the Istria County Tourist Board, promises an unforgettable and unprecedented experience for everyone.

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