One of the most attractive new additions to the Istrian tourist offering is nearing completion: Paleo Park, Bale's answer to the world-famous Jurrasic Park is set to open in four months!

Paleo Park will be a part of the new, much improved camping Mon Perin, which currently undergoes a major enlargement, creation of the whole new tourist complex that will include the park dominated by the swimming pool shaped like a dinosaur. The dino-shaped pool will have the surface area of over a thousand square meters of water surface, and almost three times as much area for sunbathing.

Why the dinosaur? In 1992, an incredible discovery in the seabed of the cove near Bale uncovered that the dinosaurs once lived in the region. While it has been known that the dinosaurs have lived in Istria, this is still the only location in the world where dino fossils were found on the seabed. (Scientific geeky content: the most important remains found were of the Histriasaurus (get it? Histria-saurus, Istrian lizard!) boscarollii, one of the oldest species of the genus Rebbachisauridae, supposedly living more than 130 million years ago.)

In addition to the water park complex, the Mon Perin Camping will promote other content related to the prehistorical beasts that remain popular among the children (and adults!) today, such as the educational paths with posters about the history and characteristics of the largest animals ever to have walked the Earth, and models made in their natural size!

After more than six months of heavy machinery work, the pool complex has been almost completed, and now need to be completely finalised, Ivan Maričić, board member of the Mon Perin told Novi list. Now they need to finish the landscaping around the pool, as well as all 16 thousand square meters of the camping site. Of course, the paths need to be created and new objects need to be furnished as planned. Since they've had no major hold-ups or delays during the worst phases of the project when various factors could've impacted the project's progress to a much greater degree, they are confident that all the work will be finished by late May or early June, so just in time for the new tourist season! 

ZAGREB, February 11, 2019 - The Croatian Parliament Deputy Speaker and vice president of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Milijan Brkić, on Monday condemned a revisionist statement by European Parliament President Antonio Tajani about “Italian” Istria and Dalmatia, saying "God forbid Italians should care about Dalmatia and Istria the way fascists cared about the Croat people in Dalmatia and Istria."

"The Croatian people is very familiar with the fate that befell us in World War II and God forbid that Italians should care about Dalmatia and Istria the way fascists cared about the Croat people in Dalmatia and Istria," Brkić told a press before a meeting of the HDZ presidency and the National Council when asked to comment on Tajani's statement.

Brkić said Tajani should "sell those ideas of his somewhere else because no-one in Croatia will buy them."

"This is the Croatian state, a lot of blood was spilled for it. It was created in the Homeland War, and Croatian veterans and its people will most definitely not allow that," Brkić said.

Tajani spoke at an event commemorating foibe victims in Bosovizza.

Foibe are karst pits in Istria, Croatia and part of northern Italy into which the bodies of Italians, killed by the Partisans at the end and after WWII, were dumped. Italy remembers the victims on February 10.

Tajani reportedly said, "Long live Italian Istria! Long live Italian Dalmatia!"

More news on the relations between Croatia and Italy can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, February 10, 2019 - The area around the abandoned village of Trebišća near Mošćenička Draga in Croatia's Istria County and Rodika village near Kozine in Slovenia is rich with ancient Slavic mythical significance which will be evaluated for their tourism potential through the cross-border Myth Park project, financed with 745,000 euro under the Interreg Slovenia-Croatia programme, a press conference was told.

The project was launched in September 2018 and will continue for 30 months, the main objective being to actively preserve and enhance mythical landscape’s cultural heritage from the perspective of sustainable tourism in Mošćenička Draga and Hrpelje-Kozina municipalities.

An ancient mill dating back to the arrival of the Slavs in the region will be reconstructed and classic signage tables will be replaced by environment-friendly stone indicators.

The park will have a uniform appearance; while visiting one of the two destinations, the visitors will be shown a virtual presentation of the other location to encourage them to visit the other location as well.

The project is part of seven projects valued at 7.5 million euro under the Interreg programme whose partners include, among others, Mošćenička municipality, Rijeka University, Faculty of Tourism Management and Hospitality, and Sežana College.

More news on relations between Croatia and Slovenia can be found in the Politics section.

Last year, over 1,780 annual hunting IDs were issued abroad by the Istria County Hunting Association, mostly to Italian hunters. 

Good news for retail therapy lovers and job seekers alike as both Zagreb and the Istrian city of Poreč are due to get new big shopping centres and a wave of new employment opportunities that go with it.

As Korana Sutlic/Barbara Ban/Novac writes on the 2nd of February, 2019, the current plan for Poreč's up and coming brand new outlet is to have it completed entirely by this summer, it will be located at the entrance to the popular Istrian city. It will be the first such shopping centre in the second largest city in Istria to accommodate shops such as BIPA, C & A, CCC, Deichmann, Galileo, Hervis, Müller, New Yorker, Tedi and Svijet Media.

The investor and owner of the project is the company AM PS Delta Nekretnine d.o.o., which has already built a shopping center in Pula - Pula City Mall. Otherwise, the company AM PS Delta Real Estate Ltd., a member of the Croatian subsidiary of MID Bau Real Estate Ltd., is one of the leading developers on the domestic market, and along with the Pula project, they so far have realised the Garden Mall project in Zagreb, TC Koprivnica, STC Osijek, STC Sisak , STC Valpovo, and STC Umag.

''Works began several months ago, and the completion is scheduled for June this year. Poreč will get its well-deserved shopping and entertainment centre, conceptually conceived as a retail park, and every store will have its own entrance. The retail area of ​​the centre will be around 8,379 square metres in size, which will also make it the largest shopping center in Poreč, and in just a few days the final version of its layout will be known,'' they say from Poreč's city administration upon welcoming this large investment.

Along with the new shopping centre, new jobs will of course come as part of the greater package, which is naturally a more than welcome move for the local economy.

Projects in Zagreb

In addition, this June will see a brand new retail park open at the western part of the Arena Center in Zagreb, on a surface of 8,000 square metres, the content of which will mainly be shops which need large spaces. In the Zagreb district of Špansko, a brand new Z centre will be constructed, which will result in an impressive 60,000 square metre shopping centre, along with stand-alone facilities - McDonald's and Lidl.

The new Zagreb retail centre will boast a square, a multiplex cinema, as well as numerous shops, cafes and restaurants. The completion of Zagreb's Z centre's construction is planned for the end of this year. The completion of the reconstruction of Branimir Centre is also expected this spring.

Make sure to stay up to date by following our dedicated lifestyle and business pages for much more. If it's just Zagreb you're interest in, give Total Zagreb a follow.

Click here for the original article by Korana Sutlic and Barbara Ban for Novac.jutarnji.hr

Plava Laguna, one of the biggest hospitality and tourism companies in Croatia, Istria County, Poreč town and Funtana municipalities, as well as their tourist boards, decided to support the new top event coming to Poreč this spring: Ironman 5150 2019 and 2020 races will be held in Istria!

HRTurizam writes about World Triathlon Corporation, the owner of the license for the event, signing the contract with Plava Laguna for the two years. 5150 race means that it's an Olympic triathlon, meaning 1.5 kilometres of swimming, 40 kilometres of cycling and 10 kilometres running. The race in 2019 will be held on May 5th, between Funtana and Poreč.

"We're thrilled that we brought the Triathlon 5150 series race to this wonderful part of Croatia, and we're sure that the athletes from the entire EMEA region will have a great event, but also an amazing weekend in Poreč", Stefan Petschnig, director of Ironman Europe, Middle East and Asia said. He added that some athletes might be intimidated by the prospect of participating in an full Ironman or Ironman 70.3 race, but 5150 race is much more accessible to athletes of varying, albeit still majestic, abilities.

Race director Goran Vrus said that he expects more than 500 participants in the race, and more than 1500 people coming to Poreč for support with them. In addition to Ithe ironman 5150 2019 Poreč race, Ironkids and Irongirl are planned to take place on August 6th, 2019.

One Labin factory goes from the worrying signs of closure to contracting brand new jobs in a dramatic yet welcome turnaround.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 30th of January, 2019, back in October last year, the Syndicate of Istria, Kvarner and Dalmatia warned that after five years of successfully dealing with mobile homes for camps, there would be a possibility of shutting down the CR Abitare factory in Labin, Istria.

Instead of getting the sack from the company, which at one point looked like an unfortunate yet very likely option, the workers of the Labin-based company CR Abitare, who produce mobile homes for camps for some of the largest tourist companies in the Republic of Croatia, received a higher salary.

The reason for the rising levels of anxiety which began back in 2018 when the possibility of the factory's closure arose, was that the production hall had gradually begun to empty, and the workers, twenty of them permanently employed and thirty seasonal workers, had no information.

But the formerly enfeebled company, according to a report from Glas Istre, has continued to operate, and unlike other large companies that have made headlines lately for all the wrong reasons, its workers have been being continually paid their salaries all the time, and the amount has risen by nine percent since the 1st of January, 2019.

In November last year, several new orders for mobile homes were contracted by the Labin company, which are now in the process of production, with delivery expected over the coming days. According to reassuring employer announcements, further orders are also expected.

Although there are currently no new jobs on offer at the Labin factory as it gets back on its feet remarkably quickly, it is to be expected that an increase in the production plan will naturally create the conditions for that at some point or another.

Make sure to stay up to date with our dedicated business page for much more.

January 27, 2019 - So, you’re planning a road trip through Croatia, but you’re torn on where to go? We’re not surprised, and trust us when we say that you’re not alone. A blessing and a curse, Croatia is a country with almost too many gems - if that’s even possible. Because we know your holidays are sometimes limited and you want to pack in as much as you can while you’re here, we thought we’d bring you the pros and cons (er, just the pros) of road tripping through two of Croatia’s most popular regions - Istria and Dalmatia. 

Istria

If you don’t know much about Istria, allow us to enlighten you. Istria is located in the northern part of Croatia and is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic. While it could be considered one of Croatia’s lesser-known regions (depending on who you talk to), it is gaining popularity quickly - and you can thank Anthony Bourdain for his No Reservations Croatia episode back in 2012. 

What makes Istria really special, however, is its charm. From quiet medieval hilltop villages like Motovun, known for its annual summer film festival, to popular tourist destinations like Pula, known for having the only remaining Roman amphitheater with four side towers entirely preserved, Istria has something for every traveler - and it truly is best explored by car (also because public transport is often limited to the pearls of this region). 

Istria is also the culinary king of Croatia. You might know it for its truffles and truffle hunting adventures, or for its Michelin-star restaurants, or maybe for its title as the best olive oil region in the world, and if you didn’t already know, you'd quickly learn that cuisine is king after your first bite.

Istria is a region of diversity, too - it boasts mountains and forests to seaside towns and islands - and rivers even run through it! But there is so, so much more we’ll let you explore yourselves. 

Not to miss towns in Istria:

- Hum: because it is considered the ‘smallest town in the world’

- Rovinj: for its colourful alleyways and art 

- Pula: for its Roman ruins

- Motovun: because it's like Croatia’s Tuscany 

- Labin/Rabac: because this is where the green hills meet the sea

- Anywhere in Central Istria 

Dalmatia

We’re pretty sure that if you’ve heard of Croatia, chances are, you’ve heard of Dalmatia. Croatia’s bustling coastal region famous for its islands and UNESCO towns, Dalmatia is the region of Split (and Diocletian’s Palace), Hvar (known for parties and yachts, and definitely yacht parties), Krka (for its waterfalls you can swim in), and Dubrovnik (known as the ‘Pearl of the Adriatic). 

While a trip through Dalmatia will be much busier than one through Istria, you’ll also have more amenities on hand. Split, for example, is Croatia’s second largest city - and while its Old Town is ancient, its outskirts provide anything you need (like three of the largest shopping malls in the region).

Apart from shopping, Dalmatia has plenty of perks - like island hopping, or canyoning down the Cetina river, or hiking Biokovo mountain. Dalmatia is bursting with museums and history, from the Romans to the breakup of Yugoslavia. Dalmatia’s coastal towns are the pride of every fisher - and the food, like black cuttlefish risotto or classic grilled fish soaked in garlic and olive oil is so simple, yet will be remembered as one of the best meals you’ve ever had. 

Known as one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world by CNN Travel, exploring Dalmatia by car should be one of your top bucket list items.

Not to miss towns in Dalmatia:

- The obvious Zadar, Šibenik, Split, Dubrovnik

- Primošten: because its center is located on an island that is connected with the mainland 

- Trogir: because it is a UNESCO paradise

- Omiš: because of pirates, fortresses, and soparnik

- Baćina lakes: because you’ll be mesmerised

- Anywhere in the Neretva Valley for mandarins and frogs

- Ston: because of oysters and the European ‘Great Wall of China’

- Any tiny coastal village along the way

After you’ve decided which region you’d like to explore, you can make your trip even easier by using Croatia’s trusted private transfer service Solo Transfers. A reliable transfer company with friendly and professional drivers that will take you wherever you want to go, your Croatian road trip will be one for the memory books. 

To find out more about Solo Transfers, check out their official website. 

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

Four Croatian cities are trying to make it easier at least financially for parents when it comes to caring for their children. Umag, Belišće, Vrlika and Obrovac are the only Croatian towns to ensure free kindergarten for kids, removing at least one worry from the heads of their parents.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 21st of January, 2019, in addition to employment, decent salaries and a resolved housing issue for young families, a key prerequisite for changing the negative demographic picture in the Republic of Croatia is the development of a network of nurseries and kindergartens which are made readily available to parents in need of them.

The Croatian towns in which parents, when it comes to kindergartens, have at least the financial side of things taken care of for them are Umag, Belišće, Vrlika and Obrovac. These towns are, as previously mentioned, the only four towns in the whole of Croatia that provide free kindergartens for all their children, as was reported by the portal Gradonacelnik.hr.

Until just a few days ago, there were only three towns offering such measures - Umag, Vrlika and Obrovac, and now they have been joined by Belišće, whose administration, headed by Dinka Burić, recently lowered the prices of kindergartens from 410 to 300 kuna. Upon the further analysis of budget items and revenues, they have since realised that they can provide an additional 700,000 kuna, giving parents in the area completely free kindergartens for their kids.

Although a formal decision is still yet to be made on the 28th of January, the move has been effective since January the 1st, meaning that the parents who have children needing kindergartens in Belišće no longer have to think about payments of any kind.

Thanks to European Unoon tenders and intensified local self-government activities in project preparation, nearly 200 new kindergartens are being prepared or constructed in their various different stages across the Republic of Croatia, with lack of capacity and the unavailability of accommodation becoming less and less of a problem.

Give our dedicated lifestyle  page a follow for more on Croatia's demographic problem, and to stay up to date with other Croatian towns and cities which follow in the footsteps of Umag, Obrovac, Vrlika and Belišće.

Uljanik's woes continue as workers endure difficult times and strategic partners for the enfeebled Pula shipyard's appear to be moving cautiously and slowly. Despite that, the burdened Croatian shipyard is currently involved in completing the construction of the most expensive vessel constructed in any shipyard in the Republic of Croatia.

As Novac.hr/Barbara Ban  writes on the 18th of January, 2019, Australian Glen Moroney's Scenic Eclipse polar cruiser of the Scenic Group is currently in its final phases at Uljanik.

The outside molding of this luxurious polar vessel, which was worked on by as many as 400 to 700 people was completed, out of which about ten percent of Uljanik's employees were directly engaged. The rest of the ship has been being built by some of Uljanik's co-operatives and people from the Scenic Group itself. When finally finished, it will be part of a fleet of twenty luxury cruisers of which the aforementioned company is proud.

In addition, the vessel should be receiving its very first guests as early as this year, albeit with a great deal of delays given the fact that it was supposed to embark on its first trip at the end of August 2018. Work on the boat is now continuing without interruption, and on his first voyage, the cruiser will travel around the Mediterranean, with its first port of call being Barcelona. Booking for that trip has gone ahead, and because of the unwelcome delay the prices are somewhat less than they were originally. For all those who booked the first trip when the vessel was meant to be completed last summer, the company refunded customers their cancellation fees.

''This cruiser is one of the most complex vessels in its segment being built today on a global level and we're proud of it. We experienced significant difficulties where there was a shift in deadlines, however, Uljanik possesses the knowledge to create such a vessel in record time in relation to the circumstances. On several occasions, the owner himself emphasised that, in relation to the circumstances, the execution time was something beyond his expectations. The ship is now in its final phase,'' stated Uljanik's managing director Emil Bulić.

Otherwise, the Scenic Group commissioned another such vessel from Uljanik, and Uljanik has offered assurances that the shipowner has no intent of terminating this contract which was concluded a year ago. On the other hand, Australia's Moroney is one of the investors who is interested in Uljanik himself.

Give our business page a follow to stay up to date with Uljanik's unfolding situation and much more.

Click here for the original article by Barbara Ban for Novac.hr