November 26, 2021 - With the aim of helping private rental owners in the town to prepare in the best possible way for the following summer season, the Jelsa Tourist Board launches a project that will offer discounts and benefits for partners, called the ''Loyalty Program for Renters''.

The project "Loyalty program for renters" of the Tourist Board of Jelsa will offer a number of benefits and discounts for arranging accommodation units, equipping facilities, arranging gardens and yards, and private renters will provide better and better preparation for the upcoming tourist season.

The "Loyalty program for renters" works on the principle of a card that renters will be able to pick up at the office of the Tourist Board of Jelsa, reports HrTurizam. Given the large share of private accommodation in the Municipality of Jelsa, this method jointly contributes to increasing the quality of the tourist offer and encouraging local consumption. The cardholder must be registered in the eVisitor system and have all debts settled.

The Tourist Board of the Municipality of Jelsa invites all companies and crafts that are engaged in economic activities and offer products related to tourism (construction, equipment, works, aesthetics ...), to apply and get involved in the project as partners. The deadline for joining this project is December 10, 2021, after which renters will be invited to pick up their cards at the office of the Tourist Board of Jelsa.

Interested partners should submit an application form in which the required information is entered. By completing it, the partner undertakes to participate in the project until its revocation. Discounts and benefits provided by partners can be easily changed throughout the year, by sending an e-mail toThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with new information. The project is permanent, and partners who want to activate later in this project are welcome, and you only need to send the completed application form to the specified email address.   

The cards are in the name and surname of the landlord, are not transferable to other persons, and can be picked up upon presentation of an identity card. The list of partners and contracted benefits for renters can be found on the tab, whereby simply scanning the QR code, the landlord can see current benefits and discounts at any time. Also, a list of all current offers will be on the official website of the Jelsa Tourist Board.

THE APPLICATION FORM is located at the LINK.

The application form should be sent exclusively to the email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or delivered in person to the office of the Tourist Board of the Municipality of Jelsa.

For more, check out our business section.

June 16, 2021 - The first Croatian town to join the International Dark Sky Community continues to prove that its clear, star-filled sky continues to rank it as one of the top astrotourism destinations, with Jelsa celebrating its Astronomy Days from June 10th to 14th.

In cooperation with the Croatian Astronomical Association, the Jelsa Tourist Board, and the Leo Brenner Astronomical Society, the Astronomy Days were organized in Jelsa between June 10th and 14th, which is another step of Jelsa towards the development of astrotourism, reports Turističke priče. As part of the program, primary school children learned how to observe the sun with telescopes, but also everything about the stars and light pollution. The workshops introduced the children to the most important constellations and the brightest stars currently seen in the sky, as well as the problem of light pollution, like the reason why we are missing stars.

Participants were able to take a photo of the moon with their own smartphones (Credit: Mario Romulić)

The stars will be the brightest tourist product of Jelsa, which should acquire the status of the International Dark-Sky Community by the end of the year and become the first municipality/city in Croatia to proudly bear that title. This title confirms Jelsa as a destination that has an exceptional quality of the night sky and respects high environmental standards in terms of light pollution, which together make a big step towards creating an astro-tourist offer in the area of ​​Jelsa.

In addition to workshops for children in Jelsa, public observations with telescopes for citizens and tourists were organized as part of Astronomy Days. The astronomical evening in Zavala and the Moon from Zastražišće attracted visitors, and on both observations, apart from looking through the telescope, it was possible to photograph the moon with your own smartphone through the telescope, so many took with them a fond memory.

Participants of the Astronomy Days in Jelsa (Credit: Jelsa Tourist Board)

Jelsa was the first to develop astrotourism

Secretary-General of the Croatian Astronomical Union Dorian Božičević in Jelsa serviced the cameras of the Croatian Meteor Network located in the Eco-ethno village Humac and continued with measurements of light pollution in the Municipality of Jelsa, which is soon preparing to submit an application to the International Night Sky Association (IDA) for obtaining the status of the International Dark Sky Community, reported from the Croatian Astronomical Union, announcing that they expect to receive the status by the end of the year.

The town of Jelsa at night (Credit: Mario Romulić)

In addition to the sun and the sea, Jelsa will also offer tourists a starry sky, and the stars in modern times are disappearing precisely because of light pollution, and observing the starry sky is becoming a tourist attraction that you cannot often see.

What is the International Dark Sky Community?

Unlike the park, the dark sky community is a village, town, municipality, and other legally recognized communities that have shown exceptional commitment to preserving the dark sky through the implementation of quality outdoor lighting and raising awareness of light pollution. Namely, in 2001, the International Organization of the Dark Sky launched the "International Dark Sky Locations" program. The program recognizes and aims to protect areas around the world with preserved and natural dark skies, ie without or with a minimum amount of light pollution.

Jelsa is a slice of safe, authentic lifestyle heaven on Croatia’s premier island, with wine and beach treasures galore. Everything you need to know about Jelsa, you'll find it in our Total Croatia's Jelsa on a Page HERE.

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April 13, 2020 - The Twilight Zone that is Jelsa tourism shows no sign of emerging from its website Groundhog Day. Is there any way to help it along?

There are a few moments in life that are etched in the memory, and you will always remember where you were when they took place. 

September 11, 2001 is perhaps the best example (I was having a beer in an Internet cafe in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo). 

August 31, 1997 and the death of Princess Diana (I was on a squash court in Oxfordshire the following morning when I heard after my opponent apologised for being late due to 'the news').

And if you are an expat in Croatia, the first time you came across the world 'uhljeb'. For those yet to cross the uhljeb Rubicon, A Tale of Two Croatias: Before and After the Uhljeb Discovery might be instructive. 

My journey to the fountain of knowledge was a strange one when I first heard the word 'uhljeb'. It was back in May, 2015 with an Index special title which included a statement of the erstwhile Jelsa Tourist Board director telling Bradbury that he was not an uhljeb. 

I was really confused. I couldn't possibly have called him an uhljeb as I had never heard the word until his response in an Index headline. I took to my Facebook wall to ask Croatian friends what this word 'uhljeb' meant. 

And so began my journey into The Beautiful Croatia... 

So why am I bringing all this up now, five years later? 

A combination of factors, I guess. I was messaging a friend in Vietnam last week who used to work for the seaplane operator, European Coastal Airlines. While the service was great when it went and while it lasted (ok Babic, am waiting for your comment), there were many cancellations. It is now almost four years since the seaplanes flew. 

My friend in Vietnam and I exchanged self-isolation realities, and he said he could imagine me sitting on The Bench with a cold Lasko, looking out to Burkovo on the mainland.

"No seaplanes today." he joked. 

Out of nostalgia, I wandered around to the old seaplane station that used to get me to Split in 15 minutes. Despite being closed for almost four years, it looked almost new.  

Certainly, anyone walking past the containers would get the impression that they were closed for the day, rather than forever.  

There was no sign on the door saying that the service had been discontinued, so any tourist passing in the last four years would have been interested to learn that there was a fast transfer seaplane network to Split and beyond. 

I suppose some would then go to the Jelsa Tourist Board website to get more informa... OH NO, please don't tell me that they are still promoting seaplanes on the official website. 

Those who have followed TCN for years will know all about the Era of Telepathy Tourism. For those of you don't know about this golden era of Jelsa tourism, your lives are the richer for your lack of knowledge. But if you are curious, Google Search is your friend. 

The last time I looked at the Jelsa tourist board website was in 2016. It was just about to be upgraded to a VERY nice new look. Great photos from the Osijek Maestros, Romulic and Stojcic. I know one of the web developers involved in the project, who confirmed that his company had been paid in full for the job. 

So let's take a look four years later - timeline April 13, 2020. 

Groundhog Day. And how. 

Not only were the seaplanes being promoted, but so too was Malev, the Hungarian national carrier which went bankrupt in 2012. That was 8 years ago. And quite what that plane from Venice was doing a panoramic tour of Opatija is doing in the Jelsa tourism story is beyond me - any suggestions?

Full disclosure - it is my fault that the seaplanes link is there, for back in 2015, a couple of days before I learned about the word 'uhljeb' for the first time, I was walking past the Jelsa Tourist Board one lunchtime and noticed that not only was there no info about the seaplanes at the office (which was closed) or on the website, but the ferry and bus timetables were for the previous winter. I wrote a small blog to that effect, Index decided to run the story, and my entry into the Mighty State of Uhljebistan was assured. 

The bus timetables were miraculously updated the next day, seaplane information added in the office, and a link with ECA logo added to the website. 

I felt emboldened. Perhaps I really could change the world. Even Gandhi had to start somewhere, and updated bus timetables was quite an achievement. 

In my next blog, celebrating this historic day in Jelsa tourism, I suggested that while we were on a roll with updated information, it might also be time to remove Malev, which had gone bankrupt three years earlier. 

And there my powers were curtailed. Malev remained. And remains today, 8 years after it went bankrupt, and 4 since the seaplanes ceased roaring.  

While the Malev battle might be lost, surely my hard-won fight for current bus timetables had brought permanent change?

Time check - April 13, 2020 - Timetables valid until October 2017. 

I don't mean to be difficult, but how hard is it?

And then I wondered if this was specific to Jelsa. What about the other island tourist boards?

 Svaka cast, Stari Grad Tourist Board. Not only a great website, BUT...

The first thing you see on the homepage is a pop up welcome message from the tourist board director with COVID-19 information and contact details.  

Great progress too in Hvar Town, where the updated website includes some of its latest accolades, including Conde Nast Readers Choice of Best Island in Europe 2019.  

A reasonable effort too from Vrboska, although if anyone at the Vrboska Tourist Board is interested, the links that I supplied back in 2010 in the How to Reach Us page are to a website that went offline nine years ago. 

And the crazy thing is - it seems - that Jelsa has a great new website gathering virtual dust for four years now. 

Four years ago, I was asked for my input to a new Jelsa tourist board website. It was GREAT, really impressive. And, as I said above, the web company was paid in full for the job. 

So where is the website?

And we do we have bus timetables for 2017, airlines that went bankrupt in 2012 and events which last took place in August 2019?

Jelsa has been incredibly good to me over the years, and I was more than happy to put forward a blueprint to move Jelsa tourism last summer, which made it into the national media. (Here is a Croatian version in Tportal by Damir Petranovic). I didn't expect the Jelsa tourism chiefs to implement any of the ideas, even though I know they read every word, but I was heartened by many people in the community in tourism who liked the suggestions. 

And, as I posted in the big Jelsa Facebook group above (where my posts have been deleted in the past), I was VERY happy to be able to not only provide extensive coverage of this year's Za Krizen procession, which is so important to everyone in the community, but also due to my unique access to the procession, I was able to document and show the reality of what happened on Thursday night and Friday morning - totally different to the way it was presented in the media. And I do thank the literally hundreds of people from Jelsa and elsewhere on Hvar for their messaged. They truly meant a lot. You can read Jelsa Za Krizen, Croatia Not Wuhan & Cabin Fever Perspectives (there is also a link to the Croatian version).

I love Jelsa, and I want the best for the place which was my home for a quarter of my life. But I fear for its tourism future with the corona fallout and with this inept tourism leadership.

But can we at least give our tourism businesses a fighting chance by getting some of the absolute basics sorted?

Such as an updated website?

Looking to learn more about the magic of Jelsa? Here is a (2017) article with more on the magic - 25 things to know about Jelsa, the Hvar wine capital.