December the 8th, 2022 - According to all criteria, the Republic of Croatia is a global nautical power. This country's enviable coastline, numerous inhabited and uninhabited islands, coves, bays and the glorious Adriatic Sea make it something truly special for this sector. It is precisely because of all of the above that the technology to make this industry "greener" and more sustainable is very important. That's where Green Sail comes in.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, although nautical tourism contributes very minimally to global pollution, it can still have a negative impact on local coastal communities through the pollution of the sea and air, as well as through the increased accumulation of waste, etc. The team which makes up the Green Sail organisation recently developed a way for boat owners and boat rental companies to measure their ecological footprint.

VEF (Vessel Environmental Footprint) helps vessels determine their ecological footprint and also acts as a rating system, showing the level of sustainability of each individual vessel, allowing for them to set themselves goals for reduction.

"The biggest advantage of emissions calculation is the management of risks and opportunities. If we're thinking about dealing in a long-term sense with the sea and tourism, it is logical that we keep an account of what sort of impact we're having,'' said Hrvoje Caric from the Institute for Tourism.

As they themselves explained from Green Sail, the general goal of the innovative VEF system is to raise awareness and reduce the impact of the nautical industry on the environment and help with the transition of the Croatian nautical industry towards a more sustainable future because, among other things, it enables clients to make informed purchasing decisions.

Green Sail's rating system takes into account emissions produced on the vessel, energy and water consumption, as well as waste produced. The VEF system also takes into account elements that have the ability to neutralise or reduce the vessel's impact on the environment.

This includes the reduced use of antifouling, the presence of renewable energy sources on board, and whether there are proper places marked out for separating waste on board. The age of the vessel, how often and how it is used are also taken into account when giving a rating.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

August the 13th, 2022 - Croatian maritime traffic is 50% stronger than it was last year, and the charter sector is blowing the record, pre-pandemic year of 2019 out of the water, no pun intended.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, almost 8.5 million passengers were boarded and disembarked in various Croatian seaports throughout the second quarter of this year, which is 55.7 percent of the number last year, according to official statistics. At the same time, 8.2 million passengers were transported on ferries and passenger ships, which is a 50.8 percent increase compared to the same period back in 2021.

The number of vessels in Croatian maritime traffic also grew...

The increase in passengers was achieved in all major Croatian ports, as well as in international traffic. 32.5 percent more passenger vehicles and 127.7 percent more buses were loaded and unloaded on ships compared to the same quarter last year.

Out of the total number of passengers in Croatian sea ports, 255 thousand of them disembarked from cruise ships and visited, among others, the Dalmatian ports of Dubrovnik, Split and Zadar. Considering the fact that back during the second quarter of 2021, there were only 12 thousand passengers aboard cruise ships, after that period there was a noticeable return of cruise ships to Croatian seaports, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) notes.

The total turnover of goods increased by 14.5 percent when compared to the same period back in 2021, and the port of Ploce had the highest growth of 55.5 percent, followed by Split with a growth of 42 percent. Furthermore, in the first half of 2022, the total number of ships arriving at Croatian seaports increased by 13.4 percent, the total traffic of passengers by 46 percent, and the total traffic of goods by 9.7 percent.

Although Croatian maritime traffic in tourist ports was significant even during the global coronavirus pandemic, and therefore the nautical sector represented the strongest segment of tourism, this summer season is bringing with it a new increase. In July 2022, there were 120,000 arrivals and 770,000 overnight stays in the nautical charter, which is a 23 percent increase in arrivals and 5 percent in overnight stays compared to July 2019.

Over the first six months of 2022 with revenues of 98 million kuna, the national chain of marinas (ACI) exceeded the revenue earned back in 2019 by 4.6 million kuna, meaning that results achieved are 16.4 million kuna or 20 percent higher than they were back during 2021.

In addition to all of the above, after last year's 44 million kuna worth of investments in infrastructure and services, in the first six months of 2022 alone, ACI exceeded that amount by an impressive 3.9 million kuna, realising new investments totalling 47.9 million kuna.

ACI claims that the income is the result of investments, thorough and adequate preparation for the season in all of Croatia's ACI marinas, and the easing of measures introduced during the coronavirus pandemic. ACI achieved a positive financial result in the first half of the year in the amount of 3.2 million kuna, while the realised EBITDA for the first half of the year amounted to 36.2 million kuna in total.

For more on Croatian maritime traffic and nautical tourism, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

June the 6th, 2022 - Croatian marinas up and down the coastline are becoming more and more popular for those seeking nautical experiences in tourism. One marina even has a waiting list.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, while most facilities, from hotels to campsites, expect a more massive arrival of guests from mid-June onwards, the height of the summer tourist season in Croatian marinas has long since begun. There are no free berths left in many of them, and it seems that more and more wealthy sailors are coming to Croatia, reports HRT.

There is no free berth to speak of, for example, in the Pula marina. The owners of the largest ships have at least a three-member crew that they pay for all year round, and they sail the Croatian Adriatic only during the summer months.

"They spend very well, you know, we always sleep in marinas, there are costs, of course, they go out to restaurants in the evening, and the groceries they use on board cost a lot, they aren't just your average things, so they're good consumers," said Anton Cukon.

Those spending time in Croatia owing to nautical tourism tend to spend twice as much as the average guest and more and more of the wealthiest among them are docking in Croatian marinas.

"Every day we receive inquiries for much larger vessels. We used to have inquiries for ships of 15-16 metres in length, and now, on a weekly basis, there are inquiries for over 25 metre vessels. What's the cause of this, what do you think? There's obviously a surplus of money in the world,'' believes Aleksandar Suran, the director of the marina Veruda, Pula.

In the marina in Rovinj - only the largest boats are present. Renovated three years ago, the latest technological and service standards have brought it a maximum of five anchors, seeing it attract many who otherwise went to other countries.

"We've filled all of our capacities for annual berths and we have no problems in the sense of poor announcements, in fact more berths are needed, so we already have a waiting list," said Goran Bilic, the director of ACI Marina Rovinj.

"We came to Rovinj because we bought a new, bigger boat. And here we have all the necessary infrastructure,'' said Andreas, a sailor from Austria.

The Marina Association warns that further investments in Croatian marinas are questionable. Namely, most of them will have their concessions expire in 2030, after which a public tender will be announced.

"You can't invest some serious funds now, in 2022, and expect to depreciate them by 2030. That's why we ask that such a possibility be left for the existing Croatian marinas to decide whether they want to continue," explained Sean Lisjak, president of the Marina Association.

In order for existing Croatian marinas to have an advantage in such tenders, at least three ministries must agree: the Ministry of Maritime Affaits, Tourism and, of course, the Minstry of Finance.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business and travel sections.

February 23rd, 2022 - Mitan Marina in Novi Vinodolski will soon be the first marina in Croatia to have an equal number of dry and wet slips, with a total count of 320 berths

Located in Muroskva Bay in Novi Vinodolski, Mitan Marina currently has 160 berths for boats up to 15 metres in length and can also accommodate mega yachts on the outer side of the front breakwater.

Following last year’s successful sailing season, a second hangar for dry boat storage is about to opened in their dry marina, writes Novi list. Both hangars are heated, have a surface area of 330 square metres each, and can accommodate a total of 160 boats combined.

‘We’re limited when it comes to expansion on the coast because of terrain configuration and the breakwater at the exit from the marina, but we have a good opportunity to expand our dry storage capacities in the industrial zone of Novi Vinodolski, located in the nearby Vinodol Valley’, said Mitan Marina Director Tomislav Salopek.

Mitan Marina is owned by Croatian entrepreneur Vanja Špiljak, who lives in Switzerland. He supports the initiatives of the management headed by director Salopek, as they work to execute their plans for expansion.

After the second hangar for dry berthing is put into use, Mitan Marina will become the first marina in Croatia to have an equal number of wet and dry slips, 160 each, for a total of 320 berths.

‘Apart from the upcoming opening of the second hangar for dry boat storage, we’re planning to build six new apartments in the vicinity of Mitan Marina, on the shore of Muroskva Bay located at the eastern point of entrance to the city. The apartments will have a surface area of 55 square metres each, with a concrete beach and a sunbathing area built in front’, said Salopek.

He confirmed that the other six apartments they already manage had a great occupancy rate, with half their guests being clients of the marina, and the other half tourists who visited Novi Vinodolski without their boats.

October the 29th, 2021 - The Croatian Charter.hr (čarter.hr) platform has been in use since the end of September, and the blossoming Croatian nautical tourism sector has a brand new place at its disposal when it comes to securing all relevant information for business operations in future.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, following one year of preparation, the Croatian charter.hr portal has officially been launched by Selma Cmelik, a tourist communication specialist with many years of experience working in charter and the owner of the digital marketing agency Zona Plus. Her idea was to gather all the information, tools, guidelines and various resources necessary for more successful business of nautical charter companies in this country, but also to encourage digitalisation in the sector.

“As someone who worked in the charter industry and is now in digital marketing, I felt the need to create a website that would have all that important information for everyday charter business, but which also contains ideas, tools and resources in the form of statistical reports and trends within this industry.

That hasn't been the case here on the Croatian market so far. As a former charter employee, I know how challenging it can be to get hold of all of the relevant information, especially when it comes to tax and legislative guidance. The development of digitalisation has also provided more and more opportunities, but there was still almost nothing dedicated to the charter industry.

We always had to compare ourselves with the hotel sector, we had to depend on the choice of individual service providers and apart from specialised fairs there was no place to find a good choice of solutions. Therefore, I expect that the charter sector will have multiple benefits from this project,'' explained Cmelnik.

The Croatian charter.hr platform is primarily intended for professionals in nautical charter, directors, managers, operatives in charter bases and reservation departments. It also connects all other services naturally based on this industry, and so it represents an opportunity to connect companies that offer their products and services to charter companies.

“Basically, the Croatian charter.hr platform is a place that advocates the digitalisation and optimisation of nautical charter. We plan to publish articles on various business topics, e-books talking about trends from within the industry, and about digital tools as necessary things for the automation and optimisation of business processes. We'll do our best to conduct some research in order to assess the needs of the industry well and address them correctly,'' announced the entrepreneur.

The plan is for the Croatian charter.hr platform to eventually become a membership platform where members will have additional benefits such as legal, tax and accounting advice and services at their disposal, but more content needs to be added to reach that goal. Currently, the web space for services is free until the end of the year, but the plan is to start with toll packages from January 2022 in order to make the portal sustainable.

“At the moment, all companies that have something to offer to charters and want to present their products or services can contact us and we'll set up a page for them for free. We've agreed cooperation with experts in insurance, finance, digital marketing and sales. They create content that is interesting and needed by users. My goal is to make the content on the web really relevant and useful,'' concluded Cmelnik.

For more, make sure to check out Made in Croatia.

24 October 2021 - This year the Biograd Boat Show celebrated it's 23rd show with 21 years of continuous record breaking shows, a unique accomplishment with so many boat shows around the world. Held at Marina Kornati in Biograd na moru, this is Central Europe’s largest in-water boat show and has gained international popularity amongst both exhibitors and visitors alike. Industry events held within the Biograd Boat Show  include the 5th HGK (Croatian Chamber of Commerce) Nautical Days (20th-22nd), the Croatia Charter Expo (21st-22nd) and the Biograd B2B business networking event.

The first day was opened by the Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds, Nataša Tramišak.

Stretched out across four marquee halls and three piers spanning the northern and western wings of Marina Kornati, the Boat Show offered visitors the chance to peruse over 300 registered exhibitors across all aspect srelated to the marine industry, including apparel, solar energy, boat charter agents, food products , chandlery and textiles. A highlight for many visiting the boat show, there were also up to 300 boats on display, with many of them open to the public to look through and inspect. 

Of course, in these COVID times, safety measures were in place such as RAPID testing available at the entrance for 50 kuna per person for anyone who did not have a COVID passport (required to enter the event.) There were also many sanitizer stations laid out all over providing many opportunities for both exhibitors and attendees to ensure that they were abiding by the COVID guidelines.

Some of the new vessels that were introduced to the Croatian market included:

• Seamaster 45 Fortuna - Presented by Angelina Yachting, this is the largest motorboat from the Seamaster range, with a 13.5m flybridge. contemporary design and luxe interior. Available for charter with Angelina Yachting.

• Flammifer FFB 640 F-RPA compact firefighting boat - Made domestically in Croatia, this powerful machine is designed to emit jets of up to 45 meters, useful for its’ purpose of fighting fires in marina’s, on ships and in coastal areas where access is only by sea.

• Bali Catamaran in sizes 4.2 and4.6 - Bali is known for its’ unique catamaran designs maximising on lounging space and open living areas. Their 4.2 and 4.6 models are already popular in the charter industry here in Croatia. 

• Agena Marin solar ferry boat - With it’s clean lines and retro design, this lightweight 8.5m long vessel has a maximum of 12 passengers. Equipped with a solar panel with a capacity of 1800 W that constantly charges the batteries, the boat can sail constantly from 5 to 8 hours, depending on the load.

• See below for a quick walk-through of the Bali 4.6 with 45D in their Biograd Boat Show vlog. Charter a Bali catamaran with Croatia Yachting Charter HERE  

A few other noteworthy exhibitors were: 

• EcoFlow - A compact and highly attractive portable solar power system, boasting the worlds fastest portable power stations.

• Big Green Egg - A bbq with a distinctive name and appearance, it comes in three different sizes and is made in Croatia!

• Lampuga - Premium, electric, emission-free surfboards.

A Biograd Boat Show favourite returned this year as well. Christian Buchair, also known as “Rocket Man” took to the air with his Flyboard Water Jet Pack. Christian is also associated with Efun Waterways, who were also at the Boat Show showcasing their luxury water toys! Efun maximized on being at the Biograd Boat Show and premiered the Messestand, their new German-made carbon electric surfboard from WaterRebels. 

Every evening of the event was closed with live entertainment from local artists, such as Three Little Birds, Mate Skračić band, The Dreamers and a special performance on Saturday night from Freeway “Unplugged”, a band consisting of local nautical workers! 

For more detailed information and some great articles relevant to both the Biograd Boat Show and nautical tourism within Croatia, check out the Biograd Boat Show Croatia Yachting magazine here.

Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/BiogradBoatShow

If you have questions on anything sailing in Croatia, feel free to ask below in the comments or check out Total Croatia, Sailing in Croatia: Your One-Stop-Shop for Everything Sailing.

For more about Travel in Croatia follow TCN's dedicated pages - Digital Nomads | Travel.

ZAGREB, 12 April, 2021 - Nautical tourism ports generated a total revenue of HRK 812 million in 2020, which was 11.6% less than in the record year 2019, and most of that revenue or 73.3% refers to berth rental, the State Bureau of Statistics (DZS) reported on Monday.

Revenue from berth rental in 2020 amounted to HRK 598 million, which is a decrease of 8.2% on the year.

Statistics indicate that revenue decreased in all Adriatic counties, with the biggest decrease of 23.3% on the year recorded in Dubrovnik-Neretva County. This was followed by Split-Dalmatia County (-17.4%), Istria County (-15%), Šibenik-Knin County (-11%), Zadar County (-6.4%) and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County (-2.6%).

The statistics relate to 185 nautical tourism ports with 18,625 berths. There was a slight increase in permanent berths of 0.4% y-o-y with 14,312 vessels being permanently berthed in Croatia as at 31 December 2020.

The majority of vessels permanently berthed sail under the Croatian flag (44.1%) followed by Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Italy, with an increase of vessels under the German and Slovenian flags of 3% and 1.7% respectively compared to 2019.

DZS underscored that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a fall in the number of vessels in transit y-o-y. Last year there were 121,536 vessels in transit or 40.7% less than in 2019.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

April 8, 2021 - Nautical tourists will now be able to pay the fees related to their stay online thanks to the digitalisation of nautical fees as Croatia continues dragging itself into the modern era.

Tourist fees for nautical tourists in Croatia can now be paid online, reports Goran Rihelj for Hrturizam. The website Nautika E-visitor, available in English, Croatian, German and Italian, offers the ability to accept payments according to the size of the vessel, which can stretch from 7 to over 20 metres in length, as well as by the number of people. These options are aligned with the Tourist Tax Act.

The site was launched last year as a service of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport, and Infrastructure and allowed tourists to pay and download an electronic confirmation of payment of navigation safety fees online. The entire system has been updated in regard to the digitalisation of nautical fees, and there is no longer an option to pay the fee in person, which was the only way to do it previously.

''Croatia has a fleet of 4,300 vessels, more than 140 nautical tourism ports with over 17,000 berths and over a million cruise passengers. The average consumption of nautical tourists is 126 euros per day, and in the charter sector, 183 euros per day. More than 30 percent of that money is spent on other forms of tourism, from cultural content to wine and gastronomy,'' reads the article on HRturizam.

port, pixabay

It goes on to remind readers that Croatia.hr, the main website for information on tourism owned and run by the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ), also has a subsite for nautical tourits. The subsite, just like the main site, is available to view in Croatian, English, German, Italian, Czech, French, Japanese, Hungarian, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Slovakian, Slovenian, Spanish, and the Swedish language.

An important step in digitalisation development of Croatia has proven and continues to prove especially useful during the ongoing global pandemic, which makes frequent physical contact with other people risky.

As such, nautical tourists generally have an edge when it comes to being able to self-isolate and enjoy their holidays safely with a chosen group of friends or family on their private vessel. This is yet another argument for them to visit Croatia, along with the breath-taking coastal landscape accompanying clear Adriatic sea.

Learn more about sailing in Croatia on our TC Page.  

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

October the 10th, 2020 - Croatian Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac has stated that nautical tourism, which is an important and continually growing branch of the overall Croatian tourism offer, has remained resilient in the face of the crisis we're still currently in.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has thrown a proverbial spanner in the works of just about everything imaginable, and tourism across the globe has taken a very heavy blow indeed. Countries like Croatia, which relies very heavily on tourism, have been scrambling to balance controlling the virus and allowing the economy to remain in some state of function. The Croatian Tourism Minister spoke on the state of affairs during a recent conference at which nautical tourism in Croatia was discussed.

As Morski writes on the 9th of October, 2020, Croatian Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac participated in a recent conference held in the coastal town of Skradin called "Nautical tourism - the most resilient to the coronavirus crisis". The conference was held at Skradin's culture centre.

Nautical tourism is largely responsible for the achieved tourist results this year in the Republic of Croatia, which, in this unprecedented pandemic-dominated year are above expectations when compared to competing Mediterranean countries.

''Nautical tourism has shown exceptional resistance to COVID-19, and from January to August 2020, 1.29 million overnight stays were realised, ie 49 percent of the level of traffic in the comparable period of the record year of 2019,'' said Croatian Tourism Minister Brnjac in her introductory speech, adding that the Croatian Ministry of Tourism and Sport will continue work to extend the tourist season and ensure the resilience of the tourism sector in these exceptionally trying times of crisis.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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October 8, 2020 - Nautics has emerged this year as a tourism segment that is quite resilient to the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. Small communities, hidden coves, and natural isolation make nautics stronger than corona.

This year, as in previous years, the Nautical Patrol of Jutarnji list organized a research route through Croatian marinas, from Umag to Dubrovnik. Their goal was to explore and find the best marina according to the answers of the surveyed boaters. Marinas were also rated by an expert jury, and the results will be announced soon.

They set out on their journey with the hypothesis that nautical tourism has the highest chance of a speedy recovery, precisely because of its specificity. And they were right.

During their patrol, they did not encounter a single case of coronavirus infection in any Croatian marina, so their hypothesis was confirmed. Nautical tourism is sustainable even in a pandemic.

What makes nautical specific?

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, one of the most commonly used words around the world has been "isolation". People around the world sought to stay in their homes thus creating their own isolation. But for boaters, isolation is a lifestyle.

They live on their own or rented boats in small communities, which makes it possible to isolate themselves, and that's exactly what most of them want. That's why they like hidden coves and quiet anchorages that form natural isolation, and on the Croatian coast, they can find them in abundance.

Nautical tourism is sustainable even in a pandemic / Copyright Romulić and Stojčić

On the other hand, they also love our marinas because they provide them with a safe berth. Also, since marinas are organized as a kind of closed settlements, it is easy to implement control and protection measures in them.

During the pandemic, the use of delivery services increased worldwide, and that is also possible in Croatian marinas. Everything the boaters needed was delivered to their boat.

Infection stronger than corona

Another specificity is their self-discipline. As reported by Nautical Patrol reporters, adherence to epidemiological measures in marinas was at a high level.

However, boaters generally adhere to the accepted rules of attitude towards the environment in all circumstances, especially in emergencies such as the coronavirus pandemic, because they spend a lot of time adrift at sea.

In other words, "nautical" infection is stronger than corona, and this has been confirmed over the past nautical season.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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