May the 20th, 2022 - The classic sight of Dubrovnik super yachts which could be seen each and every summer in the Pearl of the Adriatic is severely lacking this year, with rich Russian yacht and villa owners avoiding Croatia entirely owing to sanctions. It seems Turkey is set to make the profit this year.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, a couple of years ago, there were no cruisers, but there were Dubrovnik super yachts that chose Croatia's southernmost city as their favourite destination, and spent up to half a million euros in Croatia in just three weeks. These were the absolute guests, especially last year when Croatia set a record in the number of yacht arrivals, so many that Dubrovnik has already been called the Croatian Monte Carlo, writes local portal Dubrovacki vjesnik.

However, this year no yacht owner has decided to go down to Dubrovnik, except for the one that was on a winter berth in the Port of Gruz. Whether the problem is the fact that the owners of luxury yachts are often Russians who will, understandably, avoid parts of Europe where they may have their property confiscated or something else, Dubrovacki vjesnik tried to find out from yacht managers.

Russian oligarchs have been left without their villas, yachts and money: "This war is a disaster for them"

"The reason for the absence of yacht owners is primarily the situation due to the war in Ukraine, and a large number of yacht owners across the Mediterranean have always been Russians. We don't expect them anywhere in the Mediterranean, not even in Croatia. Turkey will certainly benefit from this because many Russian-owned vessels are already in Turkey and so that country will definitely have a better season than us.

It's hard to predict how many there will be across the Mediterranean. So far, we're doing well, but I expect it will be a little less this season than the previous two pandemic-dominated summers. What the numbers will be, we'll see at the end of the season. This year there will also be fewer Americans because of the war in Europe,'' Dorijan Dujmic, the director of BWA Yachting Croatia.

Compared to 2021, there have been fewer private planes landing Dubrovnik Airport as well, and the reason is certainly the same - rich Russians are now bypassing Croatia, and Americans looking at a map of Europe still believe Croatia is too close to the ongoing conflict, as it seems only a few inches away from Ukraine on paper.

“Since the beginning of this year, about 247 business and general aviation flights (private flights) have been in operation at Dubrovnik Airport. Compared to last year during the same period, there was an increase in the number of aircraft operations (flights) of about 13.83 percent,'' said Ivan Maslac, the commercial director of Dubrovnik Airport.

Last year, a significant part of general and business aviation traffic was made up of larger privately owned aircraft (Bombardier Global Express, Gulfstream V, etc.), and Dubrovnik Airport expects a large number of general and business aviation traffic this year as well, which will more than likely be of the same profile. Of course, due to the sanctions imposed on Russia due to the war in Ukraine, we expect a smaller number of Russian passengers,'' he concluded.

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March the 17th, 2022 - The Dubrovnik marina (ACI Dubrovnik) is undergoing a massive 35 million kuna revamp in order to allow it to accommodate larger yachts and other such vessels.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Suzana Varosanec writes, the Dubrovnik marina (ACI) is now at the end of the development project through capital investments in which it has undergone the largest infrastructure works in the last 30 years. This is the key of this investment for much-needed development in order to properly keep up with current nautical trends.

In the new season, the Dubrovnik marina will be ready to answer an increasing number of inquiries for vessels of 20 metres in length and more, and there are more and more of them coming in, as confirmed by the director of ACI Marina Dubrovnik, Leo Ajdukovic.

"In order to remain at the very top of global nautical science, the constant development of infrastructure and services is needed. Therefore, the demolition of the pier and the construction of the coastal wall in the marina is underway. These works will enable the entry of vessels which are four to five metres longer than before, which is in line with nautical trends.

The vessels that come to our marinas, especially to the Dubrovnik marina, are growing every year. The reconstruction will provide as much as 220 metres of new shoreline for larger ships. The reconstruction of the infrastructure in the entire marina is also being carried out, which includes water supply and drainage, electricity and installations, and lighting. The value of the construction of the coastal wall and the reconstruction of the infrastructure stands at around 35 million kuna,'' stated Ajdukovic.

The deadline for completion of the construction of the coastal wall is scheduled for the beginning of this year's tourist season, the deadline for completion of the infrastructure reconstruction is scheduled even earlier, and all activities going on in the Dubrovnik marina are doing so smoothly.

In the next phases, the construction of a service zone is planned, which will be the largest in the southern part of the Adriatic, which will significantly increase the level of nautical services on offer.

The new service zone will centralise several service units on an area spanning ​​more than 1000 m2, which are currently located in several places in the marina. It will be one of the most modern and largest service zones in this part of the Adriatic. Within it, hangars are planned that would enable work on vessels even in rainy weather, which is a great advantage and will significantly increase the efficiency and quality of their offered services. All of the necessary documentation is currently being prepared for all of the above.

It is also envisaged that some services will be provided by business partners, as in other ACI marinas, so the decision on possible additional employment will be made by the business partner in charge of running that service.

Furthermore, the reconstruction of the Sorkocevic palace is planned, which is protected as a cultural asset and entered in the Register of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture. This is a project that was initially estimated at around 60 million kuna, but in the conditions of rising prices for energy, fuel and construction materials, there is an expectation that they will "revise" the value.

All this, they are convinced in ACI, will position the popular Dubrovnik marina among the ranks of those at the very top of global nautical tourism.

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