As Morski writes on the 2nd of August, 2020, Korcula hadn't even bothered to hope for their overnight stay count for the coronavirus dominated 2020 tourist season to reach 70 percent of the amount of overnight stays recorded this time last year, but it has. In Korcula town, the very structure of the guests arriving has altered.

Most Croatian guests, who are being heavily relied on this year as tourism continues to be affected (albeit somewhat less heavily) by the global pandemic, tend to arrive on Korcula and into Korcula town in their cars. This is closely followed by boaters and the enfeebled nautical tourism sector. Although the results are getting better, the people who live and work on the island are hoping for a return of regular air travel, as Vijesti.hr/Andrea Zarak reports.

There are no crowds to be seen on the gorgeous Dalmatian island of Korcula this summer. Hotels that opened on Korcula back in late June are still only 40 percent full.

''This year, Croatian guests predominate. These are guests who come in their personal vehicles. We also have Germans, Austrians, Slovenes, and French tourists,'' said Maja Lena Lopatny, public relations manager of hotels on Korcula.

Due to the smaller number of airlines operating, travel agencies are recording a drastic drop in traffic.

''Transfers have all been cancelled, air arrivals are minimal and that's one of the main reasons why there are no excursions taking place that we normally do,'' said Vlado Iliskovic, the owner of a travel agency on Korcula.

The most sought after type of accommodation on the island is currently private accommodation, and in the very heart of Korcula town centre, you can spend the night for up to fifty euros, a dramatic drop when compared to this time last year, long before the coronavirus pandemic swept the globe and dragged the tourism industry to its knees.

''We have our lowered prices, the prices have been lowered by some 25 to 30 percent,'' said Katija Depolo, the owner of an apartment. The very structure of the guests arriving on the island has changed. They typically stay for a week or more, and accommodation outside of Korcula town is increasingly desirable.

''These are mostly guests looking for more distant places which are close to the sea, they're mostly families,'' said Hana Turudic, the director of the Tourist Board of Korcula town.

''Korcula is very beautiful and charming. Especially the old town. Last night we walked and had dinner at the tavern. It's really, really nice,'' said Manuel from Spain.

Croatian singers who can't work because of the coronavirus also recognise Korcula's sheer beauty and claim that that's why they're spending their time on the Dalmatian coast.

''I gladly come back here because this place provides me with maximum protection. This place is magical,'' said popular Croatian musician Nina Badric.

Well known for its glorious beaches, interesting history, beautiful architecture, proximity to places of interest on the Dalmatian mainland and its fascinating gastronomic scene, Korcula usually has no issue when it comes to attracting guests from all over the world and has since long managed to rest on its laurels - until now.

Nautical tourism, along with guests who have arrived either from the rest of Croatia or other countries in Europe by car are by far the most represented on Korcula at this moment in time. There are currently about three thousand and three hundred tourists staying there.

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As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes on the 22nd of June, 2020, it's a well-known fact that Croatia is a nautical superpower, and the country is even a global leader by many standards when it comes to charters. Nevertheless, investments in new nautical facilities, primarily marinas, are relatively rare and mostly modest in their nature. That's why the project of Marina Korkyra, which recently came to life in Vela Luka on Korčula, is interesting.

Marina Korkyra is a huge investment of 42 million kuna made by a company called Ovalis nova, owned by the entrepreneurial family Šegon, which built a hotel of the same name in Vela Luka back in 2011 - Hotel Korkyra.

According to Ivo Šegon, the director of the aforementioned marina, after several decades of efforts, a new marina was built and opened in Vela Luka. Thus, Vela Luka can finally be presented as a new port of Croatian nautical tourism.

"Since the 80's, the project of the Port of Nautical Tourism has been waiting to come to life and bring some long-awaited changes to Vela Luka's tourism, as well as the future development of the place as a whole. Although the project took a little longer than we planned, during 2018 and 2019, construction work was carried out, and this year the marina was opened - we received the necessary permit back in mid-May,'' says Šegon.

Marina Korkyra boasts 132 berths, as well as a bar and restaurant overlooking the entire bay of Vela Luka. The marina is made as an island with two modern pavilions that are connected to the coast by bridges, which, according to the director, puts a special "stamp" on the recognisable visual appearance of the marina.

In the first pavilion there is a reception, souvenir shop and toilets, and in the second there is a bar and restaurant which are both open to boaters, as well as to all guests of Vela Luka and of course to the locals. The restaurant, says Šegon, offers dishes based on a combination of traditional and modern recipes, and most of the ingredients are procured from local suppliers.

The designers of Marina Korkyra, Maja Kuzmanović, an architect, and Mladen Vučković, a maritime designer, pointed out that at this moment in time, only the first phase of the marina has been completed, a large breakwater which works to protect the entire marina from adverse weather conditions and the elements, which also provides mooring for boats and promenades for tourists.

They add that this is a unique example of a marina that has pavilions on a large pier rather than on the shore, thus opening up additional space for users. The specificity of Vela Luka and its beautiful 9.5 kilometre-long-bay makes it a naturally safe place for boaters on the Croatian Adriatic.

As they are quite far from most Croatian airports in Vela Luka, as well as the main international roads, Marina Korkyra is currently filling its capacities with transit guests, the director notes.

"We have more and more inquiries from foreign guests who want to transfer their ships to a permanent berth here and we're happy about that,'' Ivo Šegon said.

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As Morski writes on the 24th of May, 2020, the wildly popular Balearic islands which belong to Spain are losing foreign guests rapidly in terms of nautical tourism due to the ongoing coronavirus epidemic and Spain's unfavourable epidemiological picture. Instead, those nautical tourists are sailing here to Croatia, where there are no strict measures to control the infection in place anymore, the Spanish newspaper El Mundo writes.

In an article entitled "Croatia is fishing in the waters of the Balearic islands", El Mundo points out that some multinational companies are moving their fleets to the Croatian coast, which is also a popular nautical destination, reports HRT.

For years, the beautiful Spanish archipelago in the Mediterranean has arguably been the centre of nautical tourism with a remarkable growth in the number of sailboats. Foreigners enjoyed sailing around the islands of Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca, Formentera and Cabrera, which saw the injection of tens of millions of euros into the economy of these Spanish islands each and every summer. More than 350 companies focused on the Central European market are registered there.

However, despite secure and lucrative summers past, El Mundo notes that companies that rent out medium-sized sailboats, rather than large yachts, are worried about the frequent customer calls they have been receiving over recent days.

''They are calling on us to cancel or postpone their reservations until next year. The damage has been brutal. We're completely paralysed,'' said María Jimenez, a spokesperson for companies that rent sailboats.

Since the state of emergency was declared in Spain back on March the 14th, 2020, navigation, travel between the provinces and the arrival of foreign tourists have been banned on the Balearic islands. People who come from abroad, and currently that is only Spanish students or workers, must be in self-isolation for fourteen days upon arrival.

Due to that, a new phenomenon has emerged, that tourists who once frequented Spain's Balearic islands are switching over to the ''main competitor, Croatia", as reported by El Mundo.

Some multinational companies are moving sailboats east, to here on the Croatian coast, and they have stated in their advertisements that "there is no fourteen-day quarantine in Croatia".

Deputy Prime Minister Teresa Ribero told the Spanish news agency EFE on Thursday that foreign tourists could start arriving in July when the country's health situation is likely to become more favourable. Spain, along with the United Kingdom and Italy, is among the most affected European countries with 235,000 cases and 28,630 deaths from the new coronavirus.

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April 23, 2020 — Days spent in isolation. Socially-distancing through limited, lazy movement. Plenty of staring at the same handful of faces. A mere wave from a safe distance serving as friendly interaction. It sounds a lot like a holiday at sea.

At least that’s what Croatia’s nautical tourism industry hopes as it plots a course towards a “new normal” in the coronavirus era. Several reports show the marina and charter sector of the economy ready for a little shove via government incentives to help it set sail, and a little luck to help it pass stormy seas.

Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli and other officials suggest any restart of the summer season will prioritize activities light on interaction, predisposed to social-distancing, and big on wide-open spaces. Campsites and vacation homes first, with charters and nautical offerings near the top of the list.

Plans are already in the works. Prime Minister Andrej Plenković’s government reportedly will introduce measures targeting catering and tourism: establishing free movement within Croatia; reaching deals with neighbors whose citizens often who drive to the Adriatic coast (provided the epidemic is under control in their countries); then opening restaurants and cafes with terraces; reintroducing camps and private apartments and then various shops and crafts.

The Croatian National Tourist Board Council concluded that, regardless of the current situation, it’ll prepare advertising campaigns for both foreign and local markets. Everything will restart the moment epidemiologists give the green light, it said.

A plan for cash and bureaucratic redefinition

Members of the marine and charter industry advocate several measures which they argue could help nautical tourism survive the pandemic while setting the foundations for long-term growth. First, they want exemption from some portion of concession fees for this year and next, freeing funds for what promises to be a dismal season.

The government will discuss a new set of measures targeting concession prices.

Croatia’s charter fleet of 4,500 vessels is the largest in the world, taking up 26 percent of all marina space in the country.

“The whole fleet is now useless,” Sean Lisjak, president of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce’s Marine Association, reportedly said. “We are justifiably waiting to receive direct incentives from the government and ministries.”

Advocates’ second proposal would let marinas take part in subsidized minimum wages for workers. The industry’s inherent seasonality means it cannot show a decline in revenue, a requirement for such assistance. Most of the staff of about two thousand who work in the marina system are now sitting at home.

The final suggestion would classify marinas as a branch of tourism, ditching the current designation of sports and recreation. Advocates point to a growing trend called “boat & breakfast,” with visitors using boats in place of luxury furnished cottages by the sea, as evidence of marinas’ disassociation from sports.

In the pantheon of Croatian bureaucratic gibberish, the distinction between tourism and sports matters, according to Lisjak. Mainly, one has a dedicated ministry, and the other doesn’t. It leaves the charter and marinas industries homeless, floating between the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of the Sea and the Ministry of Finance.

Swapping designations would also lower marinas Value Added Tax levies and clear up some administrative headaches.

An Epidemic of Nixed Reservations and Rock-Bottom Prices

The coronavirus pandemic caused cancelations and requests for refunds, Paško Klisović, president of the Association of Providers of Accommodation on Board Vessels, reportedly said. Others are re-scheduling their trips, moving May and June outings to August and September, getting peak summer appointments at off-season prices. Sometimes, it means a 50 percent discount from the usual rate, according to Klisović.

Rock-bottom pricing will dig into revenues, while disinfection protocols may add to costs. The government hasn’t yet added new sanitary regulations, but it may, according to the president of the Association of Croatian Skippers and Yacht Crew Members Vicko Ozretić. Charter companies and skippers can use squeaky-clean boats in their marketing materials, he said. But it’ll also add costs.

Marinas will reopen and function within days of a go-ahead, according to Kristijan Pavić, CEO of ACI, a chain of 22 marinas, the largest in Croatia.

“ACI's marinas are not working, but are not actually closed,” he reportedly said. “It may be a better term to say that they are ’preserved.’”

The chain’s locations are quiet, save for security. The lack of receptionists means boat owners cannot board their vessels, for now. But they can come and view them.

“We are ready to activate the marinas at full capacity,” Pavić added. “A good deal of the work has already been done in the preparation phase of the season. We only need a few days to prepare the marinas for operation in special conditions, in accordance with all the preventive and health measures prescribed.”

Croatia’s oldest Marina, Punat, has pulled back operations but is ready to restart. Workers, mechanics, and electricians still mind the vessels while following all the required procedures, according to Director Renata Marević.

“Despite everything, Marina Punat works,” she said. “As expected, after the measures were announced, we had intense communication with our boat owners. Of course, the most common question is when they will be able to come again and enjoy the boat, navigation, and sea.”

Marević said the government can only do so much, as neighboring countries also have to control the pandemic enough to open their borders.  The marina’s prospects for a salvageable season rest with the epidemiological fates of others. Most of Punat’s guests come from Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and Italy, and until their situations stabilize, none of their citizens will arrive.

She added she hopes the government recognizes the nautical industry as a tourist activity and free up much-needed help.

“Because help will surely be needed,” she said. “The losses will only start to add up.”

Stay at home may not apply

Many nations now encourage citizens to enjoy local vacations within their own countries. The “vacation here, don’t leave” incentives will bite into Croatia’s tourism take this year, as otherwise-generous guests keep their Euros close to home.

The marinas think boaters are a special tourist. Austrians, Germans, Slovenes, and others have been keeping their private vessels docked in Croatian for years. The temptation to widen the definition of “stay at home” to the Adriatic sea may be too strong to resist. 

Or at least Croatia’s marinas hope so. Otherwise, they might sink.

Marina Punat has won the Golden Anchor award for 2019, the biggest Croatian nautical tourism award, given by Jutarnji list to the best Croatian marina (according to their research and sailing around Croatian marinas for two months).

The award ceremony was held in the luxurious Grand Hotel Park in Rovinj, as a part of the conference "Future of the Nautical Tourism in Croatia", organised by Slobodna Dalmacija. This is the second time that Marina Punat has won the award, in the three years since this award has been established. Marina Punat's director, Renata Marević, said that it's an acknowledgment of the great job done by everyone working there. She added that they've won numerous awards over the year, and that each one makes them want to work even harder in the years to come, and pay attention to the compliments and the problems their customers bring to their attention.

ACI Marina Cres and ACI Marina Skradin won second and third place, and ACI Marina Dubrovnik got the "My Favourite Marina" award, given to the marina that has gotten the best reviews by their guests. The award for the most courteous staff was given to ACI Marina Pula, while the biggest change for the better was recognised in ACI Marina Jezera.

Kristjan Staničić, the Croatian National Tourist Board's director, said at the awards ceremony that the award has a remarkable educational and promotional character, and that it helps increase quality in Croatian nautical tourism. Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli agreed with him, and added that the data collected through this project might help create the tourist strategy for the next seven years.

Oleg Butković, Minister of Maritime Affairs, Traffic and Infrastructure talked about the significance of Croatian nautical tourism, stressing that it is growing each year, that the number of chartered boats has also increased and that they bring numerous new guests to Croatia.

Goran Ogurlić, Editor-in-Chief at Jutarnji list stated that the idea of the award is not only to say which marina is the best, but rather to improve the quality of Croatian nautical tourism with specific ideas and proposals that arise from the experience of visiting them all.

PortHop, the new start-up venture by Andrija Čolak, the entrepreneur behind the Surf'n'Fries franchise, could become the next big thing on the international nautical market, and is sometimes dubbed "the nautical Booking.com", but it seems that their negotiations with the port authorities in Croatia are worse than fighting the windmills. Or, better yet, fighting the buoys, Ana Kostanić writes for Netokracija.

Imagine going on your vacation without any idea where you'll be staying: you just start going from one street to another, knocking on doors, and hope you'll find something available and acceptable. Instead of doing your research a month or so in advance in peace, you waste time finding the accommodation that way. Luckily, when it comes to boarding, those times are long gone, but when it comes to docking your boat in the Adriatic - that's exactly how things still work today!

There's no way for a boat to know if they'll be able to get a berth before they actually arrive at the marina, port or a holder of a concession with the buoys for rent. There are no reservations, and all of them operate at the "first come - first served" principle. If you're too late, you're out of luck - you either need to find another marina, or spend the night anchored somewhere. That wasn't that big of a deal when there weren't that many boats, but today every nautical tourist is aware that this is a problem. One of those people is Andrija Čolak, known for his Surf'n'Fries franchise and Kisha umbrellas, so he developed the PortHop application. First promoted at the Netokracija's event in 2016, the official apps appeared in 2017 but not much has been heard since. Now, in 2019, Andrija has announced that the app is finally making the "real launch", with improved interface and features.

New features include additional information, like the closest gas stations, restaurants and the most appealing coves of the Adriatic, in addition to a large number of listed berths. All of that lead over 10,000 users to download the application, and the number of reservations made through it is growing every day. The nautical tourists want to use this service, but when it comes to the other side of the equation (those who provide the berths), things are, quite unsurprisingly, quite different. They have not readily accepted the basics of the so-called sharing economy. Mr. Čolak explains that it takes a lot of work, time, energy and patience to convince them to agree to a new, but a greatly improved method of booking and functioning of the reservations for the transfer berths.

The situation is even worse with port authorities, who don't even want to negotiate their way of operating. Port authorities say that they only have the concessions, that the counties are the ones making such strategic decisions, and counties say that they should talk to the port authorities, in classic Croatian style of doing business. The basis for such behavior is, Mr. Čolak says, the inertia and lack of responsibility and the will to improve the nautical tourism and bring it somewhat closer to the 21st century. He adds that the Ministry should make the first step and shake things up, so that projects such as PortHop would be allowed to do their part of the task.

Ana Kostanić from Netokracija requested comments from some of the port authorities but is yet to receive an answer. But, not much in terms of an explanation is to be given. This is, Andrija says, a classic case of negligence over something that is administered by the state, while the private concessioners or marinas embrace anything that will increase the number of their clients or bigger income.

Croatia is missing the opportunity with nautical tourism, and that's a widely known fact. The plans in 2009 said that it will bring up to 14 billion kuna in income before 2019, but we're nowhere near one billion kuna currently. In 2018, the number of vessels at the ports was 3.8% smaller than in 2017, and it's quite obvious that 2019 will probably be even worse. The nautical tourism in Croatia accounts for just 1% of the overall tourist income, which is sad on its own, and additionally sad if we know that nautical tourists spend 40% more than an average tourist.

PortHop is not the only service hoping to partially change that and bring Croatian nautical tourism into the digital era, there's also Marinebook, and there are many global attempts at the market. Unfortunately, the process is going quite slowly. Mr. Čolak says that their product has certain unique selling points, such as the differences in the part of the system devoted to the users. They have a special loyalty program for several segments, including the charter companies. They also want to offer some of the truly useful stuff that won't bring them any money - such as the most beautiful coves of the Adriatic. One of the challenges is including the safety data regarding the situation at the sea bottom in the app, which is something that exists in the analog form but needs to be digitized for such applications. The providers of the berths have varied rules and procedures (for instance, when you can make a booking for the next day), so each of them has to be put in the app.

Although Andrija has already taken his startup to the foreign market, PortHop is significantly different. First foreign market for them was Germany, which happened organically for them. In Germany, the marinas are smaller and more traditional than in Croatia, but those are all challenges that can be solved. If they succeed in Germany, they plan to go global, which means they would need new investors, Andrija confirms. They're currently negotiating a 3 to 6 million dollar investment, which would help them finalise the process. They see the biggest potential in the markets in Greece, the Carribean, Spain, France...

So, the current situation with the port authorities is not helping to create an original Croatian export product. And it's important to add that services such as PortHop can increase the trust between the parties in the transaction and make payments easier. That's just one of the advantages of using modern digital systems. One of the disadvantages it that such systems would help eradicate the "grey economy" in the field. Currently, Andrija says, that it's not rare to see the people working the berths try to extort the potential users. One application (or even many of them) could help stop that problem, but it's just the matter of who will be the responsible person to say "Let's fix this problem!"

As Morski writes on the 19th of April, 2019, Croatia's nautical tourism season has already started, beginning about a month ago and lasts the longest of all, for about eight months in total. What can be expected this season and whether or not the Greeks have taken away part of what would have been Croatian guests due to the Greek state's measures, are just a couple of the issues that Robert Pende, an assistant in the Croatian Ministry of Tourism, Roko Vuletić, the president of HUP's nautical sector and the Croatian Chamber of Commerce's Sean Lisjak discussed on HTV's "Good morning, Croatia" show.

Robert Pende stated the nautical season has just begun, and so far we have room to be satisfied and we can expect the season to be on the same level as last year.

Vuletić said that according to field information, the data isn't so great.

"We're the leaders in the world in one segment of nautical tourism, and that's renting a boat without a crew. We're receiving information from our colleagues who have charter agencies that some existing reservations have been canceled due to Croatia's price increases, which has been a big trend in recent years, although charter agencies raised their prices the least, given the growth of offers and competition,'' said Vuletić.

He added that guests are increasingly looking for package deals and that there are less and less classic nautical guests - they're wanting to have a whole package, from airline transfers, accommodation, gastronomic offers, and all of that has increased in price, including in marinas.

''In combination with the announced recession, people are becoming more cautious about what they're spending, they want to go to new destinations, and Greece and Turkey are growing rapidly,'' he said.

Lisjak said he was not afraid about people cancelling their reservations, he stated that Croatia's nautical tourism sector is a vigorous activity and in the last fifteen years Croatia has had continuity. He added that Croatia needs to be careful because new markets are opening their doors that have recently been avoided for security and various other reasons. He added that believes that if Croatia manages to accomplish last year's results despite all of that, then it can be satisfied.

He said that Croatia made 860 billion kuna from tourism last year and added that a way should be found to allow existing investors to invest in marinas.

He noted that a certain drop in transit has been recorded with the aforementioned Croatian price increases, adding that Croatia does have to be careful with its pricing policy and that the country needs to focus on being as competitive as possible.

Vuletić believes that boosting advertising activities on new markets needs to be done. Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are Croatia's traditional markets, and the country should turn to the growing American or Scandinavian market, reports HRT.

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As Morski writes on the 12th of April, 2019, the Republic of Croatia has achieved growth in terms of nautical tourism, but the problem of the lack of berths has to be resolved - these were some of the conclusions drawn from the meeting of the nautical associations of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) with the relevant nautical institutions, which took place within the framework of the two-day Nautical Tourism Days conference organised by HGK for the preparation of a peaceful, successful and safe season at sea.

The conference covered the need for communication on all of the important issues which concern and involve Croatia's blossoming nautical tourism sector.

''With a fleet of more than 4000 charter boats, with over 140 nautical tourism ports, 17,000 berths, and then more than a million passengers having arrived on cruise ships back in 2018, Croatia is a nautical superpower and one of the most important nautical destinations not only in the Mediterranean, but in the world,'' said HGK's Dragan Kovačević on the first day of the conference.

The revenue achieved by Croatia's nautical tourism ports amounted to 857 million kuna, while the average guest spends a handsome 183 euros per day on a charter vessel, which is more than twice the daily consumption of the average Croatian tourist.

''Money is not only spent on boats, but on all other forms of tourism, and more than 30 percent at that; from culture, sport, entertainment to gourmet and gastronomic offerings, Kovačević pointed out, adding that all these are parameters that speak volumes about nautical tourism in the Republic of Croatia as the country's most dynamic tourist offer and has enormous potential. However, Croatia also needs to make sure to take wise steps to direct the further development of this branch of tourism.

HGK's Paško Klisović pointed out a number of problems facing members of this association, as well as the Croatian nautical tourism sector itself.

''Part of the problem can be solved by better promotion on some markets, especially in the United States. We need to motivate Americans to come in larger numbers, at least as far as Croatia's nautical tourism is concerned. Existing markets are stagnating because we've reached the limit. Last year, our fleet grew by seven percent, and the number of guests grew by less than two percent. The fleet will grow this year, and we will be happy to repeat the past. We're somewhat concerned about the fact that, as far as bookings are concerned, Greece has become the most sought after charter destination. These are the trends and we need to make the right moves,'' stated Klisović.

The conference also discussed new regulations for nautical tourism, the prevention of unregistered activities, as well as the overall sustainability and safety of nautical tourism.

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As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 10th of April, 2019, Croatia's ACI has published its revised annual financial statements for 2018. The company's revenue growth trend thankfully continued in 2018, its total revenue grew by seven percent when compared to 2017, amounting to 216 million kuna, while the company's operating income increased by eleven percent to 211 million kuna.

Revenues have been growing in almost all of ACI's marinas, and the company's profit also grew by 54 percent to a massive 38.4 million kuna, while its EBITDA increased by 22 percent to 93.9 million kuna.

The largest single investment project in ACI's history was also completed. In March, a new license was issued for the new ACI marina in Rovinj. This is a project that in which over 150 million kuna has been invested and can be briefly described in just four words: beauty, luxury, innovative solutions and security. The new marina's categorisation is now underway.

The new ACI marina has 1,400 m2 of commercial space available, and special attention has been paid to providing high level services on the premises, including catering facilities, restaurants and café-lounge bars, grocery stores, wellness centres, world-renowned brands, reputable sales offices for luxury yachts, charter agencies, a service centre for boats, etc.

The Rovinj ACI marina is equipped with the latest generation of WiFi systems, and luxury boats are provided with the most advanced video surveillance and access control system available. Particular care was taken to protect the surrounding environment and maintain the purity of the marine environment, construction materials and energy systems that provide maximum energy efficiency were used during construction, and all the benefits of LED lighting technology and lighting management were properly and readily applied. The official opening of the marina will be at the end of April this year.

The modernisation of the business that ACI has been intensively pursuing over the last few years is primarily focused on raising the quality of its services, attracting new clients and exploring the market potential of the Adriatic region as a whole.

Back in 2018, the company first published its own ACI No1 magazine, both in print and in digital format. It is a magazine which combines an ACI marina catalog, information for boaters, exclusive reportages and lifestyle themes, and a 2019 issue is just been made available.

ACI also achieves excellent results in the area of ​​digital business with its own reservation system. From last season, boaters have also had ACI's mobile application that provides easy and quick access to information and booking links available to them. For the third year in a row, ACI has also been using a digital sailing system with the help of special applications and devices used by sailors.

Given ACI's steady growth, 2018 was also marked by market research and a look into the development potential of the company, following which, a decision was made to embark on the development of new products and services, which will contribute to the diversification of the company's business.

Business cooperation includes the purchase of six ClubSwan36 sailing boats, and a range of marketing activities aimed at creating a recognisable image, regatta organisation, promotion and the creation of a tourism product aimed at raising the quality of ACI's services and the overall image of the Republic of Croatia as the world's leading nautical destination.

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Nautical tourism is yet another tourism sector that Croatia would do very well to get stuck into, much like the country's already blossoming medical tourism industry. As more and more people arrive by sea to explore the beauty of the Croatian coast and more than 1000 islands, it seems revenues are gradually on their way up, too.

As Morski writes on the 6th of April, 2019, in a total of 142 Croatian ports designed for nautical tourism in six different Adriatic counties last year, a total of 857 million kuna in revenue, which is nearly three percent more than in 2017, was recorded, and the highest of this revenue, 618.1 million kuna (seven percent more), came from the renting of berths, as has been deemed from the data taken from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).

In Croatia's numerous nautical tourism ports, on the 31st of December 2018 there were 13,617 vessels moored on a permanent basis, which is 1.4 percent more than the number recorded one year earlier on the 31st of December 2017, according to a report from SEEbiz.

According to the type of vessel permanently moored in the sea, the most numerous of all were yachts (50.1 percent), followed by motor yachts (46.1 percent) followed then by various other types of vessels (3.8 percent).

The largest number of vessels permanently moored were operating under the flag of the Republic of Croatia, equalling 44.0 percent in total. Following came vessels all sailing under various European flags - Austria (15.8 percent), Germany (15.2 percent), Slovenia (5.1 percent), Italy (4.2 percent) and the United Kingdom (2.2 percent).

In 2018 there were 194,164 vessels in transit, which is 3.8 less than there were back in 2017.

According to the type of vessel in transit for which a berth was used, the highest number once again were sailing yachts (67.3 percent), followed by motor yachts (28.3 percent), and then came other vessels (4.4 percent).

In the year 2018, the highest number of vessels in transit were from the Republic of Croatia (47.7 percent), Italy (13.9 percent), Germany (12.8 percent), Austria (6.6 percent) and Slovenia (3.8 percent) which makes up 84.8 percent of the total number of vessels in transit.

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