March 5, 2021 - Terra Park Phalaris and Terra Park SpiritoS are two new mobile home camps that will open soon near Novalja on the island of Pag.

Jutarnji List reports that luxury hotels in nature are one way to describe mobile homes, an increasingly popular tourist trend in Croatia and the world. This is a market that McKinsey & Company estimates will be worth $157 billion by 2023, mostly thanks to the new concept and design.

Namely, twenty years ago, mobile homes were most associated with small, not very well-equipped apartments without bathrooms, which were slightly better than campers. However, thanks to the development of technology and the general popularization of glamping, today they have reached the level of luxury with which they match top apartments and hotel rooms, offering closer contact with nature and a much more pronounced sense of privacy than classic forms of accommodation.

That this is a trend that will greatly affect the Adriatic's tourist image in the future is shown by Terra Park Phalaris and Terra Park SpiritoS, new mobile home camps near Novalja on the island of Pag. These projects will open their doors to guests this season, after four years of preparation, confirmed Zvonimir Tudorović, a member of the Terra Park d.o.o. Management Board.

Terra Park

"In preparation for the 2021 season, the camp will additionally adapt to new trends in the modern tourist market by investing in the development of new forms of accommodation units and upgrading common facilities for guests. Our concept is to combine the indigenous natural environment with the requirements of the modern guest and connect it all into a unique holiday experience in this location," said Tudorović.

The Terra Park Phalaris camp is adorned with a long tradition of campers, but this year part of the plots will be reserved for 67 mobile homes of different sizes and equipment levels produced by Adria. These will be one of the largest and best-equipped homes currently available on the market. Namely, these mobile home plots have an average area of about 200 square meters, of which 30 percent have their own heated pools, and it is almost twice the standard prescribed by the tourist authorities for the camping industry. All homes are, at the same time, set level with the ground, and the spacious terraces are paved with natural stone and covered with bio-climate pergolas.

Terra Park

Similar standards will be applied in another facility within Terra Park d.o.o, the Terra Park SpiritoS camp.

In addition to the spaciousness, the greatest emphasis in the camps will be on sustainable development and symbiosis with nature. There will be no asphalted surfaces in the complexes, and a large bio-purifier will be installed, which will, among other things, be used to irrigate indigenous horticulture. 

"We are especially proud of the materials to decorate terraces, trails, signs, and other elements in the camps for which naturally degradable materials were used. Disposable plastic or other types of artificial materials will not be used. Also, the use of organic cosmetics in mobile homes should be highlighted, as well as the great emphasis we place on cooperation with the local community, such as the 80/80 concept, which means that 80 percent of groceries consumed during camp holidays are within a radius of 80 kilometers," Tudorović points out.

Terra Park Phalaris allows you to buy and rent mobile homes, offered at 59,900, 76,000, and 95,500 euros, depending on the size and level of equipment. It is important to emphasize that homeowners can rent their homes with Terra Park's help, which provides real estate management services for them. The concept is quite simple - the owner uses the home for their own needs whenever they want, and the rest of the time, Terra Park increases the value of the home by placing it on the tourist market. According to Terra Park, the expected return on investment is 5 to 7.5 years.

"The profitability of such an investment is long-term, no instant return can be expected, but we believe that, after the return on investment, repaid houses will remain available to owners for at least half of the total life of the house," explains Tudorović and adds that in the pre-sale process they sold more than 30 percent of the homes, before their installation in the camp.

In addition to modern design, return on investment, and connection with nature, several other factors contribute to the popularity of mobile homes. The first is related to the current pandemic situation. Namely, Tudorović believes that a significant part of the current hotel guests will reorient themselves to stay in mobile homes. The main reasons, he says, are to avoid mass contact with other guests in common indoor spaces, especially at the reception and in the hotel restaurant. On the other hand, there are demographic trends in the main markets. Due to the aging population, guests from the camps are increasingly focused on staying in the homes because they have all the comforts of home and do not have to drive with their own campers to the destination. On the other hand, the diverse offer of mobile homes (especially those with their own pool) has brought back young families with children to camps. One example is the Tomići family, who bought a mobile home in Terra Park Phalaris.

Terra Park

"As a child, I almost always stayed with my parents in campers. It was a great time with lots of families and kids, but in controlled conditions with no roads and no traffic. I continued to maintain that tradition later, but in 2012 we had twins and went to a mobile home on Pag for the first time. It was a great choice because we had a lot more intimacy than in an apartment. If we had been in the apartment, someone might have been bothered by the children crying, but we had our peace in our small home," Marin Tomić remembers.

For the next eight years after that, they spent their summers only in mobile homes, always in a different location. Namely, due to the nature of their work, they did not know when they would go on annual leave, so they would go at the last minute and asked for free reservations in the camps. That is why they started looking for a camp where they could buy their own mobile home, but they could not find a camp without flaws. Either it was too big, didn’t have clean papers, or wasn’t accessible to children. As this is a large investment, they wanted to make sure that the purchase would pay off. They came across Terra Park last summer.

"My wife and I made sure to check each step a few times so that our investment didn't fail. Twice we were one step closer to concluding the deal, but then a problem would arise that would cause us to give up the purchase. But then we found Terra Park, and it turned out to be a firm with a head and a tail. In just a few words, we concluded that they know how to handle their business, so we decided to buy a mobile home from them," says Tomić and points out that now he and his family will be able to sit in the car carefree on Friday after work and go to their mobile home for the weekend.

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January 27, 2021 - The Novalja Tourist Board, in cooperation with the company Feel IQM d.o.o, is launching an IQM Destination project, which aims to establish a measurable and effective integrated quality destination management system.

HRTurizam reports that the IQM Destination concept is based on sustainable development and responsible tourism, setting quality standards and monitoring results, coordinating and developing new tourism products, and creating new economic value. The project aims to economically strengthen the entire community in the tourism segment, strengthen cooperation, synergy, and communication, and encourage excellence.

"At the beginning of the cooperation, we invite all stakeholders in Novalja tourism to get involved in the project," said Marina Sciran Rizner, director of Novalja Tourist Board, and added that at the same time, begin measuring the satisfaction of Novalja residents with current tourism development and lifestyle in the tourist destination.

“Setting goals, implementation, revision, control and evaluation of the success of set tasks and activities, the IQM system will be implemented in the area of Novalja for at least three years. The goal of the Community is to connect and strengthen the mutual communication of tourism stakeholders of our destination, taking into account current and future economic opportunities and socio-cultural aspects and climate change in tourism development with the aim of long-term sustainability," said Marina Sciran Rizner, Novalja Tourist Board director. 

For all registered stakeholders, the initial measurement of quality and marketing activities of tourism partners, measurement of online reputation, and the destination book of the IQM Destination NOVALJA standard are proposed.

The basis of the book of standards is the quality of service and products, integrated functioning of synergy in the destination, connection with local producers and implementation of at least 25% of local products in the tourist offer, and implementation of all segments of tourist products in promoting each project stakeholder.

According to the Novalja Tourist Board, the activities to be carried out in the coming period are as follows: Analysis of measuring the satisfaction of residents with tourism in the destination - responsible tourism, Analysis of the initial measurement of quality management for each registered stakeholder in the project, Feel IQM prepares fully individualized marketing and business analysis for 50 stakeholders who want to apply individualized analysis in their business; Audits are organized with individual counseling lasting one hour, and the presentation of marketing analysis; Implementation of the IQM Destination standard - monitoring, guiding, consulting the IQM Destination team on the methods of implementation, and once a year measuring efficiency; The IQM Destination Manager agrees with the IQM Destination Coordinator and the entire coordination team on topics that are held once a month for ten months.

During the implementation of the IQM Destination project, measurements of project efficiency will be set, according to the proposal of the IQM Destination team and the Novalja Tourist Board and measurable indicators of project success each year. Each stakeholder will have the opportunity to participate in the Destination Loyalty Program project for faster networking, synergy, visibility, and implementation of the IQM Destination Program in practice https://iqmpass.com/.

Examples of suggested topics: Profitable branding, Local producers - coordination with the presentation of networking, Catering facilities - coordination with the presentation of networking, Attractions in the destination, cultural institutions - coordination, Hoteliers, camps, hostels - coordination, Financial planning, and price management, Digital marketing.

"With all the strategic advantages that this year played a key role in creating the tourist offer of Novalja, such as the traditional connection of neighboring markets, but also the quality offered to each guest following their wishes and expectations, requires from us even better synergy and preparation for the upcoming tourist season as well as the long-term balance of all these dimensions," added Šćiran Rizner,  and invites all tourism entities to get involved in the project and contribute to enriching the tourist offer.

Partners in the implementation of IQM Destination are the Novalja Tourist Board - project holder, City of Novalja, private and public sector: hoteliers, camps, private accommodation, restaurants, local producers, travel agencies, souvenir shops, stores, utilities in the destination, educational institutions, associations, sports clubs, cooperatives, etc.

The concept of IQM Destination in October 2020 was accepted as one of the best examples in practice by the UNWTO, whereby Feel IQM was accepted as an affiliate member of the UNWTO, and the project was presented at the 42nd AM Plenary Session of the UNWTO in Madrid.

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July 5, 2020 - After the City of Novalja prohibited music festivals from Croatia's most well-known party beach, Zrce is vacant, with only 30 beachgoers counted on July 1. 

It was the first day of July. The temperature was above 30, the sun was scorching, and the sea crystal clear. An endless row of deckchairs were neatly arranged with a carefully measured distance, and club music could be heard in the background from one of the bars. It is a perfect backdrop for a good time.

Only there are no people.

Jutarnji List reports that Zrce beach in Novalja, a paradise for partygoers from all over the world, an entertainment industry and money factory, is empty. In letters and numbers, on the 25 thousand square meters of the most famous beach in Croatia, on the first day of July, a total of 30 people were counted.

Half of them were the staff that is there for the few guests who do not want to give up on Zrce even after the City of Novalja officially banned all festivals, after-parties and other mass gatherings on the beach. For club owners and those who live indirectly from Zrce, and there are quite a few of them in Novalja, this was the last nail in the coffin of an already lost season.

And Zrce really looks sad. In the huge parking lot, which was once inaccessible due to the crowds, there is currently an empty concrete field with only a few cars with Zagreb license plates. Boards were nailed to the openings of countless small bars selling food and drinks on the beach, and a "no money" notice was posted on a dozen ATMs and closed exchange offices.

Of the five big clubs, only Calypso, which works in part as a cafe, opened its doors on the Novalja side. On the Kolan side, because the beach is administratively divided between the two municipalities, Noa opened seven days ago, though it might as well be closed, as only twenty or so people fill the space that can accommodate a few thousand of them.

On the terrace of one of the only two open beach bars, Sime Ostaric, the beach concessionaire for the last four years, the director of the company "Naša ideja", which holds all the entertainment facilities on Zrce, sat alone.

"The Hideout festival started on this day last year. More than 15,000 foreigners from all over the world were partying in this desolation that you see now. How am I now watching this? It's painful. If I may be frank, it's f*cking painful," Ostaric says openly. 

Last year it employed 250 people, now it employs a total of 12. Not even five percent. His managers work as waiters; there is no choice or election; everyone is aware of the problem.

And at the beginning of the year, everything smelled like records. Bookings for festivals, which bring thousands of partygoers to Zrce every weekend, was 30 percent better than the year before, and three entirely new events were planned. And then at the beginning of March, the cancellations started, they slowly dropped out one by one until finally, by the decision of the City, they were not banned from all gatherings.

"This year, we were supposed to break records. Instead, we live on gasoline money, on loans that are terribly hard to get no matter how much is said otherwise. I first opened eight days ago and only because of the destination, although I know we won’t even be at zero. In fact, we will be far below zero. There are no people, that is the beginning and the end of the story. This is an entertainment industry that works on the principle of large numbers.

In Novalja, in fact, on the whole of Pag, you have countless apartments, villas, apartments that are filled only by Zrce. Not only did the corona attract partiers but also family people, other tourists, who came here because of what we have created here. Not the state, not local self-government, but private initiative. In the last three years, we have invested 21 million kuna in this beach. Zrce is the driver of all tourism on the island; I would dare say that there is no brand in Croatian tourism like this. But, it seems to me more and more that no one cares about that," says Ostaric.

His words would probably be signed by the owners of the other five big clubs who tried in all possible ways to save what was left of the season. And by day, not by night.

When a new wave of corona started, they tried to organize smaller programs that would allow the gathering of 20 to 30 people, with all possible epidemiological measures such as temperature checks, protective masks at the entrance, places for isolation ... they were already warming up, inquiries began, and then a rude awakening. The Civil Protection Headquarters of the City of Novalja, after a session at which they analyzed the events that are planned to be organized in nightclubs on Zrce, prohibited the organization of all festivals.

"I am aware that this decision does not suit everyone. We are only guided by the interests of the city and the intention to preserve and not endanger this 50 percent of tourist traffic from last year. With irresponsible behavior, especially party tourism, which is certainly inappropriate for anti-epidemic measures, we will endanger what we have," the mayor of Novalja, Ivan Dabo, said in response to the objections from Zrce.

Out of 1.7 million overnight stays last year in Novalja, as many as 900 thousand were realized in private accommodation. By far, the largest number, over 800 thousand, falls on young party members who come here primarily because of Zrce. Contrary to the typical Croatian prejudices that this is the youth who sleeps among the pine trees with a backpack on their back and no kuna in their pocket, lives on sandwiches from the store and drinks water from the tap, the truth is somewhat different. They are excellent consumers, and statistics show that their personal consumption is much higher than that of the average tourist in Croatia and far exceeds, for example, the amount spent on holidays by family members who come as tourists.

In Novalja, they calculated that each of their party members spends a minimum of 120 euro a day on accommodation, food, going out and all other services. When this amount is multiplied by the number of at least eight hundred thousand overnight stays, as many as the guests from Zrce, we come to the figure of an incredible one hundred million euro that turn in just one season. Perhaps it is now clearer why an empty beach hurts so badly, and how much the law of large numbers in mass tourism can be fickle.

The private renters who are most connected to the guests from Zrce know this best. As many as 20,000 beds in private accommodation were difficult to fill even in normal seasons, let alone in this tourist apocalypse.

"I'm afraid this is not the worst thing that could happen to us. Because the next season, which will be entered at the end of August, when contracts are being made and sales for the summer of 2021, will start to become questionable. If it continues like this, it will not be good at all. And then we will all kneel together," Ostaric concludes.

July 1, 2020 -  The Novalja Civil Protection Headquarters says no to music festivals on the famous Zrce beach. 

HRTurizam reports that on June 29, 2020, the Civil Protection Headquarters of the City of Novalja held a video conference to discuss the current situation in the City of Novalja regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, with an emphasis on events planned to be held in nightclubs on Zrce beach. 

Namely, the clubs on Zrce have announced that they will open their doors in the first week of July, namely the clubs Kalypso, Papaya and Nomad, while the club Noa has been operating for the last twelve days, of course with all the recommendations and measures. This news raised a lot of questions in the media, even in Slovenia.

The City of Novalja reacted with the mentioned session at which they pointed out that no electronic music festival has been organized in the area of Zrce beach in agreement with the owners of clubs and festivals, and stressed that the City of Novalja does not want to issue any consent for music events on Zrce beach. 

Given the recent events in the Republic of Croatia, and related to the appearance of the coronavirus in some nightclubs, the Headquarters decided that this summer tourist season will not issue approvals to clubs and concessionaires on Zrce beach for festivals, after parties and similar parties. The same goes for party boats.

It was proposed that the same Conclusion be forwarded to the Municipality of Kolan, where the Noa Club and other smaller clubs are located, and which was accepted. An identical conclusion was agreed during the day at the session of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Municipality of Kolan.

Furthermore, the Headquarters has decided that no further concerts, festivities and outdoor parties will be held until further notice, where a larger number of visitors can be expected.

By the way, there are no people infected with the coronavirus in the City of Novalja. According to the eVisitor system, until June 28, 5,293 tourists (without occasional visitors or weekenders) were registered in the City of Novalja, which is 53.28% compared to the same day last year. Most of the tourists (57.05%) are staying in the Strasko camp.

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June 29, 2020 - The preconditions for opening the clubs on Zrce beach have been closely monitored in communication with competent epidemiologists and authorities since the beginning of the COVID-19 virus. Only now, when the prescribed decisions, measures and recommendations allow it, will the summer club season open.

Namely, HRTurizam reports that the clubs Kalypso, Papaya and Nomad will open their doors in the first week of July, while the club Noa has been operating for the last ten days.

One of the most recognizable club destinations in the world for the last 20 years has actively developed various tourist offers, music festivals, recreational facilities and other events and attracts foreign investors, raises quality and helps develop the entire destination of Novalja and Pag.

Club tourism on Zrce, in the usual circumstances, is characterized by high attendance, which in some periods of the season recorded over 13 thousand guests, so COVID-19 inevitably hit hard. This is supported by the fact that the beach season usually begins in mid-May.

"We believe that the opening of this summer season is one of the key segments of maintaining the continuity of tourist arrivals and visits, and thus a successful next season. The destination is kept current, and the arrival of interested guests who have been visiting Croatia and Zrce beach for many years can remain uninterrupted," said Tea Cafuta, a representative of the clubs on Zrce beach.

Recall, in Croatia, indoor events are allowed under strictly prescribed and certain conditions, but the clubs on Zrce beach see the advantage in the fact that all their events and club programs are held exclusively outdoors and are very large, allowing prescribed physical distances.

In parallel, in Switzerland, for example, up to a thousand people are allowed indoors, while in Italy, outdoor events are also allowed with respect to physical distance, even though it was one of the most affected countries, Cafuta points out and emphasizes:

"Tourists, but also domestic guests, who will visit the Croatian coast this summer, can be just as safe in clubs on Zrce as when going to the store, using public transport, staying and spending the night in a hotel and apartment or going to the beach."

For the safe and epidemiologically controlled work of outdoor clubs, Zrce beach facilities will adhere to all prescribed measures and recommendations and carefully monitor the further development of the situation in order to keep all segments of functioning and operation under full control.

"Clubs have a detailed plan of compliance with measures that include primarily strict control of the entrance of people, monitoring guests at all points within the facility, and the number of people by zones. Hygienic measures will also be observed, which include the installation of disinfectants at the entrances to facilities, toilets, and next to/at each bar inside the premises, disinfection of work surfaces, and the entire space as well as temperature measurement of employees and guests at the entrance. Then there are measures to regulate physical distance when guests enter the facility, the distance of tables inside the facility, reducing the number of chairs, the possibility of keeping guests in certain places, and all other measures that can create conditions for safe work and unburdened entertainment of their guests," Cafuta added.

Communication between club management in close cooperation with epidemiologists and the competent institution takes place regularly, which implies monitoring the changes and decisions of the Civil Protection Headquarters, instructions and recommendations of the CNIPH and following the situation, adapting and changing the way of work when needed. They concluded that this is ultimately the only way to ensure responsible and relaxed club fun this summer within epidemiological frameworks.

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June 13, 2020 — Pag’s tourism apparatus is trying to end its party and go for a hike instead.

The (in)famous island near Zadar is using the coronavirus slowdown and a government push for collaboration among tourist boards to rebrand itself from party central to an active outdoor tourism hub.

All the figureheads in the islands apparatus signed an agreement to switch the island to an outdoor tourism destination, hoping to bring more peaceful, considerate crowds to a place that has become known for clubbing and drunken debauchery.

The President of the Tourist Board of the City of Novalja Ante Dabo, the City of Pag’s Ante Fabijanić, the Municipality of Povljana Ivica Pogorilić and Kolana Marin Pernjak and the town of Stara Novalja’s Ante Peranić signed an Agreement on Association of Local Tourist Boards from the Island of Pag to develop and shape the island into a unique and harmonized destination for outdoor tourism. 

This is a kind of historical moment in which all the island's tourist boards have signed such a multi-year joint project for the first time. The signing of the agreement was approved by Croatia’s Tourism Ministry. The government provided the impetus for this year’s Fund for United Tourist Boards to push for more teamwork across tourism boards. 

The agreement presents in detail the activities that should, with the financial support of the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Croatia, be implemented by the end of 2023.

“What is important to emphasize are these activities, which are the improvement of existing and development of new trails, organization and establishment of bike-sharing systems, service stations, rest areas, raising the level of accessibility of tourist attractions located next to and near bike trails, development of thematic and educational trails, design of unified bicycle and trail signalization and marking of trails with the same visual standard,” Pag’s Tourist Board director Vesna Karavanić told Zadarski List. “Then, there is the installation of information boards, making quality maps with trails and making a brochure of the outdoor offer of the island of Pag, promotional videos and photo galleries, raising the quality of accommodation and catering facilities for cyclists, joint promotional activities, and events.”

She added that the signing of this agreement is a logical continuation of previous cooperation across the island, since Pag’s tourist boards Pag set out on a joint path of cooperation under the motto “Pag Moon Island - A Common Vision.”

“After a joint appearance at several foreign fairs, we launched joint events such as rowing regatta ‘Osmerci on Pag’ and ‘Pag on the menu’ and started signing a joint agreement of all tourist boards of the island of Pag and branding the destination through outdoor tourism - trails, kayaking, cycling and climbing for a period of three years,” she said.

The Tourism Ministry’s for more coordination allows pushes like Pag’s to overcome administrative barriers and ignores the balkanized map of Croatia’s tourist apparatus. The ministry is co-financing Pag’s initiative.

“We have a long way to go, but we have no doubt that it is the only sustainable option,” said the director of the Tourist Board of the City of Novalja, Marina Šćiran Rizner.

This joint project is intended for the domestic and foreign markets. It aims to show the most attractive and most beautiful that the island of Pag, which is also called the island of the Moon, offers.

“t offers beautiful beaches, fantastic, untouched nature ideal for cycling, running, trail, Nordic walking, walking, rowing, surfing,” Karavanić said. “There is also the award-winning Adriatic camp Šimuni, an extraordinary world-famous gastronomic offer - Pag cheese, lamb, cottage cheese, honey, baškotini, wines, aromatic herbs…. There are also our cultural heritage, ornithological reserves, underwater amphora site near Šimun, the protected area of ​​the Hanzina forest, Lunjski maslinici…”

The list goes on… well past clubs in Novalja.

Novalja and its famous Zrce beach is one of Croatia's top destinations, but as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the economic crisis that ensued, the area remains quiet and desolate for now. Novalja is without people, and Zrce is without its parties.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 28th of May, 2020, the owners of Novalja's apartments and hotels have prepared protective equipment, disinfectants, everything has been arranged, but there have been no reservations made. Only one guest from France contacted an agency that rents a hundred apartments on the popular island of Pag. Those who have clubs on Zrce are already ready for the blackest of scenarios to come to fruition - a completely failed tourist season for 2020.

Depending on who you asl, the drop in revenue is estimated at an extremely concerning 65 to 80 percent. These are tens of billions of kuna on which Croatia depends. And that's why the battle for each and every possible guest has already started.

"If we had this conversation on this same day a year ago, Novalja would be much happier and much livelier and there'd be all sorts going on, all of the cafes and restaurants would be open, everything would already be in operation," explained landlord Miljenko Dabo for RTL.

"At this moment in time, we'd be full, the hotel and the restaurant would be full," added Boris Suljic.

The first guests were due to arrive in March, and July and August were almost completely filled up. Now Novalja's tourist workers and apartment owners are preparing for the season to arrive, but they themselves don't know what to expect from it at all.

“Before coronavirus came along... last year was great. It was amazing. We didn't have any problems, we were all very satisfied. We had a lot of reservations, for now we only have two, one in July and one in August,'' said Dabo.

And while they all wait, they're trying to adjust to this new sort of normalcy.

"And we're being careful, we have small children, we have grandchildren, the youngest is only six months old, the latter is two and a half. And we have a grandmother who is almost 100 years old. So it's not easy, we have to be careful because health is the most important thing,'' noted Dabo.

The trouble specific to Novalja is that most tourists are partygoers, and the clubs are not doing well. Margarita Matas, the owner of a travel agency, also claims that the situation is not good for them either. She runs about 100 apartments and has a hostel herself.

"The situation is quite bad at the moment. It was great, about 20 percent stronger than last year. We were watching that unfold back in February, on the same date last year we were doing 20 percent better than we are now. We had over a thousand reservations, but now... there are just two percent of that thousand left,'' said Matas.

By early March this year, about 60 percent of the beds in Novalja had been booked. Boris Suljic, the owner of the Boskinac hotel, restaurant and winery, as well as the Kalypso club on Zrce, said:

"Our expectations are very realistic on the basis of somewhere around 30, 35 percent when compared to last year's business. Based on the work of hotels, restaurants and wineries. Another segment of business is the one that depends on party tourism, that will be one or zero percent,'' said Suljic.

He opened his restaurant and hotel in mid-May, and he hopes to open at least as a cafe on Zrce.

"We have to hold onto our mental condition and image. In all this, we need to not sink into desperation and give up because we're selling happiness. We sell experiences, pleasure... That's why we must not fall into trouble and deliver that same trouble, we must deliver hope,'' concluded Suljic.

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April 21, 2020 — A tourism hub on the island of Pag opted out of loosened travel restrictions to prevent a surge in new COVID-19 infections during the coming Mayday holiday, which it fears could have repercussions on its profitable summer season.

The decision comes as the rest of Croatia tosses aside an ePass system which created an administrative — if not literal — barrier between municipalities and counties during the first month of Croatia’s lockdown. 

A drop in new infections gives local directorates a chance to ease back on restrictions. Novalja said, “No thanks” and received an exemption allowing it to maintain stricter policies.

The head of Novalja’s Civil Protection Directorate Marijan Suljić reportedly told HINA the town will keep the ePass regime, preventing weekend visitors from returning to second residences and vacation homes.

“It may be a case of thousands of people who would come to their apartments when no catering facilities were working,” Suljić said. “Everyone would go out to the waterfront and that's dangerous. With this unpopular decision, we are protecting ourselves and them.”

Novalja made waves with an ad campaign asking tourists to stay at home, a jarring message for a town whose economy relies almost exclusively on a booming tourism season.

The comparatively affluent municipality helped local businesses weather the lockdown’s economic plunge, covering state-mandated social safety net contributions for every worker in the hospitality industry.

Suljić acknowledged the continued lockdown would anger the owners of summer homes and apartments. He said Novalja will welcome back weekenders, eventually, but not at the cost of progress made containing the coronavirus. 

To date, the small town had only two cases of COVID-19, a married couple reportedly recovered ready to be declared healthy on Sunday, 28 days after testing positive.

The municipality will probably open to outsiders when hospitality and food service companies resume business.

“We just have to endure a little more because it would be pointless to give up and ruin everything now,” Suljić added.

April 3, 2020 - Don't travel now! Stay at home and see you soon!" says the Novalja Tourist Board in a new promotional video. 

On Wednesday, Goran Rihelj of HRTurizam penned an article on how national tourist boards should communicate in this time of crisis. 

“Now is the perfect time to plan, define new strategies, and prepare your marketing campaigns for the day after the coronavirus, to be ready and to start communicating and promoting immediately when the pandemic is over.

The fact is that everyone is online now, more than ever, and some in this situation see their opportunity to further position and expand their customer base. That is why now is the time to take advantage of all the benefits that the internet brings to us,” Rihelj wrote. 

In any case, the worst is not to communicate, especially in a crisis.

So, when it comes to tourism, the narrative is that now is the perfect time to explore, discover and plan your future trip, that is, to create a kind of bucket list for when we’ve all said goodbye to the four walls of our self-isolation chambers. 

The Portuguese Tourist Board, for example, has embarked on a "time to stop" campaign, followed by the hashtag #CantSkipHope. The whole campaign is accompanied by the main video with a phenomenal narrative.

The video was, of course, not planned, but made following this emergency. And this is cleverly emphasized in the introduction to the video itself, where the message is that the videos were recorded before the coronavirus and the narrator's voice was recorded over a cellphone in his home isolation.

Using this train of thought, the Novalja Tourist Board posted a video with the message - 'Don’t travel now! Stay at home and see you soon!'

Although it is not a top production, as in the case of VisitPortugal, we can certainly praise the Novalja Tourist Board’s prompt reaction, thought, and effort.

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April 14, 2019 - Putting Croatian adventure tourism on the map, with the biggest welcome in the world. Day 19 of this incredible 2011 adrenaline trip covering 2,500 km along the Croatian coast. 

The World's Biggest Welcome, an ambitious adventure tourism project in 2011 in Croatia enters Day 19 of this 2019 appreciation of one of the finest tourism promotion projects ever in Croatia.  

The plan? To showcase the diversity and fabulous offer of adventure tourism in Croatia by following a GPS route the length of the Croatian coast in the shape of the word 'Welcome' - thereby creating the biggest welcome in the world from a hospitable tourism country. 

Day 19 moved by kayak from Novalja to Veli Rat. 

50 kilometres for the day: And really, just 50 km by from Novalja to Veli Rat by kayak to complete the 'L' in 'Welcome'.

Day 19 started from a rather peaceful Novalja. 

"CSI filling the cash machine," Lacko wrote. 

Bonaca. 

Tome showing Lacko the way. 

Marko getting a statement from Lacko. 

The sky and the sea merged into one. 

They even saw dolphins along the way.

And sheep on Molat. 

Bench culture is strong on Molat. 

The ferry via Zadar. 

Lacko making his way by Molat. 

While Tome has a party on his boat. 

Just beautiful. 

An old rusty shipwreck near Veli Rat. 

The Veli Rat lighthouse. 

Lacko even got a song upon arrival. 

A key part of the project was promoting tourism, and the official website has details of the key places visited during the day. 

Veli Rat.

You can see the entire project on the Welcome website, as well as much more of Luka Tambaca's stunning photography on the Welcome Facebook page. 

Tune in tomorrow for Day 20, as Lacko moves from Veli Rat to Sali by bike. 

To follow the whole project from the start, follow the dedicated TCN page.