January the 12th, 2022 - Obonjan island used to be just another of Croatia's many uninhabited islands dotted along the coast. A few years ago, it underwent a transformation and is now a place many pay a visit to. It seems yet another transformation of sorts is on the cards for Obonjan island.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Zeljko Perekovic became the owner of the tourist company "Obonjan Riviera" last year, and he appointed a new three-member Supervisory Board at the extraordinary assembly of the company.

In addition to him, Kristijan Perekovic and Irena Dolencic are now in that body, as opposed to Drazen Grubisic-Caba, British national Daniel Anthony Blackledge, and Slovenian national Tadej Volf. The latter trio represented the interests of a British company for the organisation of the "Sound Concert" as the former majority owner of "Obonjan Riviera", and its co-owners, the Croatian "Gratiousus" and the Slovenian travel agency "CMT".

Zeljko Perekovic, a prominent entrepreneur whose main business for three decades now has been self-service coffee machines for the Croatian company "Spaz" which boasts 100 employees, as well as more and more business which deals with properties, pulled the Sibenik company out of a multi-million blockade, interrupted the court proceedings at the Commercial Court in Zadar and took over the ownership, writes Slobodna Dalmacija.

According to available information, he allegedly paid at least 12 million kuna to the account owned by "Obonjan Riviera", a company to which he has already been appointed as the interim bankruptcy trustee, and he also took on other obligations of the company during the coronavirus crisis. Perekovic will further develop and improve the specific tourist project for which Obonjan island has become well known within his own business vision and in partnership with his sons Domagoj and Mislav.

This father and his two sons have been developing the concept of camping tourism for twenty years now, and the last such project, after leaving a similar one in Novalja on Pag, is "Olivia Green Camping", in a large olive grove near Tisno, with luxury, family wooden houses and swimming pools for 700 guests and the overall service at the level of a five-star hotel.

To that extent, Perekovic's takeover of "Obonjan Riviera" on Obonjan island is logical, since a type of camp with 196 luxury tents, 40 mobile homes and a hotel with 33 beds was established there, with a decision to expand its capacities and reach a maximum of 200 to 250 employees in a few years, with large-scale investments also planned.

According to Mislav Perekovic, during the main summer tourist season, Obonjan island would become a family holiday destination with a distinct ecological programme, while outside the summer months, the offer would be directed towards other types of content and events from the so-called event-tourism sector. His son Mislav completed his studies in tourism management and then specialised in sustainable tourism, while Domagoj's department is investment.

''Obonjan island is very attractive,'' said Domagoj Perekovic, announcing the opening of the complex on May the 1st, 2022.

''Obonjan island gets under one's skin, and after last summer, when we mostly cleaned the area up since the island wasn't really worked on due to the coronavirus pandemic and it was only open for 45 days, we noticed that business teams are becoming more connected,'' added Domagoj.

The Perekovics have renewed their contracts with some former employees on Obonjan island, and they sincerely hope that the tender they will announce at some point in January for the employment of 140 workers together with the seasonal workers will attract local people, Slobodna Dalmacija writes.

For more, check out our dedicated business section.

June 14, 2021 - American actor, musician, and frontman of the band Thirty Seconds to Mars, Jared Leto, is returning to the Croatian coast with Mars Island Festival. 

After last year's cancellation of the Mars Island festival due to the still current coronavirus pandemic, the participants of the three-day festival will re-occupy the island of Obonjan near Šibenik from August 20th to 23rd, reports Vecernji List.

"Mars Island is a three-day experience on a private island in Croatia. Rest and regain strength with yoga among the trees, jump into the Adriatic Sea, watch a midnight movie or watch the stars, and catch two intimate performances by the band Thirty Seconds to Mars. Mars Island is an experience like never before," reads the band's official website.

The group's website also states that this year the cheapest ticket is $1649, or a little more than 10,100 kuna, and the price goes up to $7149 for a VIP package, which is a little more than 44 thousand kuna. All tickets include two full-length group concerts, activities with the band, and accommodation and food. Guests stay in air-conditioned tents that can accommodate four people and access shared facilities such as showers and bathrooms located near each camp. If you want a bathroom in a tent, still shared with roommates, you will have to pay up to 18,000 kuna for a ticket!

The organizers also offer massages for 550 kuna, tattooing for 600, and one additional night on the island 3380 kuna. This will be the second year that the festival has been held in Croatia. During the first four years, it has been held in America under the name 'Camp Mars.' The festival came to the Adriatic in 2019 when the price was slightly lower. Recall, two years ago, some fans were disappointed because, although they were expecting concerts, Leto then rented the island to - preach to them.

The photos where a large group of people is seen sitting and listening to the musician have caused a lot of ridicule because all the participants have to wear completely white clothes, and Jared Leto nurtures the image of Jesus Christ. They resemble a cult, which Leto himself embraced as a joke and wrote next to the published photos: "Yes, this is a cult." However, in the comments under the photos, there were also many enthusiastic fans who, as they write, spent the three best days of their lives in Croatia.

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

After their very succesfull transformation of Istrian town of Bale into a town-hotel, one of the world's leading tech companies, Dell Technologies, decided to turn Obonjan Island into the tech innovation island for a few days in September.

And that came just a few months after Jared Leto converted Obonjan into his own personal party-island, so the conclusion that Obonjan has many faces is easily reached. Večernji list writes about the conference organized by Dell, called Go Beyond, which has brought over 200 people from over 20 European countries to Obonjan in the last week of September. They're sharing their experiences with the new trends in how business is done, and significant technological innovations that make the business world go further. Anja Monrad, Senior Vice President & General Manager for CEE in Dell Technologies said that they're trying to point out the strength of the technologies that influence the betterment od people, allows our own limitations to be beaten and inequality to be avoided. Their experts, she added, are presenting steps that the organisations make, including modernizing the infrastructure, motivating the employees and application of software in order to establish the basis for the digital future and support the new wave of technology-driven human advances.

The participants at this conference had the opportunity to hear various interesting lectures on advanced and sustainable business, digital trends and innovations and artificial intelligence. The idilyc setting of the island, which has proven to be able to host a business meeting of this magnitue welcomed a discussion on women in technology, with focus on the equality. However, enough free time has been left for the participants to enjoy the beauty of the island and the activities characteristic for times spent in nature, by the beach between the lectures. Filipa Petrović, regional marketing manager for Centran and Eastern Europe added that this year again the idea is to focus on innovation, in products, in presentations but also in the selection of the location. Obonjan island has the possibility to turn a business conference into a unique eco-friendly event. That's why we decided to take advantage of this tech innovation island to promote the responsible business practices.

The American actor and musician, best known for his roles in the Dallas Buyers Club (which won him an Academy award in 2013) and his early role in the teen hit My So-Called Life, has arrived in Croatia. Back in January, we reported of his plans, and now Jared Leto has done exactly as he announced back then - he is on Obonjan, for the Mars Island musical festival!

Not only are he and his band 30 Seconds to Mars one of the headliners of the festival, but it has been reported that Jared Leto is himself the main organiser of the festival. The festival will take place on the 9th to the 12th of August, on Obonjan, a small island near Šibenik with quite an interesting past - and an obviously equally interesting future, with Hollywood superstars renting the island to hold musical festivals.

This is the first time the festival will be held in Croatia (and Europe), as the previous four instances took place in Malibu in California.

Jared Leto posted on his social media, publishing an Instagram story in which he informs his followers that he has arrived in Croatia, just a few days before the start of the festival. He added that he's getting to know the island, and that he's happy to see the people also arriving for the festival. He expects that everything is going to be amazing.

The prices of admition for the festival are quite high by Croatian standards (but let's be fair, the Croats aren't really the target audience for this festival), but they include admission to all musical performances, accommodation, and a wide variety of other activities, such as yoga, meditation, art workshops etc.

The lowest price of 1500 USD will get you a tent accommodation, for 2500 or 3500 USD you'll get more luxurious tent accommodation. For 6500 USD, you'll have a wooden house of your own, and an additional VIP experience with Jared Leto.

This is not Leto's or his band's first visit to Croatia: in 2011 they performed in Zagreb at the popular Močvara club.

Fans of the band Thirty Seconds to Mars and its frontman (and famous Hollywood actor) Jared Leto are in for a treat, as they have announced two concerts in Croatia this summer as part of the new Mars Island Festival, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on January 17, 2019. 

Namely, the Oscar and Golden Globe winner and his team have rented the island of Obonjan to accommodate their fans for a three-day festival. From August 9 to 12, 2019, the new Croatian edition of ‘Mars Island Festival' will be held on the island of Obonjan, just off the coast of Šibenik.

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PRE-SALE IN 6 DAYS!!! ??????

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In addition to concerts by the favorite band, the festival will offer a range of accompanying content such as yoga, meditation, workshops and water sports. Visitors will be accommodated in luxurious four-bed tents (at a price 9750 kuna), which includes accommodation for three nights and food.

For a (much) higher price, accommodation will be offered in two-bed wooden homes, which will also include a VIP experience with Jared Leto. 

The actor has yet to reveal his exact plans for the summer spectacle, but judging by his activity on social media, as well as his close relationship with his fans, we can expect more information soon

As we know now, ticket prices will range from 9,750 to 42,270 kuna - yes, you heard that right. 

The "Mars Island Festival" has thus far been held in Malibu, though for their fifth anniversary, Leto wanted to change the atmosphere and move to "the idyllic Croatian coast."

Company "Obonjan Rivijeria” is not hiding their pleasure and pride that Obonjan will host one of the world's greatest new-age bands. 

According to Kristijan Gržetić, the arrival of Jared Leto and Thirty Seconds to Mars is a great spectacle for the international recognition of the island as a destination that is based on the concept of well-being and attractive and unique amenities.

“This is proof that Obonjan has achieved a certain status thanks to its recognition in the world. Thirty Seconds to Mars will leave Malibu and Los Angeles for the first time and bring along their fans who usually organize this type of event once a year,” said Gržetić.

Gržetić added that Obonjan would continue to launch a number of prestigious events in the coming years, while maintaining the status as a favorite destination for corporate events, as it offers a wealth of exciting content, such as yoga, meditation, health, workshops, team building activities and more.

Gržetić also promised that there would be similar attractions in the future.

“We're sure we will not stop there. The town of Šibenik and Obonjan are growing. Our wish is that the city is spoken about as one of the main destinations, not only for tourism, but also for music, festivals, and entertainment,” concluded Gržetić.

Recall, in 2015, the company Obonjan Riveria was granted a concession for 43 years from the City of Šibenik, and thus built a luxurious camping site with a capacity of 1,000 beds on the now popular ‘Obonjan’ island. 

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

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