Kvarner's tourist traffic numbers continue their upward trajectory. The Kvarner region, located in Northwestern Croatia, finished 2019 with 3.1 million arrivals and 19.1 million overnight stays. Compared to 2018, there were 2% more arrivals and 1% more overnights. Overnights also increased by 3% compared to 2017, 13% compared to 2016 and 50% compared to 2010.

During peak season, overnight stays remained at last year's levels, with an average occupancy of 25 days, and 30 days at hotels. That means that there wasn't a lot of room for growth during the the busiest season of the year, according to MorskiHR on January 8, 2020. Therefore, it is important to emphasize that overnight more stays increased by 1% during pre-season, while the post-season overnight stays increased by 4%. The increase in overnights during pre and post-season is more significant when compared with results from 2010, and it shows that overnights during these times of the year increased by 90%, according to the tourist board.

Germany Traditionally Strongest Market

In 2019, 630,000 German guests visited the Kvarner region, resulting in almost 4.7 million overnight stays. This figure has certainly been influenced by the large number of promotions directed toward the German market.  In addition to Germany, three more markets have reached more than one million overnights: Slovenia (3 million), Austria (1.8 million) and Italy (1.3 million). The share of foreign traffic for these four countries is nearly 70%.

Kvarner’s inclusion on group tour routes which take guests from distant markets to Europe has also resulted in a large increase in traffic from these markets. In the last 3 years, guests from China have almost tripled their number of overnight stays while US citizens have increased their overnights by 50%.

Guests from the United Kingdom are also worth mentioning. They spent 137,000 overnights in Kvarner which is 25% increase from 2018, and 44% increase from 2016! Foreign tourists account for 85% of overnight stays and domestic tourists 15% (3 million nights, an increase of 5%). 

Mali Lošinj

Most Guest Overnights on Island of Krk

Among the subregions, the island of Krk is in the lead, with an increase of 1% and 7 million overnights (and has a 36% share of total overnights in Kvarner).

The Crikvenica-Vinodol Riviera ranks second (3.2 million) followed by the island of Losinj (2.4 million). The number of overnight stays continues as follows: the Opatija Riviera and the island of Rab (2.2 million), the island of Cres (1.1 million), the Rijeka area (925,000) and Gorski Kotar (110,000). The highest percentage increase in overnight stays (14%) was recorded in the Rijeka area.

Mali Losinj (2.4 million nights) and Crikvenica (2.2 million nights) are among the "best" destinations.

Guests Prefer Croatia Family Accommodations

Family accommodations accounted for 40% of recorded overnight stays (7.7 million). Campsites and hotels recorded almost the same number of total overnights: 3.7 million each with individual shares of 19%. 

The highest increase in overnights was recorded in upper-category accommodations:

• Hotels generally realized 1% more overnights. However, 4 and 5-star hotels enjoyed a 6% increase.
• All family accommodations experienced a 1% increase in overnight stays, but 5-star family accommodations enjoyed a 38% increase!
• A similar scenario applies to campsites: there was an overall 1% decrease in overnight stays, but overnights at 5-star camps are up 22%.

Regardless of the type, 5-star facilities have seen 15% increase in overnight stays during the past year and 70% increase overnight over the last 3 years!

Cres

Nautical Tourism Overnights Up Thirty-Two Percent

These figures do not include 24,500 arrivals and 156,000 overnight stays due to nautical traffic, which in has increased by as much as 32% the last year alone. There are about 20 nautical tourism ports in Kvarner, and Marina Punat alone accounts for more than half of nautical overnights.

Kvarner Third to Istria and Split-Dalmatia in Accommodation Capacity

As of 2019, there are 190,000 permanent beds available for tourists in Kvarner which represent a 17% share in accommodation capacity within Croatia. The Kvarner region ranks third in terms of total available accommodation, which is behind Istria and Split-Dalmatia counties in Croatia. 

Irena Peršić Živadinov, Director of the Kvarner Tourist Board, emphasizes that the primary goal is to strengthen the pre and post-seasons, because one cannot always count on a record “peak” season.

Kvarner Tourist Board Expects Long-Term Increase

“In recent years, the Kvarner region has definitely succeeded in strengthening the pre and post-seasons. Compared 2010 to 2019, we have seen a huge increase in overnight stays during both seasons - almost 90%! Over the past 10 years, we have invested in the quantity and quality of the regions’ offerings. We have also focused on joint branding and activities and recognized our strengths regarding products and offerings."

“These steps probably won’t yield immediate results but will take a longer time to have an effect. Taking that into consideration, for example, 12.7 million overnight stays were recorded in 2010, it is clear that in a period of 9 years we have realized 6.3 million more overnights, or the total number of overnights in Kvarner ha increased by almost 50%,” Peršić Živadinov points out.

Follow our Travel page to keep up-to-date on tourism trends in Croatia.

December 22, 2019 - Kvarner is ready for the 30,000 guests that should visit during the Christmas and New Year holidays, which is about the same number of guests as last year.

Novi List writes that about 100,000 overnights will be realized during the holidays, most of them on the Opatija Riviera (45,000). The island of Lošinj has announced 17,000, the Rijeka area 15,000, the Crikvenica-Vinodol Riviera 9,000, the island of Krk 7,000, Gorski Kotar and the island of Rab 5,000 each, and the island of Cres 1,000. 

There will be 64 hotels open in Kvarner, as well as three camps, two in Losinj and one in Krk.

Most guests are expected on the Opatija Riviera. In Opatija itself, according to the data of the Opatija Tourist Board, the Christmas and New Year holidays should see13,250 guests, which will generate 37,800 nights. Most overnights will be spent on hotel accommodation. In this period, 27 hotels will be open in Opatija, with the majority expected to be guests from Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Italy and Croatians.

“A rich program of ‘The Most Beautiful Advent by the Sea’ awaits all visitors, which will bring a lot of good music like concerts by Marko Tolja, Martina Majerle, Renata Sabljak and Đani Stipanič, as well as many other renowned musicians who will grace the beautiful winter and summer stage, animation for the youngest and other surprises. As many as four events have been prepared for the New Year - for the youngest at noon on the Summer Stage, to three outdoor parties. All guests who have chosen Opatija for the New Year will be congratulated by the Mayor of Opatija on January 1 at the traditional Mayor's Toast,” said Željka Stašić, project manager at the Opatija Tourist Board.

The second most visited destination for the upcoming holidays will be Rijeka and its surroundings. According to the long-term trend of growth in the number of overnight stays in the city, the Rijeka Tourist Board emphasizes that the tourist turnover for the holidays will exceed last year's results.

“The rich Rijeka Advent program will certainly contribute to the positive results, which this year ends with a spectacular New Year's Eve concert with Nina Badrić, Dubioza Kolektiv and Nikolina Tomljanović. However, there are also New Year's Eve celebrations at numerous restaurants in the city center and the surrounding area.

Five hotels are open in the city of Rijeka - Bonavia, Jadran, Neboder, Continental and Molo Longo, most of the hostels and a large number of privately owned accommodation, where the highest number of overnight stays has been realized,” said Dominik Damiš, Head of Marketing at the Rijeka Tourist Board. Furthermore, domestic tourists usually achieve the most overnights, followed by foreign guests from Italy, Germany, Serbia, Slovenia and Austria.

In the area of the Crikvenica Riviera, from December 20 to January 6, approximately 1,700 guests will spend 7,500 overnight stays. The Crikvenica Tourist Board states that in addition to the Marina Hotel in Selce, which is always open, the Omorika Hotel, the Mediteran Hotel and the Crikvenica Hotel will be open during the New Year holidays. In addition to hotels, several dozen apartments will be opened. Most guests are expected from Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia, and the largest number of guests will stay in Crikvenica during the New Year holidays. Guests stay an average of three days. As the Crikvenica Tourist Board revealed, most of the hotel accommodation is already full, while some of the private apartments are still available to guests who want to spend their holidays in Crikvenica, which boasts a unique Advent atmosphere this year.

The largest tourist company on the Riviera, Jadran Crikvenica, is organizing New Year's Eve at the Omorika Hotel.

“Only this hotel is open to us because we have already started the second phase of the investment cycle in other facilities to be even more prepared to welcome the new 2020 season. The main broadcasting market for us is Italy, and we also have a lot of local guests,” said Lucija Jukić, director of marketing for the Jadran Crikvenica, adding that they offer guests a New Year's Eve dinner with live music, champagne at midnight, as well as live music.

In Novi Vinodolski, for example, 250 guests from Austria are expected for the New Year holidays in the only open hotel Lišanj and about 100 guests in private accommodation. Guests stay an average of three days, and the Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board revealed, the hotel is fully booked. Otherwise, the organized New Year’s Eve reception is in Marina Nova. And at the traditional Zdravica Nova 2020, about 1,000 foreign guests are expected, or about 8,000 in total.

This year, more destinations became involved in the organization of Advent, so the whole of December was marked by increased arrivals and overnight stays. But as expected, the culmination is yet to be expected. Most destinations have prepared outdoor receptions, with hoteliers and NYE parties for their guests.

The New Year holidays are traditionally the best for Gorski Kotar. This year, for the twentieth time, the people of Fužine and their guests will celebrate the ‘old year’ at noon. 

Marinko Jakovljevic, director of the Fužine Tourist Board, said that most of the accommodation for the New Year holidays are reserved in the Gorski Kotar area. As a rule, holiday homes and apartments are full, while there is some room in household accommodation, as well as in hotel accommodation. But in the coming days, all should be full.

“Since we have prepared a four-day program starting on December 29th with a traditional concert of our Wind Orchestra, as a rule, these are stays based on three overnights. We have also prepared surprises to bid the Old Year farewell at noon, and besides, the New Year's train from Rijeka will come again. The director of the Fužine Tourist Board concluded that guests are coming from all over Croatia, and there is an increase in arrivals from Slovenia.

The Kvarner islands are ready for the busy holidays. This year, for the fifth time, a rich Advent program called ‘The Most Beautiful Island Advent’ was prepared for the coming holidays. This year, the program started on November 30 and will last until January 7 next year, with the extension to the Boškopini Park in addition to the historic city center. Rab’s rich program, as well as hotel programs, will attract more guests this year than last year. Namely, the Valamar Collection Imperial Hotel will open for NYE, while the Valamar Hotel Padova and the Veritas Restaurant and Wine Bar will open before Christmas. 

“So, that is one more hotel than last year. Full occupancy is expected, with guests coming mainly from Austria, Germany and France. In addition to all hotel facilities with entertainment and animation programs, guests will also have access to excursion programs and various programs within Rab Advent, which this year deservedly bears the name 'Best Island Advent'. By the way, the Best Island Advent has been increasingly profiled for several years as an additional motive for the arrival of guests to Rab, and the question is only to what extent the weather will allow its realization,” said the President of the Imperial Riviera of Rab.

On the island of Krk, advent programs for the New Year have been prepared by the tourist boards of Omišlj - Njivice, Malinska - Dubašnica, Krk, Punta, Dobrinj and Vrbnik. A rich program throughout Advent as well as for the holidays themselves was prepared in Mali Lošinj, which this year received new Advent attire and an ice skating rink, as well as a covered space for the New Year's festivities, so that even the bad weather cannot spoil the fun. 

Hotel Aurora in Mali Lošinj and Hotel Televrin in Nerezine are open for New Year's Eve, as well as two campsites. In addition to Čikat, the Poljana campsite in Mali Lošinj is open, and part of the private accommodation will be provided, with the assistance of local tourist agencies. Vitality Hotel Punta and Family Hotel Vespera are open for closed groups. Talking about the upcoming holidays as well as announcements for 2020, Ricardo Hesky, a member of the Jadranka Hotel Management Board, said that the number of guests coming from Lošinj Hotels & Villas have increased year by year, along with the number of overnight stays.

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

October 6, 2019 - One of the more interesting additions to the 2019 tourism calendar was the Rab Film Festival, dedicated to investigative documentaries. One enthusiastic festival participant was Gustavo Vilera from Venezuela. 

There I was, driving with my family to the island of Rab, excited about my first Film Festival in Croatia, not only because of the pleasures the Kvarner coast has to offer, but on a mission, a personal mission to support the work and initiative of Robert Zuber, a kind-hearted Film Director, producer and world citizen.

It was RAFF! The film festival and the experience.

Before we dive into the details of the festival, and before I convince you of joining me next year for the second edition, I’d like to paint you a picture of Rab and of my interest in documentaries up to the moment I sat to watch my first film at the festival.

The stoned city of Rab is enchanting. The architecture, the large stoned walls that grow straight from the shore, the delicious cakes together with the creative open-space design of Silvija Jonjić gave us an unforgettable and inclusive scene for this RAFF weekend.

The country that saw me grow is Venezuela. From Caracas I dreamt my whole childhood of traveling around the world, visiting all the historical places I saw on TV, the capitals of the world, the unreal pyramids, the castles, all of these historically and culturally rich sites brought to my screen via Satellite waves.

I can proudly say that the privilege of satellite TV played an immense role in my upbringing. It exposed me to different languages and offered me a vast selection of documentaries from National Geographic, the Discovery Channel, PBS, DW, and VTV (The now infamous national channel of Venezuela). These directors awoke my curiosity, showed me how factories work, how the brain functions, how the animals behave in their habitat, inspired me to feel confident in our society and our future, to study science in school and travel to Berlin for my higher education.

Times change, and so do the agenda of TV channels. Thankfully, my passion had awakened, and until today I search and follow the production of independent documentaries.

There I was, sitting on first row my son and lover next to me, stuffing our face with popcorn, as one does in the cinema. The title: Sea of Shadows, directed by Richard Ladkani.

Robert introduced the audience personally to the film, charismatically communicating with the audience in English and Croatian. We watched it at the open-air cinema, at the highest point of the old town, surrounded by trees, fresh air, and a beautiful night sky.

There were no free seats, everyone in town knew about the event, RAFF took the city. You could see everywhere the adverts, the people, the gatherings, and workshops. I grew excited during the day, walking the streets of the old town and finding posters with the agenda and functions, finding participants with t-shirts and all the photographers documenting the event.

Ninety minutes of the best Hollywood-like drama, intense action, and emotions. I want you to picture speed boat persecutions, surveillance drones, murders, animal extinction, crime, cartels, independent activists, corruption, fishermen, military, Chinese triads!!!! I mean, a script like this is worth GOLD and your full attention, the film was RAFF no questions about it, we were captivated, immersed in this quest for justice. 

The credits start rolling on the screen, it’s over, “The End,” kina s pet svjezdica? The audience was still in shock. Silence all around. I turned back to see the faces; the tourists had forgotten about Rab and their vacations. Robert retook the stage, brought us back to our privileged reality with a charming voice, to our Orada dinners with Blitva, to our holidays.

A fisherman died, murdered because he decided to stand up and talk to the camera, tell us what was really happening.

What to do now? We can’t unsee what just happened in front of our eyes, can we? Can we forget that we live on the same rock that follows the same star on an eternal spiral? Will we wait until it hits our coasts? Nah! that won’t happen here! Said everyone in Venezuela 30 years ago, while the Balkans were killing each other on TV. Look at us now.

It’s RAFF and I’ll be there next year, ready to support again. Join us. 

Thank you Robert and the RAFF team for the message: “don’t speculate, Investigate!”

To learn more about the Rab Film Festival, check out the official website. 

September 28, 2019 - One-hundred-thirty awards were distributed to mark 130 years of organized tourism in Rab town. 

Novi List writes that Rab Town Tourist Board director Ivana Matusan opened the 130th anniversary of organized tourism in the town at Kino Rab. Matusan outlined the vibrant and exciting history of tourism development on the island from 23 April 1889, when Austrian professors Leopold Schröter and Froschauf submitted a written proposal to the Rab mayor to intensively develop its tourism.

Nikola Grguric, the mayor of Rab, as well as the president of the Rab Town Tourist Board, said that tourism is without a doubt the most important activity for the economy of the island and that its developed form today is the result of coordinated and systematic action of both the economic entities in Rab and the invested knowledge and talents of tourism staff at all levels.

In addition to the continued work of the city government to strengthen the quality of the tourist offer, either by renovating Donja Ulica (Lower Street), or by events such as Fjera, Kantuni, Rab Film and Jazz Festival, Grguric praised the encouraging criticism of the citizens about what can improve and what needs to be changed. The landscaping project of the beaches, Imperial Riviera and Valamar, will soon begin to reposition Rab tourism, and the considerable strength lies in the small renters and their 15,000 beds in private accommodation, which adapt year after year to the requirements of modern tourists.

Prefect of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Zlatko Komadina and director of the Kvarner Tourist Board Irena Persic Zivadinov also addressed the citizens of Rab.

“Kvarner tourism accounts for 18% of Croatian tourism, and Rab tourism as much as 12% for tourism in our County, and that speaks for itself about the importance of what Rab tourist workers do, and how they contribute to the overall picture of Croatian tourism, and we thank you with all of our hearts,” said Zivadinov.

Assistant Minister of Tourism Robert Pende, in his capacity as envoy to Tourism Minister Gary Cappelli, said that it was evident that Rab recognized its qualities and that it had made significant progress in acknowledging and positioning itself in the tourism market in recent years.

The youngest members of the Rab Tanac Folklore Dance group took the stage of Kino Rab, which was followed by awards to individuals, institutions, companies, associations, caterers, restaurateurs, hoteliers, travel agencies, media, foreign tour operators and renters, in other words, all those who enrich and empower Rab tourism. The Commission for awarding the 130th anniversary of organized tourism in Rab had a difficult job and decided to distribute 130 awards for 130 years of tourism.

“On behalf of all the laureates, I extend words of gratitude, with the call for even closer cooperation of everyone to further improve the quality of Rab tourism,” said Nedjeljko Mikelic.

The program ended with the performance of young pianist Petra Macolic. This was followed by a photograph of all the winners and a reception at the Valamar Collection Imperial Hotel.

In the evening, Kanata was held, which is a traditional festivity and culinary competition for making brudet in copper pots.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

August 24, 2019 - The first edition of the Rab Film Festival opened on Friday at the Summer Cinema in Rab with a screening of the French film Les Misérables. The opening was attended by the film's director Ladj Ly and actor Djibril Zonga.

The Rab Film Festival held the Croatian premiere of the film, which won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, reports Jutarnji List.

The first edition of this event, which continues until Tuesday, August 27, will feature 13 screenings and five concerts. Danish debutant Ulla Salim’s Sons of Denmark, a story about Islamic radicalism set in the broader context of the rise of neo-Nazi ideologies in Europe, will also premiere at the festival, as well as Ken Loach's new drama Sorry We Missed You, about the fight for survival in an increasingly ruthless British labor market.

The festival program also features Silver Bear winner at the Berlinale By the Grace of God by Francois Ozon, which tells the story of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, Serbian film Stitches (Šavovi) directed by Miroslav Terzić, about a mother’s search for her child she believes was stolen at a maternity ward 18 years ago and, outside the competition, Diary of Diana B (Dnevnik Diane Budisavljević) will be presented to the audience by the director Dana  Budisavljević.

The documentary program highlights the Belgian film Green Gold, a shocking background story about biofuels filmed in the remotest corners of the world for ten years, the German film The Cleaners, which takes viewers to the shady underworld of the Internet - a place where questionable content is removed, and the Dutch Bellingcat, which offers a unique perspective on the world of investigative journalism and the truth seeker in the reign of fake news and alternative facts.

The Rab Film Festival will also feature two award-winning films from this year's Sundance Festival. Exploring the mysterious death of a UN Secretary-General in Cold Case Hammarskjöld, Danish director Mads Brügger takes viewers into the darkest abyss of African history, while Sea of Shadows reveals the effort to rescue the Earth's smallest whale - the Vaquita - from extinction and bringing the international crime syndicate to justice.

The only Croatian title in the competition program is That’s the Way It Is by Arsen Oremović, which tells the story of a father's attempt to exercise his right to see his daughter after a divorce.

The festival is competitive in nature, and the best awards will be presented in three categories: Best Feature Film, Best Documentary, and Audience Award. The awards will be decided by a jury consisting of festival selector, film lecturer, critic, and director Rada Šešić, actress Tihana Lazović and director Antonio Nuić.

The Rab Film Festival program is led by film critic and journalist Vladan Petković (feature films) and Lejla Dedić, program editor at Al Jazeera Balkans (documentary program).

The music program will feature Zdenka Kovačiček & Greenhouse Blues Band, Urban & 4, Elemental, Nipplepeople, and De-tour.

The RAFF GENERATION program is aimed at film professionals and includes lectures by prominent local filmmakers including founder and director of the ZagrebDox International Documentary Film Festival and director of Factum Production Company Nenad Puhovski, director Dana Budisavljević, cinematographer Raul Brzić and writer and screenwriter Marjan Alčevski.

The organizers of the festival are the City of Rab, Rab Open University and Toro Laboratory in Zagreb, and the festival director is Robert Tomić Zuber.

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

ZAGREB, August 17, 2019 - The first edition of the Rab Film Festival (RAFF) will be held from 23 to 27 August on that northern Croatian island, with 12 feature and documentary films included in the festival's programme.

The festival will kick off with the Croatian premiere of "Les Miserables" directed by Ladj Ly. This film, which had its world premiere at the last Cannes Film Festival, is a racially charged drama set in the Paris suburb where Victor Hugo wrote his classic novel. The organisers of the RAFF have stated that the film's director Ladj Ly and lead actor Djibril Zonga, will come to Rab for the film's premiere in Croatia.

The audience will be able to watch "Sorry We Missed You" by Ken Loach as well as "Sons of Denmark" by director Ulaa Salim.

The organisers also introduce RAFF as "a festival of investigative movies and documentaries". The screening of the films will take place "several locations in the city, mostly in the charming open-air cinema. Various shows will be provided to please those who like culture-active holidays."

"The visitors will see a display of socially relevant movies and documentaries investigating the global and local issues of present days," according to the information provided on the festival's website.

More news about festivals in Croatia can be found in the Lifestyle section.

The first RAFF - Rab Film Festival, which is a festival of investigative film will take place for the first time in Rab this summer, in the period between August the 23rd and the 27th. The festival will be organised on several open-air stages, and visitors can expect to experience excellent film, music and gastro programs. The focus of the film festival will be on the intriguing titles carrying elements of investigation into current global and local problems and phenomena.

Robert Tomić Zuber, the director of the Rab Film Festival spoke at the press conference in Zagreb, presenting the festival: "In the era of the fast influx of information and the clickbait race, our focus is on research. We are interested in stories that are carefully researched, that either ask precise questions or offer answers based on facts, whether they come in the form of a documentary or a feature film".

The program was created in cooperation with the Sarajevo Film Festival, one of the biggest festivals in Europe, and Sarajevo's winning movie will be shown at the opening of RAFF. Mirsad Purivatra, director of the Sarajevo Film Festival said at the press conference that they don't often agree to partner with other festivals, but that he's happy to be able to work with RAFF both in terms of logistics and programming, especially through the program of facing the past.

Another important cooperation for a new festival such as RAFF is their partnership with the Al Jazeera Balkans Doc Film Festival, also based in Sarajevo, which will have the role of a broadcast partner for RAFF.

The highlight of the feature film program, selected by the movie critic from Belgrade, Vladan Petković, is the movie Sons of Denmark, the fictional plot of which takes place in Denmark in 2025, after a major bomb attack in Copenhagen, when radicalisation around the country has intensified and ethnic tensions are running high. The movie will see its regional premiere in Rab, and it warns what Europe might look like if the nationalism and anti-immigration politics continue.

Lejla Dedić, the selector of the documentary program (she is also the selector for the Al Jazeera Balkans Doc Film Festival!) has chosen several remarkable documentaries. What stands out is the Croatian premiere of the movie Bellingcat: Truth in a post-truth world, a movie that dissects the appearance of so-called fake news, and wants to find out if there's a way for real investigative reporting to make a return. The Croatian documentary by author Arsen Oremović, titled "It is what it is" will also be shown, looking into the discrimination of fathers after divorce.

Like we mentioned, a very attractive musical program called RAFF BEAT will be organised during the five days of the festival, with performances by well-known Croatian artists: Urban & 4, Zdenka Kovačiček, Nipplepeople, Elemental and Detour. Urban & 4 concert will be a special event, as he will re-interpret a movie classic with his music. The screening of that movie will remind everyone of the often forgotten consequences of fascism in Europe. Damir Urban said that the combination of music and film has always been intriguing, and that he hopes his performance will give the classic a different point of view.

The final evening of the Rab Film Festival will be spectacular: called the RAFF SEAPLEX "Kaich", it will be an event where both the movie shown and the concert below the town's walls will be best seen from a boat anchored at the port! The town of Rab and the Rab Community College will participate in the organisation, have provided all the necesarry infrastructure for the festival, and have helped organisers network with the local tourist workers etc.

The island of Rab has a 106 year-long movie theatre tradition, and they continue to create quality events for the people of Rab, but also for tourists who will be on the island in late August.

In the last several days we've received three separate reports of new catamaran lines introduced for the summer season of 2019, with the intent of inter-connecting Croatian islands. The fact that Croatian islands were often perceived as not inter-connected enough, and that you often had to go to Split in order to get to another island which was in fact quite close was often listed as one of the bigger problems for tourists in Croatia. 

Well, that seems to be changing: during summer 2019, there will be at least three new catamaran lines which will help fix that! Those are:

• Split Airport - Split Town - Bol on Brač Island - Stari Grad on Hvar Island, operated by https://splitexpress.com/en
• Rijeka - Krk (Krk) - Lopar (Rab) - Novalja (Pag) - Zadar, operated by G&VLine
• Dubrovnik - Korčula (Korčula) - Hvar (Hvar) - Bol (Brač) - Split, operated by Jadrolinija.

The last of the three mentioned existed last year too, as we've made clear in our 2018 guide on how to get to Korčula Island. Obviously, it has proven to be a success last year, so Jadrolinija has decided to bring it back, starting operation on May 30th, and lasting until the end of September. The timetable (link to the .pdf document) is similar to last year's, with the key difference being that it will be departing Split 45 minutes earlier in the afternoon (at 15:30, while last year it was at 16:15), thus arriving in Dubrovnik also 45 minutes earlier. In addition, in Korčula, the ferry will not be docking at Dominče ferry port, rather at either the east or the west port in Korčula town itself. The very modern catamaran Jelena will be carrying passengers on this line.

Rijeka - Krk - Rab - Pag - Zadar is a new line, which connects the islands that are close to one another, but have never been well-connected. Now the new catamaran line will give the passengers the chance to island-hop, but also to make a same-day visit to the islands, as it will leave Rijeka in the morning, arriving in Zadar around midday, and you'll be able to from Zadar to Rijeka at around 8 pm. For a detailed timeline, click here (link to the .pdf document).

The timetable for the catamaran line connecting Split Airport, Split Town, Bol on Brač and Stari Grad on Hvar is a bit more complicated, but you can see it below:

The residents of Croatian islands often have rightful complaints about their connections to the mainland not being up to scratch in many cases, and while efforts are being made to create better, more reliable and more frequent connections between Croatia's many inhabited islands and the mainland, many remain less than satisfied.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 22nd of May, 2019, the carrier of this idea and the launcher of the line itself is the company GV Line Iadera from the Dalmatian city of Zadar which has many years of experience in navigation on important state routes under its belt.

Every single day as of June the 15th to September the 15th, there will be a fast passenger line on the Rijeka-Zadar route and this will also connect the islands of Krk, Rab, and Pag. This is otherwise the first and the quickest fast passenger line to connect Zadar and Rijeka and the islands in this manner, as 24sata reports.

This new line will certainly contribute to not only the ease of the lives of the residents of the aforementioned islands, but also to the overall enrichment of the tourist offer of both Dalmatia and Kvarner respectively, as well as to the better linking of the islands, since the islands of Krk, Rab and Pag have never been connected in such a way with each other, nor have they ever been connected in this way to the Croatian mainland.

Make sure to follow our dedicated travel and lifestyle pages for much more.

Something new is set to take to the placid waves of the Adriatic sea this summer as the Dalmatian city of Zadar and the city that flows - Rijeka in Kvarner, are set to be connected by catamaran.

As Morski writes on the 2nd of April, 2019, as of the 15th of June this year, the G&V Line Iadera will begin running a brand new daily line that will connect Rijeka and Zadar, joining Krk (Krk), Rab (Lopar) and Pag (Novalja) seasonally.

This is a new and unique line from G&V Line Iadera, which will connect Dalmatia and Kvarner by sea, enabling a person to arrive to Zadar from Rijeka (or vice versa) in only four hours, according to a report from eZadar.

190 kuna is the one-way maximum price, and the fastest ship, Melita, with its capacity of 180 passengers and an indoor air-conditioned salon will depart from Rijeka on 08:15 and from Zadar at 16:15.

The total journey time between the two coastal Croatian cities is four hours, and passengers can enjoy travelling in air-conditioned indoor areas with comfortable seating.

The line will run from June the 15th to September the 15th, and ticket sales online will soon begin.

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Click here for the original article by eZadar