March 28, 2019 - Putting Croatian adventure tourism on the map, with the biggest welcome in the world. A little kayaking kicks off this incredible journey of adrenaline tourism along the Croatian coast.  

It is 8 years since one of the finest tourism promotion ideas I have come across in my 17 years in Croatia took place. 

An idea to celebrate the extraordinary potential of adventure tourism the length and breadth of the Croatian coast. As TCN explained in the introductory article yesterday, Daniel Lacko and his team's vision was to create a route which mapped out on GPS the world Welcome from Savudrija on the border with Slovenia, to Dubrovnik in the south, to showcase the different types of sporting challenge that could be enjoyed in this hospitable tourist nation. 

As I said in my article yesterday, I had only just started writing online when the event took place, and I hadn't fully appreciated the level of achievement until now. Looking back at the media coverage, there was very little in English, and I thought it would be an opportunity to take a closer look at the potential of Croatia as an adventure tourism destination, through a day by day look at Daniel's incredible journey. 

First, the formalities of the press conference to launch the event.  

And then it was time to prepare for the 50-plus days ahead, with some 2,500 km to cover with a variety of disciplines. 

Lacko started in the very north of the Croatian coast, in Savudrija, perhaps better known recently for the fishing dispute in the Piran Bay. But back in 2011, it was the enthusiastic singing of the local kindergarten which got him started on his incredible journey. 

Kayak in the water, the journey had begun! 

Hugging the Istrian coastline, a visit to Novigrad. 

And a kayaking boy must eat. Time for lunch. 

The first say was a 'leisurely' 35 kilometre kayak paddle from Savudrija to Porec, home to one of Croatia's 11 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

And a sunset to match the achievements of the day, one of many such sunsets which lay ahead, as the early April weather welcomed the World's Biggest Welcome to the Adriatic. 

Day 1 of 52 - the distance and locations covered. 

A key element of the project was tourist promotion, and the excellent Welcome website provides (and still provides) information of the main points of interest en route. On the first day, Savudrija and Porec. 

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 for more kayaking exploits tomorrow, as Lacko negotiates 45 km from Porec to Rovinj to the magical Brijuni islands. 

It isn't every day that you end up with a fish as big as this in your net! A look at the moment when fishermen in Savudrija discovered they might have bitten off a bit more than they could chew (or perhaps those were the thoughts of the unfortunate shark). 

As Morski writes on the 3rd of March, 2019, a large seven-metre-long shark unfortunately became entangled in the net of a fisherman from Savudrija, before being successfully cut free, removed from the net, and returned to the sea. The scene was filmed from an onlooker's standpoint and uploaded onto IstraMet's Facebook page.

While some onlookers and viewers of the video were likely intimidated by the size and power of this large shark, the better-informed among them claim that the unlucky shark is merely a harmless type which feeds on plankton and doesn't pose any threat to human life. The commentators writing below the released video greatly appreciated the selfless act of the fisherman from Savudrija who quickly got to work releasing the distressed shark, with the understanding that the nets in which the animal became tangled suffered damage and had to be cut in order to remove the shark.

The author of the footage, which has attracted well over 40,000 views at the time of writing this, wrote that the job of working to release the animal from the nets lasted for more than half an hour.

"It's great that he [the shark] has been returned [to the sea], finally common sense wins in this little country! I just hope that they really got him totally out of the net and released him completely - which is not seen in this too short video - otherwise his "release'' is in vain, plus the animal is still in shock,'' reads one of the video's comments.

However, according to other information from the field, the fishermen from Savudrija did not release the shark out of mercy, but releasing the shark from the surface wasn't possible, and they were unable to find out whether or not the animal was even alive at all at that point. More precise information on what happened and what type of shark is in question will be released upon inspection by a vet.

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The neighbours are unhappy, once again.

April 22, 2018 - Residents of Savudrija village and the city of Umag celebrated the 200th birthday of the oldest lighthouse in Croatia

ZAGREB, April 21, 2018 - The President of the European Union Court of Justice Koen Lenaerts has expressed doubts about the legal path Slovenia has chosen after it sent a letter to the European Commission announcing a lawsuit against Croatia regarding the two countries border arbitration process, stressing that the best solution is for Slovenia and Croatia to present the case to the EU Court of Justice in agreement.

ZAGREB, January 27, 2018 - Slovenia has sent the first fines to Croatian fishermen it claims are fishing in its waters and next week it will continue to similarly enforce the law, Slovenian media said on Saturday.

In spite of the pressure on Plenković, the ''Regatta for Reason'' in Savudrija has been abandoned.

Istria has the potential to be a 12-month tourism destination, but it is really nice to discover when most things are closed and the crowds non-existent, as TCN discovered on a 2-day tour, finishing on December 31, 207. 

Slovenia started implementing the border arbitration judgment with Croatia on December 30, 2017, most noticeably by patrolling the waters awarded to it in the Piran Bay. TCN went to visit the Croatian fishermen in Savudrija to find out how the changes were affecting them.

Croatian fishermen continue to have unpleasant encounters with the Slovenian police.