December 16, 2018 - In Zagreb on December 15th, as part of the jubilee, 60th Sinj Nights and Advent in Zagreb, the town of Sinj presented part of its tradition at Zrinjevac park. 

As part of the Sinj Nights and Advent in Zagreb, the City of Zagreb, City of Sinj, Sinj Kluba Zagreb and the Sinj Tourist Board, presented the Inland Dalmatian town at Zrinjevac park in Zagreb. 

Many Zagreb citizens and their guests gathered in one of the most beautiful and famous Zagreb parks to enjoy the songs of the highly rewarded Sinj klapa, as well as the student band Banderija. 

Following them was the performance of the Sinj majorettes, who delighted the crowd with their choreography. For this occasion, all present guests were gifted gingerbread by Christina Križanac, the mayor of Sinj, and Monika Vrgoč, the director of the Sinj Tourist Board. The sweet treats were prepared by Ankica Župić.

The celebration of Sinj Nights in Zagreb was an excellent way of promoting the vibrant tradition and customs of the city of Sinj and the Cetina region, as well as exchanging knowledge and opportunities to enrich the tourist offer.

December 15, 2018 - The Tourist Board of Sinj, with the support of the Croatian Tourist Board, has successfully implemented two projects: "Sound Mirrors - Science Park” and "Space Walk". 

Namely, during the past few years, the Tourist Board of Sinj received grants from the Croatian National Tourist Board for co-financing various programs to improve the tourist infrastructure and destination, and this year it was awarded to them for the implementation of these specific projects. 

The ultimate goal is to bring the tourist offer closer to all those who are sensitive to music and science.

The Sinj “Space Walk” is conceived as a concept and structure where the exhibition provides users with a walk through a reduced, scaled view of the Solar System. The planned exhibit consists of a spatial view of the Sun and nine planets of the system on designed info columns with descriptive plates and the author’s explanation of the idea of the exhibit. The "Space Walk" route was set up in the city park, thus giving it an educational character due to the vicinity of the high schools of Sinj.

The Science Park project came to fruition last year with the implementation of the Music Fence at the Alojzije Stepinac Promenade, and this year the Sound Mirror exhibit near the Youth House. The sound mirrors allow visitors to chat at a distance of 20 meters!  They also inspire visitors to learn about sound physics, the transmission of sound waves, and stimulate the sensory perception of elders and those with special needs.

These unique educational and entertaining exhibits are designed to provide all users, especially the youngest, the challenge, enjoyment, fun and learning through games, thus stimulating creativity and self-development. With an interesting interactive presentation of science within the games and research of exhibits, scientific knowledge is easily adopted and becomes part of the general education of users. Therefore, the purpose of these projects is to educate, stimulate the senses of people of all ages, as well as those with special needs, and promote the identity and the tourist offer of the city of Sinj. 

To read more about Sinj, follow TCN's page. 

December 5, 2018 - On Wednesday, December 5th, as part of the permanent tourist promotion, the Croatian National Tourist Board and the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, in cooperation with Turkish Airlines and the Tourist Board of Sinj, welcomed the arrival of eight prominent internationals journalists in Sinj. 

Journalists Dixon Carole Leigh, Shi Crystal Han, Pollock Elizabeth Ann, Hiromi Suzuki, Ryoichi Sato, Dominick Siddle, Khairul Izwan Bin Nan, and Low Siew arrived from the United States, Canada, Japan and Malaysia. In this study trip, they first visited Zagreb, then Zadar, Trogir, Split, NP Krka and Sinj.

The theme of their study trip is devoted to this year's Advent and the vibrant tourist offer of Croatia, the selective forms of tourism - including cultural, natural and gastronomy - as well as the opportunities available for active vacations.

The tour of Sinj began at King Tomislav Square, where they were welcomed by the director of the Sinj Tourist Board, Monika Vrgoč. There they met the rich past of the town of Sinj, and in particular, the Shrine of the Miraculous Lady of Sinj and the Alka. They visited the church of the Miraculous Lady of Sinj and the Archaeological Collection of the Franciscan Monastery accompanied by the leader, Fr. Mirko Marić. This was followed by a tour of the city and a visit to the Sinj Alka Museum accompanied by the curator of Tomislav Barhanović. The journalists did not spare words of praise.

As the entire program is largely dedicated to gastronomy, the journalists received a traditional gastronomic offer and the recipes of the most famous dishes of the region such as uštipak, Sinj arambaša, and roast veal "under the bell”. The reporters were delighted and surprised by the offer of Sinj, showing an extraordinary interest in continuing to cooperate through selective programs for cultural tourism and traditional eno-gastronomic offer.

November 30, 2018 - Advent is the most popular winter event in Inland Dalmatia. Therefore, the town of Sinj has prepared an even more vibrant, diverse and beautiful program for all visitors to enjoy this year. 

Namely, for this special holiday season, citizens will be offered additional facilities, which should also attract Croatian and foreign tourists to Sinj this winter. 

The Advent program in Sinj will run from December 1st to 31st, organized by the City of Sinj, the Sinj Tourist Board, the Shrine of the Miraculous Lady of Sinj, the Sinj Cultural Center and numerous other associations.

During the Advent weeks, there will be many theater shows with unique themes and humanitarian actions, while many quality bands will perform on Saturdays.

The continuation of the Advent program will feature many educational workshops, plays, exhibitions, traditional performances of the Sinj Majorettes, concerts by City Musicians, Klapa Sinj, the Mixed Choir of Sinj and the Children's Choir, theater performances as well as a children's week organized by the Association Sinjski Ferali. 

This year, the Sinjski Ferali Association will contribute to the overall holiday mood, primarily by organizing a New Year's Eve party for the youngest citizens! 

For all of Advent, Alojzija Stepinca Promenade will have a rich offer of holiday houses providing sweets, mulled wine, and local specialties for the chilly winter days. There will even be many handicrafts and gifts for children to enjoy!

Important dates to remember:

On December 6 and December 23, Saint Nicholas and Father Christmas will gift the youngest.

And the best yet? An outdoor spectacle featuring OZON and VATRA will take us from 2018 to 2019 for a splendid New Year’s Eve celebration!

To read more about Sinj, follow TCN's dedicated page here. 

All photos by Željka Zrnčića

November 19, 2018 - Sinj was the coldest city in Croatia on Monday morning. A temperature of minus 6 degrees Celsius was measured on Monday at the State Station of the Hydro-Meteorological Institute in Glavica, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on November 19, 2018. 

Only Zavižan in northern Velebit was colder in Croatia, where the meteorological station below the 1676-meters-high peak measured minus 8 degrees Celsius. 

The cold front swept the Cetina region hard for the first time in the morning hours on Monday. On Sunday at 7 am, at the same metering station in Glavica, temperatures measured 8 degrees Celsius.

The cooler temperatures are especially welcomed in the Cetina as it will officially open this year's pork season. Due to the high temperatures and the fear that in such conditions could result in the destruction of pork meat, the butchers have been hesitant to begin, and have thus far mostly held off on pig products. 

Low morning temperatures were recorded throughout Dalmatia and Zagora. Knin measured minus 2.2 degrees this morning, Drniš was minus 4, Šibenik 2, Split 4, and even on the islands the temperature at 7 am was about 3 degrees Celsius.

To read more about Sinj, follow TCN's dedicated page here. 

The Tourist Board of the Split-Dalmatia County, in cooperation with the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies, during November and December 2018, plans to hold workshops on the topic of coordination of the activities of the TZ (DMO), tourist agencies (DMK) and other stakeholders in the development of tourist products of cultural tourism, cycling tourism and eno-gastronomy.

October 28, 2018 - The incredible inland Dalmatia tourism success story continues, as Dalmatinska Zagora is named as the best destination for rural tourism at Days of Croatian Tourism 2018.

I am often asked where my favourite destination is, a question I find impossible to answer. There are so many great places to visit and live in this country, as well as such a variety of experiences that no one place would be a clear winner. Hvar, of course, will always be my first love, but other islands such as Korcula are fighting hard for my affections, while life in Varazdin Country with access to fabulous Zagreb has been a revelation. But there is one region in Croatia for which I have a real soft spot. 

Inland Dalmatia. 

It was with immense pride and almost a tear in my eye that I watched the fantastic inland Dalmatia team pick up a much-deserved award as the best destination for rural tourism at the 2018 Days of Croatian Tourism awards. It has been a real pleasure to watch tourism in inland Dalmatia blossom since my first visit there at the invitation of the Sinj Tourist Board, back in February 2013. 

I loved the energy of the young tourist board directors in this gorgeous region just behind the mountains near Split. One thing led to another and before long, I found myself doing a presentation (see above) to the tourist board directors of inland Dalmatia about a partnership for a new website called Total Inland Dalmatia. It would have been nice of Google not to choose that particular moment to show a Google Ad for Thai brides, but you can't have everything. There was support from the Central Dalmatia Tourist Board and even - ah, those were the days - a small grant from the Ministry of Tourism. Everyone agreed there was a need to better promote the richness of Klis, Sinj, Trilj, Dugopolje, Imotski, Vrgorac and Vrlika as one. 

And while Total Inland Dalmatia played a small part in the rise of inland Dalmatia as a destination, the local stakeholders have played a major role in developing the destination as one brand, and with an increasingly enticing tourism offer. And the progress is extraordinary.

Inland Dalmatia Destinations - the Rise of Imotski

Few destinations in all Croatia have experienced growth like Imotski in the last five years. Certain infrastructure projects such as the opening of a tunnel to the Makarska Riviera have helped immensely, but so too has the innovative tourism promotion, such as Austrians slacklining over the Red Lake. The increase in tourism overnights and the accompanying number of new villas with swimming pools has transformed Imotski into a very attractive destination - a chance to enjoy traditional Dalmatian hospitality and accommodation while being a short drive from the beach.  

Inland Dalmatia Destinations - the Rise of Sinj

The driving force for inland Dalmatia in the last few years has been the historic town of Sinj, most famous for its Alka knights' tournament, which has taken place each year to commemorate the victory against the Ottomans in 1715. 2015 saw the historic 300th Alka, and the Sinj Tourist Board took the Alka story as far away as New York, while the outstanding new Alka museum is the latest attraction in this fascinating historic town just 30 minutes by car from Split. 

Inland Dalmatia Destinations - the Emergence of Vrlika

I am a little embarrassed to admit I had never heard of Vrlika before I started getting involved with the region, but it did not take me long to realise what I had been missing. Check out the latest promotional video from Vrlika above, to see why you too should be heading to Vrlika next summer. For now you can stay - although the numbers are small, the first tourist accommodation rentals have become available in Vrlika in the last two years,a process of patience and encouragement from the Vrlika Tourist Board.  

Inland Dalmatia Destinations - the Roman Heritage of Dugopolje

Some imaginative diversification from Dugopolje, known by many as the motorway exit for Split, but also home to some great Roman heritage. Dugopolje was the first destination in Central Dalmatia to take part in the Roman roads initiative by Central Tourist Board Director, Josko Stella (pictured above).

Inland Dalmatia Destinations - From Roman Heritage to Trilj Blues

One of the things I quickly learned about inland Dalmatia is that the unexpected is always around the corner. A great addition to the Trilj calendar these past two years - the Thrill Blues Festival.  

Inland Dalmatia Destinations - Klis and the Game of Thrones Factor

If you are trying to develop a tourist destination, it always helps with the promotion is Game of Thrones decides to film there. And while the hit HBO series put Klis Fortress on the map, local authorities have done much in recent years to turn it into a fantastic tourist attraction. And one you can get to easily by bus. Here's how.

Inland Dalmatia Destinations - Vrgorac and a Unique Wine Festival

Thought you had experienced every type of wine festival possible? How about one which celebrates a distinctly Dalmatian beverage - red wine and goat milk, or bikla. You can top up your glass straight from the goat at the annual biklijada in Vrgorac. 

An amazing region with great energy. And where else would TCN choose for a teambuilding session? Here is what you can get up to on a day out in the region they call Dalmatinska  Zagora. . 

Congratulations to all the inland Dalmatia team both on the award and the progress you have made. I, for one, am looking forward to the next chapter.  

Want to learn a little more about inland Dalmatia? Here are 25 things to know about Dalmatinska Zagora.

An incredible achievement for the inland Dalmatia region!

October 18, 2018 - Continuing our look at Croatia as it once was through online videos, a look back at one of the most important cultural events in the Croatian calendar, and certainly the proudest - the Sinska Alka Knight Tournament, back in 1931 and a1969.