August 23, 2019 - Franko Grgić took the World Junior Championships title on Thursday in the 800-meter freestyle race.

Earlier this year, young Split swimmer Franko Grgić hit the Olympic standard for Tokyo 2020. Today, his excellent form has only strengthened as he brings home the gold medal from the World Junior Championships in Budapest, reports 24 Sata. 

“I do not know what others expected and whether this was a surprise for them, but it is definitely no surprise to me because I was preparing for this,” said the new Croatian record holder after taking part in the Croatian team championships back in March at the Kantrida pool in Rijeka, where he broke the Croatian record for 1,500 meters (14:56.55), thus hitting the Olympic standard for next summer. 

Today, Grgić has only gotten better.

Namely, the 16-year-old won the gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Budapest in the 800-meter freestyle! Grgić celebrated with a score of 7:45.92 ahead of Russian Ilia Sibirtsev and Australian Thomas Neill, who were more than two seconds behind him.

Franko’s previous career-fastest in the 800-meter free was achieved in Zagreb in March where he swam 7:53.75. In Budapest, however, Grgić was 8 seconds faster, thus breaking the Croatian record held by Marin Mogić (7:51:78). 

Grgić is thus the 25th fastest performer of all-time, any age, in this 800 meter freestyle, reports SwimSwam.com. 

The young Jadran Split swimmer is on his way to becoming one of Croatia’s greats. In an interview for 24 Sata back in March, he described his 'champion schedule'.

“I get up at 5:00, have a quick breakfast because I'm already in a training session at 6:00 that lasts an hour and a half. From the pool, I hurry to school, which starts at 8:00 and lasts until 14:00, then back to the pool, to another training session that lasts from 14:45-17:30, sometimes until 18:00. After that, I eat well, study for a little while, and at 9:30 pm I go to sleep. I am saved by my parents who take me and bring me to the pool. Otherwise, I would not have a way to get there.”

Franko’s schedule is a nightmare for most sixteen-year-olds.

“When my peers go out, I'm already in bed. It's not always easy, but when you have a goal in front of you that you want to reach, it's easier. Sometimes I go out with friends to a cafe, but swimming is always first,” said the 187 cm tall and 70 kg swimmer and the great hope of Croatian sport.

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

August 22, 2019 - Split-Dalmatia County has joined the campaign "Coastline without cigarettes", vowing to keep Croatia's beaches clean.

Thus, in a letter sent to all concessionaires, Split-Dalamatia County invites them to join the movement to ensure their customers are informed about the need to keep the environment clean. To this end, Split-Dalmatia County has created an informational poster that will be distributed to all assigned concessionaires, writes Goran Rihelj of HRTurizam.

Split-Dalmatia County is also calling for the installation of paper ashtrays or cans that can be used for ashtrays, while installing plastic cups and dishes for collecting cigarette butts is not permitted.

According to the memo, Split-Dalmatia County will provide the funds to make the campaign as successful as possible through brochures, paper ashtrays, posters, and media visibility. For now, it is not yet known who is involved in the campaign, apart from the Kaštela area who have publicly announced their support.

The obligation of the concessionaire, if they show interest, would be a drink reward for each delivered full ashtray. Rihelj writes that it is enough for the County to provide posters, brochures, as well as paper ashtrays to each concessionaire, and condition some environmental standards when awarding concessions.

Croatia is thus catching on to a story that originated in the south of Spain where free drinks are exchanged for a cup full of cigarette butts. Among the first was Beach bar Mocca on the island of Krk, which set up cans for cigarette butts, and Camp Slanica on the island of Murter, which awarded a free drink for every full ashtray turned in. 

In addition, the Tourist Board of Murter-Kornati installed ashtrays on all beaches in Murter at the beginning of summer. Now, this excellent story and initiative are joined by Split-Dalmatia County.

In addition to contributing to a cleaner environment, this also helps in the prevention of fires, since lit cigarette butts are one of its leading causes.

Paper ashtrays were first introduced in Croatia by the Volim Vlašići association from the island of Pag, and this year, the project has expanded to the town of Hvar.

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

August 22, 2019 - As the number of digital nomads rises globally, some are choosing to spend some of their time in Croatia. A new TCN series meeting international digital nomads calling Croatia their temporary home. Meet Nicole Prybula, from Southern California.

As recently featured on TCN, the world is projected to have a billion digital nomads by 2035, people from all over the world doing all manner of jobs and business with one thing in common - a flexible, mobile workplace connected to the Internet. If even a fracture of that number becomes a reality, the economic opportunity for countries which can attract these wealth-generating individuals has the potential to dwarf Croatia's current tourism revenues. And there are few countries better placed than Croatia to take advantage. Safe, beautiful, great gourmet scene, top tourist destination, English widely spoken, well connected to other destinations, and a superb lifestyle. 

In order to look at the issue in more detail, we have decided to look at some of the digital nomads who have Croatia in their lifestyle plan, and to find out why Croatia, what Croatia offers, and what are the things that countries should be looking out for to take advantage of this economic opportunity. I am very grateful to Tanja Polegubic from Split's waterfront co-working space, Saltwater in Split (see location below) for her help in connecting me to various digital nomads using her space. 

Our next digital nomad in Croatia is Nicole Prybula, who spent time in Split away from her native Southern California. 

1. You are one of a growing number of digital nomads. Tell us briefly who you are and what you do.

I LOVE the sound of that - “I’m one of the digital nomads”. I have been dreaming of becoming a full out digital nomad for years and am so excited to be starting this journey in Split.

My name is Nicole - I’m a corporate event producer that started my own online business with a mission to ditch the 9-5 corporate America grind and start integrating work with life- creating a lifestyle where I can work whenever and from wherever I want.

For the first year, I grew my business from my home base of Southern California, but this year, decided it was time to really start living out my digital nomad dreams. So, I sold 95% of my belongings, put the rest in storage, and booked a one-way flight to Europe. For the next year (to start….), I’ll continue to grow my business but now while traveling the world.

2. Working from your laptop rather than in an office seems like the dream lifestyle. What are the main pros and cons?

My favorite aspect of working remotely is having the freedom to change things up at any moment - whether its a change in scenery, a change in who I’m working with that day or a change in the culture I’m surrounded by. I love that I can now meet new people and explore new places any day of the week. Changing it up helps spark my creativity and continuously grow both professionally, and personally. 

With that said, finding a suitable spot to work from when you first arrive at a new place can be challenging at times. While I love checking out different places, when the cafe does not have any electrical outlets or the hotel WiFi is too slow, you can waste some time hopping around in the beginning to find a good spot where you can stop and really get some work done. 

3. Laptop living gives you the freedom to travel and choose your place to live. Where are the global hot spots currently for digital nomads?

So far, I have found that you can find digital nomads in any big city in Europe these days. Some hot spots I’m excited to check out next include Lisbon, Portugal and Budapest, Hungary.

4. You chose Croatia and specifically Split - why?

Ten years ago a couple of friends of mine visited Croatia, and while looking at their photos, I remember being in awe over the crystal blue waters - I had never seen anything like it! Croatia immediately moved to #1 on my bucket list.

I can’t believe it took me ten years to finally make it here, but my expectations have been exceeded, and the waters are truly as magical as I imagined they would be.

I chose Split specifically because I knew its digital nomad community would make it a great home base to settle for a few weeks, meet some locals and really integrate with the city. At the same time, its central location allows for some convenient day trips to still explore other parts of Croatia, such as Dubrovnik, Hvar Island, Krka Waterfalls & Plitvice Lakes National Park.

5. What are the most important things a destination should offer to be most compatible for the digital nomad lifestyle, apart from that all-important good WiFi?

The digital nomad journey can be isolating if you find yourself working alone in a cafe or your hotel every day - so coworking spaces or networking events where you can easily connect with locals and fellow digital nomads make that destination so much more enjoyable. 

6. What are the competitive advantages that Croatia has to attract more digital nomads?

Croatia is truly the best of both worlds - for your work days, you have convenient transportation options for your commute, multiple coworking communities and tons of cafes to work from, minimal language barriers as English is widely spoken, and solid WiFi.

When you’re off of work, you can always find things to do, from exploring the spectacular national parks, relaxing at the gorgeous beaches or getting lost in the narrow alleys of ancient old towns.

I am so glad that I chose Split as one of the first stops on my digital nomad journey - it’s been easy to feel at home while exciting to explore so many gorgeous new places.

Anything else you want to add.

Follow my journey of growing an online service-based business while traveling the world at @cultivatedexperiences.

To learn more about Croatia for the digital nomad, check out the Total Croatia Digital Nomad guide. 

Are you a digital nomad in Croatia who would like to be featured in this series? Please contact us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

On August 22, 2019, online food delivery service Dobar Tek celebrates its 6th birthday. 

Where will we get lunch delivered from today?

This is a question that was not so easy to answer in Croatia six years ago. 

Namely, Dalmatinski Portal writes that the way we order food today, whether we are at home, at work or celebrating our birthday at the beach, began to change in 2013 when Nebojša Veron, then a graduate of computer science at FESB in Split, developed an online ordering service for restaurants.

Today, Nebojša's student project - dobartek.hr - is a platform that connects over 100 restaurants with tens of thousands of users in cities across Croatia: Split, Zadar, Dubrovnik, Kaštela, Solin, Trogir, Šibenik and Zagreb. Even today, he has a dedicated team that makes sure that the users of the platform find exactly what they want to eat and enjoy every bite.

In 2013, only a few restaurants whose menus and prices were listed could be found on www.dobartek.hr, and only a few enthusiasts had the opportunity to order food online. Mislav Tomić also worked with Nebojša on the software, and shortly afterward, they were joined by Ivan Jukić and Ivan Araš, and later by Marko Marinović. It didn't take long for them to understand that in addition to product development and design, they also needed to cover sales and customer relations, marketing, and business management segments.

“But that came later. The learning process is not easy, and new things are not mastered overnight if you want to work really well, consistently and as correctly as possible,” acknowledges Nebojša Veron.

Young, persistent, and motivated, they did not charge for their service at the outset, and later switched to a commission model from the orders completed. Because everyone had a permanent job at first, dobartek.hr would be done in their leisure time, when they would look for new clients, develop the product and explore new business models.

“The extremely dynamic and exciting food ordering market has managed to keep our interest, although, at the beginning, we only worked on our product in our spare time. We have continued to invest in the system and constantly adapt it to the needs of a growing number of users. And it is thanks to them, as well as the trust of our partner restaurants, that we are able to celebrate our sixth birthday this week,” said Ivan Araš excitedly.

Feedback from customers and restaurants is responsible for the continuous improvement of the service and its features, so over time, dobartek.hr has become a platform used daily by people across Croatia. Thus, there was a need for additional reinforcements, so dobartek.hr today has an established team of permanent employees and external associates.

“Although today the situation is much different than it was six years ago because we live in a time when we order and buy various services online, people say that they often feel safer when they receive a 'live' confirmation that their order has been received and that it will be delivered, especially when they’re hungry. Although dobartek.hr is a digital platform, we personally make sure that every order reaches the restaurant and that the food reaches the customer. We are constantly working on new functionalities, fixing what can be even better, and making sure the platform works 24/7. It is hard when something does not work out as we first imagined it, but we have learned that we should never give up, because often later we exceed our expectations,” said Mislav Tomić.

“Online ordering is preferable to ordering by phone because I can always review my order and I am less likely to blame the restaurant for missing something, which I did not add myself. But they can also rightly point to the restaurant for messing up if an error occurs on the other side. However, if it is written, then it is the law, and there is no such thing when ordering by telephone,” said Vedrana Biličić.

The dobartek.hr team sees great importance in supporting the community in which it operates, and proudly highlights the long-standing support of IT conferences such as Dump Days, the sponsorship of UniSport University Sports Association of Split and the futsal AFCU first team, and the #Donate FoodOnline campaign, which we can look forward to next.

“We do what is great to us, what we believe in and what we stand for, such as the #DonateFoodOnline (#DonirajHranuOnline) campaign or sponsoring student activities and teams from UniSport, which is really the only recipe for a great outcome. Sometimes we do not manage to cover everything that we would like, but that is why we always try to make every activity significant, no matter how small it may be,” Nebojša concludes.

Thus, on Thursday, August 22, 2019, dobartek.hr celebrates their sixth birthday and will honor their customers with a birthday discount, which canbe found on the website. 

Translated from Dalmatinski Portal 

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

August 22, 2019 - Over 170,000 ships and boats sail the Adriatic Sea each year, with more than a third of that traffic in Split waters.

The crowds are monitored daily by the Split Port Authority with 15 outposts. The Port Authority is an umbrella organization in maritime affairs, so apart from traffic control, it issues licenses for the management of vessels, keeps records of ships, boats, and yachts, and conducts search and rescue at sea.

Dalmacija Danas spoke with Captain Željko Kuštera about the role of this institution and the challenges they face in their work each day.

“The Split area is made up of 7,200 square kilometers of sea and a coast of 1,100 kilometers in length. We are in charge of a huge area, from Makarska to Trogir plus the islands to Palagruža, where the largest traffic on the Adriatic takes place. Besides being in charge of surveillance and search and rescue, we also have an inspection department, a legal department dealing with the registration of ships, boats and yachts and a general affairs department. We issue about 10,000 certificates, two and a half thousand nautical booklets and about a thousand and a half sentences for boat managers. An incredible amount of people go through this building daily, it's a boardwalk, and everyone is in an emergency, everyone is in a hurry. That's the hardest part of the job. And when you look at it, it's only done by the 65 people we have employed at the Split Port Authority and all 15 outlets.”

How many days does the Port Authority have to go out on search and rescue interventions? Is the organization adequately equipped?

“Since the beginning of the year, we have had 89 search and rescue operations, and there could be a dozen of them every day. We have one boat and five smaller boats arranged, as we like to say, in the golden hour, so that we can react at any time in the Split waters. At any moment we know where our ships are and how many people and ships we have, we have really raised this organization to a higher level. In terms of equipment, I would give it a rating of 3 out of 5, but we offset it all by man. We have great cooperation with other services, and our people are competent and willing to work, so we raise that three to five.”

Does the Port Authority have enough human resources to cover all of Split?

“We're not complaining. It is said in Dalmatia "cover yourself with the chain you have". I wish I could get another 20 employees now, but with what we have, we cover everything. People are tired, we don't have fixed hours because you go out to sea when needed, we also have actions that can last for several days... but we are well organized, so it works. Given that tourism, including nautical tourism, is rapidly evolving, we can expect to grow in terms of human resources and new equipment.”

What causes maritime accidents most often?

“Most often they happen when we have storms, and lately there are frequent fires on boats, which is a concern. There are more and more electronics on ships, which can spark a fire. With this amount of traffic mistakes happen, it's hard to avoid, so the most important thing is good organization on our part so that we can help at any time.”

Who gives the Port Authority the biggest headaches at sea?

“Definitely those who speed too close to the coast, but also when passengers are transferred in restricted areas where the safety of bathers is directly endangered. Even swimmers know how to swim outside the bordered area, putting themselves at risk, and some go diving and do not put markers.”

How many speeding fines did the Port Authority write this year?

“We issued HRK 850,000 in fines, which doesn’t make me happy. By comparison, last year, HRK 650,000 in fines were charged. This is worrying because it is a big amount, but it also means that the number of offenses is increasing. People are irresponsible at sea as in any traffic, but our goal is not to print fines, but to reduce such occurrences.”

Among other things, the Port Authority is responsible for the inspection of vessels. Recently, the media has said that some cruisers are allegedly releasing fecal water by Zlatni Rat in Bol. Did the inspectors supervise? How many fecal discharges have been issued this year?

“Last year, seven penalties for discharging sewage water were issued, but this year, we have not had any cases. Swimmers and other people think they see it. Last week we went out on a call, and it turned out to be pine needles. I don't blame people, when you look from afar, it really looks like pollution, and the citizens immediately think its oil or feces. It is incomprehensible to me that people in tourism release feces around swimmers. It is known exactly when and where this is done and how, and inspectors constantly monitor it. We are really moving forward on this issue, but we need to be constantly alert and work on prevention.”

How generally satisfied is Kuštera with the situation on Croatia’s coast in terms of maritime traffic?

“We have an amazing staff in the maritime industry. We are a small country, and our sailors sail around the world over and over and over and over again, listening to competent and well-educated people. But everyone is sailing on our coast today. People rent a boat, use GPS ... by law they must have maps, but the question is how much they know how to read. Just see how they hold a navigational triangle. But that has come about in every business… I am not against growth and development, but there need to be measures in place.”

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

August 21, 2019 - The 'Aj Cha' festival dedicated to Dino Dvornik will not be held in Split this year, which was confirmed by the organizers on Tuesday.

“This year we will not organize the festival, but we are already preparing for the next one. We have paused for a number of reasons this year, but plan to honor Dino in continuing the organization of the festival," the organizers answered briefly for Dalmatinski Portal.

Recall, the first festival dedicated to Dino Dvornik and funk music was held in 2017 at several locations - at the old Hajduk grounds, on the Riva stage in front of the Splitska banka, on Bačvice beach and at the Bačvice Summer Cinema. The program was led by the Songkillers who opened the festival. The day after, Jinxi performed, and on the final day, a concert of ‘Split kids’ was held, featuring Neno Belan and Fiumensi, Marijan Ban and Diktatori, the Official Dino Dvornik Tribute Band with Nikola Marjanović, and as a special surprise guest - Gibonni.

The festival is held in Split, Dino's beloved hometown and where his stardom began, which had a great impact on his career and music. The second edition was opened by Noa & Funkblasters, featured Psihomodo pop who played at Bedem Cornaro, and closed with Dubioza kolektiv.

Dino Dvornik was a Croatian musician, singer, composer, songwriter, and actor born in Split on August 20, 1964. 

Dino was born as the second child of famous actor Boris Dvornik and mother Diana Tomić. From an early age, he was destined for the spotlight, and along with older brother Dean, he appeared in Miljenko Smoje’s cult series “Naše Malo Misto”. 

Dino soon found out that it was not acting he was after, and decided to pursue music instead.

In 1981 when he was 17, he created a funk composition named "Kineski Zid" with brother Dean. The name of the group paid homage to the name of the building they lived in. Namely, “Kineski Zid” referred to one of two twin buildings in Split in the quarter of Spinut which was built in 1971. Located near Poljud Stadium, the buildings are the longest buildings with the largest number of squares and flats in Split. 

Kineski Zid was inspired by the musical genre of funk and was influenced especially by the sounds of James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Kool and the Gang, George Benson, Earth Wind and Fire. Thus, Dino and Dean are known to have recorded the first funk material in former Yugoslavia. After the release of the album and a difference in ideas between Dino and Dean, Dino turned to a solo career that would one day consider him the Croatian King of Funk.

Dino’s music marked the late 80s and early 90s, and more often than not, Dino’s songs are still played in clubs around Croatia today. We’re sure you’ll recognize some of these. 

Dino was a four-time winner of the biggest music award in Croatia, the Porin, and was nominated a total of eight times.  Two Porins were awarded to Dino in 1996 for the song “Afrika”, in 1998 he won the Porin for the album “Enfant terrible” for the best production, and in 1999 he won for the best album, “Vidi of pisme”.

Dino was survived by his wife, Danijela, and his daughter Ella who have both helped to give Dino life after death through their projects. 

This year marks the eleventh anniversary of the Croatian King of Funk's untimely death, though no festival will be held in his memory.

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

August 20, 2019 -  Nada Ship Management baseball club from Split is the new champion of Croatia! 

Under the chairmanship of Dr. Ratko Božić, the founder of the SSM United Group, the baseball club has been sponsored by SSM for 20 years. After the Karlovac club dominated in the league for the last two years, the Split squad has reached its tenth title. This is an excellent achievement for everyone in the club as the city of Split marks the 100th anniversary of the first baseball game on Stari Plac, reports Dalmacija Danas.

The history of baseball and Split is wonderfully interesting, and through the Nada Ship Management baseball club, the tradition continues successfully. As far back as 1918, the US Navy, which then kept the peace in Split, brought over the popular American game which was quickly popularized through town. Football clubs Hajduk and Borac even had their baseball sections! 

“Baseball in Split is one of the city's longest traditions. Although the sport began semi-officially in December 1918 when a group of US sailors from a ship in port here introduced the game to some young Croats, it wasn’t until 1972 when a pair of teachers at a local school formed the Salona Baseball Club. Salona is a town about 5 km (3 mi) from Split, the site of the capital of the Roman Empire in this part of the world more than 1,700 years ago.

The first actual game played in Split was on Sept 9, 1978, between Split (the new team moved here and was called Nada) and Jezice from Ljubljana–a 20-1 romp for the locals!

A schedule of games began in earnest and by 1980 there were regular league games. The next major milestone was in 1983 when the World Baseball Federation (IBAF) accepted Yugoslavia as an official member. A Croatian National Baseball Federation was established in 1989.

Today the Croatian national team (with 10 or more members coming from Split’s Nada team) is ranked 25th in the world, ahead of Russia and France!

Split's team, Nada, plays its home games at Old Hajduk stadium, where the rugby club also plays. Alas, without a mound, it is not a regulation field. The team's main rival is Karlovac and there are teams from half a dozen other cities around the country. In addition to playing other Croatian teams, inter-league games are played and the team travels to Belgrade, Budapest, Bratislava, Trnava and other cities to play,” reads the Nada Ship Management Facebook page. 

The Nada Ship Management baseball club is the most celebrated team over the last 10 years in which it's won five championships.

“We are proud to be a part of this wonderful sports story. In the sporting spirit and with full financial support, we are sailing together toward new victories because we, after all, are a maritime company, Božić said in the end.

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

August 20, 2019 - Hotels in Dalmatia achieve the best results after experts analyze the success of hotels in Croatia for Slobodna Dalmacija. 

“Hoteliers did well in the first half of the year according to all available data, and according to the announcements, this trend continues in July and August. I think 2019 will be a very good business year for hoteliers in terms of revenue, and those with 4 and 5 stars did better in the first six months of this year than last year.

The specificity of this peak season is that it is asymmetrical, it has shifted in 15 days in terms of time, business and traffic for a lot of reasons, but it will not significantly affect the operation of hotels. There is a trend that 4 and 5-star hotels are doing fantastic, and those who are worse off and have not seen an investment are operating in a market that is looking for lower prices, so their financial results are significantly worse. Because you cannot get a customer with higher-spending power if you have poor quality,” says professor Zdenko Cerović, a Ph.D. from the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management in Opatija, who co-authored the Benchmarking (Business Analysis) study of the Croatian hotel industry until the beginning of July this year.

Together with him, hotel operations in the first part of this year were also analyzed by Dr. Sandra Janković and Sonja Hvaliček.

The material analyzes the operations of 114 Croatian hotels from all coastal regions and the continental part of the country, with a total of 23,500 rooms, which is more than 40 percent of the total hotel capacity in Croatia. Data on occupancy, prices, revenues and earnings were found for 25 hotels in Istria, 26 in Kvarner, 46 in four Dalmatian counties and 17 continental hotels. Key revenue management indicators by region say that in June alone, as in the first six months of this year, hotels in Dalmatia are doing the best. 

In June, they achieved an average price of 139 euro per room, which is 15 euro more than hotels in Istria and almost 40 euro more than hotels in Kvarner. Also, the total income per night in hotels is the highest in Dalmatia - in June, it was 103 euro per night, which is 16 euro more than the average of Croatia. In the same month, the income in Istrian hotels per night was 80 euro, while in Kvarner 77 euro, according to the data. 

“Such financial results are completely logical given that Dalmatia has a long season and good prices in hotels, and a great deal has been invested in hotels in Zadar, Šibenik, the Split region, the Makarska Riviera, and the islands to Dubrovnik. Dalmatia has made a step up in the quality of its hotel offer in a number of hotel houses, followed by good prices, the growing season, and good income. Since April, the monthly accommodation revenue per available hotel room in Dalmatia has been the highest in the country due to the highest average room rates,” explains Cerović of this year's hotel business in Croatia.

Asked if the revenue of hotels would be affected by the fact that part of their capacity was put into "last-minute" sales at lower prices due to slow sales, Cerović replied that this would not affect the hotel’s income because it didn’t happen often enough to affect their earnings.

“Although the story of the need to invest in quality in our tourism is already known, all the way to birds on branches, nevertheless, the exact data best confirm how significant the value for money is in revenue. Specifically, revenue management indicators by the category of the hotel in the survey show that total revenue per night is by far the highest in 5-star hotels, reaching 154.20 euro per night in June. At the level of all six months, it is 114 euro per night, and for comparison, the revenue per night in 4-star hotels in June was 80 euro, while in 3-star hotels it was 49.5 euro. And the average room price also depended on the category of accommodation, so in June, 5-star hotels sold for 206 euro on average, 4-star hotels had an average price of 103 euro, and 3-star hotels in June had an average price of 67.4 euro. 

This does not mean, of course, that Croatia should have only the highest category hotels, but the 3-star hotels must be modernly decorated, equipped and renovated, and thus can achieve better prices and higher revenues in its category, experts say. Guests want to know that they have not overpaid, and everyone goes into a financially monitored category and looks for the best service for that category. Nobody can say today ‘it doesn't matter what kind of hotel I am, I will always have guests’, because that is no longer the case, as the financial results of investing in hotels and resting on laurels show best. "

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

August 19, 2019 - The sale of Hotel Marjan to the Adris Group means that this former tourist pearl and a current eyesore on the West Coast Riva in Split will shine once again. 

Frankly, there is no reason not to believe that in the years to come, after its reconstruction and renovation, 'Hotel Marjan' will become the pride of this Rovinj group, just like the Hilton Imperial Hotel in Dubrovnik and the Grand Park in Rovinj, which opened in April this year with a HRK 1.5 billion investment, reports Slobodna Dalmacija.

Therefore, when the public electronic auction of Hotel Marjan ended with one Adris Group bid of 324,046,698 kuna, Split collectively let out a sigh of relief. Recall, we’ve waited for the sale for four years, which is how long the bankruptcy proceedings of "Adriatic d.d." took at the Split Commercial Court. You can read more about that here.

This Rovinj group has waited long enough to invest big money in Split, and we can only hope that the transaction will be completed as soon as possible. Though we know the sale process is far from complete. 

Ante Gabelica, bankruptcy manager of "Adriatic d.d.", said it will take months before the buyer receives the papers that will allow them to register as the new owner of the famous Split hotel.

The Adris Group didn’t want to get ahead of themselves, either. 

“Let's wait for the legal process to be completed, after which we will be able to talk about the details of the hotel renovation. So far, we can only tell you that we did not hide our ambitions. Adris is a serious investor. We are sure that Split will get the hotel that this beautiful Croatian city deserves,” said Predrag Grubić, director of corporate communications at Adris Group.

At the moment, we only know about their plans for Split, which were published on its website in June:

“By 2023, Adris will invest more than HRK 2 billion in tourism, keeping 95 percent of hotel capacity at the highest level of supply. In addition to investments in Rovinj, Vrsar, Zagreb, and Dubrovnik, there are plans to invest in Split, a growing and recognizable Croatian tourist destination.”

Former employees of the failed Adriatic company are pleased with the sale. Representative Ante Ledenko pointed out:

“We want the Adris Group as a quality investor to make a great hotel and to settle our claims of EUR 2 million, as promised in writing to each worker individually. We should be treated as partners, not as factors that hinder investment.”

The entry of the Adris Group also means that the staunch construction site of the hotel will no longer be the eyesore of Split. Back in 2012, the hotel was closed by a building inspection, as its owner, Željko Kerum, stepped down from the main project. Since then, this space has been without sufficient physical and technical care. Because of this, homeless people, foreigners, and other curious strangers have entered the construction site for years almost unobstructed, and are exposed to a decrepit structure and many broken windows. 

Written warnings from the police, as well as from the city's Department of Public Utilities, indicate that this is a major problem, pointing out that damaged panels on the front of the hotel endanger the safety of passers-by.

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August 19, 2019 - The 5th round of the Croatian First League was held from August 16 to 18, 2019, and saw Hajduk humiliate an otherwise strong Gorica to hold their second-place spot on the table. 

Inter Zaprešić v. Dinamo (1:2)

Inter and Dinamo opened the 5th round on Friday, August 16, 2019, at the Zaprešić stadium in front of 2,686 spectators. 

Inter was the first to score thanks to a goal by Tsonev in the 8th minute, though Dinamo's Atiemwen equalized just before the half for 1:1. Inter’s Galić was shown a red card in the 49th minute, and Dinamo quickly capitalized on the extra man as Atiemwen scored again for 1:2 in the 50th minute. The game ended at 1:2.

Inter is currently in 9th place with 2 points, while Dinamo is in 1st with 13. 

Varaždin v. Lokomotiva (1:1)

Varaždin met at the NK Varteks stadium on Saturday, August 17, 2019, in front of 2,231 spectators. 

Glavica scored for the Varaždin lead in the 44th minute for 1:0 at the half, though Lokomotiva equalized in the 56th minute from a goal by Uzuni for 1:1, which was the final score of the game. 

Varaždin is currently in the last place with 2 points, while Lokomotiva is in 8th with 4. 

Istra 1961 v. Slaven Belupo (2:3)

Istria and Belupo met on Saturday, August 17, 2019, at the Aldo Drosina Stadium in Pula in front of 2,027 spectators.

Krstanović scored for the Belupo lead in the 12th minute,  though Gržan scored a penalty to equalize 3 minutes later for 1:1. Istra then took the lead thanks to a goal by Regan in the 35th minute, though Belupo equalized just 7 minutes later for 2:2 at the half. 

Puclin scored for Belupo in the 60th minute for a final score of 2:3. 

Istra is currently in 6th place with 6 points, while Belupo is in 7th with 6. 

Hajduk v. Gorica (3:0)

Hajduk and Gorica met on Sunday, August 18, 2019, at Poljud stadium in front of 14,054 spectators. 

Jairo scored for Hajduk to make it 1:0 in the 30th minute, which was the score at the half. Gorica was given a red card in the 60th minute, forcing the visiting team to play with a man down for the rest of the game.

In the 67th minute, Jairo increased Hajduk’s lead and his number of goals to 2:0, and just two minutes later, Hajduk defender Josip Juranović made it 3:0, which was the final score of the game. 

Hajduk is currently in 2nd place with 12 points, while Gorica is in 5th with 7. 

Rijeka v. Osijek (1:1)

Rijeka and Osijek met on Sunday, August 19, 2019, to close out the 5th round at Rujevica stadium.

Rijeka’s Čolak put the home team in the lead at 1:0 in the 34th minute. It wasn’t until the 86th minute that Žaper equalized for Osijek to end the game 1:1. 

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 10 points, while Osijek is in 4th with 8.

You can see the full HNL table here. 

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