August 8, 2019 - The cruise ship numbers in Croatia keep on growing, reports the Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 

Cruise tourism is booming, and nowhere more so than Croatia, which is reporting a big rise in traffic for the first 6 months of 2019, according to the Croatian Bureau of Statistics: 

In the first six months of 2019, 272 journeys of foreign vessels on cruise were realised.

In the period from January to June 2019, there were 54 foreign vessels on cruise that arrived in Croatian seaports, which realised 272 journeys. There were 409 thousand passengers on board who stayed for 554 days in Croatia.

The highest number of cruises was realised by vessels under the flags of Malta (72 cruises) and Italy (45 cruises), while the highest number of passengers on board the arrived vessels were under the flags of Italy (108 thousand passengers) and Panama (100 thousand passengers).
 
Out of a total of 272 journeys of foreign vessels on cruise, the majority was realised in the County of Dubrovnik-Neretva (60.3%) and the County of Split-Dalmatia (25.3%), which makes up the total of 85.6%. The remaining 14.4% of journeys were realised in the following counties: Zadar (5.9%), Istria (4.8%), Primorje-Gorski kotar (2.6%) and Šibenik-Knin (1.1%). 

The most visited seaport was the seaport of Dubrovnik, followed by the seaports of Split and Zadar
 
The majority of visits of foreign vessels on cruise were realised in the seaport of Dubrovnik (195 visits), followed by the seaports of Split (104 visits) and Zadar (45 visits). 

Increase in the number of journeys, passengers and sojourns of foreign vessels on cruise

In the period from January to June 2019, the number of journeys of foreign vessels on cruise increased by 10.6% and the total number of sojourns by 6.1%, as compared to the same period of 2018. In the aforementioned period of 2019, the number of passengers on board increased by 14.8%, as compared to the same period of 2018.

(Source: Croatian Bureau of Statistics)

The busiest ports. It is interesting to note that Split's expansion in hosting cruise shop tourism continues. It is now at 53% of Dubrovnik's numbers in terms of ships visiting. 

One of the challenges for destinations and cruise tourism in Croatia is that the destinations have little to no control on cruise ship numbers, as this is controlled by the Port Authority. For the Port Authority, more ships means more revenue. 

It is interesting to note that the Ministry of Tourism's 7-year strategic plan from 2013 - 2020 had a focus on maritime ecology at the heart of its strategy. A little like the 30 golf courses promised next year but none yet started, the ecology pledge of 2013 seems to have little to do with the 2019 reality and the expanding cruise ship tourism sector. 

August 8, 2019 - Split's 'green lungs,' Marjan hill, has been under treatment since March. A look at the forest park before and after the rehabilitation to remove the bark beetle infestation. 

At the July session of the Split City Council, Mayor Andro Krstulović Opara, Nenad Ružić, Mate Omazić, and Dragan Brtan informed the councilors about the rehabilitation of the Marjan Park Forest since it has been under treatment for the infestation of the bark beetle. The president of the Marjan Task Force, Nenad Ružić, then revealed details of the first phase of rehabilitation, reports Dalmacija Danas.

“I can say that the works on Marjan are over. Everything was cut down that needed to be cut. Now we are waiting for the situation to be monitored and observed. The bark beetle in most of the landscape is in a drastic decline, though it is still in some areas.”

After the summer, when the bark beetle is calmed, we will see the real situation. Technically speaking, the Matima company has established 90 wire lines. That’s how many were needed to get to every tree. Exactly 12,790 cubic meters of wood, or 38,000 trees, were removed, both dry and infected. In addition to Matima, city services and companies were also involved,” said Nenad Ružić, among others.

Summer is slowly nearing its end, and in a few months, we will know if this significant intervention in the Marjan forest did indeed result in the eradication of the pest. However, in the meantime, we are left wiht the last aerial shots of Split thanks to Google Earth.

Zooming in on the Marjan Park Forest area, it's not hard to notice the impact the rehabilitation has had in the last few months, giving us a look into the reality of the figures spoken by Nenad Ružić.

Below, you can find a comparison of the forest before and after the first rehabilitation phase.

Before

After

Recall, before the rehabilitation, Marjan had more than 120,000 trees, 30 percent of which have been cut. Many people in Split believe that Marjan will never be the same again.

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

SPLIT, August 7, 2019 - The mayors of Split and Dubrovnik, Andro Krstulović Opara and Mato Franković, who have recently held a series of meetings on negative effects of the liberalisation of the taxi services market on those two coastal cities, have sent letters to Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Transport and Infrastructure Minister Oleg Butković with proposals how to amend the relevant legislation.

The two mayors emphasise that the liberalisation of the market which has been enabled by existing Road Transport Law, has negatively affected normal street traffic, which is causing problems also for emergency services, according to a press release issued by the Office of the Split Mayor on Wednesday.

Therefore, they urge the government and the transport ministry to amend the legislation whereby local authorities in the cities and towns whose centres are added to the UNESCO World Heritage List can on their own decide on the number of licences issued to taxi drivers and on terms and conditions for providers of taxi services.

The mayors believe that their proposals would contribute to efforts to solve the current problems and therefore they hope that their endeavours will be supported by the competent ministry.

The Road Transport Act, which was passed by the parliament in April 2018, is intended to liberalise taxi services, facilitate licensing and abolish the mandatory tests for drivers for the area they cover.

The government said then that it expected that with the liberalisation of the market the number of taxi drivers would double. At the time their number currently stood at about 3,000, which the government thought was too few for a tourist country such as Croatia. The law was adopted also with an aim to make taxi services cheaper.

Before the passage of the law, the head of the Taxi Drivers Association at the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts (HOK), Božo Miletić, said that the government-sponsored bill on road transport favoured Uber and would cause the demise of 3,000 drivers who were registered as small business owners.

More news about taxi services can be found in the Business section.

August 6, 2019 - The film General about General Ante Gotovina premiered in Split at the Bačvice Summer Cinema on Victory Day.

“I am glad to be here at the promotion of General, and I am glad that such a movie about the Homeland War, about the people at war, was finally made. I believe it is good,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Republic of Croatia, General Damir Krstičević, told Slobodna Dalmacija before the Split premiere. The Dalmatian spectacle of Antun Vrdoljak’s latest film was held at the Bačvice Summer Cinema, organized in cooperation with the 65th Split Summer Festival, the Pula Film Festival, and Kino Mediterranean.

“I am really pleased that the premiere of the film is all over Croatia, and especially in Split, today, when we celebrate the Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders.

Split, and all of Dalmatia gave a lot in the Homeland War, especially in the defense, and later in the liberation of all of Dalmatia and Croatia.

Split is the home of the 4th Guards Brigade and is also the home of other military units in the area. Once again, a huge thank you to Croatian veterans for winning the Homeland War, and the greatest gratitude to the families of our fallen, dead and missing Croatian veterans,” Krstičević added. 

There were many well-known faces at the premiere of the film, including many political figures like Split-Dalmatia County Mayor Blaženko Boban, Split Mayor Andro Krstulović Opara, Split-Dalmatia County HDZ President Ante Sanader, but also music manager Ivan Bubalo and painter Zvonimir Mihanović. 

“The interest in the film is great. Gotovina is a symbol of the Homeland War. It is one thing that every war has to have - heroes. We can be grateful to Vrdoljak for making this movie. Because, he remains, like a movie screen. Everything you write and film is something that remains. This is certainly very important for the young and new generations and for creating patriotism in Croatia. The premiere on this date is just as big a deal. Congratulations to the organizers who made it today,” Sanader said. 

The film's director Antun Vrdoljak also attended the Split premiere.

“When Ante Gotovina was arrested, in your naivety you think, like, I can help with a movie in The Hague.

But as long as you do the work, you believe in it. And here it is, Ante is back, and we made a movie about it. To my credit, I'm also a brigadier. So one rank less than a general.

The friendships of war last a very long time and are very deep. There is one sentence in the movie ‘life is important in war’. And she asks him ‘Your life?’ He replies, ‘no.’

This is exactly the whole point of the movie,” Vrdoljak noted.

Shortly before the screening, the audience was addressed by Srećko Šestan, director of the 65th Split Summer Festival and the HNK intendant in Split.

“It is my pleasure that, after a brief interruption in screening the best films from the Pula Film Festival, Split will once again become the center of our excellence in cinema. I want to thank everyone who helped us launch three evenings with Croatian premieres. It is a special pleasure to thank Mr. Antun Vrdoljak, my dear friend,” Šestan emphasized.

Translated from Slobodna Dalmacija

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

August 6, 2019 - As we mark the halfway point of summer in Split, we start to contemplate a few particular summer thoughts: Did I swim enough? Am I tan enough? Did I travel enough? And perhaps, most importantly: Did I eat enough?

Fortunately, the last one is the easiest to resolve, and we have just the right place to settle this pressing summer situation for good. 

To ensure you’re fuelled up for the sweltering summer days in Split, Zinfandel Food & Wine Bar have crafted a summer brunch menu with specials that pack a punch. 

Served every day, this gem inside Diocletian’s Palace has designed meals that are just light enough to keep you rocking that swimsuit while ensuring your bellies are happy and satisfied enough to take on the day. 

For example, there is never a bad time to start your day with a classic, like Zindanfel’s Eggs Benedict, served with poached eggs, deluxe ham and hollandaise atop an English muffin. And if you’re partial to baguettes, you can also try the Brunch Baguette, complete with eggs, ham, rocket, and aioli. Both items are served until 2 pm. 

If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, the Zinfandel steak salad futures lamb’s lettuce, roasted peppers, zucchini, and mustard, or the classic beef burger will entice you with caramelized onion, pancetta, lettuce, tomatoes, and aioli. 

For those looking for something on the lighter side, Zinfandel’s burrata is dressed up with mesclun greens, basil, and almond pesto, olives, cherry tomatoes, and pickled peppers, or the housemate ‘pecipala’ is a colorful dish of roasted zucchini, peppers, smoked mussels, skuta cheese, and hollandaise. If your stomach is not grumbling yet, we don’t think we’re the problem. 

If you’re not an early bird and prefer to load up on the calories in the evening hours, Zinfandel also offers an impressive lunch and dinner menu, which you can find here. 

Zinfandel Food & Wine Bar is located at Marulićeva ul. 2, 21000, in Split. 

For all other information, you can visit their website. 

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

August 5, 2019 - Quark Expeditions®, the leader in polar adventures, held the keel-laying ceremony for its pioneering new ship Ultramarine on August 2 at Brodosplit, officially kicking off the next stage in the ship’s construction: the build of its hull and superstructure.

Held at the largest shipyard in Croatia, the event was attended by a mix of senior staff from Brodosplit, its parent company DIV Group, Quark Expeditions, its parent company Travelopia, and private equity investors KKR. Speeches were given by Joerg Metzner, Director at KKR, Andy Duncan, CEO at Travelopia, Malcolm Ellis, Senior VP Operations at Quark Expeditions and as well as representatives from both DIV Group and Brodosplit.

“We thank the team at Brodosplit for hosting this ceremony,” says Malcolm Ellis, Senior VP Operations at Quark Expeditions. “A lot of hard work from a lot of talented people has been required to get us to this point. It’s exciting to see our collective vision for this ship come to life, and to have the opportunity to thank everyone involved for their tremendous dedication and effort.”

The keel-laying event, which also marks formal recognition of the 128m, 199-passenger vessel, included a Croatian folk music performance, as well as the centuries-old coin ceremony, in which a specially chosen coin is welded into the ship’s hull to ensure good fortune during the build and subsequent voyages.

“The coin we chose is a beautiful silver coin featuring two Emperor penguins,” says Ellis. “We chose this coin because it perfectly embodies Quark’s mission: to push the boundaries of polar exploration. In our three decades of operation, Quark Expeditions has accomplished a long list of polar firsts, including being the first to take guests to Snow Hill Island to engage with Emperor penguins in their natural habitat. Ultramarine’s mix of design ingenuity and technological innovation will allow us to continue adding to that list of firsts by taking guests further into the polar regions than ever before.”

Ultramarine will join Quark Expeditions’ fleet in late 2020 for the Antarctic 2020.21 season.

“Ultramarine is purpose-built for the polar regions,” adds Ellis. “With this ship, in the hands of the industry’s most knowledgeable, experienced and dedicated team, we will continue to define what is possible in polar exploration while delivering transformational experiences to our guests.”

All photos by Quark Expeditions

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

August 5, 2019 - Split celebrates Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders.

Tens of thousands of people gathered on Sunday for a concert by Marko Perković Thompson, who, at the invitation of the City of Split and the Split Veterans, kicked off on Sunday at 9:30 pm. 

The concert began after the parade of Croatian veterans marched with their flags from war, and the organizers said there were about 80,000 people on the famous waterfront promenade for the Victory Day celebration. The electricity was cut off on the Riva on two occasions, though it did not interfere with the crowd, who continued to sing even without the music.

Nenad Vetma and his band will play on the Riva on Monday night from 9:00 pm.

So, is everything closed on Victory Day?

Most stores on Victory Day will work normally or with Sunday hours. There are no major interruptions in the operation of shopping centers, which will also be open.

Most of the Konzum stores will work Sunday hours on Victory Day. Some branches are closed, but most of them are open at frequented locations. You can find the hours here. 

All Kaufland outlets are also open, with minor differences in opening hours. Some work normally from 7 am to 8 pm or 9 pm, while some work Sunday hours until 2 pm.

Most of the Tommy stores are also open, and you can see their opening hours here.

Interspar and Spar stores are open all over Croatia. Most of them are operating with regular working hours from 7 am to 9 pm, which you can check here.

As with every holiday, all Plodine supermarkets will work Sunday working hours, which is not much different from their regular working hours. Thus, shoppers can visit Plodine in the morning until 10 pm or 11 pm, depending on the regular business hours of each branch. You can find the hours here. 

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

August 4, 2019 - The 3rd round of the Croatian First League was held from August 2 to 4, 2019. Each 3rd round victory achieved by Osijek, Hajduk, Dinamo, Rijeka, and Istria featured three goals.

Dinamo v. Gorica (3:1)

Dinamo and Gorica opened the 3rd round of the Croatian First League on Friday, August 2, 2019, in front of 2,676 spectators at Maksimir stadium in Zagreb. 

Spanish superstar Dani Olmo scored for Dinamo first in the 22nd minute for 1:0 at the half. Moro increased Dinamo’s lead in the 57th minute for 2:0, while Gojak made it 3:0 in the 83rd minute. Lovrić managed to score Gorica’s only goal in the 86th minute. 

Dinamo is currently in first place with 9 points while Gorica is in 6th place with 4 points. 

Istria 1961 v. Varaždin (3:1)

Istria and Varaždin met for the second game of the 3rd round on Friday, August 2, 2019, in front of 1,922 spectators at Aldo Drosina stadium in Pula. 

Ćuže scored for Istria already in the 9th minute of the game for 1:0, which was the score at halftime. Ćuže came back with another goal in the 48th minute for 2:0, though a penalty was awarded to Varaždin ten minutes later to bring the score to a less comfortable 2:1 for Istria. 

Ćuže, however, saved the day with a hattrick and his third goal in the 73rd minute for the 3:1 Istria win. 

Istria is currently in 5th place with 6 points while Varaždin is in 8th with 0. 

Rijeka v. Slaven Belupo (3:1)

Rijeka and Slaven Belupo met at Rujevica stadium on Saturday, August 3, 2019, in front of 4,289 spectators. 

Čolak opened the game with a goal for Rijeka in the 24th minute, which was followed with one by Lončar in the 30th for 2:0 at the half. Krstanović managed a goal for Belupo in the 47th minute, though Rijeka secured their victory in the 73rd minute after Tomečak scored for 3:1. 

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 9 points while Belupo is in 9th place with 0. 

Hajduk v. Lokomotiva (3:0)

Hajduk and Lokomotiva met at Poljud stadium in Split on Sunday,  August 4, 2019, in front of 15,156 spectators. 

Hajduk’s first goal came in the 40th minute after a brilliant assist by Eduok found the boot of Caktaš for 1:0. Just three minutes later, Eduok scored a goal of his own for 2:0 at the half. 

But Hajduk wasn’t done scoring yet, and Nejašmić hit a rocket for 3:0, which was the final score of the game. 

Hajduk is currently in 2nd place with 9 points while Lokomotiva is in the last place with 0. 

Osijek v. Inter Zaprešić (3:1)

Osijek and Inter met on Sunday, August 4, 2019, in front of 1,855 spectators at City Garden Stadium to close out the 3rd round. 

While Inter was the first to score thanks to a goal by Serderov in the 20th minute, Osijek picked up the pace in the second for two goals in two minutes to take the lead (Bočkaj 68’, Kleinheisler 69’). 

Mance secured Osijek’s win in the 75th minute for 3:1. 

Osijek is currently in 4th place with 6 points while Inter is in 7th with 1. 

You can find the full HNL table here. 

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

August 3, 2019 - Just after 2 pm on Saturday,a fire broke out at the Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences at Peristyle in Split, reports Dalmacija Danas. 

This information was confirmed by the Split Fire Department, who immediately rushed to the scene. This aroused the curiosity of many, who also hurried to see the commotion. 

As Splitski Dnevnik learned from its readers, around 2:20 pm, a bang was heard after which smoke could be seen from the premises of the Ivo Pilar Institute, above the former Splitska banka at Peristyle.

Dalmatinski Portal wrote that Split firefighters received the report at 2:21 p.m. 15 firefighters with four vehicles from JVP Split and one DVD Split vehicle with three firefighters rushed to the scene. 

Unofficially, no one was injured.

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

A look at the two busiest airports in Croatia this summer - Split and Zagreb.

At the end of last month, TCN reported that Zagreb Airport should see a 5% increase in passengers this year. 

"Since the start of the concession, at the end of 2013, until today, Zagreb Airport has recorded a 45% increase in passenger numbers. Growth is continuing this year as well in line with our plans and expectations,” the airport said.

However, July was expected to be a bit slower than last year thanks to the absence of the World Cup. 

Namely, Ex Yu Aviation reports that Zagreb Airport handled 366,242 passengers in July, which is a 3.4% drop compared to 2018, while the number of aircraft movements was down 2.4%. However, from January to July this year, Zagreb Airport welcomed 1,900,347 travelers, which is up 2.7% or an additional 49,411 passengers. 

Zagreb Airport anticipates an even higher increase in passengers in the first six months of 2020 when Croatia takes on the presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Split Airport, on the other hand, is experiencing record numbers this summer. Just after it unveiled its brand new terminal building, Split Airport recorded the busiest month ever - 723,048 passengers in July,  which is up 4%! Split is not far off from Zagreb when it comes to the number of travelers in the first seven months of this year, either. Namely, from January to July, Split handled 1,825,166 travelers, which is up 6.4% or an additional 109,029 passengers compared to last year. 

But Zadar Airport is also experiencing a record year. Avio Radar reports that in July alone, the airport transported 145,362 passengers, which is up 27.1% compared to last year. This is an absolute record for passenger numbers at this airport. 

From January to July 31, 2019, 441,000 passengers were served at Zadar Airport, which is up 34% compared to last year. The trend is expected to continue until the end of the year, when more than 750,000 travelers should come through Zadar Airport, which would be a 25% increase in traffic compared to 604,000 in 2018. 

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