March 29, 2021 - In collaboration with the Croatian fintech startup Electrocoin, Marvie Hotel & Health in Split has enabled its guests to book and pay for accommodation and other services via cryptocurrencies.

After introducing a new offer for digital nomads in mid-February, allowing remote workers a long-term stay - 28 days or longer - with an all-year-long 50% discount as well as the use of its own coworking space, Marvie Hotel & Health now has other great news to share.

Namely, in cooperation with Electrocoin, Croatia’s fastest-growing fintech startup, Marvie has introduced the possibility of paying with cryptocurrencies. In addition to booking and paying for hotel accommodation in Split with cryptocurrencies, with the help of PayCek - the electronic payment service for cryptocurrency processing, at Marvie Hotel & Health you can also purchase coffee, lunch, and wellness services by means of this payment method, regardless of whether you are a hotel guest or just a visitor at this destination.

Marvie Hotel & Health is among the first hotels in Croatia to take a step in this direction, which puts it alongside world-renowned hotels and brands that have embraced this modern payment method, such as the Canadian hotel chain Sandman Hotels Group, the Swiss luxury hotel Grand Hotel Dolder or Japan Railways - the largest railway operator in Japan.

“We follow digital trends on a daily basis to keep up with technological advancements and a constant wish to meet the needs of our guests. Recently we have received numerous inquiries on the possibility of alternative methods of payment, i.e., the use of cryptocurrencies, and this only facilitated our decision. Our ultimate goal is to raise the experience of staying at Marvie’s to a whole new level – nowadays, via a modern, fast and secure use of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment, which is a result of our successful collaboration with Electrocoin - one of the leading Croatian financial startups, a pioneer on the national cryptocurrency market,” says Diana Rubić, general manager of Marvie Hotel & Health. 

Paying for accommodation and other services at this hotel in the center of the city of Split is made available via PayCek, with as many as six types of cryptocurrencies, among which the most popular are Bitcoin and Ethereum. The payment process itself is extremely simple, all you need is a digital wallet and an inquiry sent to Marvie Hotel & Health via their website. Once the hotel staff has received your request, your reservation will be successfully completed in just a few steps via the PayCek service.

“We are thrilled to witness the number of PayCek clients increasing each day, especially when they are innovative and have a clear business strategy such as Marvie Hotel & Health. They have recognized the potential of cryptocurrency payments and hence gained an advantage over their competitors on the market, particularly with tourists and foreign guests," said CEO Electrocoina Nikola Škorić.

Due to the global pandemic, attracting guests this season is likely to be an extra challenge, especially when taking into account the extremely high competition. Nevertheless, the introduction of a cryptocurrency payment option, in addition to the already mentioned offer for digital nomads, makes Marvie Hotel & Health an extremely appealing choice for all visitors looking for a hotel accommodation that meets the requirements of the modern guest.

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

March 26, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as Austrian flights to Split and Dubrovnik are further delayed, while Vienna-Zagreb will resume today for the first time in two months.  

Croatian Aviation reports that Austrian Airlines will operate its first flight on the Vienna-Zagreb-Vienna route today, Friday, March 26, after almost 2 months.

Namely, today at 13:55, after an almost 2-month break, an E195 Austrian Airlines aircraft will land at Zagreb Airport. The company will thus resume traffic on this line and continue to operate throughout the summer season. 

Four flights a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays) have been announced for the first part of April, and the company plans to increase the number of operations in the second half of April.

At the same time, the company canceled flights to Split and Dubrovnik, which were also scheduled to start operating in the next few days, solely due to low demand and insufficient bookings.

Although flights to Dubrovnik were announced as early as the end of March, the first currently available flight between Vienna and Dubrovnik can be booked from Friday, April 23, meaning the route delay has been extended by almost a month.

Flights on the Vienna-Split-Vienna route have also been delayed, although they have been announced since March 28. The new planned start of operations for this Austrian carrier is now scheduled for April 30!

Given the epidemiological situation and restrictions, it is really not surprising that airlines are making ad-hoc changes and canceling already announced flights, and many airlines in addition to Austrian are doing the same. It is clear that we will have to wait until the end of May or the beginning of June for the return of a larger number of carriers to Croatia.

Stay updated with us and Croatian Aviation.

For the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia, CLICK HERE.

March 25, 2021 - The next three games in ABA and Premier leagues have been canceled

The Split basketball team has been hit by a case of COVID-19. The club's press speaker Ozren Marsić confirmed that one player tested positive on the senior team. KK Split canceled tomorrow's ABA league match against Krka in Novo Mesto and the HT Premier League matches at Adria Oil Škrljevo on Sunday as well as the Sonik Puntamika home game on Tuesday. 

After winning 9 of their last 11 games, this is quite a blow to the team of coach Mile Karakaš. Following the ABA league victory against Mega Soccerbet Belgrade, the "Yellows" were successful in the HT Premier League twice. The overtime victory in Šibenik on Sunday was followed by a 77:74 home win against Zabok on Tuesday. 

Hopefully the infected will recover quickly and can return to full speed as soon as possible. In the meantime, the club is waiting for the epidemiologist's instructions.

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

March 25, 2021 -The latest flight news to Croatia, as there will be only 3 Eurowings lines from Germany to Croatia in April. 

Croatian Aviation reports that the well-known German low-cost airline plans only three routes to Croatian airports in April.

Namely, in April, Eurowings will operate on three international routes from Germany to Croatia. Under normal circumstances, the company launched several international routes to Croatia at the end of March, but this did not happen last year or this year due to reduced demand and passenger restrictions.

However, Eurowings will resume traffic on one line to Croatia in April. This is the Stuttgart - Split - Stuttgart line, which will operate once a week from April 3, every Saturday.

The second Eurowings line to Split Airport is the one from Dusseldorf, which was supposed to operate all winter but was also temporarily suspended due to low demand. This line runs once a week, also on Saturdays.

Eurowings operates on two lines to Zagreb (Cologne and Stuttgart). However, the Stuttgart - Zagreb - Stuttgart line is currently suspended, and the airline does not plan to operate on it in April. Booking is open for flights from May.

The Cologne - Zagreb - Cologne line from April 5 to 11 will have four flights a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday). Until the end of April, three flights a week are available, without flights on Mondays.

Other Eurowings destinations in Croatia (Pula, Rijeka, Zadar, Dubrovnik, and Osijek) have no announced flights in April. Eurowings currently does not have a line to Osijek on sale, and the company will likely not operate to Osijek this year.

The Stuttgart line was the only international route to Osijek Airport in the 2020 summer season. According to currently available data, if there are no positive changes, this airport could be without regular international routes in the summer of 2021. 

For the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia, CLICK HERE.

March 25, 2021 - Split IT experts from Tech Resources offer a travel solution that could facilitate drafting the new digital green certificate and protect citizens' privacy.

Slobodna Dalmacija reports that Europe is preparing to introduce digital green certificates, the so-called 'Covid-passport,' and an initiative is coming from Split that could facilitate drafting this document and protect the privacy of citizens.

As Secretary of State for Europe Andreja Metelko-Zgombić said at an informal video conference of European ministers on Tuesday, Croatia welcomes the Commission's proposal to introduce digital green certificates aimed at facilitating free and secure movement at the EU level.

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs website stated in the information about the meeting that the adoption of the legislative proposal and the completion of technical preparations following the plan are expected by June so that the certificates can be applied as soon as possible. A digital green certificate should be evidence that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, has recovered from it, or has a negative test result.

While preparations for the production of Covid passports are underway, the Split IT company Tech Resources, founded in 2016 by Josip Majić, a returnee from America, already has an almost conceptual solution feasible in practice, based on blockchain technology and smart contracts.

When you hear the word blockchain, you may first think of cryptocurrencies, but the possibilities of applying these technologies are much wider.

This Split company currently has 20 employees who work mainly for foreign clients, i.e., for export. Among the most important projects that speak about the team's expertise is the fiscalization of bills for Montenegro, which has been implemented since the beginning of 2021, and the toll collection system in Great Britain. By the way, this company's focus is on innovation and application of new digital technologies in real current problems of both the private and public sectors.

"Covid has affected our business, both directly and indirectly, so we took the problem of Covid passports as a project task to check whether it is possible to create such a document with complete data security, without compromising anyone's sovereignty and without the possibility of misuse, while maintaining full functionality and fulfilling the purpose of such a document. We worked on it for two months and managed to make a conceptual solution that can be implemented in practice," says Leo Žanetić, project manager.

He notes that this solution requires the association of Croatian IT experts to be feasible in practice. In this way, Croatia will save significant amounts of money, and at the same time, will protect the personal data of its citizens because the solution they devised completely protects privacy.

"We must protect our interests, citizens, and the state, as much as the situation allows us. We in the company are ready to gather a consortium of experts for free, communicate the solution, and fully transparently manage the project," says Žanetić.

It would work following the guidelines published by the European Commission.

"Every EU citizen would receive a specially created digital document (similar to the online vaccination appointment system) containing their personal data and information on the type, time, and location of vaccination. When a citizen is vaccinated, the state issues them a smart passport in the form of a card with a printed code on it. When scanning the code, information is obtained from a digital document," explains Žanetić and cites several examples.

You travel, for example, from Croatia to Italy to visit relatives you haven't seen for a long time because of the lockdown. The police officer will scan the code from your smart passport at the border crossing and receive a confirmation that you - Mate Matić under vaccination ID number 123456789 - was vaccinated 2 days and 18 hours ago.

After entering Italy, you will jump to buy gifts at the mall. At the mall entrance, the security guard will scan the code from your smart passport and receive confirmation that the holder of that card has been vaccinated. He does not need to know your name or ID number or when or where you were vaccinated.

After a few days in Italy, you had a small accident and will be admitted to a local hospital with a swollen leg. The doctor who receives you will scan the code from your smart passport and receive a confirmation that you - Mate Matić, health insured in the Republic of Croatia under number 65432, have been vaccinated with the Pfizer Mo vaccine. C113 2 days and 18 hours ago in Split, with the remark that you are allergic to penicillin.

As the Split IT experts point out, all this can be done with the help of blockchain technology, building a distributed application that uses a smart contract as back-end functionality. Thus, they would make their own blockchain with their own smart contract in which all the scenarios that, for example, Mate Matić had when visiting relatives in Italy were defined.

"This means that state information centers, i.e., data centers where e-citizen systems, e-referrals, e-cadastre, etc., work, would become the so-called "Miners" of that blockchain. By reaching a mathematical consensus, they would verify each other's credibility on the items from the smart contract. No one on that network could read any data without first the whole network approving and verifying it. All data is in blocks arranged in a chain and merged by reaching the specified consensus, hence the name blockchain. This achieves complete decentralization of the database as well as its management. No one can decide anything on their own without the approval of other miners," explains Žanetić.

He emphasizes that this means that a citizen can only endanger their data and no one else's. Also, the possibility of direct cyberattacks on weak points is eliminated because there are none.

"There can be no error on the server so that the system "crashes" because the system is not located on any server but is online and updated on the systems of all miners. If one miner falls, the only thing that can happen is a slight and short-term slowdown of the system until a new miner is activated and takes over the job of the one who fell," says Leo Žanetić.

Now it is the turn of the Croatian Government and competent institutions to could consider this initiative. Domestic knowledge and domestic resources are available to them.

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

March 19, 2021 - KK Split continues to ride a wave of success in the ABA league!

It has only been 4 weeks since coach Mile Karakaš took over his position on the sidelines from Ivica Skelin but what a difference he has made so far. Before today’s game, the Split basketball team was to be looked for somewhere in the middle to bottom third in the tables of their competitions.

Burak Canboy

However, a fresh wind is sweeping through between the walls of Sports Center Gripe lately. In the Croatian Premijer Liga, the team from Split has risen to the second rank behind Zadar and with this evening’s 7th win in the last 9 games, they have made quite a statement in the ABA league.

This week the ABA league was all over the news after dismissing three referees for their weak performance during Saturday’s Cibona-Buducnost game. KK Split however created some good news today and promoted the sport with an impressive upset against the highly favoured team from Belgrade. Mega Soccerbet Belgrade had decided the first meetup of the two on December 6th with 91:75. The topscorer back then was Filip Petrušev with a dominating 31 points.

Burak Canboy

The “Yellows” plan however was to ignore Belgrade’s top scorers’ performance and concentrate on keeping all other players from getting into the game. Not only did they succeed in keeping the guests at 65 points but they also were able to contain Petrušev to 22, while Roko Ukić was able to put in 29 points for the winning side.

Burak Canboy

The game was close for most parts and both teams were keeping the other at arm’s length. While the guests from Serbia were clearly better when it came to field goal percentage and rebounds they failed to score from the perimeter. Only two of 22 3-point attempts were successful. The hosts on the other hand sank 12 of their 32 attempts and were able to enforce 21 turnovers while only losing the ball 11 times themselves.

Burak Canboy

After a close first half, both teams picked up the intensity during the third quarter, and during the fourth quarter Split made the decisive shots and was able to lock down Belgrade to 8 points. The victory allows them to take a deep breath and gives them hope that they will be able to leave the fight against relegation very soon

Burak Canboy

ABA League 

20210319 16:00 

S.C. Gripe

KK Split Mega Soccerbet Belgrade

Results by Quarters

Q1 24:30 Q2 18:10 Q3 18:17 Q4 14:8

KK Split

Top scorers:

Ukić R. 29

Luković M. 16

Đoković I. 11

Marčinković P. 9

Coach: Mile Karakaš

Mega Belgrade

Top scorers:

Petrušev F. 22

Simonović M. 15

Jović N. 10

Matković K. 6

Coach: Vlada Jovanović

Referees: Sašo Petek, Uroš Nikolić, Bojan Kruljac

Full Boxscore available HERE.

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

March 19, 2021 -  The latest flight news to Croatia, with the announcement of more Wizz Air flights to Split, a new Transavia flight to Zadar, and increased operations between Istanbul and Zagreb in April. 

Croatian Aviation reports that Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air introduces the fourth new route to Split in the summer flight schedule in 2021!

Namely, Wizz Air has launched a new service between Split and Krakow from mid-June.

Wizz Air has already announced three new lines to Split for this year, from Oslo, Gdansk, and Wroclaw, so this summer, Split will have as many as 8 Wizz Air lines, of which as many as 5 lines are to destinations in Poland. 

The Krakow - Split - Krakow line will be in operation from June 11 to September 10, twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays.

On the 27 announced return flights, Wizz Air will operate A320 aircraft, and in the total offer, almost 10,000 seats between the two mentioned cities in the upcoming summer season!

With four new routes, the Hungarian low-cost airline will offer additional almost 40 thousand seats to and from Split Airport.

But that's not all the new summer flight news. 

Ex-Yu Aviation reporters that low-cost carrier Transavia will launch a new seasonal summer line this year, connecting Paris Orly Airport and Zadar Airport!

Namely, this Transavia flight to Zadar will begin on July 3 and operate twice per week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The new seasonal line will end on September 4.

Recall, Transavia already connects Rotterdam and Zadar. 

Finally, Croatian Aviation reports that Turkish Airlines will significantly increase the number of operations between Istanbul and Zagreb in early April.

Turkish Airlines has so far operated regularly between Istanbul and Zagreb four times a week, except for Christmas when there were slightly more operations on this route, given the growth in demand during that period.

The summer flight schedule will take effect at the end of March, which is when Turkish Airlines will increase the number of operations at Zagreb Airport.

From Thursday, April 1, to Sunday, April 4, the airline will have four flights to Zagreb, with two daily flights announced for Thursday (April 1).

From Monday, April 5, to Sunday, April 11, as many as 9 flights have been announced, of which two flights a day on Monday, Saturday, and Sunday.

From April 12 to 25, five flights per week have been announced (one more than the rest of the winter flight schedule).

In April, Turkish Airlines will operate a total of 27 return flights on the route between Istanbul and Zagreb, using aircraft types A321, B737-800, and B737-900ER. This well-known airline will offer about 10,000 seats to and from Zagreb in April. An increase in the number of operations is also expected in May.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages.

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

March 19, 2021 - At the 6th Family Accommodation Forum, Split-Dalmatia County COVID-19 testing points were announced for the season. 

HRTurizam reports that the 6th Split-Dalmatia County Family Accommodation Forum was held earlier this week, which brought together Split-Dalmatia County representatives - the County Tourist Board, the Split Tax Administration, the Split Airport, and the County Teaching Institute for Public Health.

The Forum aimed to offer renters answers to many questions related to the season ahead. The main topic of discussion was safety, i.e., focusing on the fact that compliance with epidemiological measures will be the main prerequisite for the season.

”For six years now, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce - Split County Chamber has organized regional Family Accommodation Forums to gather and support this important and growing segment of our tourist offer. Namely, micro-entrepreneurs in family tourism give a great deal of effort in achieving significant results of Croatian tourism, so in 2019, private accommodation in Split-Dalmatia County participated with almost 60 percent in overnight stays and proved to be extremely flexible in the past, challenging year," said the president of ŽK Split Jozo Tomaš.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of private renters in Split-Dalmatia County decreased by 11 percent, and in the city of Split by almost 15 percent.

"That is why preparing for another specific season is very important to us, and that is why we organized the Forum so that renters, who are in direct contact with guests, get clear and current information," said Gordana Piteša, head of the Family Tourism Association - Split County Chamber.

The President of the Family Tourism Association of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Martina Nimac Kalcina, emphasized how important such events and the work of the Association and professional associations are to achieve common solutions and joint measures that will be the goal of all of us.

"This year, we are not talking about the promotion of our beauties, but about the promotion of safety, simplicity of procedures and travel, good organization. By mid-May, when the trips should start, we have time to prepare as well as possible, but we have to put it in fifth gear," said Nimac Kalcina.

Director of the Split-Dalmatia County Teaching Institute for Public Health, Dr. Željka Karin, and epidemiologist Diana Nonković, once again appealed for respect and adherence to all epidemiological measures.

"Testing points will be on Brač, Hvar, Vis, Makarska, Imotski, Trogir, Sinj and Split. A testing point of the Teaching Institute for Public Health is always open in Split; in a month, we will have to relocate the testing point that is now in the ferry port because of cruisers, and we are also talking about a testing point at Split Airport," said Karin.

The director of the County Tourist Board, Joško Stella, said that this year, as well as last year, they are ready to co-finance testing points for tourists.

"However, it is essential to be a green zone, that is, to have as few infected as possible and then to do strong marketing. The problem is partly that our major markets, primarily the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany, are in a difficult epidemiological situation. Still, I hope that this will change for the better in the next two months," said Stella and announced Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board training and projects.

Pero Bilas from Split Airport confirmed that the Airport is ready for the season, that they are in continuous contact with all carriers, and that all companies are interested in flying.

"We have announcements for many airlines for April, but we will see which of them will be realized. In any case, the whole industry is ready for the season and is waiting for a low start," said Bilas.

As much as their areas of activity were different, all participants agreed that there is still time until the beginning of the season for the numbers to improve. The situation to calm down, and for that to happen, the basic cooperation and personal responsibility of each of us, i.e., adherence to epidemiological measures which will paint Split-Dalmatia County as a green destination.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages.

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

March 17, 2021 - The latest flight news for Croatia as easyJet flights to Split and Dubrovnik have been announced from early April!

Croatian Aviation reports that easyJet will introduce three routes to Split and Dubrovnik Airports in early April.

The British low-cost carrier plans to operate to two destinations in Croatia - Split and Dubrovnik.

The airline will introduce three lines from Switzerland to Split and Dubrovnik around Easter, with Split being connected to Basel and Geneva. At the same time, Dubrovnik will have a line only to Geneva.

The Basel - Split - Basel line has been announced from April 1 with two flights a week (every Thursday and Saturday). Because of the Easter holiday, it will operate on Monday, April 5 and 12. A319 aircraft have been announced on the routes.

The Geneva - Split - Geneva line has been announced from April 3, once a week, every Saturday, throughout the month of April. A319 aircraft are also expected on this route.

The Geneva - Dubrovnik - Geneva line is planned from April 10, once a week - on Saturdays.

Lufthansa will also resume traffic to Split and Dubrovnik during the holidays. 

The airline will strengthen the existing flights and renew traffic on several lines from Germany to traditional tourist destinations in Spain, Greece, Italy, and Croatia. Despite the restrictive measures in travel, Lufthansa records an increase in bookings around Easter, and consequently, there will be a resumption of traffic to the airports in Split and Dubrovnik.

The airline has already resumed traffic on the line from Frankfurt to Zagreb and canceled the line from Munich to Zagreb.

The Munich - Split - Munich line will be in operation from Saturday, March 27. Three flights a week have been announced, until April 15, every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Additionally, a flight is available on Monday, March 29.

The Frankfurt - Split - Frankfurt line will operate from Thursday, April 1. By April 18, 8 return flights have been announced. After the holidays, the line will work on Saturdays and Sundays.

The Munich - Dubrovnik - Munich line will operate from Sunday, March 28. From April 1, two flights a week are available, every Thursday and Saturday.

On the routes to Split and Dubrovnik, E190 aircraft with a capacity of 100 passengers have been announced. If necessary, the airline will react and increase the capacity following the bookings.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages.

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

March 17, 2021 - Croatia basketball will compete at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Split, to be held at Spaladium Arena from June 29 to July 4, 2021. 

As part of organizing the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which takes place from June 29 to July 4 at the Spaladium Arena in Split, the Croatian Basketball Federation (HKS) delegation consisting of President Stojko Vranković, Vice President Nikola Rukavina, and Secretary-General Josip Vranković held meetings in Split-Dalmatia County and the City of Split. Prefect Blaženko Boban, accompanied by the county head for social activities, sports, and culture Tomislav Đonlić, made all county resources available to organize it.

Ivica Čavka/HKS

"From Split to Tokyo, let that be the motto of our meeting. This is a demanding project, the biggest sporting event this year, and we are happy that it is being held in Split," said Boban.

Ivica Čavka/HKS

HKS President Stojko Vranković added: “Thank you for the hospitality of the County, thank you to the Government of the Republic of Croatia and Prime Minister Plenković for their support in organizing this tournament. We at HKS believe that a real Croatian basketball festival will take place in Split.”

Mayor Andre Krstulović-Opara is also happy that the Croatia national team will play in Split.

“I support the organization of the tournament with great passion and participation. When the tournament takes place, there will be another mayor, but the size of this event is significant for the City of Split and Croatia. I regret that there will probably be no fans; I’m sure the atmosphere would be fiery. The arrival of the national team in our city is a great thing. You can see from our KK Split that basketball is taking big steps forward, that is, returning to where it was," said Krstulović-Opara, who received the HKS delegation together with the head of social activities Mato Omazić, head of the sports service Igor Maretić and president of the Supervisory Board of BC Split Domagoj Maroević.

Ivica Čavka/HKS

HKS Secretary Josip Vranković presented several ideas to present Croatia basketball during the tournament.

"There will be a lot of accompanying content, which will also depend on epidemiological measures, and as an overture to this great event, we will organize the preparations of the women's national team for the European Championship and the tournament to be played at Gripe," said Vranković.

Source: HKS

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