Last week, a meeting of the Tourist Board directors of Split-Dalmatia County was held, which saw the director of the Split Tourist Board, Alijana Vukšić, also take part. Vukšić commented on the hot topic of weaker bookings for the upcoming tourist season, and what we should expect this year, reports Dalmacija Danas on March 24, 2019. 

“If judged by the results of the Split Tourist Board, in the first two months we recorded a 25 percent increase in arrivals and overnights. The reason for this may be the many events in the city during the winter months because we must not forget that behind us is the Split Half Marathon, numerous congresses, and fairs that are a good motivator for arrivals to the destination, but good results are also recorded in the surrounding cities. It's a great introduction to, hopefully, a successful tourist year, and judging by all presentations and programs that will be developed by individual tourist communities, we should not doubt it. On the contrary, we need to work intensely, the year will be demanding, no one disagrees, but that's why we create a lot of activities so our guests can experience the destination, to motivate them to come. So far, the city and county have had excellent results, and we hope we will have them this year too.”

Behind us is the ITB Fair in Berlin. What makes Split more interesting for Germans than some other destinations?

“I personally see the fair in Berlin as one of the best, and I have been in the tourist board system for the last 20 years. The presentation was exceptionally good because we presented it as the Split Riviera. We even made a brochure on the Split Riviera. Thus, in one booklet, there are all cities in the surroundings, as guests staying in Split for more than three days are looking for additional content. On this occasion, we offered other material in the surrounding destinations, which proved to be a good move. The interest was great. There were not only many business contacts and meetings but in the two days that were open to the public, the excitement was high. 

Of course, the reason for this was that you could taste our specialties such as pršut, cheese, and soparnik, but we also had a klapa that attracted many guests with beautiful singing to our booth and gave an additional Dalmatian tone. Even colleagues said that for the first time we surpassed the Italians because they give out ice cream free of charge and are always full. This time, the stand of Split-Dalmatia County, which included the Split Riviera, Makarska Riviera, and Zagora, was visited by more guests. Next year we have plans to develop altogether. We're trying to keep up with the international trends. All tourist workers know that we have been advertising in such a way for a long time - we would always bring klapas and food with us. When we cooperated with the Croatian National Tourist Board at a joint stand, we no longer had those opportunities because we had small spaces. By coming out of this great story, which we are still part of, we are not running away, but we have the opportunity to advertise individually both by product and by destination.”

The world trend is the idea of sustainable tourism. 

“Not only sustainable but also responsible. That is why our county last year implemented a capacity study to get information about the load we have and how we need to develop further; where it is necessary to disperse large crowds so that the guests in the destination get more pleasure for the money they spend, but it was primarily for our citizens. We must not forget if the citizens of one town live well, and in this case, we are talking about Split, then the guests will feel satisfied. First of all, we have to think about our citizens and if our quality of life is good, it will be good for our guests as well.”

How much is the country resisting our coast being apartmentized? 

“Tourism workers are aware that there are limits and that there are studies that show how many hotels and apartments there can be. If we follow the guidance from the strategy brought by the experts, we will surely have no problems in the destination. Still, we must be aware of the fact that in Split there are crowds even when there is no pressure from tourists. When we solve the tourist infrastructure, and we all work - from the city to the county, we are certain that the guests will be more satisfied.”

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

Split-Dalmatia County Prefect Blaženko Boban introduced a new stimulating demographic project on Wednesday titled ‘This is Your Home’, which aims to create the necessary conditions for young families in rural areas. The project hopes to increase the number of inhabitants and bring balanced economic development in these areas of Split-Dalmatia County, reports Dalmatinski Portal on March 13, 2019. 

“We are witnessing that in the rural part of our County people are migrating not only from Croatia but also to the urban centers within Croatia. Through a series of measures we have had so far, we present the top measure today. We divided the County into settlements where we dissected each settlement in our County based on the development index, based on demographic indicators, which was the basis for classifying the categories we included in this program. The public call for this program will be released tomorrow, and the interest for this program is already extremely high. At this point, we have secured 4 million kuna, and our ultimate goal is to bring back or keep 300 families in the areas covered by this incentive program throughout three years. Our wish is for this measure to be an incentive for all local communities in our County. Some of them have already expressed interest in participating in these programs through their own budgets,” Boban said.

Four million kuna has been secured for the construction and reconstruction of buildings for young families in rural areas. In the Split-Dalmatia County area, more than 200 settlements, 32 cities, and municipalities have been divided into five categories according to the development index and four categories according to the number of children covered by this co-financing program.

The project includes financing the purchase of land for construction, professional supervision costs, developing project and technical documentation, constructing or reconstructing uninhabitable buildings, and more. 

The value of individual grants is from 40,000 to 120,000 kuna for family grants. Applications are welcome from spouses or single parents up to 45 years of age and families that want to build their home in Split-Dalmatia County in areas within the development index.

You can see which areas are included in the project here. 

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

This year, the Croatian National Tourist Board is presenting the Croatian tourist offer at the world's leading travel fair ITB, which is held in Berlin from March 6 to 10. The Minister of Tourism, Gari Cappelli and the Director of the Croatian Tourist Board Kristjan Staničić are also participating in the fair, where they will meet with representatives of key partners in the German market such as TUI, FTI, British Airlines, Eurowings, Jet2, Condor, and others. Split-Dalmatia County perfect Blaženko Boban and the director of the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, Joško Stella, are also in Berlin, reports Dalmacija Danas on March 6, 2019. 

This year, Split-Dalmatia County is represented for the first time with an independent stand, which will be presented to numerous partners who will be able to taste local cheeses, prosciutto, and wine under the theme "Heart of the Adriatic”. 

In his speech, the Prefect welcomed Minister Gari Cappelli, Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board Kristijan Staničić, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to Germany Gordan Grlić Radman, the State Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism Tonči Glavina and the Director of the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board Josko Stella.

“In Berlin, at the biggest tourism fair in the world, we bring a taste of the clearest sea, the air of the warmest sun and the soul of the noblest man, our Dalmatia.”

The Mayor of Sinj Kristina Križanac, Mayor of Hvar, Rikard Novak, Mayor of Stari Grad Antonio Škarpa, Mayor of Jelsa Nikša Peronja, Mayor of Bol Tihomir Marinković, Director of the Makarska Tourist Board Hloverka Novak-Srzić, Director of the Split Tourist Board Alijana Vukšić, Director of the Sinj Tourist Board Monika Vrgoč, Director of the Hvar Tourist Board Petar Razović, Director of the Marina Tourist Board Iva Dvornik, Director of the Agency for Coastal and Inland Transport, Paula Vidović, and the President of HGK Split Jozo Tomaš, as well as other valuable tourist workers from the private and public sector, were all in attendance. Split-Dalmatia County was also represented by distinguished bartender Jure Vojković and owner of Villa Dvor Petar Ćurlin who presented their eco-friendly products. The stand was visited by Mayor of Rijeka Vojko Obersnel, Mayor of Korčula Andro Fabris and the Prefect of Dubrovnik-Neretva County Nikola Dobroslavić with his associates.

“Croatia is still very interesting in the German market, and we expect tourism traffic at the level of last year. Germany and Croatia are friendly countries, and I particularly emphasize investments in the Republic of Croatia amounting to EUR 3.2 billion in the last ten years. Our goal is to strengthen our relationships further, and next year, Croatia will be the partner of the largest agricultural fair Green Week, which will be held in Berlin in early 2020. It will be an opportunity to present, together with the Ministry of Agriculture and HGK, what Croatian villages produce for Croatian tourism - that is what we want to strengthen,” said Minister Cappelli.

“Considering the importance of the ITB fair, which has positioned itself as one of the most important tourist exchanges in the world, and considering the importance of Germany as the strongest market for Croatian tourism, the appearance, and presentation of our offer at this fair is of great importance. According to the information of the partners with which we have so far held meetings, Croatia's position on the German market is stable, sales are intensified, but the peak is still ahead of us. Our goal is to repeat the results from last year when almost three million German tourists visited us, who achieved more than 21 million overnight stays,” said the director Staničić.

ITB Berlin is the world's leading tourism industry fair that holds its 53rd edition this year. The fair welcomes more than 180 countries worldwide and is visited by more than 150,000 guests annually. It is estimated that contracts worth over 7 billion euro will be agreed during the fair.

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

According to eVisitor data, there were 19,110,498 overnight stays and 3,698,159 million tourist arrivals in Split-Dalmatia County in 2018, which is a 9 percent increase compared to 2017 and a 5 percent increase in overnight stays, reports HRTurizam on January 11, 2019. 

This is also the most significant growth achieved in all coastal tourist counties in 2018.

In Croatia's total tourist turnover, Split-Dalmatia County has a share of nearly 20 percent, or, in other words, every fifth guest of Croatia in commercial accommodation has stayed in Central Dalmatia.

"Numerous Advent events in the towns and cities of our County attracted a large number of visitors in December, so Split-Dalmatia County hosted more than 33,000 guests in that month, achieving growth in December and the New Year's holidays by as much as 18 percent in overnight stays and 34 percent in arrivals. Thus, the business year was completed in the best way by continuing the excellent trend that marked the growth of tourism turnover in the last year, and the biggest in the pre-season and post-season, which, together with the growth of quality services, was our main goal,” says Joško Stella, director of the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, who added that the goal is to position Central Dalmatia as a desirable and indispensable destination for rest, fun and relaxation throughout the year.

In the Split-Dalmatia County area, up to 197 million euro will be invested in tourism in the coming year, with the city of Split being the most attractive for investors, and where eight hotels with 4 to 5-stars are being constructed. 

Thus, Split-Dalmatia County, measured by the growth of tourist traffic in the months outside of the season, is the overall winner of tourism. From March until the end of December, the growth of tourist arrivals was the largest in the country, while the real star was the city of Split, which recorded double-digit growth in visitors and overnight stays throughout the year. 

"Record investments in accommodation capacities for the 2019 season in the Split-Dalmatia County area reach 197 million euro, where the city of Split will be the most attractive to investors to raise the quality of services and give new reasons to extend the season further," concludes Stella.

In the area of Split-Dalmatia County, the largest share of overnights was the Split Riviera, followed by the Makarska Riviera. The biggest growth in traffic last year was recorded by Inland Dalmatia, which had 15 percent more overnights than the year before. 

Thus, Central Dalmatia has firmly positioned itself as the second strongest tourist region in the country, just behind Istria, and in front of Kvarner, which has been the second place in the country for decades.

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

The Minister of Environmental Protection and Energy, Tomislav Ćorić, signed a decision on financing the Lećevica Waste Management Center worth nearly 323 million kuna. Split-Dalmatia county prefect Blaženko Boban pointed out that this means that all preconditions have been fulfilled and that there are no obstacles in the way of the highly anticipated Waste Management Center in Lećevica, reports Večernji List on January 7, 2019. 

“There is no better way to finish the year! A decision to co-finance Lećevica has been signed! This is a contract worth HRK 322,498,130.9, which is one of the largest investments in our county,” Boban said. 

Boban added that by the beginning of March, the tender will be published for the construction. 

The Waste Management Center project in Split-Dalmatia County was approved for 71% of the eligible project costs, representing a share of the European Union in co-financing the total eligible costs. The funds were approved on 31 December 2018 under the direct grant award procedure, within the framework of the Operational Program Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014-2020, whose specific objective is to reduce the amount of waste disposed at landfills.

The decision states that funds for the Republic of Croatia's Budget for 2019 and projections for 2020 and 2021 are planned for co-financing eligible project costs from the Cohesion Fund. For the implementation of the project, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy, the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund and the Clean Regional Environmental Center d.o. will sign the Grant Agreement within 45 days. 

The Lećevica Waste Management Center is foreseen as a system of construction and treatment, recovery and disposal facilities. According to the Spatial plan of Split-Dalmatia County, the construction of transshipment stations is also planned.

It is a project of state importance that is included in the Waste Management Plan of the Republic of Croatia for 2017-2020. The European Union, the Environmental Protection Fund and Split-Dalmatia County are all participating in the co-financing of its construction.  The total value of the Waste Management Center and six transshipment stations in Split-Dalmatia County amounts to 454,129,208 kuna, i.e., without the cost of project preparation and the so-called “unacceptable" costs.

The construction of the center with six transshipment stations, along with waste separation activities at the place of origin that cities and municipalities have to implement, will enable the full establishment of a comprehensive and sustainable waste management system in the county, with the most up-to-date principles of environmental protection and human health in favor of the population of Split-Dalmatia County and its visitors. This will fulfill the strategic and planning goals of the Republic of Croatia, as well as the Republic of Croatia's obligations under the Accession Treaty with the European Union, says the Clean Environment Regional Center.

The construction of the Waste Management Center will handle the final disposal of the Karepovec landfill and other landfill sites in the County, as well as good waste management and the waste management of certain cities that already have significant problems.

To read more about the projects going on in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

Hotels in Dalmatia have received confirmation that 2018 was their best year in business yet, thanks to the results of Hotel Benchmarking, which examines Croatia’s hotel industry. 

There has never been a more significant investment boom in the hotel sector, especially in southern Croatia. At dozens of sites all over Dalmatia, construction is either underway or nearing completion on more than 45 new hotels which will bring about 6,000 brand new hotel rooms and 13,000 new beds on the market in 2019 alone, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on December 4, 2018. 

The total investment in tourism for 2019 is estimated at EUR 1.050 billion, or EUR 100 million more than this year. Of this amount, one third will be invested in four Dalmatian counties, or EUR 314 million in tourism projects. The real star for investors next year is Split-Dalmatia County, which will see EUR 197 million in tourism investment. The city of Split, however, is the most attractive to investors. Works are nearing their end on up to four 4-star hotels, which should, according to the investors, open their doors next spring - and documents have been collected for another five buildings!

According to a survey made by the Ministry of Tourism including the largest hotels in the country on their investment plans for 2019, companies will invest around EUR 626 million in tourism projects, while the public sector, i.e., counties and cities, will spend a total of EUR 425 million in tourism in the next year.

Investments in the private sector include hotels, camps, nautical tourism and other types of accommodations, facilities and attractions. This is precisely why Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli pointed out that in the last two years, Croatia has seen a growth of 40 percent, and next year a new increase in tourism investment has been announced. 

According to investment data from the Ministry of Tourism survey, the most substantial amount of total investments is planned in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, with a total of EUR 203 million, along with Split-Dalmatia County, with an EUR 197 million investment. Istria will see an EUR 175 million investment in tourism. In continental counties, including the city of Zagreb, EUR 355 million will be invested.

Split-Dalmatia County announced research by audit and consulting firm Ernst Young (EC), according to which in the next five years (2018-2022), Croatia expects record investments in the hotel industry. According to their estimate, by 2022, investments will include a total of 9,700 hotel rooms, of which nearly 6,000 will be new rooms in 4 and 5-star hotels. Most of the hotels will open in Split, which chronically suffers from the lack of hotel beds. Eight new larger hotels and a host of smaller hotels would absolutely fix this image.

Next year, Split will receive the first "Marriott International" hotel in Croatia under the brand "Courtyard by Marriott”, which will open in the "Dalmatia Tower" of the Westgate complex. The new hotel will boast 190 rooms and four suites. At the beginning of the 2019 season, hotel "Amphora Resort" will open on Žnjan. An investment by Split entrepreneur Zvonko Kotarac, the hotel will have a total of 207 rooms, a large congress hall, a series of catering facilities, three swimming pools, and a luxurious wellness area. 

The new "Radisson Blu Resort" pavilion, with 54 rooms and 15 suites, was erected at the former hotel “Split” complex. At the site of the former Kaliternina at Bačvice, construction is nearing its end on a hotel which will have four floors with 60 rooms and 45 parking spaces.

At the site of the former "Ambassador" hotel, Klaus Alex Birkenstock invested EUR 17 million. The new "Ambassador" will have 101 rooms and suites, 240 for restaurant seating, a spa, gym, nightclub and underground garage with 59 spaces. The hotel will boast 4+ stars, and should open in the summer of 2019. On the plot located east of the bridge connecting Split and Bačvice, construction is underway on “Vila Harmony" which will have six floors and 26 rooms after an investment of HRK 32 million. 

With the completion of all these investments, which plan to receive their first guests in 2019, Split should boast around 1,500 new top hotel beds in exceptional locations, though it is not yet the desired 5,000 hotel beds, or even close to the 24,000 in family accommodation.

Dubrovnik and Šibenik-Knin counties announced symbolic investments of seven or nine million euros in smaller facilities for next year, while Zadar County will invest more than EUR 100 million in tourism for reconstruction and adaptation, the construction of smaller facilities and marina infrastructure.

In addition to those that will be completed in 2019, many of the major tourist projects are still in the process of getting the documentation prepped, such as the “Kupari Resort”, which should see an investment of HRK 700 million. We are also still waiting for the “Four Seasons" in the bay of Brizenica near Stari Grad on Hvar, which will have 120 rooms and around 100 villas, worth a billion kuna.

According to the announcement of the Minister of State Property Goran Marić, an investment of EUR 50 to 70 million is expected for Dubrovnik's Hotel Maestral, while Split's Duilovo expects an HRK 1.5 billion tourist investment after privatization. Privatization is also expected for the Children's Village in Krvavica on the Makarska Riviera, the "Pašman Resort", the Prevlaka Fortress, the "Czech Villa" on Vis, and others. 

To read more about Dalmatia, visit TCN's dedicated page here. 

The Split Dalmatia County Assembly has adopted a new budget for 2019.

Split-Dalmatia County, the one county in Croatia that can boast the best postseason this year, is also the only in Croatia who can boast a membership in Culinary Heritage Europe.

A great incentive for students to visit home without breaking the bank.