ZAGREB, June 25, 2020 - Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli said on Thursday that currently, 246,000 tourists were vacationing in Croatia.

"Their number is rising by 20,000 to 30,000 on a daily basis," Cappelli said at a government session, adding that this was a sign that Croatia "is a safe and recognisable tourist destination."

Cappelli made the statement as part of a discussion on the adoption of a regulation on amendments to the Islands Act, which increases the annual, subsidised quantity of water for human consumption for residents of islands.

The government today also reduced, by 50%, water supply taxes which investors pay when building a new building, or legalising an existing one.

Environment and Energy Minister Tomislav Coric said that the reduction was in line with the action plan for the reduction of non-tax and parafiscal levies for 2020, adopted by the government in May.

The reduction of water supply taxes, which represent the revenue of the Croatian Waters water management company, refers to all categories of users.

ZAGREB, June 23, 2020 - Tourists generated 842,659 nights over the June 19-22 extended weekend in Croatia and an average of 210,000 stayed in the country per day, the National Tourist Board (HTZ) said on Tuesday.

Domestic tourists accounted for 23% of the nights and foreigners for 77%. The most numerous foreigners were Germans, Slovenians, Austrians, and the Czech.

The highest number of nights was generated in Istria County, followed by Primorje-Gorski Kotar and Zadar counties.

HTZ director Kristjan Stanicic said Croatia was among the few Mediterranean countries generating a tourism turnover at the moment.

"The system of defence against coronavirus across the country is at a high level... We have ensured the conditions for a safe tourist summer... and it's up to all of us, citizens and tourists, to behave responsibly and adhere to all the epidemiological measures," he added.

ZAGREB, June 2, 2020 - Currently, there are 33,000 tourists in Croatia, according to the data collected by the e-Visitor, which means that over the last 14 days their number has increased threefold.

The latest data show that foreign visitors again exceed the number of local guests, as currently, 21,000 guests with foreign passports are visiting Croatia. Most of the foreigners have come from Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Czech Republic.

During the three-month lockdown imposed due to the COVID-19 epidemic, local guests outnumbered foreigners, and now the trend is being reversed.

The adverse impact of the pandemic on the tourist trade is evident in the statistics showing that on 1 June 2019, there were 315,000 guests registered by the e-Visitor system and currently 10 times fewer guests are in the country.

The gradual reduction of restrictive measures and the fact that some central and eastern European countries open up their borders have led to the gradual strengthening of the tourist trade, according to the comment made by the Croatian Tourism Board director Kristjan Stanicic.

Also, 6% of the total number of tourists arrive in Croatia by bus, and most of them are Czechs, Slovaks, Serbians, and Poles, and this mode of transportation will enable speedy restoration of the tourist routes.

As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 24th of May, 2019, Croatia's private accommodation renters who advertise their premises on platforms such as Booking.com and Airbnb should make sure they are properly registered on the eVisitor system in order to avoid potentially serious consequences. A visit from an inspector could occur at any time.

Along with the beginning of the summer tourist season, the strengthening of the supervision of the properties rented out privately to tourists from landlords and owners, as well as other types of hospitality facilities, is on the cards. State inspectors will be out in full force this season, and they will, among carrying out numerous other tasks, "comb" through potential unregistered listings and punish Croatia's many illegal renters.

This ''action'' will be assisted by the central eVisitor information system that applies to all categorised facilities, and uncategorised apartments and houses will also be searched out on booking and reservation platforms such as Booking.com and Airbnb, as has been confirmed by the state inspectorate.

There are numerous types of categorisation in place for private accommodation, and each and every facility that rents its space to tourists must be correctly registered on Croatia's eVisitor system in order for those guests to be registered with the police and/or tourist office upon their arrival (although this is something many choose not to adhere to, and which, in all honesty, isn't enforced well), and more importantly, for the host to be able to pay the correct taxes. In addition, a tax number must be highlighted for such tourist services carried out within the European Union.

A total of 136 jobs have been systemised ready for these types of inspection during the tourist season, and, together with the employees of the Customs Administration of the Croatian Ministry of Finance, a total of 97 jobs for tourist inspectors to carry out the work have now been filled.

At the moment, 52 inspectors are working to cover Croatia's coast, where the majority of illegal renting takes place, through offices in Rijeka and Split, as well as sixteen other associated offices. In addition to that, during the very height of the tourist season, inspectors from Croatia's continental counties will also be there to help out their coastal colleages. They all have access to the eVisitor system, which will help them to detect illegal renters.

The mechanism for locating Croatia's illegal renters is very simple, if the accommodation advertised on online platforms such as those listed above is not registered on eVisitor, this acts as a sign to inspectors that they can take the appropriate action. It has since been found out from private renters that nobody is asking for categorisation certification on those platforms anymore.

Booking.com and Expedia were asking for categorisation certification until the powerful Airbnb entered the Croatian market just a few years ago. Anamarija Cicarelli, head of the Split family accommodation advice centre, says most rental platforms have lost their legitimacy because they simply go off trusting the advertiser without any actual evidence.

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Click here for the original article by Marija Crnjak for Poslovni Dnevnik

As Morski writes on the 25th of April, 2019, over the Easter holidays, 28,500 guests stayed in Kvarner, accounting for 99,000 overnight stays, which is a massive 100 percent increase when compared to the same period back in 2018, according to the Kvarner Tourist Board.

According to the official data from the eVisitor system, 28,500 guests spent 99,000 nights in Kvarner over four Easter holiday days (from Friday to Easter Monday).

The numbers from not only last year, but also from 2016 and 2017 prove the fact that during the Easter season this year, Kvarner was visited by a record number of guests. Thus, this year, 37 percent more overnight stays were realised when compared to 2017, when the Easter holidays fell during the same period of April, and even more incredible 147 percent more than 2016 were recorded, when the Easter holidays fell earlier, at the end of March.

In more than 100 of Kvarner's hotels and in as many as 25 camps, as well as a large number of holiday homes and private apartments, guests from Germany, other parts of Croatia, Austria, Italy and neighbouring Slovenia made up large numbers. German guests realised 25 percent of the total number of overnight stays, while domestic guests and guests from Austria realised 14 percent of the total number of overnight stays, with guests from Italy making up 11 percent.

Most of the overnight stays were realised on the island of Krk (32,300), followed by the Opatija riviera (23,400), the island of Lošinj (15,500), the Crikvenica-Vinodolski riviera (10,000), Rijeka and its surroundings (6,300), on the island of Rab (5,500), the island of Cres (5,300) and Gorski Kotar (850).

Nearly half of the overnight stays (49,000) were realised in hotels across Kvarner, most of which open on the Opatija riviera. 23,000 overnight stays were spent in private accommodation and in camps, most of them on Kvarner's numerous islands, account for 22,000 overnights.

In the spirit of the Easter holidays, Kvarner's hosts across the region prepared a large number of events for guests, from traditional cultural and entertainment events to gastronomic, religious and nature-related activities.

''In the last eight years, if we only look at the [main tourist] season, we're talking about a jump of as much as 90 percent, while in terms of the total number of overnight stays for the same period we've seen an increase of 50 percent. This marked increase in the number of guests, both foreign and domestic, shows us that we have a well-established development strategy based on our activities and programs, with the emphasis on filling out the period outside of the main summer tourist season.

The performances at this year's fairs and presentations on our strongest markets - Germany, Austria, Italy and Slovenia - gave us a good insight into the beginning of this tourist year and what those employed in tourism in Kvarner can expect,'' stated dr.sc. Irene Peršić Živadinov.

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As Merien Ilic/Novac writes on the 23rd of April, 2019, while some can't wait for the Croatian tourist season to arrive, others see it approaching with tears in their eyes and with gritted teeth. The latter are, of course, Split's many tenants who in recent years, somewhere around this time of year, have begun to be afraid that they will be kicked out of the apartments they're renting and have to settle all of their bills, after having signed a contract (and one can only guess how much weight that really holds legally) and despite there having been no objections whatsoever to their behaviour as tenants.

Practice has shown that the euros which line the pockets of tourists are worth more than the kuna of Croatia's actual residents, so during the summer, beginning as early as the Easter holidays, numerous apartments are rented to foreign tourists who think nothing of paying multiple times what your regular Croatian tenant can pay for one month's rent.

Apartment ads which are in the "long-term" rent category are a real attraction indeed, and each and every genuine such ad is quickly snapped up, disappearing from the internet.

''I have more than 200 inquiries in my inbox and I've had about thirty calls in record time, so I apologise to anyone I didn't manage to get back to. I've just agreed to rent out my apartment. I wish you all luck in finding an apartment!'' stated one landlord in a group for the long-term rent of apartments in Split and its surrounding areas. The apartment in question was located in Sućidar, it looks tidy, has two bedrooms and was rented for 3000 kuna per month, plus the electricity and water supply. Realistically speaking, this was a real gem because such apartments, especially those that have been done up nicely, are very rare for such a price.

Those who are looking for a flat have drastically different experiences from the field.

''I'm giving up on searching in Split. We're a family of five and we have to move out of our rented apartment because the owners want to rent it to tourists, and the search for a new one is impossible. The price are sky high, and they look at us as a family of five with appehension. You can't find a respectable apartment under 500 euros,'' this was the unsettling experience of a tenant who was searching for a place Split's surroundings, and eventually found an advertisement for a nicely decorated apartment in Vranjic for 400 euros per month long term.

Social networking sites such as Facebook are full of common experiences of people who have come across apartments being rented at sky high prices by landlords, and which appear to not have even seen a paintbrush or some new wallpaper for the last few decades.

People describe being met with 40 year old rugs and carpets, furniture from the socialist era and landlords seeing no issue whatsoever with still wanting 400 euros plus bills for month for such apartments.

A social networking user detailed his personal experience:

''There was a flat for rent in Brda, "long term", in a private eighty square metre building. We went to look at it, everything was great, the woman seemed alright, and we were also alright. There were two of us and two other guys. The owner said she'd get back in touch with us because someone else was still coming look at the apartment too. I called her at noon today and she says to me, "I'm still thinking about it, we're a serious family, I'd prefer someone younger if we end up deciding that they need to move out earlier. It's easier to get younger people out of the apartment than it is with a family."

The second stated that tenants are unprotected and usually without a contract. Many landlords don't even register people renting, they don't pay taxes, and life tends to be the most difficult of all for students in the area searching for long-term accommodation during their studies at local universities.

As the situation in and around Split worsens all the more for would-be long term residents, a similar situation can be found in almost all of Croatia's tourist gems, with particular emphasis on Dubrovnik, a city which lives and breathes tourism and has continually put it far above any of the often very basic needs of its burdened residents for many years now.

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Click here for the original article by Merien Ilic for Novac/Jutarnji

What do Croatian and international travellers think of their hosts when staying in private accommodation? How do they rate them, how much interaction is too much and are privacy and inside information the key?

As Lea Balenovic/Novac writes on the 9th of April, 2019, almost two thirds of Croats believe that the host is a key factor when staying in an accommodation facility, and those who are the best rated in the Republic of Croatia, both from domestic and foreign guests, can be found in in Rakovica, Osijek, Bibinje, Korenica, Kaštela, Makarska, Brela, Senj, Trogir and Podstrana.

They are the results of research conducted by the world's leading rental company, Booking.com, on a sample of 21,500 travellers worldwide. As the survey showed, 63 percent of international travellers and 62 percent of Croatian travellers think that their stay was better because of their engagement of the host who did everything they could to make it a better stay for them.

Most travellers want to feel "at home," as they have indicated in such surveys. For 62 percent of international travellers, the main advantage of non-hotel accommodation is the ability to take advantage of the knowledge and information available from the host and decide to stay in a property owned by someone who actually comes from the region in which the property is located. The same goes for 48 percent of Croatian travellers.

Nearly half of the international travellers who partook in the survey, or more specifically 45 percent of them, and 59 percent of Croatian travellers consider the local knowledge and information at their disposal from their host important for their overall budget because they hope to be given insider advice that will help them save some cash and avoid potential tourist traps.

However, while it seems that all travellers who took part in this survey generally consider the same things to be significant, each traveller is looking for a different type of engagement from their host. Therefore, some travellers are satisfied with a simple warm welcome, while others have slightly higher expectations from their hosts.

For example, 52 percent of international passengers and 40 percent of Croatian travellers believe that their host should only be seen once during their stay in order to make them feel welcome, and more than a third of international travellers and almost the same number of Croatian travellers expect their hosts to contact them only during their arrival, registration, and then again when they eventually check out and leave the premises.

What is often even more challenging to hosts is the fact that many travellers also expect them to have some sort of sixth sense and know just how much of a personal touch is needed for each traveller. 69 percent believe that hosts should intuitively know the right amount of time they should be spending with their guests, and that is also what 73 percent of Croatian travellers think. For four out of five international travellers and the same number of travellers from Croatia that means respecting their need for personal space, which means that the feeling of privacy is key.

The hosts also agree. Namely, nearly 80 percent of Croatian hosts think that the most important thing for guests is to be able to properly ensure their privacy.

"Our research reveals that it's very important for the owners and managers of accommodation facilities to find a balance which ensures the best experience, regardless of whether guests are staying in a vacation home, an apartment, in accommodation with their hosts or any other type of facility," explained Olivier Grémillon, the vice president of Booking.com, adding the fact thatt "what is crystal clear is that there is nothing like the ability of ordinary people to turn something into an unforgettable experience."

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Click here for the original article by Lea Balenovic for Novac/Jutarnji

As Suzana Varosanec/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 25th of March, 2019, under its new administration and new owners, the popular Jadran hotel group from Crikvenica is expanding rapidly and after taking over Club Adriatic, it is continuing to introduce new facilities in Baško Polje, and is now expanding to the Kvarner region.

Based on the ten-year lease of the Hotel Delfin in Omišalj, business for Jadran is beginning on the island of Krk. The offer was favourable, as can unofficially be revealed. The Crikvenica-based hotel group also signed a long-term lease for three pavilions in Crikvenica. Owing to these business moves, Jadran's accommodation capacities will increase by a significant 139 accommodation units, in Baško Polje there are about 440 new units, and this season Jadran will be able to boast about having a 36 percent higher capacity compared to last year.

And while Hotel Delfin can't be renewed this season for various reasons, this is thankfully not the case for the three pavilions that were once owned by Jadran. Since they are situated at the location of a common entity whose renewal is already in full swing, a makeover awaits.

Namely, from the Adriatic highway to the coast, Jadran's property in Crikvenica is having works carried out at Hotel Ad Turres and on thirteen pavilions, each with 27 rooms as well as works at Hotel Omorika, which will be completed in ten days.

Last year, this hotel group grew by 10 percent more than it did back during 2017, and realised an impressive 416,000 overnight stays, in 2019 they're planning for 437,000 overnight stays, marking an increase of about 6.6 percent. Slovenian guests and Croatian guests have primarily been the main group to stay in Jadran's numerous accommodation facilities, followed by those from Austria and Germany, and a similar tourist structure is expected this season as well.

Congress tourism is still being developed, and after the completion of the welcome renovation of the Omorika and Katarina hotels, Jadran is expecting an increase in those niches, too. In the health sector, however, Jadran has some big plans in synergy with some local health institutions.

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Click here for the original artice by Suzana Varosanec for Poslovni Dnevnik