October 31, 2021 - Through an innovative way of relating the history and secrets of the region, the Istra Inspirit project offers a journey back in time for its participants to discover more about the fantastic history of Istria through the chronicles of famous characters aboard a train.

As Turističke Priče reports, Travel Istria has taken on a new dimension through innovative and sustainable product Discover Istria by bike and train. The Istra Inspirit experience took place in a renovated train adapted for the transport of passengers and bicycles on the Pula-Buzet-Pula route.

The performance was realized in a train on the route Pula-Vodnjan-Svetvinčenat-Kanfanar-Pula, where the performers of Istra Inspirit traveled through time with the time traveler Maris and her time machine: a bicycle through stations in Istria.

Photo: Istra Inspirit (Official Facebook Page)

Various events from the train carriages intrigued the audience, and selected historical characters, as well as fictional ones, were related to the locations where the train passed and described the importance of Istrian railways and the history of the locations with anecdotes of characters. Some hid in the train fleeing the law, some were passengers, some boarded the station. The performance connected the topics of the Istrian railways and their construction, their importance for traffic development, and the connection of places and cities with cycling and the development of this project.

The first station in Pula was the place where the audience was greeted by Maris, but also by Emperor Vespasian, at whose request the Pula amphitheater was built. In Vodnjan, the mystical Valerie von Windischgrätz, the granddaughter of Emperor Francis Joseph, boarded the train with the intention of killing her husband's mistress. The journey continues to Svetvincenat where the audience was surprised by a character hidden in the train: conductor Slavko.

Kanfanar as the last stop introduced us to the tragic story of the evil fate that befell Dvigrad through the eternal villain Captain Henry Morgan and his enemy Blackbeard, one of the most famous pirate captains in history who will try to hijack the trail.

Photo: Istra Inspirit (Official Facebook Page)

The audience embarked on a journey through the past, present and future, and through the Istrian beauties discovered a history that left a strong impression on people and customs in the region.

The experience was directed by Frano Novljan, also in the role of conductor Slavko and Crnobradog, with performers Sedina Cerovac as time traveler Maris, Linda Kliman as Princess Valerija. Sandor Slacki embodied Emperor Vespasian, while the role of Henry Morgan belonged to Karel Stipić.

Istra Inspirit is a project of cultural experience tourism which is implemented within the Istrian Development Tourist Agency - IRTA doo with the support of the Administrative Department for Tourism of the Istrian County. You can find more information about Instra Inspirit through their official website or through their official Facebook page.

For more information and travel tips on the Istrian region, be sure to visit our newly launched Total Croatia portal. Now in your language!

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June 10, 2020 — There are more and more foreign tourists in Istria every day, perusing the streets of major centers. But the numbers are a far cry from the same period last year.

The Istrian peninsula has seemed busier. But the groups of Deutsch-speaking tourists should come as no surprise: Germany’s in the middle of its two-week Pentecost holidays.

In this period, in recent years, accommodation in Istria has been filled as if it were the heart of the tourism season. 

In the first eight days of June this year, Istria had 25,000 arrivals and 120,000 overnight stays, which is 14 and 15 percent of last year's turnover in the same period, respectively, according to figures provided by the county’s tourist board.

“These are unusually small numbers for this period,”  the director of the Istrian Tourist Board Denis Ivošević told Jutranji List. “We are also very happy for all of us in tourism because the growth trend is significant.”

The region’s overnight stays quadrupled in a week, from 5,000 to 20,000.

“The Germans started coming and they immediately raised the numbers significantly,” Ivošević said. “Along with the Germans, Slovenians have the largest share. We hope that soon, after June 14, Austrians and others will arrive.”

At the moment, guests mostly choose private accommodation and camps, with guests so far evenly split between the two.

“It only confirms our predictions that camping and private accommodation will be an advantage over large tourist resorts and large hotels,” Ivošević said. “What is important to note at the outset is that this year we simply must not compare with previous years because the situation is extraordinary and the conditions in which it takes place are completely illogical and unpredictable.”

Istria’s local Civil Protection Directorate faced one of the first outbreaks of COVID-19 in Croatia, yet managed to keep new infections at bay. It gave the peninsula a tenuous head start on the pandemic. 

“Any potentially imported case of a newly diagnosed person can take us back to the beginning,” Ivošević said.

Istria started promoting itself aggressively in foreign markets, especially Austria and southern Germany through a campaign under the slogan "Istrien so nah!" (Istria is so close!) 

Istria was actively preparing and promoting itself while the rest of the world struggled to contain the pandemic. A newsletter sent information on the situation in Istria to more than 500 addresses in Austria and Germany, along with information about the opening of accommodation and catering businesses, attractions and other tourist facilities.

It’s now mapping out a series of deals and offers to drum up interest in the summer season.

Istria’s tourism businesses will offer a series of discounts this weekend for various attractions, but also for visiting certain wineries and canteens. 

Over 50 tourism service providers responded to the call, offering their services throughout Istria on June 13 and 14 from 10 am to 6 pm with a 50 percent discount or completely free of charge.

All included facilities - adrenaline parks, museums, castles, caves, protected areas, theme houses and other attractions and experiences, as well as winemakers, olive growers, truffle growers and other local producers are available on the website: www.istra.hr/turizam2020.

One of the world's largest online travel agencies, Expedia, is hosting its first cycle of training for small-scale tourist facilities under the Expedia Road Show in Istria.