PR TEXT - June 2, 2022 - Around 30 influencers from Croatia and Italy, Poland, Great Britain, and Brazil took part in the International Meeting of Travel Influencers, which began in Split on June 1! 

The charms of Split are well known to travel, gourmet & lifestyle bloggers around the world, which delighted the organizers of this unique event - the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board and Croatian Hot Spots magazine editor Maja Zlokić. 

Although the Amfora Hotel, with its beautiful sea views, was a story in itself, where would it start if not from the famous Diocletian's Palace? Participants enjoyed a tour of Split's truly iconic Peristyle. They took a few photos with the imperial guards, which with their authentic uniforms from ancient times and swords is an absolute must-see attraction.

Nothing less can be said about the famous view from Vidilica, another meeting place for travelers around the world, and not without reason - it is where the bustling Dalmatian metropolis meets the relaxed Mediterranean lifestyle. The group then went to a delicious lunch, which introduced them to the fantastic dinner that followed in the early evening, in an ambiance that every Game Of Thrones fan and lover of historical heritage would envy.

Dinner was held at Kliš Fortress, a stone beauty tied to centuries-old stories, like when it was the desirable key to Dalmatia to more recently Meereen from the TV series Game of Thrones. 

On this occasion, the famous building was the backdrop to an attractive dinner, so the Instagram influencers enjoyed the culinary delicacies of Masterchef finalist Gorana Milaković. Tommy provided the groceries, and Sikuli, Grabovac, and Senjković were the boutique wineries featured. 

After food and drink, the historical unit of the Kliški Uskoks enhanced the cultural content with a surprise show, and the influencers were able to try their hand at bow and arrow!

The next day of the event follows the example of the European Parliament office that recognized influencers as a critical and current channel of public opinion. Split-Dalmatia County Prefect Blaženko Boban will welcome the guests and draw their attention to socially responsible messages and projects.

All photos by Goran Jović

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

December 21, 2019 - Christmas Eve would be nothing without bakalar and fritule. Thus, the City of Split, Split-Dalmatia County, the Split Tourist Board, the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, and Chefs of Mediterranean and European cuisine are ensuring that 5,000 of you (at least) won't miss it this holiday season. And all you have to do is show up to Prokurative.

Splitski Dnevnik writes that the City of Split, Split-Dalmatia County, and the Chefs of Mediterranean and European Regions are organizing the already traditional event "Split with Love" on Tuesday, December 24, 2019, at Prokurative where citizens will be greeted with 5,000 servings of Croatia’s Christmas cod, bakalar, from 11 am!

More than forty chefs will participate in preparing this famous Christmas fish, which will once again be cooked in a massive 2.2-meter-wide pot. The bakalar will be served by more than 100 volunteers in biodegradable bowls to add an environmental touch to the holiday season. 

This jumbo pot, which is already a traditional element of events in Split today, was created 14 years ago for this exact manifestation in Skver. The pot will contain 200 kilograms of cod, half a ton of potatoes, 200 kg of chickpeas, 250 kg of onion, 40 liters of olive oil, and five kilos of garlic and parsley.

Along with the free-flowing servings of cod at Prokurative, citizens will also be handed out sweet fried donuts, or fritule, which will be prepared and shared by Split hoteliers and caterers, according to their cherished recipes.

But that’s not all. 

This cod and fritule fest would be nothing without a commemorative holiday program, which will begin at 10:30 am with the Men’s, Women’s and Mixed Klapa KUD Filip Devic.

Along with the City of Split, Split-Dalmatia County, the Split Tourist Board and the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, and the Chefs of Mediterranean and European regional cuisine, this year's event was organized thanks to the help of numerous sponsors and donors.

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

November 5, 2019 - The World Travel Market, which takes place in London from November 4 to 6, is one of the world's most important trade fairs. This year, among the hundreds of booths showcasing tourist destinations, you'll find the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, who is participating for the first time with their own booth. With this appearance at the World Travel Market (WTM), the official fair promotion of the Split-Dalmatia County tourist offer begins.

Dalmatinski Portal and TZ Split-Dalmatia County report that the Split-Dalmatia Tourist Board is presenting its tourist offer with four cluster info-desks, and has provided the county's economic operators with the conditions to interview business partners at the world's largest gathering of businesspeople from the tourism industry. Within the Split-Dalmatia County booth, a series of events and business meetings are planned, with the presence of prefect Blazenko Boban and his associates. Guests are also offered a tasting of Central Dalmatian wines, prosciutto, and cheese from local producers in Split-Dalmatia County.

“I am happy that, as a County with our own booth, we had the opportunity to be at the two largest tourism fairs this year, first in Berlin and here in London now. We aim to develop tourism in two directions. The first is to try to extend the tourist season by diverting tourist arrivals from July and August into April and May, and September and October. The fact that we were the most visited county in Croatia in October this year is confirmation that we are on the right track. We want to gently divert tourists from major coastal destinations to the rural areas of the county, which we can only achieve through attendance at fairs such as this one in London, where we have the chance to show all the beauties that our county truly abounds. And these beauties are not just in the frequently visited tourist destinations of Split, Makarska, Bol, Hvar, or Trogir. We try our best to present all the treasures of our beautiful Dalmatian Zagora and the interior of our islands. This year's results of the Imotski Tourist Board after the Berlin fair are the best indicator that we have something to offer and attract tourists both in the pre-season in the post-season and the rural, peripheral areas of the County,” said Boban, who had the opportunity to speak with the British Minister of Arts, Heritage and Tourism, Helen Whately.

Kristijan Stanicic, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board (CNTB), said that for the development of tourism, we need the right people and continuous education about the quality of tourism infrastructure, from tourist capacities and the catering offer to the quality of the overall tourist service.

“The main task of the CNTB is to recognize trends in tourism in a timely manner and to keep up with the competition in the innovation and creativity of the offer. I believe that when it comes to the sustainability of tourism development, Croatia has all the resources it needs and that a bright future awaits us.”

Tourism Minister Gari Capelli said we could expect even better results in 2021 'because, in the presence of such fairs and major marketing activities, only HRK 70 million has been invested in additional airlines over the past two years, which was discussed here'.

Josko Stella, director of the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, expressed his satisfaction with the fact that Split-Dalmatia County presented itself for the first time at the London Fair.

“We want to bring our county to the British market, where we traditionally stand well,” Stella said, adding:

“We have conducted several interviews with three airlines, in cooperation with our airport in Kastela, to introduce additional lines and overcome the possible consequences of Brexit as smoothly as possible.

The results achieved during the peak season in Split-Dalmatia County continue with the new post-season records. According to data from eVisitor and the offices of the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, in October, Split-Dalmatia County was the most visited and most desired Croatian region in tourism. Thus, in October, there were 188,562 arrivals and 623,895 overnights in commercial accommodation, which is an increase of 14 percent in arrivals and 8 percent in overnight stays. In October, there were 15,255 arrivals from the UK market in Split-Dalmatia County, which is an increase of 17% in arrivals and 81,142 in overnights, and an increase of 10% compared to the previous year. In the first ten months of this year, a total of 3,592,210 arrivals (+5%) and 17,932,166 overnight stays (+2%) were realized in the county. In the first ten months, the Germans ranked as our largest market for the first time, with 318,000 arrivals and 2.21 million overnight stays growing 9% in arrivals and 3% in overnight stays. Growth in arrivals and overnight stays in the first ten months compared to last year was also recorded from the UK market. Namely, with 241,000 arrivals and 1.12 million overnight stays, the UK market is up 5% in arrivals and 3% in overnight stays.

In the first ten months of this year, UK guests visiting Central Dalmatia liked Split the most. Namely, they made up 39 percent of the arrivals and 29 percent of overnight stays in Split. Split is followed by Hvar, where they made up 13 percent of the arrivals and 10 percent of the overnight stays. Split, Makarska, Hvar, Omis, Baska Voda, and Tucepi are the most visited tourist destinations in Split-Dalmatia County this year, registering an increase in the number of nights compared to last year.”

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

May 2, 2019 - On May 1, the Croatian Tourist Board and the Tourist Board of Split-Dalmatia County, in cooperation with the local tourist communities, welcomed ten prominent international journalists in Inland Dalmatia as part of the ongoing tourist promotion of the area. This time, the journalists explored the Sinj region. 

On the initiative of Joško Stella, director of the Tourist Board of Split-Dalmatia County, as part of organized study trips, journalists arrived from all countries the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) has a representative office. In cooperation with local tourist boards, around 40 foreign-based journalists will visit the cities of Split, Hvar, Brač, Vis, Solin, Klis, Trogir, Trilj, Sinj and Omiš in three very attractive tourist programs. They will inform tourists about selective forms of tourism, that is, natural, cultural and gastronomic forms, as well as the opportunities for active holidays in this area.

The four-day program "Culture and Gastronomy" - announced as "the most delicious program" - presents the gastronomic and cultural offer of the cities involved in the tour.

Reputable journalists from Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, the Netherlands and Norway - Jerzy Niemocinski, Anna Sienkiewicz, Ewa Wagner, Adolf Wurzer, Marta Budska, Obert Oppelt, Maurizio Ceccaioni, Giuseppe Danielli, Giorgia Lola Oost, Ann-Mari Helena Gregersen and Elin Kristin Kristoffersen - arrived in the Sinj region on the third day of their stay in Split-Dalmatia County.

Accompanied by tour guide Dina Ivančić and director of the Tourist Board of Sinj, Monika Vrgoč, the group was first introduced to the geographical position of Sinj, the rich and intriguing history of the city, the shrine of the Miraculous Lady of Sinj, the Alka and the significance of the City of Sinj for the whole Cetina region. The group then visited the Sinj Alka Museum, accompanied by the curator Tomislav Barhanović. With an interesting interpretation, Barhanović brought the group closer to the significance of the museum and its exhibits. Namely, the modern concept of the museum, the fact that it was nominated for the European Museum in 2017 and won the prestigious Europa Nostra Award in 2018, its many interactive features, and valuable and unique museum exhibitions, which delighted the journalists. 

After the Alka Museum, the group toured the OPG Moro in Gala. They were welcomed by the friendly leaders of the OPG, Jelena and Ivana Moro. Their ecological family farm was founded in 2003 to grow domestic fruit and vegetables, and breed animals in a controlled environment where they eat healthier and thus live healthier lives. In the heart of the Dalmatian hinterland, in the oasis of the fertile and vast Sinj field, through which the clear and crisp Cetina river flows, all the preconditions are available to the Moro family. The OPG is held by three generations, sharing traditions, knowledge, and skills, all with continuous physical work. Since 2013, OPG Moro deals with sowing as well as seed processing and industrial hemp. Their seeds are ecologically certified, sown in fertile soil without the use of pesticides, herbicides, and artificial fertilizers, to be compatible with organic production, and therefore with nature. Currently, they have six products from hemp: tea, oil, protein, flour, face and body cream as well as lipstick.

Otherwise, OPG Moro realized support from rural development measures for operation type 6.1.1. and 6.2.1., and will develop their idea of a farm for the ecological breeding of chickens. The plan is to use waste that has been processed in hemp as a perfect supplement to poultry feed. It already contains 25 percent of protein, meaning at least 80 percent of the animal’s diet will come from their own production. The kind hosts made sure that all journalists tasted their produce, and creams and lip balms were given as gifts. The journalists were delighted with the quality of the product, especially the hospitality of all Moro family members.

Enjoying the beautiful nature on the way from Gala, through Obrovac Sinj, Han, and Bajagić to Hrvace, the journalists also had the opportunity to see the source of Kosinac, the Han bridge built in 1849, Rumin and the bridge on Panj constructed in 1852. As the whole program is largely dedicated to gastronomy, the journalists enjoyed a traditional gastronomic offer at the Panj Farmhouse and enjoyed the most famous dishes of the region such as uštipak, Sinj arambaša, peka of roast veal, and fritule.

The journalists were pleasantly surprised by the potential of the Sinj region. The group continued their journey exploring Omiš.

You can learn more about Sinj here.

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

The Days of Croatian Tourism event was held this week in Hvar, as well as a session of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. On this occasion, Joško Stella, director of the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, answered several questions about the region, reports Dalmacija Danas on October 28, 2018. 

This is the first time Split-Dalmatia County has done such a project. 

The results of tourist traffic in Split-Dalmatia County this December according to data from e-Visitor. 

We can feel the crowds this year more than ever, and these numbers further confirm the record year Split-Dalmatia County has achieved - and it's only July! 

The Day of Sv. Duje, the patron saint of Split, takes place each year on May 7th. The event brings together roughly 10,000 people and the celebration lasts for days. Here is the full program for May 2017.