March 8, 2021 – Considering the fact that it was canceled in Miami for the second consecutive year due to the coronavirus pandemic, will the Ultra Europe Festival be held in Split this year?

As Slobodna Dalmacija reports, the dial on the official website of Ultra Europe is still counting down the days until the Split edition of this famous electronic music festival. Precisely 123 days remain until the first of three evenings at Youth Park on July 9. The remaining two are scheduled for July 10 and 11, 2021.

The question is, however, whether Ultra Europe will be held in Split this year. Judging by the fact that it was canceled in Miami for the second year in a row due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is increasingly likely that such a scenario awaits the city of Split, too.

Ultra was scheduled to take place in Miami on March 26, 27, and 28 but has now been moved to the same period next year.

"Given the current status of the COVID-19 pandemic, concerning mass gatherings and public health considerations, we're deeply saddened to be forced to reschedule Ultra Music Festival to 2022. We understand the disappointment and frustration that comes with reading this, as we feel and share it as well. We eagerly await the opportunity to safely produce what will certainly be the most memorable Ultra in our 22-year history. We miss you all tremendously and can't wait to reunite on the dance floor to create more unforgettable memories with you," reads the statement on the festival's official Facebook page.

An identical thing happened last year, when, due to the fear of spreading the coronavirus, Ultra in Miami was first canceled. And then, in mid-May, an official announcement arrived that Ultra was being postponed in Split.

Despite the pandemic, some significant events such as the Eurovision Song Contest, the European Football Championship, and the Olympic Games are planned to take place this year, and various scenarios regarding the audience have been prepared. It seems that Ultra does not have such scenarios, considering that it is almost impossible to maintain a safe distance among so many people. Hence, vaccination is the most viable solution and one of the preconditions for holding this famous festival again.

At the beginning of February, the Ultra Festival organizer Joe Bašić said for Enter Zagreb that it would be possible to assess better the circumstances related to COVID and the possibilities of organizing the festival in 60 days.

"As responsible organizers, we monitor events and work closely with the authorities, as well as all those responsible for making decisions for visitors' safety and the festival. Internationally, we work with several groups of people to find a solution for the festival's future, from COVID passports to quick tests. I've participated in more of these conversations, trying to find a solution, but, unfortunately, it's hard to be smart. Every day something changes, and we, as serious and responsible organizers, cannot confirm anything. We also cannot make decisions without an official decision from the state and the city," said Bašić.

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As Novac/Ruzica Mikacic writes on the 18th of July, 2019, if, after the last tourist week in Split and in the wider area from Trogir to Omiš and on the nearby islands, someone working in tourism complained about how much they earned, then it's really a shock. Why? The Ultra Europe Festival.

The popular festival gathered together about 120,000 visitors from all over Europe and the world in Split, earned more than it ever has done before, more specifically about 14.8 million more than last year, and while the effects of this year's earnings are still being added up. It should be stated that the figure was rounded up to around forty million euros. This is no longer a matter of opinion or assessment, but of very specific data of the Tax Administration of the Croatian Ministry of Finance.

In the three days of the Ultra Europe Festival, the Ministry of Finance recorded a record number of issued fiscalised receipts containing record-breaking amounts when compared to those issued last year.

In thee days and in all sectors, Ultra Europe officially registered a turnover of more than one hundred million kuna, and on some specific days, they earned up to 25 percent more than they did last year!

The bulk of this of course comes from food and beverage services, as well as trade, exchange services, transport services, excursions, agency services... It doesn't really take a rocket scientist to realise there has probably been even more earned in accommodation, food and drink services, excursions, taxi rides and many other sectors where receipts weren't given out.

All in all, those working in hospitality and tourism, as well as providers of transport, banks and telecom operators can definitely feel very satisfied with the situation in their cash registers and wallets after the largest tourist event in the Republic of Croatia.

Those who attended this year's Ultra Europe spent the most on Saturday, July the 13th, when more than 8 million kuna was recorded in the food and beverage service sector, which is 24 percent more than last year.

When it comes to the amounts of fiscalised receipts issued in all industries, then Split's guests were once again the most prolific on that Saturday, when the amount of receipts issued reached almost 37 million kuna, while the greatest growth in spending compared to last year was during preparation time, on Friday.

That day, tourists spent as much as 7.5 million kuna more than they did at last year's Ultra Europe. Since the analyses have shown that Ultra's guests stay in Split for an average of 6.4 days and spend around 143 euros on average daily, it's clear that the figures acheived in Central Dalmatia over those days are at record highs.

Thus, according to the first accounts, about 120,000 festival-goers spent 5.7 million euros per day, and about 17 million euros over three days, the equivalent to around 130 million kuna. Everything they spent in Split was to add their spending in the area where the concerts were actually going on. It is estimated that the turnover for meals and drinks stood at around 16 million kuna.

About 50 million kuna spent on Ultra Europe tickets should also be added into the equation, and to reach Split, the average airline ticket price was 573 euros. There were also VIP guests who arrived in Split on private aircraft, and air transport costs alone amounted to more than 5 million euros in total.

According to the analysis made on Ultra's guests, about one-third of them slept in hotels, a third in private accommodation, and others in camps, rooms, or on board a boat. In addition to Split, Dubrovnik, Plitvice and Krk were the most visited Croatian destinations. The record attendance in Split over the past few days has been confirmed by eVisitor's data, which shows that during the week of Ultra Europe, in the Split area, there were 49,591 arrivals and 166,542 overnight stays realised.

''If we compare this data with the results of tourist traffic during the Ultra Europe Festival last year, there's been a 10 percent increase in arrivals and a 12 percent increase in overnight stays. When we talk about the how full all of the accommodation capacities were, it's at 60 percent, which is 4 percent more than the week of the Ultra Europe Festival in 2018. The highest occupancy was recorded in high category facilities with 4 and 5 stars,'' says Alijana Vukšić, the director of the Split Tourist Board.

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