April 25, 2021 - From incredible flight news to The Total Croatia Travel INFO (TCTI) Viber community winning an award, the past week has been exciting. Here are TCN's five highlights of the week in Croatia from April 19 to 25, 2021.

The week started with the exciting introduction of a new direct route between New York and Dubrovnik. While things may have taken a slight turn in the middle of the week, the latest news regarding The Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community ended the week on a high. From Monday to Sunday, we list five events featured on Croatia's news portals on the front pages.

Highlights of the week: TCTI Viber Community, Manjgura, Mediacor Wins 2021 Crisis Management PR Grand Prix 

The Total Croatia Travel INFO (TCTI) Viber community, in partnership with Manjgura and Mediacor, has won the 2021 HUOJ International Grand Prix Award for Crisis Communication. It was a project with a total investment of just 2,000 kunas (US $320) that generated more than 10 million euros of tourism spend for the Croatian economy in 2020. 

Although the award is associated with TCN, it actually goes to the partners, Croatia's oldest PR agency, Manjgura, and Mediacor. You can check out Manjgura services here and Mediacor here. The project was conceived by Manjgura founder Kreso Macan, who had the vision to see the need and the determination and drive to pull off the project. It was a masterclass of how to achieve the goal. 

Highlights of the week: Forbes Included Istria in 50 Spectacular Places to Visit Post-Pandemic 

Another recognition of Croatia's beauty and tourist offer as the American magazine Forbes included Istria among 50 spectacular destinations for post-pandemic travels. The article states that Istria is an ideal destination for all gastronomy lovers who wish to taste quality olive oil, truffles, prosciutto, wine, and seafood in Istria. It also emphasizes the beauty of Istrian towns and their excellent geographical position.

Srecko Niketic

"Foodies should consider Croatia's Istrian Peninsula for their next taste-testing vacation. As the crow flies, you're practically in Italy; in fact, there's a ferry that runs between Venice and Pula, Croatia. You'll find truffles, olive oil, prosciutto, wine, and all types of seafood, plus delicacies that are 100% Croatian.

This region is popular with European travelers, but Americans are only just beginning to visit. If you go, be sure to split your time between a coastal city (such as Rovinj or Pula) and inland villages (hill-top Motovun is a favorite)," writes Forbes.

Highlights of the week: United Airlines Flights to Croatia Announced with New York-Dubrovnik Line this Summer! 

United Airlines, one of the largest American airlines, is launching a direct route between the United States and Croatia! After American Airlines permanently canceled the Philadelphia-Dubrovnik route due to the global pandemic, Croatia will directly connect with the United States. 

Pixabay

Croatia has met all the conditions for abolishing tourist visas to enter the United States, and American guests can plan a vacation in Croatia this summer, so United decided to be the first to react and introduce a direct line to Dubrovnik from New York this summer! United will operate to Dubrovnik as early as July 8 this year with three flights per week. Departures from New York are planned on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, with the return from Dubrovnik a day later.

Highlights of the week: Croatian Tennis Federation Rejects Established Croatia Player for Brother's Social Media Posts? 

A member of the Croatian tennis community and organizer of the Croatia Bol Open, Feliks Lukas, announced on his Facebook page that the Croatian Tennis Federation (HTS) rejected the request of his sister, Tena Lukas, to play at the ITF Zagreb Ladies Open. 

"The Croatian Tennis Federation rejected the request to invite the seven-time senior national team member and #268 WTA tennis player of the world to the ITF Zagreb Ladies Open, explaining it to Tena as follows:

'Because of your brother's Facebook posts, you are not a candidate for an invitation to the tournament!'

Davor Javorovic

Namely, in its defense, HTS stated that the mentioned tennis player Tena Lukas did not get a wild card because she has practically not been able to beat anyone lately. "As a member of the Croatia national team, Tena Lukas was certainly among the candidates for an invitation to the Zagreb Ladies Open because she deserved this opportunity with her performances in the former Fed Cup (now the Billie Jean King Cup) and on an individual level. However, her latest results were crucial not to be shortlisted this time: she played seven tournaments this year, and she was eliminated in all seven in the first round, either in the main event or in the qualifiers."

Highlights of the week: Croatia Rally Day One: Belgian Driver Thierry Neuville in the Lead 

The 2021 Croatia Rally, part of one of the world's most attractive auto racing competitions (World Rally Championship - WRC), is being held from April 22 to 25 this year. The race is held on across three counties, on the local roads of Zagreb, Karlovac, and Krapina-Zagorje counties.

Luka Stanzl

The two-day race began on Friday with Belgian driver Thierry Neuville (Hyundai i20) leads with three-morning victories on the WRC Croatia Rally day one. Even with small delays in the four-afternoon specials, he kept the top spot, while the current and seven-time world champion Frenchman Sebastien Ogier broke into second place (Toyota Yaris).

To follow all news from Croatia, subscribe to our newsletter.

April 21, 2021 - After announcing it would introduce the New York-Dubrovnik line this July, will United Airlines consider New York-Zagreb flights? 

TCN announced the big news on Monday that United Airlines will introduce the New York - Dubrovnik - New York route in July this year. 

The first flight to Dubrovnik will take off from New York to Dubrovnik Airport on Thursday, July 8 (in 80 days) at 19:20 local time. The night overseas flight to Dubrovnik will take approximately 8 hours and 55 minutes, with the expected landing in Dubrovnik after 10 am. 

The B767-300ER aircraft, of which United Airlines has 38 in its fleet, will stay in Dubrovnik for two full hours. Departure from Dubrovnik is scheduled at 12:15 pm. The flight to New York will take a little over 10 hours, with the expected landing in New York at 16:25 local time.

The first departure from Dubrovnik is planned for Saturday, July 10, so the United Airlines plane will stay at Dubrovnik Airport for more than 24 hours.

From the beginning of July to the beginning of October, this well-known American carrier will land in Dubrovnik every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday morning (taking off the day before from the USA).

On 38 return flights between Dubrovnik and New York, United Airlines has 16,264 seats on sale, of which 2,280 seats are available in business class. The cabin configuration in economy class is 2-3-2, while in business class, the seat layout is 2-1-2. You can read more about the new service HERE.

But this isn't the only United Airlines flight to Croatia in the works. 

Namely, United Airlines confirmed to EX-YU Aviation News it is “seeking additional opportunities in Croatia”.

"According to global data provider OAG, in 2019, 298.136 passengers flew indirectly between Croatia and the United States, with a further 17.782 on the Philadelphia - Dubrovnik service, which has since been discontinued. The busiest unserved route was Zagreb - New York, which accounted for 10% of all traffic between the two markets. It was followed by Dubrovnik - New York, which is being launched this summer, then Zagreb - Chicago, Split - New York and Zagreb - Los Angeles," explained EX-YU Aviation News, and provided the following graphs: 

Almost three decades have passed since the New York-Zagreb route operated, and if we hadn't gone through the coronavirus pandemic, we may have seen this connection already last year, as former Tourism Minister Gari Capelli said two years ago:

"Following the arrangement with American Airlines between Philadelphia and Dubrovnik this summer, which will act as a trial run, we are already in advanced talks for the introduction of a nonstop service from New York to Zagreb. I hope that we will have this route operational next summer". 

So, will United Airlines launch New York-Zagreb flights next? We will have to wait and see. 

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

April 20, 2021 - After the big announcement on Monday, the United Airlines New York-Dubrovnik flight details are here. 

TCN announced the big news on Monday that United Airlines will introduce the New York - Dubrovnik - New York route in July this year. 

Croatian Airlines reports that the United line to Dubrovnik Airport will operate from New York, or from Newark Liberty International Airport (IATA: EWR, ICAO: KEWR), one of the three airports in the service of New York (along with LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy). Technically, this airport is located in New Jersey, about 15 miles from Manhattan.

Newark has been one of the largest hubs of United Airlines for years, and this American airline returned to JFK a month ago, from where it operates on a smaller number of routes.

From Newark Airport, United and its regional airline, United Express, fly to more than 170 destinations in the US and the world!

United Airlines has several destinations in Europe, and it should be noted that there are currently no flights on certain routes solely due to reduced demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Dubrovnik is now one of several well-known European destinations from New York (in business or tourist terms).

The first flight to Dubrovnik will take off from New York to Dubrovnik on Thursday, July 8 (in 80 days) at 19:20 local time. The night overseas flight to Dubrovnik will take approximately 8 hours and 55 minutes, with the expected landing in Dubrovnik after 10 am. 

The B767-300ER aircraft, of which United Airlines has 38 in its fleet, will stay in Dubrovnik for two full hours. Departure from Dubrovnik is scheduled at 12:15 pm. The flight to New York will take a little over 10 hours, with the expected landing in New York at 16:25 local time.

Interestingly, the first departure from Dubrovnik is planned for Saturday, July 10, so the United Airlines plane will stay at Dubrovnik Airport for more than 24 hours.

From the beginning of July to the beginning of October, this well-known American carrier will land in Dubrovnik every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday morning (taking off the day before from the USA).

On 38 return flights between Dubrovnik and New York, United Airlines has 16,264 seats on sale, of which 2,280 seats are available in business class. The cabin configuration in economy class is 2-3-2, while in business class, the seat layout is 2-1-2.

A return ticket on a direct flight from Dubrovnik to New York can be purchased at a price slightly higher than 4,500 kuna in economy class on the airline's official website. 

There is no doubt that this route, despite the global pandemic, will be successful for the airline. The fact that American Airlines had an excellent load factor on the route from Philadelphia to Dubrovnik speaks for itself. In the summer of 2020, aircraft were to operate on this route daily.

Given the many American tourists visiting Dubrovnik, United's capacity to Dubrovnik should not be a problem to fill, even in these times of crisis.

United and Croatia Airlines are on the move, which should sign a code-share agreement before the start of operations and enable passengers from Zagreb to continue their journey to the USA with one stop in Dubrovnik.

United Airlines should offer another route to Croatia in the summer of 2022. Its finalization is currently underway, and the news is expected soon. The abolition of visas for Croatian citizens during tourist visits to the USA will certainly support this.

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

April 19, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as United Airlines flights to Croatia have been announced with a New York-Dubrovnik route this summer!

Croatian Aviation reports that United Airlines, one of the largest American airlines, is launching a direct route between the United States and Croatia!

The prestigious American airline based in Chicago announced the news today at a press conference.

United has 8 hubs in the US, with the largest one in Chicago, but the company will launch flights to Dubrovnik Airport from New York (Newark Airport, EWR), where the company has over 68% of the total traffic.

After American Airlines permanently canceled the Philadelphia-Dubrovnik route due to the global pandemic, Croatia will once again have a direct connection with the United States. Although direct flights to America have been talked about for years, there were no real flights to Zagreb, and the pandemic made the introduction of this line even more difficult. In the meantime, Croatia has met all the conditions for the abolition of tourist visas to enter the United States, and American guests can plan a vacation in Croatia this summer, so United decided to be the first to react and introduce a direct line to Dubrovnik from New York this summer!

In addition to a direct flight to New York, United will offer passengers from Dubrovnik several destinations in the rest of the United States and South America with one stop in New York.

The introduction of a regular direct flight between Croatia and the United States is no surprise. In 2019, there were more than 620 thousand American guests in Croatia, who spent over 1.5 million overnights, and Dubrovnik is definitely the most visited destination of American guests. Recall that in the summer of 2020, American Airlines planned to operate to Dubrovnik daily, but the plans were completely changed due to the global pandemic.

Trade is also essential, and in 2019 Croatia exported goods and services worth more than HRK 3 billion to the United States, while we imported goods worth more than HRK 1 billion. In addition to American tourists, it should be noted that about 1.2 million Croats and their descendants currently live in the United States, most of them in Chicago, about 150,000.

If we consider the Croatian emigration to the USA, the number of American tourists in Croatia, and the exchange of goods, the United Airlines line between Dubrovnik and New York has a great chance of success.

United will operate to Dubrovnik as early as July 8 this year with three flights per week. Departures from New York are planned on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, with the return from Dubrovnik a day later.

B767-300 aircraft with 30 seats in business class, 49 in premium economy class, and 135 in economy class will operate on the flights to Dubrovnik.

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.