ZAGREB, 7 Nov 2021 - A shipment of well-preserved used furniture from hotels of the Valamar Group will be sent to households damaged in a devastating quake that hit Sisak-Moslavina County in December 2020.

The Corinthia hotel in Baška on the northern Adriatic island of Krk will be refurbished soon and over 3,000 pieces of furniture and household appliances from this hotel will be donated to those in need in the quake-hit areas.

The Red Cross in Sisak will be provided with the largest share of the donation, the Valamar hotel company said this week.

In the aftermath of the disaster, Valamar sent mobile homes and provided accommodation for people left homeless by the 6.4-magnitude quake. It is one of the 12 hotel companies within the HUT Croatian Tourism Association to have provided free holidays on the coast for over 1,000 students and teachers from 13 schools in the earthquake-devastated Sisak-Moslavina County.

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ZAGREB, 19 Sept, 2021 - The Croatian Tourism Association (HUT) continues implementing its project of offering free seaside holidays for primary and secondary school students from the earthquake-affected areas in Sisak-Moslavina County.

All the 12 hotel companies within HUT, in cooperation with four ministries, decided to provide free holidays on the coast for over 1,000 students and teachers from 13 schools in the quake-hit Sisak-Moslavina County's areas.

At the launch of the scheme in June, 180 pupils from three elementary schools spent the summer holidays in Valamar hotels in Istria.

The implementation of the programme resumed in mid-September for students from the remaining 10 schools covered by the scheme and will last until mid-October.

The free-of-charge stay is provided in the following hotels: Aminess hoteli Novigrad, Plava laguna Poreč, Maistra Rovinj, Arena Hospitality Group Pula, Jadranka Mali Lošinj, Jadran Crikvenica, Hoteli Omišalj, Falkensteiner Zadar, Turisthotel Zadar, Bluesun Hoteli Zagreb, Imperial Riviera Rab and Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Split.

HUT director Veljko Ostojić was quoted as saying that he was glad to see that the successful tourist season could be wrapped up with this charitable action.

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March 29, 2021 - It'll be a busy week with Valamar hotels opening in Porec, Krk, Rabac, Rab, Makarska, and Dubrovnik before Easter!

Index.hr reports that just before Easter, the Valamar Riviera Hotel Group plans to open three hotels in Porec, two on Krk and one each in Rabac, Rab, Makarska, and Dubrovnik, and will also operate two camps, on Krk and Rab. For the spring holiday, Valamar expects domestic guests, just as they had during winter. 

Valamar Riviera is the largest hotel group in Croatia, which manages 36 hotels and 15 camps in Istria (Porec, Rabac), Krk, Rab, and Hvar, and in Makarska and Dubrovnik, most of which open in May. Valamar also manages a hotel in Obertauern, Austria.

"In our northern destinations in the upcoming tourist season, we expect the most guests from Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and Poland, and in the southern locations, guests from Great Britain, France, Germany, and Croatia. During this winter, there were mostly domestic guests in the open facilities of Valamar, and we expect them during the Easter holidays, mostly in the arrangement of weekend stays," said Valamar. 

Regarding tourist demand, they note that this year, similar to last year, higher demand is recorded by car destinations and camping resorts, with the expectation of intensified last-minute booking. Simultaneously, prices are said to be "dynamically determined through a 'revenue management' system according to Valamar's usual business practice."

"In all facilities and in 2021, the V Health & Safety program is applied following safety standards in Croatia and the recommendations of international health organizations, which in addition to high health, safety, and environmental standards, guarantees the improvement of cleaning protocols. Guests are provided with 24-hour support in case they need health care," said Valamar.

Valamar has also developed a package of measures through which it organizes all necessary health services for guests during their holidays, which includes the organization of antigen and PCR testing within the accommodation facility, as well as covering the costs of extended stay for people with COVID-19 and everyone included in their reservation.

Without giving exact figures, they point out that for this season, they are opening a "significant number of seasonal jobs," for which they offer a minimum net income of HRK 5,000 for the monthly fund of hours, accommodation, hot meals, and other benefits.

By the way, Valamar reached 7,000 employees in the record 2019 in the peak summer season, while according to the data from the business report for 2020, there were about 4,000 in the summer of 2020.

At the beginning of April 2020, Valamar launched the "Pause, Restart" program to preserve all jobs, which was extended until 31 March 2022 with the support of social partners. Under this program, all Valamar employees sent on standby without the obligation to work were provided with a salary compensation in the amount of 60 percent, but not less than 4,250 net kuna, with the support of the government's to preserve jobs in the affected industries.

Among the news for this tourist season is the launch of the lifestyle brand [Places] following the trend in the international hotel industry for lifestyle hotels that are aimed at creating a unique experience with authentic service, which emphasizes the most valuable in the destination and contributes to nature conservation and environmental sustainability.

Such hotels attract modern travelers, primarily "millennials" and young professionals. The first hotel under this brand is Hvar PlacesHotel in Stari Grad on the island (former hotel Lavanda from Helios Faros, which is in partnership with a pension fund PBZ Croatia osiguranje taken over in 2019).

They are investing around 53 million kuna in the hotel's renovation, and according to current plans, it will open in mid-May.

This is where guests from the markets of Great Britain, the USA, Germany, and Austria, but also Croatia, are most expected.

Hvar as a destination is "positioned in the market segments of younger, relaxed, and at the same time, experientially and environmentally aware people," said Valamar Riviera Vice President for Sales and Marketing Davor Brenko.

"We have high expectations from the new brand in the future, and in the next period, we plan to open several more such hotels," Brenko announced.

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September 19, 2020 - Because Valamar procures 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, it holds HEP's ZelEn Certificate for the sixth consecutive year.

HRTurizam reports that when it comes to the use of electricity from renewable sources, this is not news for Valamar, but only a continuation of the development policy because the largest tourist company in Croatia, for the sixth year in a row, are holders of HEP's ZelEn certificate. This means that 100 percent of the electricity used in hotels and camps is provided from renewable sources.

Over the past few years, the procurement of electricity from renewable sources and other energy efficiency and sustainability measures has reduced total direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions by more than 70 percent.

This year, Valamar successfully implemented a project to increase energy efficiency and end the use of heating oil in the Corinthia Baska hotel complex on Krk, with a total value of as much as HRK 10.6 million, co-financed by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy.

In Valamar, 96% of the accommodation units have the ISO 14001 environmental management certificate, and six camps have been awarded the EU Ecolabel.

"By implementing a series of initiatives within the Green Valamar program, we want to emphasize the importance of sustainable tourism development and care for the environment as an indispensable criterion for creating new value and long-term quality of the tourist offer," says Valamar.

Valamar Riviera has developed nine umbrella corporate social responsibility programs, in which it invests a minimum of 2.5 percent of its annual revenues. In 2019, 5.8 percent of revenues, or HRK 129 million, were invested in these umbrella programs.

Green Valamar is one of the nine umbrella programs of the company's socially responsible business, within which activities in the field of environmental protection are systematically carried out and in which almost HRK 100 million has been invested in the previous three years.

One of the most famous actions is certainly last year's Valamar initiative "1,000 Valamar trees,", otherwise the largest green initiative of this type in Croatian tourism, as part of which Valamar plants at least a thousand new trees a year in its destinations along the Adriatic coast. This largest green initiative in Croatian tourism emphasizes the importance of sustainable tourism development.

Thus, over 1000 trees have been planted and more than 50,000 different seedlings such as tall shrubs and perennials in 2019 in Valamar hotels, resorts, and camps. The current Valamar plant fund covers a total area of ​​589 ha from Istria to Dubrovnik with 30,000 trees. Also, two years ago, Valamar completely eliminated plastic straws from use in its hotels and camps.

Green Valamar is much more than a socially responsible business program. It is a value, business philosophy, and currency that is increasingly sought after. Whatever one might think about Valamar, they have the facts to back up their positive actions, and that is that in 2019 alone, they invested 129 million kuna in umbrella CSR programs.

Well done to Valamar!

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As Novac writes on the 25th of August, 2020, back at the end of July, a completely renovated Valamar Parentino Hotel 4 * (formerly known as the Valamar Hotel Zagreb) was opened in Porec, Istria, specialising in active and fun family holidays. The hotel boasts 329 accommodation units and in the peak season it can accommodate over 1,100 guests. It also employs about 140 employees.

The investment in the Valamar Parentino Hotel worth an enormous 113 million kuna is the largest investment of the Imperial Riviera for 2020. Valamar Riviera is a leading Croatian travel company that manages the entire Imperial Riviera portfolio, and Valamar Parentino Hotel has become the seventeenth tourist facility bearing the well known and respected Valamar Hotels & Resorts brand.

The Valamar Parentino Hotel is a new family-oriented oasis that provides entertainment for children and a high quality holiday for parents. The excellently equipped Maro Mini and Maxi playrooms for children of different ages, outdoor cinema screenings, a multimedia game lounge, a soft play room, and entertainment with day and evening programmes for children are just some of the possibilities offered by Valamar's Super Maro programme for children up to 12 years of age.

The main Mediterraneo restaurant serves gourmet delicacies using local ingredients, while the Oliva Grill restaurant offers simple dishes which are perfect for a light lunch or dinner.

The offer also includes Sun & Spa - Valamar's signature wellness programme, two heated outdoor pools, water slides and a shallow baby pool. The family pebble beach - Val Parentino Family - offers a range of facilities such as the Splash Beach Bar and La Pentola Trattoria Italiana, famous for its hand-made pasta and pizza offerings.

For those who want an active holiday, there is also a Stay Fit programme, tennis courts and a Music & Fun entertainment programme with a very rich and impressive offer.

Photos can be views by clicking on the above link.

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Mach 13, 2020 - Valamar, the largest hotel company in Croatia, has decided to temporarily close its hotels in Porec, Rabac, and Dubrovnik due to the coronavirus outbreak. 

Valamar decided to close its hotels in Porec, Rabac, and Dubrovnik temporarily, following the recommendation of the competent authorities and the decision of the County of Istria, which restricted public gatherings, closed schools and kindergartens and restricted use of public spaces, reports Index.hr and T.portal.

The Valamar Riveria Administration's statement is transmitted below in its entirety:

"Following the recommendations of the competent authorities and the decision of the County of Istria, which restricted public gatherings, closed schools and kindergartens and restricted the use of public spaces, Valamar decided to temporarily close the Diamond Hotel in Porec and Sanfior in Rabac. After the crisis headquarters stepped up border controls yesterday for nationals of Germany, Austria and other countries, we also decided to close the Lacroma and Argosy hotels in Dubrovnik.

There is no suspicion or occurrence of COVID-19 in Valamar hotels, but we are not able to provide the guests with the desired level of security, quality of service and experience of the destination in this situation. Given the closure of the schools and kindergartens, we have decided to stand behind our parents first and foremost, so Valamar employees will be on a collective vacation until the end of March. We believe that the National Headquarters is managing this unusual situation very well and it is only responsible to follow their recommendations and decisions with the common goal of preventing this as much as possible.

Tourism is a very important industry, so Valamar will continue to work closely with the competent authorities so that we can continue with preparations for the tourist season as soon as possible.”

The number of cases of coronavirus in Croatia rose from 27 to 31 overnight, Health Minister Vili Beros announced at a 9 am press conference in Zagreb.

There were two new cases in Istria, bringing the total there to 6, and two more in Zagreb, bringing the total to 12. the two Zagreb patients were from the close circle of existing patients, while one of the Istrian cases had returned from Italy, and the other had been in contact with someone from Zagreb who had returned to Switzerland. 

In addition to the daily TCN briefing, you can follow all aspects of TCN's coronavirus coverage in the dedicated COVID-19 section by clicking here. 

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