January 5, 2022 - Poor track conditions, especially in the lower part with strong winds, forced the World Ski Organization (FIS) to cancel the Snow Queen Trophy day 2 on Sljeme.

For now, the possibility of moving the race to Thursday is being considered, though it is questionable considering that the giant slalom in Adelboden is already on Saturday.

The organizers tried to postpone the start of the race, but in the end, they decided that they would not be able to go on. 

No matter how much effort the organizers put in to keep the ground solid, the exceptionally high temperatures over the past few days have taken their toll and jeopardized the race, and eventually, its cancellation.

The latest information about the Sljeme race was revealed to HTV by Vedran Pavlek.

"FIS representatives did not support the organizers' efforts from the early morning; they came very negatively in the morning. We did everything possible; the trail was in excellent condition. The wind stopped exactly around 12 or 1 pm; around 2:15 pm, the northeast wind started. We were looking for patience. When we started number one, the track was already 10 inches harder. The trail was getting firmer, but they did not want to accept what was there. The race is planned for tomorrow, the first run at 1 pm, the second at 4:10 pm. Snow is coming tonight, and it'll be -2; it should be freezing. We need to find time, but we are on the right track," Pavlek believes.

He pointed out that the FIS representatives did not have the patience:

"There was not enough patience. We grew up on this mountain. The forecast for five days showed a rapid drop in temperature. It just took patience and confidence."

What are the odds of racing tomorrow?

"Plan B is quite safe; we have the support of the FIS, they gave us the green light, now it's just a matter of television companies. Representatives of the national teams gave excellent support; some were negative. But that's not the topic; you don't need to ask the coaches about it; slalom is not dangerous, it's not downhill, lives are not in danger. We are working on plan B, and I believe we will succeed. See you tomorrow," concluded Pavlek.

This was supposed to be the 13th edition of the men's slalom for the Snow Queen Trophy. Depending on the weather and the conditions on the track, we will see if the men's slalom race will go on at all this year.

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

January 5, 2022 - Split Airport is the busiest Croatian airport in 2021, dethroning Zagreb Airport for the first time in history! 

The three leading Croatian airports, Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik, published their monthly statistics for December, thus rounding off the annual statistics for 2021. Split Airport has confirmed its status as the busiest Croatian airport in 2021!

As Croatian Aviation already announced a few months ago, Split Airport is now officially the busiest airport in the Republic of Croatia. Namely, in 2021, a total of 1,577,584 passengers traveled through the airport. On the other hand, Zagreb, which has always been busier than Split, recorded 173 thousand fewer passengers than Split Airport in 2021. 

In December 2021, 24,568 passengers passed through Split Airport, which is significantly more than in December 2020 (only 8,665 passengers). As expected, the largest number of passengers was generated by Split in the summer months, and August was the busiest with almost half a million passengers.

Unlike the 2021 airport champion, Zagreb was not as busy in summer, though August was the most active month with only 194 thousand passengers. In December 2021, almost 180 thousand passengers traveled through Zagreb, which is an increase of 138 thousand compared to the same month in 2020. In 2021, a total of 1,404,478 passengers traveled through the Franjo Tuđman passenger terminal.

The third-busiest airport is Dubrovnik. In 2021, Dubrovnik recorded 927,934 passengers. In December, 11,738 passengers traveled through Dubrovnik Airport (4,325 passengers during the same month in 2020). As Croatian Aviation announced a few months ago, it was difficult to expect that Dubrovnik would exceed one million passengers in 2021.

Dubrovnik generated 597,787 passengers more than in 2020, Split recorded an increase of 903,218, and Zagreb the least - 479,655!

In 2021, 3,909,996 passengers traveled through the three busiest Croatian airports. Although it may seem that this is a relatively large number, the same three airports in 2019 recorded 9,633,688 passengers. In 2020, Split, Dubrovnik, and Zagreb had only 1,929,336 passengers.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

January 4, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as 12 Ryanair Zadar summer flights have been postponed until June.

After announcing the temporary cancellation of 12 routes from Zagreb Airport, Irish low-cost airline Ryanair has postponed the start of operations on the same number of routes from the Zadar base, reports Croatian Aviation.

Ryanair had already announced the start of operations on almost all seasonal routes from Zadar Airport at the very beginning of the summer flight schedule (from the end of March this year), though this will no longer happen. Namely, on 12 international lines, Ryanair postponed all operations until the beginning of June. This airline did the same with the lines from the Zagreb base.

The following lines from Zadar have been postponed and have a new start date:

Zadar - Aarhus, from June 3, twice a week,

Zadar - Nuremberg, from June 2, three times a week,

Zadar - Bari, from June 2, twice a week,

Zadar - Bologna, from June 2, twice a week,

Zadar - Milan Bergamo, from June 2, twice a week,

Zadar - Turin, from June 3, twice a week,

Zadar - Maastricht, from June 3, twice a week,

Zadar - Gdansk, from June 4, twice a week,

Zadar - Vaxjo, from June 1, twice a week,

Zadar - Bournemouth, from June 4, twice a week,

Zadar - Liverpool, from June 2, twice a week,

Zadar - Manchester, from June 4, twice a week.

The two-month postponement is justified by the airline's low demand caused by the pandemic and the reintroduction of passenger restrictions across Europe.

If passenger restrictions remain in force as we approach the start of the summer flight schedule, there is no doubt that other airlines will be forced to modify their operations as well. As a result, there will be fewer weekly operations than planned or the complete cancellation of operations, as Ryanair has already done on 12 lines from Zadar for the spring of this year.

Croatian Aviation concludes by asking how this airline will continue to react to the reduced demand and whether it will additionally cancel flights from Zagreb and Zadar, adding that such moves do not instill confidence in existing and potential passengers.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

ZAGREB, 1 January 2022 - The Cravat Regiment, a Croatian guard of honor, performed the traditional changing of guard ceremony on Saturday on the occasion of the New Year Day.

Dressed in replicas of the uniform worn by Croatian soldiers in the 17th century, the regiment's members held the ceremony in Zagreb's main square after the Grič cannon fired a shot at noon.

The cravat regiment consists of 17 members including four cavalrymen who lined up in Zagreb's main square in uniforms worn by Croatian soldiers during the Thirty Years' War.

Today's ceremony was held under the auspices of the Zagreb Tourist Board.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

December 30, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as LOT Warsaw-Zagreb flights will run daily in January, and NYE charter flights have departed from Zagreb to Italy and Portugal. 

LOT Polish Airlines will operate daily on a regular route between Warsaw and Zagreb in January 2022, reports Croatian Aviation.

Unlike last winter when LOT drastically cut and temporarily suspended traffic to Zagreb, this airline has been operating regularly towards Zagreb Airport - the only destination in Croatia in the winter months, since the beginning of this year's winter flight schedule.

On the Warsaw-Zagreb line, daily flights have been announced for January, in the morning and afternoon, depending on the day of the week. The Embraer fleet, type E195, E190, E175, and E170, will operate on the route. These aircraft have a capacity from 76 to as many as 118 seats.

LOT will offer a total of 5,072 seats on 31 return flights between the capitals of Poland and Croatia in January, and one-way tickets can be purchased in January for 960 kuna.

In addition to passengers traveling directly between the two cities (business, tourists, and VFR passengers), this airline is also used by a relatively large number of transfer passengers who continue their journey through Warsaw to other destinations in Europe and the world. Furthermore, before the pandemic, several tourists from Asia, mainly from Japan and South Korea, came to Croatia with this airline.

Croatian Aviation also reports that Croatian private airline Trade Air operated two charter flights from Zagreb on Wednesday. These are organized New Year's trips to Italy and Portugal (Catania and Porto).

At 9 am, B737-800 aircraft departed from Zagreb for Porto. The return from Porto is scheduled for January 2, 2022. 

An F100 aircraft, registration number 9A-BTE, departed from Zagreb at 10 am to Catania, Italy. The return flight is also expected on Sunday, January 2, 2022.

The flight to Porto is organized by Idea putovanja from Zagreb, while the flight to Catania is organized by Palma Travel, also from Zagreb. Croatian Aviation reports that the flights are well filled, despite the current passenger restrictions.

On December 30, at 9 am, a Croatian Airlines aircraft type A320 should take off from Marrakesh. 

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

December 28, 2021 - Zagreb is a 365-day nomad city, as the Croatian capital's favourite Israeli nomad Dean Kuchel found out on his latest building community mission.

The thing about digital nomads, I am learning, is that they seem to think the whole world exists on their schedules, and that we can all adapt.

"Paul, I am coming back to Zagreb for the third time. I love that city. So let's meet."

"Fantastic. It will be great to see you, but I also want to talk to you more about CROMADS and how we get some of your community of 25,000 nomads coming to Croatia to check out its authentic experiences.  When are you coming, and how long for?"

"December 25th, for just 18 hours. But really looking forward to seeing you. Let's go out and have some fun."

"I know you are Jewish, but December 25 is kinda a big deal here - a family day called Christmas. And nothing will be open."

Of course, Dean had no problem finding the party, enjoying a great Christmas lunch with about 15 nomads - the Zagreb community is really starting to gel. 

And apart from Santa Claus and Johnny Rotten, probably the only other chap who could tempt me off the gin-sodden sofa on Christmas Day is this man. One of our favourite haunts, Canopy by Hilton Zagreb was open throughout the holiday period, and it was good to catch up and discuss CROMADS and other plans. 

Dean was a keynote speaker at Zagreb Digital Nomad Week, as well as returning in September as the official Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador for the month. A rising star on the nomad scene, his boundless enthusiasm for all things Zagreb (as well as his increasingly frequent visits) are one more sign that the Croatian capital is establishing itself as a serious new kid on the digital nomad block.  

But Dean has bigger plans for Croatia's digital nomad story and building community than just Zagreb.  After a relaxing night, he was on the plane to Dubrovnik, where he will be working with the Dubrovnik Tourist Board building community until early in the New Year. Here he is above, with legendica Ana Hrnic, Director of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, and a firm supporter and participant in the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence Program. Stay tuned for some exciting Dubrovnik nomad news in 2022, to be announced shortly on TCN. 

Meanwhile, back in Zagreb, the community continues to grow. December Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador, Anna Maria Kochanska, was very taken by Canopy when we met there for a drink the other night to do an invitation. So much so that she organised a co-working day at the hotel today. 

For more news and features about digital nomads in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

December 30, 2021 - As Zagreb continues its journey to become a great digital nomad destination, a collection of thoughts from its 7 digital nomad ambassadors.

They say that all good things come to an end, but I have a feeling that things are only just beginning as we close the Zagreb Digital Nomad Week & Ambassador program, which has been an unqualified success. 

Just a few months ago, Zagreb was not really on the nomad radar at all, but that has changed considerably, with the Croatian capital even making the top 5 most-liked cities in the world in the recent Nomad List 2021 survey.  

And while the award-winning Zagreb Digital Nomad Week was over in the 7 days it took to host it, the subsequent Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador program - a collaboration between Saltwater Nomads, Zagreb Tourist Board, Doma Zagreb Aparthotel, and TCN - has kept the city's nomad profile running all through the second half of 2021. 

Six monthly ambassadors and their partners, from USA, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Israel, Singapore and Poland, in addition to Special Guest Ambassador 2021, Steve Tsenterensky, have given Zagreb so many different angles and points of view to take the story to the next level. And that story will continue next year, with more details of Zagreb Digital Nomad Week 2022 coming shortly. 

Each ambassador kindly agreed to speak to TCN (some on several occasions) during their stay, and I thought it would be a nice way to finish the programme by placing them all side by side to show the depth and diversity that is interested in Zagreb, the digital nomad destination. Heroes all, and many thanks for all your immense contributions.

Veronica Mulhall from New York - July Ambassador.

Julian from Zimbabwe and Manchester - July Ambassador's Partner Extraordinaire.

Rudi Witkowsky from South Africa - August Ambassador.

Dean Kuchel from Israel - September Ambassador. 

Andrae Smith from South Africa - October Ambassador.

Rax Suen from Singapore - November Ambassador.

Anna Maria Kochanska from Poland - December Ambassador. 

Steve Tsentserensky from USA, Special Guest Ambassador 2021. 

For more news and features about digital nomads in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

ZAGREB, 28 December, 2021 - Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević said at a news conference on Tuesday that the city administration would be overhauled in 2022, and as a result, the number of city departments would be cut from 27 to 16.

Those 16 departments will be led by acting directors until vacancies are advertised, the mayor told a news conference.

He announced a public call for applications for the head of the office for city asset management and for the spokesperson for the city administration.

Tomašević highlighted the fact that the four-member management board of the Zagrebački Holding multi-utility conglomerate had been selected following a public call for the first time.

The mayor expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of post-quake reconstruction in the city, notably of private properties.

He added that the city administration had demanded amendment of the relevant legislation and that the law on post-quake reconstruction had been changed.

There is no longer any excuse for the state not to start making the relevant decisions, the mayor added.

December 28, 2021 - Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador for December Anna Maria Kochanska on life in the Croatian capital in its most festive month. 

Six months, six different monthly ambassadors (as well as Special Guest Ambassador Steve Tsentserensky), and a very active ambassador to finish the very successful Zagreb Digital Nomad Week & Ambassador program, which runs from June 21 to December. 

After ambassadors and partners from USA, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Israel and Singapore, Anna Maria Kochanska from Poland arrived to take up ambassadorial duties for the month of December. 

And she has been everywhere, enjoying Advent in Zagreb to the full, as well as organising several meetups in between her public speaking and media appearances. 

Each month has been very different, but I think it is fair to say that December has been by far the most active month in terms of ambassadorial activity, as Steve and Anna Maria have explored more of the city in a month than I manage in a year.

I caught up with Anna Maria just before Christmas at Canopy by Hilton, which hosted the press conference and opening day of Zagreb Digital Nomad Week back in June. I was initially a little worried at how our December ambassador would spend the last week of the year, as it is very much a family time of year.  

But I need not have worried, for I think Anna Maria had a lot more company and fun over the festive period than most of us.

Here she is interviewed at Canopy a few days ago, reflecting on her month in Zagreb so far and her plans for the festive period. 

Stay tuned for more information about Zagreb Digital Nomad Week 2022 - more details will be announced shortly. 

For more news and features about digital nomads in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

December 28, 2021 - Zagreb Digital Nomad Special Guest Ambassador Steve Tsentserensky reflects on life in the Croatian capital in December.

If there is a bigger fan of Zagreb, I have yet to meet that person. 

Of all the digital nomads who have spent time in the Croatian capital this year (and there have been many), few have been as visible as Steve Tsentserensky from Cleveland, Ohio. One of the first recipients of the Croatian digital nomad permit back in March, Steve has been very active travelling around the country, but all roads ultimately lead back to his true Croatian love, Zagreb. 

One of the most effective and active ambassadors of Croatia to the global digital nomad community, I was delighted for Steve when he was named Zagreb Digital Nomad Special Guest Ambassador 2021 in recognition of his efforts so far. 

And the new title had a very positive effect, as Steve had arguably his most active month so far, both in the media and public speaking, as well as covering as much of the city and many events as was humanly possible. 

TCN caught up with Steve just before Christmas at the location where Zagreb's digital nomad journey began - Canopy by Hilton - to reflect on life in Zagreb in December, and to learn how nomads spend this traditional family time. I was not surprised to learn that Steve's Christmas was a lot more active than mine. 

The Zagreb Digital Nomad Week and Ambassador Project is a collaboration between Saltwater Nomads,,Total Croatia News, and Zagreb Tourist Board, and it will run until December 31. Six ambassadors plus Steve each spent a calendar month in the city starting on July 1. 

Stay tuned for more information about Zagreb Digital Nomad Week 2022 - more details will be announced shortly. 

For more news and features about digital nomads in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.