June 20, 2021 - Novalja and Zrće Beach COVID-19 testing points have been announced to facilitate travel for tourists in the area! 

Tourist season preparations are in full swing in one of the most visited tourist destinations in Croatia. To ensure its guests a more pleasant stay and a safer return home, the City of Novalja, in cooperation with the Novalja Tourist Board, Novalja Health Center, and Medico Special Hospital from Rijeka, provided 2 additional COVID-19 testing points for tourists, reports HRTurizam.

In addition to the existing one at the Novalja Health Center, and the new location in Slatinska Street (parking location), a testing point on Zrće will start working next week.

"Certainly, the demand for rapid and PCR tests in the coming days and weeks will grow, and by equipping two additional points and providing testing services for COVID-19, we create one of the most important prerequisites for a successful season, but also health safety," said Marina Sciran Rizner, director of the Novalja Tourist Board.

"This is the second season done in aggravating circumstances and we care that tourism and the economy in our area achieve better results. We are working to enable people to come, all the prescribed measures will be respected, we will be one step ahead of COVID-19, we will follow the good examples from Istria and we will break the rumor about Zrće. This summer, Zrće will not be a bad example and an infection point, nor a threat to the tourism of the island, let alone Croatia," said Ivan Dabo, the mayor of Novalja for Večernji list.

The pandemic has significantly accelerated digital transformation, while it has not bypassed tourism. Everyday changes in the constraints of international travel require quick and efficient adaptation and flexibility to the needs of the tourism market, and quick and simple solutions such as testing applications, significantly relieve the already overloaded health system. Therefore, in addition to fixed points, an organization of mobile teams has been agreed with SB Medico for the needs of testing larger groups of tourists by arriving at accommodation facilities.

Following the above, if the guest needs a test, it is simply necessary to register beforehand using the app.medico.hr application and choose the type of test they need. After registration and payment, the professional medical staff takes a swab and performs the test in an accredited laboratory. The result is sent by e-mail in a form recognized by the European Commission within the deadline set for each type of test.

The first step is to choose a service.

QUICK ANTIGEN TEST - the result is issued within 15-20 minutes, not longer than an hour. (For BAT It is obligatory to enter promo code: 100med) - Price: 100,00kn / person

PCR TEST (Teaching Institute for Public Health) - The result is issued within 24 hours, not later than 48 hours) - Price: 550,00kn / person

QUICK PCR TEST (Medico) - The result is issued within 15-20 minutes, not longer than an hour. - Price: 650,00kn / person

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For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border, and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and testing centers across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

July 5, 2020 - After the City of Novalja prohibited music festivals from Croatia's most well-known party beach, Zrce is vacant, with only 30 beachgoers counted on July 1. 

It was the first day of July. The temperature was above 30, the sun was scorching, and the sea crystal clear. An endless row of deckchairs were neatly arranged with a carefully measured distance, and club music could be heard in the background from one of the bars. It is a perfect backdrop for a good time.

Only there are no people.

Jutarnji List reports that Zrce beach in Novalja, a paradise for partygoers from all over the world, an entertainment industry and money factory, is empty. In letters and numbers, on the 25 thousand square meters of the most famous beach in Croatia, on the first day of July, a total of 30 people were counted.

Half of them were the staff that is there for the few guests who do not want to give up on Zrce even after the City of Novalja officially banned all festivals, after-parties and other mass gatherings on the beach. For club owners and those who live indirectly from Zrce, and there are quite a few of them in Novalja, this was the last nail in the coffin of an already lost season.

And Zrce really looks sad. In the huge parking lot, which was once inaccessible due to the crowds, there is currently an empty concrete field with only a few cars with Zagreb license plates. Boards were nailed to the openings of countless small bars selling food and drinks on the beach, and a "no money" notice was posted on a dozen ATMs and closed exchange offices.

Of the five big clubs, only Calypso, which works in part as a cafe, opened its doors on the Novalja side. On the Kolan side, because the beach is administratively divided between the two municipalities, Noa opened seven days ago, though it might as well be closed, as only twenty or so people fill the space that can accommodate a few thousand of them.

On the terrace of one of the only two open beach bars, Sime Ostaric, the beach concessionaire for the last four years, the director of the company "Naša ideja", which holds all the entertainment facilities on Zrce, sat alone.

"The Hideout festival started on this day last year. More than 15,000 foreigners from all over the world were partying in this desolation that you see now. How am I now watching this? It's painful. If I may be frank, it's f*cking painful," Ostaric says openly. 

Last year it employed 250 people, now it employs a total of 12. Not even five percent. His managers work as waiters; there is no choice or election; everyone is aware of the problem.

And at the beginning of the year, everything smelled like records. Bookings for festivals, which bring thousands of partygoers to Zrce every weekend, was 30 percent better than the year before, and three entirely new events were planned. And then at the beginning of March, the cancellations started, they slowly dropped out one by one until finally, by the decision of the City, they were not banned from all gatherings.

"This year, we were supposed to break records. Instead, we live on gasoline money, on loans that are terribly hard to get no matter how much is said otherwise. I first opened eight days ago and only because of the destination, although I know we won’t even be at zero. In fact, we will be far below zero. There are no people, that is the beginning and the end of the story. This is an entertainment industry that works on the principle of large numbers.

In Novalja, in fact, on the whole of Pag, you have countless apartments, villas, apartments that are filled only by Zrce. Not only did the corona attract partiers but also family people, other tourists, who came here because of what we have created here. Not the state, not local self-government, but private initiative. In the last three years, we have invested 21 million kuna in this beach. Zrce is the driver of all tourism on the island; I would dare say that there is no brand in Croatian tourism like this. But, it seems to me more and more that no one cares about that," says Ostaric.

His words would probably be signed by the owners of the other five big clubs who tried in all possible ways to save what was left of the season. And by day, not by night.

When a new wave of corona started, they tried to organize smaller programs that would allow the gathering of 20 to 30 people, with all possible epidemiological measures such as temperature checks, protective masks at the entrance, places for isolation ... they were already warming up, inquiries began, and then a rude awakening. The Civil Protection Headquarters of the City of Novalja, after a session at which they analyzed the events that are planned to be organized in nightclubs on Zrce, prohibited the organization of all festivals.

"I am aware that this decision does not suit everyone. We are only guided by the interests of the city and the intention to preserve and not endanger this 50 percent of tourist traffic from last year. With irresponsible behavior, especially party tourism, which is certainly inappropriate for anti-epidemic measures, we will endanger what we have," the mayor of Novalja, Ivan Dabo, said in response to the objections from Zrce.

Out of 1.7 million overnight stays last year in Novalja, as many as 900 thousand were realized in private accommodation. By far, the largest number, over 800 thousand, falls on young party members who come here primarily because of Zrce. Contrary to the typical Croatian prejudices that this is the youth who sleeps among the pine trees with a backpack on their back and no kuna in their pocket, lives on sandwiches from the store and drinks water from the tap, the truth is somewhat different. They are excellent consumers, and statistics show that their personal consumption is much higher than that of the average tourist in Croatia and far exceeds, for example, the amount spent on holidays by family members who come as tourists.

In Novalja, they calculated that each of their party members spends a minimum of 120 euro a day on accommodation, food, going out and all other services. When this amount is multiplied by the number of at least eight hundred thousand overnight stays, as many as the guests from Zrce, we come to the figure of an incredible one hundred million euro that turn in just one season. Perhaps it is now clearer why an empty beach hurts so badly, and how much the law of large numbers in mass tourism can be fickle.

The private renters who are most connected to the guests from Zrce know this best. As many as 20,000 beds in private accommodation were difficult to fill even in normal seasons, let alone in this tourist apocalypse.

"I'm afraid this is not the worst thing that could happen to us. Because the next season, which will be entered at the end of August, when contracts are being made and sales for the summer of 2021, will start to become questionable. If it continues like this, it will not be good at all. And then we will all kneel together," Ostaric concludes.

July 1, 2020 -  The Novalja Civil Protection Headquarters says no to music festivals on the famous Zrce beach. 

HRTurizam reports that on June 29, 2020, the Civil Protection Headquarters of the City of Novalja held a video conference to discuss the current situation in the City of Novalja regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, with an emphasis on events planned to be held in nightclubs on Zrce beach. 

Namely, the clubs on Zrce have announced that they will open their doors in the first week of July, namely the clubs Kalypso, Papaya and Nomad, while the club Noa has been operating for the last twelve days, of course with all the recommendations and measures. This news raised a lot of questions in the media, even in Slovenia.

The City of Novalja reacted with the mentioned session at which they pointed out that no electronic music festival has been organized in the area of Zrce beach in agreement with the owners of clubs and festivals, and stressed that the City of Novalja does not want to issue any consent for music events on Zrce beach. 

Given the recent events in the Republic of Croatia, and related to the appearance of the coronavirus in some nightclubs, the Headquarters decided that this summer tourist season will not issue approvals to clubs and concessionaires on Zrce beach for festivals, after parties and similar parties. The same goes for party boats.

It was proposed that the same Conclusion be forwarded to the Municipality of Kolan, where the Noa Club and other smaller clubs are located, and which was accepted. An identical conclusion was agreed during the day at the session of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Municipality of Kolan.

Furthermore, the Headquarters has decided that no further concerts, festivities and outdoor parties will be held until further notice, where a larger number of visitors can be expected.

By the way, there are no people infected with the coronavirus in the City of Novalja. According to the eVisitor system, until June 28, 5,293 tourists (without occasional visitors or weekenders) were registered in the City of Novalja, which is 53.28% compared to the same day last year. Most of the tourists (57.05%) are staying in the Strasko camp.

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

June 29, 2020 - The preconditions for opening the clubs on Zrce beach have been closely monitored in communication with competent epidemiologists and authorities since the beginning of the COVID-19 virus. Only now, when the prescribed decisions, measures and recommendations allow it, will the summer club season open.

Namely, HRTurizam reports that the clubs Kalypso, Papaya and Nomad will open their doors in the first week of July, while the club Noa has been operating for the last ten days.

One of the most recognizable club destinations in the world for the last 20 years has actively developed various tourist offers, music festivals, recreational facilities and other events and attracts foreign investors, raises quality and helps develop the entire destination of Novalja and Pag.

Club tourism on Zrce, in the usual circumstances, is characterized by high attendance, which in some periods of the season recorded over 13 thousand guests, so COVID-19 inevitably hit hard. This is supported by the fact that the beach season usually begins in mid-May.

"We believe that the opening of this summer season is one of the key segments of maintaining the continuity of tourist arrivals and visits, and thus a successful next season. The destination is kept current, and the arrival of interested guests who have been visiting Croatia and Zrce beach for many years can remain uninterrupted," said Tea Cafuta, a representative of the clubs on Zrce beach.

Recall, in Croatia, indoor events are allowed under strictly prescribed and certain conditions, but the clubs on Zrce beach see the advantage in the fact that all their events and club programs are held exclusively outdoors and are very large, allowing prescribed physical distances.

In parallel, in Switzerland, for example, up to a thousand people are allowed indoors, while in Italy, outdoor events are also allowed with respect to physical distance, even though it was one of the most affected countries, Cafuta points out and emphasizes:

"Tourists, but also domestic guests, who will visit the Croatian coast this summer, can be just as safe in clubs on Zrce as when going to the store, using public transport, staying and spending the night in a hotel and apartment or going to the beach."

For the safe and epidemiologically controlled work of outdoor clubs, Zrce beach facilities will adhere to all prescribed measures and recommendations and carefully monitor the further development of the situation in order to keep all segments of functioning and operation under full control.

"Clubs have a detailed plan of compliance with measures that include primarily strict control of the entrance of people, monitoring guests at all points within the facility, and the number of people by zones. Hygienic measures will also be observed, which include the installation of disinfectants at the entrances to facilities, toilets, and next to/at each bar inside the premises, disinfection of work surfaces, and the entire space as well as temperature measurement of employees and guests at the entrance. Then there are measures to regulate physical distance when guests enter the facility, the distance of tables inside the facility, reducing the number of chairs, the possibility of keeping guests in certain places, and all other measures that can create conditions for safe work and unburdened entertainment of their guests," Cafuta added.

Communication between club management in close cooperation with epidemiologists and the competent institution takes place regularly, which implies monitoring the changes and decisions of the Civil Protection Headquarters, instructions and recommendations of the CNIPH and following the situation, adapting and changing the way of work when needed. They concluded that this is ultimately the only way to ensure responsible and relaxed club fun this summer within epidemiological frameworks.

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

Novalja and its famous Zrce beach is one of Croatia's top destinations, but as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the economic crisis that ensued, the area remains quiet and desolate for now. Novalja is without people, and Zrce is without its parties.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 28th of May, 2020, the owners of Novalja's apartments and hotels have prepared protective equipment, disinfectants, everything has been arranged, but there have been no reservations made. Only one guest from France contacted an agency that rents a hundred apartments on the popular island of Pag. Those who have clubs on Zrce are already ready for the blackest of scenarios to come to fruition - a completely failed tourist season for 2020.

Depending on who you asl, the drop in revenue is estimated at an extremely concerning 65 to 80 percent. These are tens of billions of kuna on which Croatia depends. And that's why the battle for each and every possible guest has already started.

"If we had this conversation on this same day a year ago, Novalja would be much happier and much livelier and there'd be all sorts going on, all of the cafes and restaurants would be open, everything would already be in operation," explained landlord Miljenko Dabo for RTL.

"At this moment in time, we'd be full, the hotel and the restaurant would be full," added Boris Suljic.

The first guests were due to arrive in March, and July and August were almost completely filled up. Now Novalja's tourist workers and apartment owners are preparing for the season to arrive, but they themselves don't know what to expect from it at all.

“Before coronavirus came along... last year was great. It was amazing. We didn't have any problems, we were all very satisfied. We had a lot of reservations, for now we only have two, one in July and one in August,'' said Dabo.

And while they all wait, they're trying to adjust to this new sort of normalcy.

"And we're being careful, we have small children, we have grandchildren, the youngest is only six months old, the latter is two and a half. And we have a grandmother who is almost 100 years old. So it's not easy, we have to be careful because health is the most important thing,'' noted Dabo.

The trouble specific to Novalja is that most tourists are partygoers, and the clubs are not doing well. Margarita Matas, the owner of a travel agency, also claims that the situation is not good for them either. She runs about 100 apartments and has a hostel herself.

"The situation is quite bad at the moment. It was great, about 20 percent stronger than last year. We were watching that unfold back in February, on the same date last year we were doing 20 percent better than we are now. We had over a thousand reservations, but now... there are just two percent of that thousand left,'' said Matas.

By early March this year, about 60 percent of the beds in Novalja had been booked. Boris Suljic, the owner of the Boskinac hotel, restaurant and winery, as well as the Kalypso club on Zrce, said:

"Our expectations are very realistic on the basis of somewhere around 30, 35 percent when compared to last year's business. Based on the work of hotels, restaurants and wineries. Another segment of business is the one that depends on party tourism, that will be one or zero percent,'' said Suljic.

He opened his restaurant and hotel in mid-May, and he hopes to open at least as a cafe on Zrce.

"We have to hold onto our mental condition and image. In all this, we need to not sink into desperation and give up because we're selling happiness. We sell experiences, pleasure... That's why we must not fall into trouble and deliver that same trouble, we must deliver hope,'' concluded Suljic.

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May 27, 2020 - The new TNT docuseries 'Shaq Life', featuring basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal, follows the world's largest superstar to Croatia, the first stop of his European DJ Diesel Tour.

Whether you were a basketball fan or not, growing up in Southern California, you knew who Shaquille O'Neal was. The NBA legend played for the Los Angeles Lakers for eight years and brought the NBA championship to the Staples Center for a three-peat in 2000, 2001, 2002. Alongside Kobe Bryant, many consider the duo one of the NBA's best. 

But Shaq wasn't just an entertainer on the court. Shaq's filmography takes him from playing a 3,000-year-old genie in 'Kazaam', to voicing his own character in 'The Lego Movie.' He was the face of Pepsi and IcyHot, appeared in professional wrestling events, and even tried his hand in rapping during the1990s.

While his days on the court may be over, his days as an entertainer are just beginning.

Most recently, the 48-year-old four-time NBA champion and MVP is a dubstep DJ, which brings us to why he was in Croatia last summer. 

Namely, under the stage name DJ Diesel, Shaq performed at the famous party-beach Zrće, Noa club, as part of the inaugural Pow Wow festival. It was also the first stop on his European DJ tour. TCN wrote all about it here.

In what Fanbuzz calls an "exclusive, no holds barred look into how the world’s largest superstar lives his life" the new 'Shaq Life' docuseries centered around Shaquille O’Neal's life follows the basketball legend on his Croatian journey. 

Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, which certainly adds to the excitement of the show, Shaq Life debuted on April 9, and aired every Thursday on TNT.

If you haven't already seen it, you can catch a clip of Shaq's Croatian adventure below:

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

As Dnevnik writes on the 16th of July, 2019, at about 01:00, a fire broke out in a pine forest on the famous Zrće beach in Novalja on the island of Pag. Visitors were evacuated and the extinguishing of the fire was progress, the police reported this morning.

Due to the presence of the firefighting vehicles, traffic between Pag-Novalja above Zrće beach was halted for several hours, and traffic is now permitted along one lane, with police regulation.

"The fire was stopped at around 300 metres from a hospitality facility, what was most difficult to deal with was the wind direction, and we can't be sure if evacuation is necessary in those cases. However, they decided to evacuate and that was the best choice. The clubs were not threatened.

A large number of people were in the woods so the police had a lot of work to do, and the co-ordination of the firefighters and police officers was excellent. People were fleeing because the fire had spread in all directions and nobody knew where to go,'' Hrvoje Ostović of the Lika-Senj fire department added.

Željko Prša of the police said that the source and cause of the fire is yet to be determined.

"Whether the fire was purposeful or not will be seen after the fire is extinguished and we start looking for witnesses. When we know the conditions to see what has happened are secure, then we'll see. It's too early to talk about whether the fire was started purposely or not. There were thirty or forty policemen on the ground, and together with the firemen, they did the best job they could. Some of the people who were here got disoriented and went off into the woods, some of them were curious and wanted to see what it was all about - we've got all of them back to safety,'' he said.

"All three Canadairs have been returned back to base, the fire is under the control of the firefighters and they're putting it out, and all the tourists and the employees of the clubs that were in Zrće have been evacuated," stated a statement from MUP.

Foreign media have reported on the fire on Pag, as there are many foreign tourists in Novalja, and the Fresh Island Festival was also being held.

It's a whole forest fire at #freshisland pic.twitter.com/TRSGDIegTG

— Antonio Simmons (@antonio_simmons) July 15, 2019

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As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 13th of June, 2019, the owners of the internationally famous beach clubs Blue Marlin and Nikki Beach want to open their first Croatian franchise in Novalja, at no less than Zrće beach.

In just one week, Croatia's famous Zrće beach is set to get a large new gastronomic-music club for adults over the age of 25.

This refers to club Nomad which will be jointly opened by the owner of the nearby club Papaya, Ivan Bušljeta, and Josip Klemm, at the site of the former Aquarius.

As has already been reported, the duo purchased Aquarius in spring this year, and back in March, they founded the company Projekt (Project) Nomad, building a new club.

As Bušljeta revealed, this new investment is worth about five million euros, and the club combines a combination of top-quality gastronomic services, deep-house, house, techno, tech house and other disco music with a relaxed club atmosphere.

When it comes to the actual design of the club, the duo were inspired by the style of those on the populat Greek island of Mykonos, and those responsible for the design and the realisation of it are Leskovar and Mi2 studio, and the club, according to Bušljeta, is undergoing its final stages, and because of that, no photographs of the progress are currently available.

Zrće beach's brand new club will operate as a beach bar, a restaurant and a nightclub with a two-hour cabaret show that will be held every night during the tourist season. Nomad will officially open at the Island Gathering Festival, which will be held in late June in cooperation with BSH events and Tanzen Kollektiv.

Nomad's owners have revealed that this is just be the beginning of the transformation of the famous (or infamous, as the case may be) Zrće beach.

Make sure to follow our dedicated travel and lifestyle pages for much more.

The allegations about a “drug war” between British gangs in Croatia has attracted the attention of the British authorities.

New developments in the Zrće murder case.