May 13, 2020 - Confusion reigns. Are Croatian borders open for all? Has tourism begun? A look at what we know, and a plan to find out the rest.
One of the great things about living in Croatia is just how surreal life here is, with no two days being the same. Just when you think the country is finally moving forward with cohesion and direction (10/10 to those handling the health aspects of the corona crisis - both in terms of effective measures and communication), you get a reminder that this is The Beautiful Croatia, a country I am beginning to think was the original inspiration for Monty Python.
It is also election season, so the focus is now shifting. Health, health, health was how we started. Then health, health, economy. And now we are health, economy, politics. Time will tell which of those three will determine the decision-making. But a decision has been made that tourism must begin, totally understandable as it is 20% of GDP and the livelihood for many people in Croatia.
There are strong arguments for both sides - yes and no to tourism this year - and my opinion doesn't matter either way. A decision has been made, and now Croatian tourism enters the dogfight to battle for those still planning a holiday this summer. And now that the decision has been made, the next logical step - and something that the Ministry of Health has excelled at - is to communicate the message loudly and clearly.
I have been genuinely swamped with messages asking for advice on who can travel, what is the procedure, are borders open etc. There is unbelievably confusion out there, at a time when Croatian tourism needs to be clear, concise and welcoming. Take, for example, the How to get to Croatia by air page on the Croatian National Tourist Board website. Yes, reallly, check it out yourself.
So what is the official info we have? To their credit, the national tourist board has finally moved away from quoting obscure article numbers from the Official Gazette and actually providing some useful information on its COVID-19 page, even if it took an article from Index.hr to get them to do anything.
The Ministry of Tourism website also has a new feature since Index highlighted the issues - you can find official corona info from the Ministry here.
Minister Cappelli gave an interview recently where he provided some more info, as well as the tourism metaphor of the year in the corona era - Croatia Breathes Tourism.
And Minister of the Interior Bozinovic also gave an interview explaining a lot more.
The information is all over the place, something I decided to point out to the most approachable official in the Ministry of Tourism, State Secretary Tonci Glavina. A man from Klis educated in California, Tonci is bilingual in both language and mindset, and you can see the public exchange yesterday of my request for a platform for more clarify for all our potential guests.
As requested, here are the questions I sent. As soon as I get the answers, I will publish them in a structured article on TCN, and I hope that the ministry and other official bodies will as well.
Croatia had to act decisively to contain the virus, which it did. It now needs to act decisively to salvage what it can of the tourist season. Currently, it is doing anything but.
1. Who can enter Croatia at the moment?
2. New measures have been announced which state that people can come if they have a holiday home here, a residence, some economic reason. It is all a bit vague. Can you explain exactly what the new rules are and when they come into effect?
3. Will borders be open to nationals from every country?
4. Will borders be opened at the same time? There was talk of the Slovenian border opening first for Slovenians only, then Austrians. A definitive list of which borders when and for whom would clear up a lot of confusion.
5. What is the procedure regarding testing and self-isolation? Are tourists required to take a test? If yes, who pays and how much?
6. Do you have arrangements about 14-day isolation with your EU partners returning to their home country after the holiday, or will tourists be required to do this?
7. Are UK nationals still covered by the EU health cover until the end of 2020?
8. Does 'borders open to EU citizens' include people from the UK?
9. What about tourists already in Croatia, whose visas have expired?
10. Which businesses will be allowed to operate on a Sunday during the tourist season?
11. Is there any news on when flights from outside the EU (apart from UK) are scheduled to resume?
12. What are the procedures for people sailing and arriving in Croatia from other countries on the Adriatic?
13. What if I or someone I'm travelling with develops symptoms while on holiday in Croatia?
14. The situation can change rapidly. Do travellers have to worry a spike in new infections in their home country means Croatia prevent them from entering?
For the latest on coronavirus in Croatia, check out the dedicated TCN section.
