June 12, 2021 - Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac has revealed 16,000 Safe Stay in Croatia users and more than 60% of tourism workers vaccinated in Croatia so far.
HRTurizam reports that the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Nikolina Brnjac held meetings with the directors of county tourist boards and representations of the Croatian Tourist Board (CNTB) to discuss preparations ahead of the summer season and the results of activities aimed at recognizing Croatia as a safe tourist destination.
In recent months, Croatia has been working intensively on several activities to make the tourist system ready to welcome tourists. From the Safe Stay in Croatia project to the setup points for testing tourists, co-financing tests, and vaccinating tourist workers, Brnjac emphasized.
"As of today, the Safe Stay in Croatia project has more than 16,000 users, and we are delighted with that, but now all facilities that have been awarded the national label and protocols apply, and the Ministry must begin increased control. All directors of tourist boards should be engaged to make tourists feel as safe as possible in their destinations, especially in terms of encouraging tourist workers to vaccinate and adhere to measures and establish additional testing points. The government is continuously working on all the preconditions for a safe and successful season in Croatia, in which its partnership with the county tourist boards is essential. Only with the coordination and responsibility of all stakeholders can we remain competitive this year as well," said Minister Brnjac during the meetings.
During the meeting, the directors of representative offices in key markets especially pointed out that the Safe Stay in Croatia project had an excellent response in emitting markets, which recognized Croatia as a destination that focuses on safety and takes all measures to ensure that their guests have all the necessary services available in today's travel conditions. It was emphasized at the meetings that it is crucial to maintain and improve the current favorable epidemiological situation. In this context, it is essential to increase the vaccination of the population and tourism workers.
Namely, one of the most important factors in choosing the destination of many tourists in the security segment is the data on the vaccination of the population and employees in tourism and activities related to tourism. So far, more than 60 percent of employees in Croatia have been vaccinated not only in the tourist system but also in activities that are part of the travel chain, from carriers, employees in airports, marinas, and others.
In addition, since the possibility of simple and affordable testing is an integral part of the trip, they also discussed the continuation of setting up additional testing points depending on the needs and increased tourist traffic. So far, about 350 additional testing points have been set up throughout Croatia.
Furthermore, the current trends related to measures to facilitate travel, i.e., crossing borders and increased demand from numerous markets, were also discussed. Croatia or parts of Croatia and its counties have been removed from the list of high-risk countries in Austria, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, and Slovenia in recent days.
Yesterday, by a new decision of the Croatian Civil Protection Headquarters, entry into the Republic of Croatia for persons coming from the Schengen area, who are vaccinated with two doses of vaccine, will be allowed to enter as soon as they are vaccinated with another dose, and will not have to wait 14 days.
"This is extremely important news for Croatia, given that the German market is one of our most important markets because German tourists are the most numerous guests in our country," said Brnjac and added: "I believe that with this new travel facilitation, German tourists will choose our country even more as it is an ideal destination, but also how this decision will be an incentive for other countries that have not yet done so, to declare Croatia safe for travel."
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