As Glas Istre/Duska Palibrk writes on the 14th of December, 2019, the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) announced a public call for non-refundable grants for the top events and manifestations to come across the Republic of Croatia in 2020, which are among the main motives for both domestic and foreign tourists to come to a given destination.

This announcement from the Croatian National Tourist Board encourages the development of facilities to further attempt to extend the typical Croatian tourist season and further increase traffic, especially in the pre- and post-seasons. Applications will be received in electronic and hard copy forms by January the 7th, 2020, with a massive 2.5 million kuna available in total.

''We launched a public call in December to allow all interested parties enough time to prepare and apply for projects in a proper manner. I'm sure that this time we'll receive a large number of applications, which will be an additional confirmation of the continuous development and improvement of the Croatian tourist offer with an emphasis placed on manifestations as one of the main motives for tourists deciding on a destination,'' said the director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, Kristjan Staničić, adding that investments in facilities and infrastructure are a basic precondition for positioning Croatia as an attractive year-round destination.

Companies, crafts, cooperatives, public institutions, cultural institutions, arts organisations, local and regional self-government units and tourist boards are all free to apply. The approved fees are intended to cover the costs of organising the event, such as all of the equipment, space and transportation needed, as well as potential equipment rental, material procurement, accommodation costs, contractor fees, promotional and other organisational activities.

The non-refundable grants being offered by the Croatian National Tourist Board have been approved for use for the organisation of cultural, entertainment, eno-gastronomic, historical and traditional events, which have been held at least twice over the last five years and have a strong promotional effect both here in Croatia and abroad.

The Croatian National Tourist Board's tourism council may, in exceptional cases, decide to support an event which is being held for the first time, if it can clearly be expected that it will greatly enrich the tourist offer of the destination in which it is going to be held.

The criteria for evaluation will be the importance for creating the motive for the arrival of guests, the importance for the development of the destination and its tourist offer, and its promotion of Croatia as a whole abroad, the nature of the event, its content and quality, the period of the event and the event's media advertising plan.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

A mere fifteen or so years ago, Bale in Istria was a pretty but still undeveloped small town that seemed to lack any real perspective. This is no longer the case today.

As Novac writes on the 14th of December, 2019, it all began fifteen years ago with the decision of Plinio Cuccurin, hitherto publicly known as a top manager and one of the two key figures at what was then the Rovinj tobacco factory, to devote himself to the development of his native Bale.

Since then, Bale has transformed itself beyond recognition. Not only through budgeting, changes are evident at both the content and visual levels. Bale was given a brand new framework, primarily owing to Cuccurin's idea that he and his associates saw the Mon Perin Citizens' Association in perspective and could see what function it could have in the development of this picturesque little Istrian town. In a decade and a half, in addition to becoming a mainstay of the municipality whose budget has begun to fill up, Mon Perin has become a leader in sustainable, participatory and social entrepreneurship in Croatia, according to Glas Istre.

Sustainable entrepreneurship in the case of Mon Perin and Bale means that it is evolving to fit the wants and needs of its residents first and foremost. The concept of participatory democracy means that employees and co-owners of Mon Perin, as well as the residents of Bale participate in the creation, adoption and the eventual implementation of various projects through the municipality. Mon Perin's entrepreneurship is social as well, since it takes care of those who need help through donations and by creating tourism, cultural and business activities, as well as raising standards collectively.

In Bale and through Mon Perin, and owing to the unbreakable link between them, all these theories have been successfully put into practice in beautiful little Bale.

Through Mon Perin and the camps that belong to it, such as San Polo and Colone, Bale is developing a hitherto unknown and therefore innovative enterprise - one with a human face. Success is important, as is profit, as is environmental protection. The point of the whole story for Bale lies in the balance of all those things, the balance of citizens and of nature. At the same time, everything seems somehow to limit the development of Bale and Mon Perin, but in a proper manner, opting for gradual and moderation rather than exaggeration.

Mon Perin's market value today syands at a massive 300 million kuna. When it was first established, there were two one-star camps, and now there is one four-star camp. At the time of its founding, it had a mere five employees, and now there are 35 of them. Overall, in the season, 140 people work for Mon Perin, and the average net salary is 7,200 kuna, which is 20 percent more than in industry.

The huge difference in time since its inception to the present day is already visible at first glance in three other categories. First, in the number of overnight stays: there used to be 73 thousand per year, now there are 276 thousand.

Second, revenue: from 5.2 million kuna, they increased to an incredible 59 million kuna.

Third, EBITDA, therefore, profit before depreciation and tax: from 317 thousand kuna it climbed to an impressive 28.5 million kuna! Mon Perin's total investments since 2006 up to 2019, amounts to 187 million kuna.

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

December 14, 2019 - Palace Elisabeth, hvar heritage hotel opened its doors in September, the first 5-star hotel on the island. A photo tour of a luxurious step back in time. 

It is a very strange experience being a tourist in the place you live. After ten years living on Hvar, I had that first experience a few years ago when the foodie media experts from Gastronaut came to visit. Accommodation in Hotel Riva, dinner at Garful, a speedboat transfer to taste Zlatan Otok wines before another speedboat transfer to Palmizana and lunch at Meneghello - top Hvar experiences form the viewpoint of the tourist. 

It was a life I could get used to... 

Such occasions are rare for a blogger of course, but I was delighted to accept an invitation to the opening of one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the year on the island - the opening of Palace Elisabeth, the first 5-star heritage hotel on Hvar, and only the third 5-star hotel on a Croatian island. It was quite a night, and having covered tourism on Hvar for 8 years via Total Hvar, a particular honour to witness the start of the latest initiative to move the Hvar tourism story in a more elite direction. You can read a report of the opening party here.  

So how does Palace Elisabeth look close up? Well, as you can see from the photo above, there are worse places to be sitting to take in another breathtaking Hvar sunset over the Pakleni Islands than on the balcony of the Penthouse Suite.

The hotel is a gorgeous mixture of modern luxury with intricate heritage detail. And it has quite a history, located on the place where organised tourism began in Europe back in 1868 and opposite the oldest public theatre in Europe, just across the main square, a theatre which also reopened this year after a 20-year renovation. 

Take a tour of Palace Elisabeth below, and learn more about it from the official Suncani Hvar website. 

December 14, 2019 - Another fantastic addition to the renaissance of Osijek's old town - a former military bakery with a modern twist and some very old graffiti. 

One of the many highlights in another exceptional year in this beautiful country was the opportunity to explore Slavonia and the east in greater detail. I still have more to write on my October visits to Ilok and Kopacki Rit, but one place that grows on me more and more with every visit is Osijek. I don't think anyone who visited Days of Croatian Tourism will forget the outstanding display put on by the organisers of the Osijek part of the itinerary. The old town really came to life, and I could see that many first-time visitors from Zagreb and the coast were visibly surprised at the beauty and show. It was a wonderful experience, and you can capture a glimpse of the action in the impressive official video below.

While walking around the old two, the Osijek maestros and top Croatian photographers, Mario Romulic and Drazen Stojcic, took me around their native town, pointing out things of interest, including a stunning new square at Tvrdja that had until recently been a muddy car park. But they made no mention of THIS - a superbly renovated former military bakery in the old town, exquisitely adapted for modern use, while preserving much of the character of the past, including the 200-year-old graffiti. 

Perhaps it is best explained by architect Bruno Rechner, the project architect, before enjoy the fruits of his work through the lens of Romulic and Stojcic. 

In the middle of Tvrdja in Osijek there's a special building, great cultural heritage. 200 years ago it was a military bakery. The preserved graffiti on the walls and great ovens are telling us the story. Today it is reconstructed to a multifunctional space. Every level has it's own functionality, but they all are very complementary.

Exterior is like it was before, we have only added new glass staircase.

On the ground level there's a lobby, cafe, restaurant, co-working space and meeting areas. On the first level there's a hostel with 15 rooms. On the second level there are offices and workshops. On the roof level there's a great conference hall.

Reconstruction cost: 40 million kuna, 80% EU funding

Old bakery...reconstruction designed by Rechner architects...

Learn more about the Slavonian capital in the Total Croatia Osijek in a Page guide.

For the latest news from Osijek, check out the dedicated TCN section.  

December 14, 2019 - On Thursday, December 12, 2019, the grand finale of the Get in the Ring Split 2019 competition was held at the Radisson Blu Hotel.

In an atmosphere that even the biggest Hollywood films would boast, six finalists who underwent an extensive program of screening and evaluation by experienced entrepreneurs and investment fund representatives fought for a prize pool of HRK 250,000 and a shot on the stage of the Get in the Ring Global Competition 2020. The competition was organized by the Faculty of Economics in cooperation with the City of Split.

The finale of the competition was opened by program manager Michael Freer, who introduced the concept to the audience, after which Mayor Andro Krstulovic Opara and Dean of the Faculty of Economics in Split Maja Fredotovic addressed the crowd. The finals featured three 1-on-1 fights in front of an expert jury and audience. 

According to the Get in the Ring standard, the fights consisted of the following segments: a general 1-minute introduction per competitor, then 5 rounds of 30 seconds per competitor in which they represented their team, their achievements, business model, market and finally, in the fifth ‘freestyle’ round, competitors had the opportunity to further convince the jury that they were the best startups. This was followed by 8 minutes of questions from the jury and 5 minutes of questions from the audience. The six finalists competing in the 1-on1 fights were Stiža Rezic from startup Mashroom Cups, Tomas Pinusic from startup GoToBot, Josip Marasović from Saliboat RC, Andrea Grisogono from startup Reel, Antonijo Perić Mažar from the Litto Agency and Slaven Damjanović from the startup eAgrar.

Choosing the winner, however, was anything but easy. After every fight and by the jury decision, in true boxing fashion, program manager and ringmaster Michael Freer would raise his hand to declare the winner. The jury trio then explained why they chose the winner of the fight, pointing out the key reasons, both in terms of scaling current business and in terms of long-term sustainability. Thus, the winners of the 1-on-1 fight were Stipe Režić (Mushroom Cups), Andrea Grisogono (Reel) and Slaven Damjanović (eAgrar).

The next stage of the competition saw the winners hold a five-minute Q&A session to convince the jury that they were the best startups at Get in the Ring Split in 2019. The jury named the winner Slaven Damjanović from eAgrar, who received HRK 100,000 and will compete at the Get in the Ring Global Competition 2020. Andrea Grisogono (Reel) won second place and HRK 70,000 and Stipe Režić (Mushroom Cups) won third place and HRK 50,000. The remaining finalists received a prize of HRK 10,000 each.

The jury included Tamas Bekasi (EIT Health RIS Region), Karina Lapina (Startup Wise Guys) and Krešimir Budiša (City of Split). The six finalists, out of the 20 competitors, were chosen by Iva Rakočević (NX3 Ventures London), Ivana Čuljak (Invento Capital Partners), Renata Brkić (Feelsgood Social Impact Investment Fund), Vanja Perić (Wealth Management Canada), Vedran Blagus (South Central Ventures) and Gergo Gulyas (Startup Campus London) after extensive evaluations and discussions with the candidates.

Get in the Ring Split 2019 was open to all businesses up to 5 years old, and entries were officially open from November 4 to December 4 until 11:59 pm. Twenty-nine entries were received. Thereafter, on December 6, the pre-selection committee issued a list of 20 selected project ideas. The chosen companies underwent two days of preparation to become more familiar with the Get in the Ring concept. On Tuesday, December 10th, Emanuele di Francesco of the Get in the Ring Foundation hosted the Get in the Ring Bootcamp Pitch Training, while on December 11th, the training was held by Dario Boras of Parklio, as the only Croatian representative so far at the global Get in the Ring competition.

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

As Morski writes on the 14th of December, 2019, Dubrovnik's Deputy Mayor Jelka Tepšić and the head of the European Funds, Regional and International Cooperation Department, Zrinka Raguž, recently received representatives of the MedCruise Mediterranean Ports Association, President Airam Díaz Pastor and Secretary General Jordi Caballé.

The meeting was also attended by Hrvoje Kulušić, Assistant Director of the Dubrovnik Port Authority for Operations, Development and Maintenance.

While presenting the measures the City of Dubrovnik is working on to establish balance and sustainability in Croatia's southernmost and most popular destination, Jelka Tepšić specifically addressed the regulation of cruise ships entering the Port of Dubrovnik, an issue which has been causing countless problems among not only other tourists but most importantly, the city's residents themselves.

The focus of Dubrovnik's strategic Respect the City project is primarily management and better coordination, as well as the use of all possible smart city tools. Numerous significant changes have been made since back in 2017, as Tepšić herself emphasised.

She also stressed the importance of working with the association of cruise companies, CLIA, with which Dubrovnik's city government has built a close partnership, and through joint efforts a better organisation on the ground has been achieved in regard to cruise tourism in the UNESCO protected Dalmatian city. In this segment, the City of Dubrovnik proved to be an example of good practice to other cruise destinations across the Mediterranean and the world.

''The MedCruise Association is a signatory to a joint cooperation and understanding agreement with the Community of Port Authorities, which represents all port authorities in the Republic of Croatia.

This fits into the vision of Dubrovnik's local Respect the City project because coordination and communication between the city, the port authority and cruise companies jointly contributes to the development of sustainable tourism,'' said MedCruise President Díaz Pastor on this occasion.

Make sure to follow our dedicated travel page for much more.

ZAGREB, December 14, 2019 - The presidential candidate of the Workers' Front and the Socialist Workers' Party (SRP), Katarina Peović, said during a walkabout in the northern Adriatic city of Pula on Saturday that the needs of all people could be satisfied only by the 21st century democratic Socialism.

"During the ongoing election campaign, all the other presidential candidates have given a more or less similar statement that it only takes to stamp out and eradicate corruption and let the free market operate," Peović said, stressing that unlike other candidates, she believed that the free market was a big problem.

The Workers' Front and Peović believe that after 30 years the concept of free market should be re-examined and that solutions should be offered that would improve the status of Croatians as workers and human beings.

"Ask residents of Pula what they think about the free market in the context of developments with the (ailing) Uljanik shipyard," she said.

Commenting on a decision by the High Misdemeanour Court that singer Marko Perković Thompson's salute "For the homeland ready" at the start of his song "Bojna Čavoglave" (The Čavoglave Battalion) does not constitute unlawful conduct, Peović said that the salute, used by the authorities of the World War II Nazi-allied Independent State of Croatia, should definitely be outlawed because "it was used for criminal purposes."

"Interpretations that the salute comes from an opera or the like are fabrications. 'For the homeland ready' should be banned very clearly and explicitly," she said.

More news about presidential elections can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, December 14, 2019 - The Croatian government on Friday awarded 90,000 euro to the Croatian minority in Serbia for the construction of the Croatian House in the northern city of Subotica and for staffing purposes of the Croatian National Council (HNV).

An agreement to that effect was signed at HNV headquarters by the state secretary of the Central State Office for Croats Abroad, Zvonko Milas, and HNV president Jasna Vojnić. The agreement was signed on the occasion of the national holiday of the Croatian minority in Serbia.

Milas said that by supporting a strategic project of this kind the Croatian government showed that it cared that the Croats in Serbia preserved all aspects of their identity, primarily their language and culture.

Vojnić said that this was a great day for the HNV because it showed that Croatia indeed understood the needs of the Croats in Serbia.

"What we emphasised during our meeting with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković earlier this year is that our Croatian community has great plans, ideas and potential, but that it needs to be strengthened in staffing terms and institutionally developed," Vojnić said.

The allocated funding will be used to build a new building to house all three professional institutions of the Croatian minority under one roof - the Institute for Culture, the Hrvatska Riječ (Croatian Word) newspaper publishing house and the HNV. Two persons will be hired for development projects and one to lead the HNV regional office.

The Croatian minority in Serbia celebrates December 13 as one of its four national holidays, when the HNV held its first electoral convention in 2002. The HNV is the representative body of the ethnic Croats in Serbia, with responsibilities in the areas of education, culture, information and the official use of the Croatian language.

More news about Croats in Serbia can be found in the Diaspora section.