November 12, 2019 - Gibonni, Petar Graso, Mate Bulic, Miroslav Skoro, Domenica, Indira Forza, Prljavo kazaliste, Mladen Grdovic, Klapa Rispet and Zeljko Bebek will perform at the Croatian Night in Frankfurt this weekend. 

Namely, Dalmacija Danas reports that Croatia’s biggest music stars can be found in the same place on Saturday, November 16, in Frankfurt, where they will perform at the largest Croatian diaspora concert for an estimated 12,000 Croats and their guests at the Fraport Arena.

“As organizers, we are proud that 'Croatian Night' is recognized all over the world and has established itself as the most significant event of Croats abroad. Every year we strive, and fortunately, we manage to bring the best possible Croatian music team. This year, on the day of the concert, our Vatreni is playing for a spot at the European Championships, and we believe that the support of the 12,000 people in the arena will be felt and heard all the way to Rijeka. We believe that the atmosphere will be special and celebratory at the end of the game,” says Robert Martinovic on behalf of the Croatian Night organizers. 

Croatian Night gathers thousands of visitors every year at Frankfurt's Fraport Arena with the biggest music stars from the homeland. 

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This year, the audience is eagerly awaiting Miroslav Skoro.

“Yet another Croatian Night in Frankfurt will be held this November, and I will have the honor of performing again at the largest gathering of us all outside Croatia. Come and have a good time with us in Frankfurt,” said Skoro. 

“We hope that this year, a lot of Croatians from Germany and Europe and all over the world respond and come to the largest manifestation of Croatian music in the world among the Diaspora. It is a beautiful occasion for all of us to gather and socialize. We are honored to have the luck to build even stronger ties between Croatians, those in the Diaspora and in our homeland,” the organizers added.

Just how eager our Diaspora is to experience Croatian music is shown by the fact that they come from all over the world: from Europe, Australia, America, and Canada.

To read more about the Croatian Diaspora, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

As reported by tportal.hr, the Zagrebački velesajam in Zagreb is once again the place to be this November. INTERLIBER, the Zagreb International Book Fair, and the most beloved fair for all generations, will be held to the delight of all book lovers from the 12-17 of November.

INTERLIBER is the largest literary event in Croatia and a platform for promoting books, writers, reading, science and knowledge and brings together the most important publishers and bookstores.

More Than 330 Exhibitors

More than 330 exhibitors will fill three pavilions of the Zagrebački velesajam with books from various genres. The vast selection of books will be complemented by interesting and varied content for all ages: from presenting new books, opportunities to socialize and speak with writers and meeting publishers, bookstores and librarians. The fair will also offer literary reading rooms and workshops, round tables, quizzes, literary prizes, and auctions of old and rare books.

Numerous titles by world-renowned bestsellers and well-known writers are just a "little slice of paradise" which will be offered at the best book fair in the region, and will be visited by children, businesspeople and retirees.

The Premium program will also host well-known writers and will be led by respected editors of the Croatian literary scene. A notable addition to the Premium program will be an auditorium for audiobooks. An exhibition space about the Russian Federation will also be included this year and will offer a wide range of modern Russian literature for the Croatian audience: from poetry to historical works and translations and will offer interesting promotions and lectures.

This year, INTERLIBER will also sponsor Bookbinder, a charity event which will donate books to school libraries within the Croatian Association of School Librarians. The book assortment of a selected school library is filled every year with the goal of raising awareness of importance of books in building a knowledgeable society.

Luka Modrić Appearing on Sunday

Luka Modrić, the celebrated Croatian football player, will appear on the Main Stage of Pavilion 6 on Sunday, November 17, from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm.

He and his Co-author Robert Matteoni will be discussing his co-published autobiography, “Moja igra” (My Game). A twenty-minute discussion will be followed by a book signing, and readers will be able to buy their copies in advance at the Znanje and 24sata booths. More information about the event can be found here.

Another highlight of this year's INTERLIBER is a presentation on “Knowledge and learning”, which will occur on Friday and Saturday (November 15 and 16).

The fair is held under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia and the Mayor of the City of Zagreb. More information about the fair and a schedule of events can be found on the Zagrebački velesajem website or on the official Facebook page, which regularly updates all news related to INTERLIBER.

Admission to INTERLIBER is free.

For more information on events in Zagreb or Croatia please follow our lifestyle section.

November 16, 2019 - The small northern Croatian town which calls itsself the centre of the world is expanding its tourism offer with a journey back through time. Meet Iovia Ludbreg. 

Ever since I visited Ludbreg for the first time more than three years ago, I have been mildly fascinated by the little town of Ludbreg, which sits in eastern Varazdin County equadistant from Varazdin and Koprivnica. At the time, I recorded my first impressions in Ludbreg, the Most Fascinating, Unusual Little Town in Croatia? And it is. 

And while most Croatians will know Ludbreg for its claim to be the centre of the world, a little closer investigation of its religious history reveals that it could soon be better known for something which potentially could attract a lot of religious tourists. For as we explored recently, it seems that Ludbreg is Croatia's only official miracle town. The only place in all Croatia which has a miracle verified by the Vatican which you can actually visit. By contrast, Medjugorje in neighbouring Bosnia and Hercegovina has nothing officially recognised by the Vatican and yet attracts over a million tourists a year. You can lean more about the Ludbreg miracle here. 

Not content with the current tourist attractions on offer, the local authorities are working hard to improve the tourist offer in the town, with the latest initiative unveiled last week by video called Iovia Ludbreg. 

It is a presentation of the project "Improving the continental tourism by the tourist recognition of the historical and cultural heritage of the town of Ludbreg" - Iovia Ludbreg. 

In the video, they explained the current situation in Ludbreg: the religious tourism in the town is developed, as it is a well-known pilgrimage site. The number of visitors is growing, as is the understanding that religious tourism is important for a wider community, not just the town itself.

The project's basic idea is to create an archaeological park and show as clearly as possible the thousands of years of continuous inhabitation of the area, which was first inhabited in prehistory. It is important to focus on attracting more visitors to Ludbreg and surroundings, and that can be done by putting together the information on the possibilities for visitors.

Improving the existing cultural heritage, as well as building the new tourist offerings for the visitors will achieve just that. That can be done through an integrated project, along with the appropriate marketing activities. And that is exactly what is being achieved in the project "Improving the continental tourism by the tourist recognition of the historical and cultural heritage of the town of Ludbreg".

A part of the project is to build the archaeological park "Iovia Ludbreg" in the centre of the town, which is often called "the centre of the world".

Erina Stančin, the project manager, explains that currently all of the explored walls are being restored to the height of 110 cm, while the Roman walking surfaces will be restored to their original height. Info boards with 3D reconstructions of the entire site will be installed, to make it easier to understand the architecture of the site. There will be tents situated on the site, with Roman games, which will be open year-round. On the Southern side of the site wooden benches will be situated to mimic Roman theatre. That will create a setting for lectures and open-air classes.

Somođi house, the only existing building on the site, will become a multifunctional object with an area of around 670 m². Somođi garden is being created next to the house, so a lot of work is being done there – construction, decoration, landscaping. Erina Stančin adds that shortly the Somođi house will become the centre of cultural and tourist events in Ludbreg. It will be able to receive around 150 visitors, and their number will be monitored. There will be a souvenir shop and an exhibition which will show the history of Ludbreg from prehistory until modern times. A multimedia presentation space will also be created, in which 3D interactive models will show the researched parts of Roman Iovia. Multifunctional hall will be in the basement, to be used by associations of civil society for their educational or entertaining events.

Hotel "Crnković" was also adapted through this project. Soon it will offer 15 rooms (30 beds) and great food. Boris Crnković, the owner, says that the hotel will add to what Ludbreg has to offer to the bigger number of visitors. 85 per cent of the money needed for the complete adaptation came from the project, while 15 per cent are their own funds.

A walking trail along Bednja will also be created, 1300 meters long with informational and educational content, bringing other locations and sites closer. A new square, the so-called "Crafter's Square" will also be built, and it will be a location where the visitors will be able to learn about the crafts present during the Roman period. The Most Holy Trinity Church is the central and key point of the Ludbreg sanctuary. It will also get some attention through this project, as works on the facade will be done and a system of monitoring the number of visitors implemented.

To follow the latest on Iovia Ludbreg and news from the centre of the world, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

Neda Telisman-Kosuta gave an excellent overview of the findings of the comprehensive survey, TOMAS Croatian Health Tourism 2018: Attitudes and Expenditures of Visitors to Croatia, at the 7th Crikvenica International Health Tourism conference in Selce on November 8, 2019. 

It was a Croatian health tourism conference which had everything. Suberb coastal location in the village of Selce, near Crikvenica, excellent organisation, superb speakers, great networking, fine entertainment - and crucially, concrete signs that the key stakeholders of the Croatian health tourism industry were beginning to gel. You can learn more about CIHT 2019 in the comprehensive overview already presented on TCN.

The presentations ranged from the practical to the thought-provoking, as well as the majority which were backed up with concrete and relevant data. Nowhere was this more true than with the detailed presentation given by Neda Telisman-Kosuta from the Institute of Tourism in Zagreb. Her overview of the main findings of the TOMAS Croatian Health Tourism 2018: Attitudes and Expenditures of Visitors to Croatia survey were detailed and well-presented. 

Some highlights:

Scope: Wellness, health spa and medical segments

Instrument: Structured questionnaire

Data collection: Personal interview with users (CAPI)

Sample size: 2.540 interviews at 43 facilities

Surveying period: July - December 2018

The study separated out three sectors of Croatian health tourism - wellness, health spa, and medical. As you can see above, the end user varies considerably between the three.

I was surprised that price did not figure more prominently in the decision-making process, but it was encouraging to see expertise and reputation as such key factors. Croatian health tourism excels in both.

One of the most interesting findings was in the source of information used by patients to find their health tourism solution in Croatia. Word of mouth is the best advertising one can have, and the high percentage of personal recommendation and doctor recommendation, as well as repeat business, are very good indicators for the future.

By contrast, the almost total absence of traction from advertising, media and tourism fairs points to work to be done in this field.

 The average daily spend varied considerably between the three sectors. By way of comparison, the average daily spend in regular tourism in Croatia is 79 euro.

And visitors were generally satisfied with the expectations of the financial costs. Overall experience satisfaction was also very high, with the only areas which rated less than excellent being shopping possiblities and local transport, as well as the innovation of the offer in the health spa sector. But very positive and encouraging overall.  

You can learn more about the work of the Institute for Tourism from the official website. The full report is available in Croatian (only, I think) from the Zagreb Tourist Board, and possibly elsewhere. 

To follow the latest from the Croatian health tourism industry, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

November 11, 2019 -  Following on from the recent look at how Croatia is the non-Starbucks capital of the EU, how prevalent is McDonalds in Croatia? And KFC?

During my time here, I have found that there are two ways to start a heated debate in Croatia if the conversation is at a lull. You can ask the following two questions, then leave the room and come back an hour later. 

1. Who are the best 5 Hajduk players of all time? (Works best in Split)

2. How do you feel about Starbucks coming to Croatia?

During a very stimulating Crikvenica International Health Tourism conference in Selce this week, leading tourism guru Doug Lansky gave a powerful presentation on successful tourism. He pointed out that while tourists wanted something amazing and unique, paradoxically, the tourism world was becoming more of the same, with global franchises such as Pizza Hut and Starbucks more prevalent in many cases on foreign shores more so than origin countries like the United States. 

A few days ago, we took a look at how Croatia is doing with regard to the Starbucks invasion. Rather well, it appears, and as we discussed back then, despite some 20 million tourists a year, it is the biggest country in the EU (both in terms of its own population and tourist numbers) with no Starbucks at all. And long may it continue was the general conclusion of almost all of the lively commentary on our various social media channels. Read more in Staying Authentic: Croatia the Non-Starbucks Capital of the EU.

But what about the other big global franchises? How does McDonalds in Croatia compare with the rest of the EU? Or KFC?

Information about McDonalds in Croatia in a format to compare with the rest of Europe was surprisingly hard to find. Even on the official McDonalds website, the data is from 2015 for global outlets, when there were 25 McDonalds in Croatia. According to the country-specific site, there are 30 today (see the lead photo for locations). 

And those numbers for McDonalds in Croatia are broadly in line with this 2016 map of Big Mac stores per million inhabitants in Europe. And, the small Baltic states aside, Croatia once more leads the EU in the lowest number of McDonalds per million inhabitants. All the more impressive given the strong tourism demand in the country, where familiar convenience food and recognisable brands are a comfort for the less adventurous tourist. 

Croatia is not number one when it comes to KFC, but it is still very resistant to the Colonel's chicken revolution. While Poland has embraced KFC like almost nowhere else in Europe, Croatia has so far resisted largely - just 8 outlets at the moment in Croatia, six of which are in Zagreb.  

Croatia prides itself - quite rightly - on its authentic food and wine. In an increasingly globalised world, the resistance to the Starbucks and the McDonalds in Croatia can be  turned into a positive promotional tool for those looking for more authentic and discerning tourism. Speaking of which, where else in the world would you find such an incredible selection of niche food festivals as you can find in Natural Food Festivals: 25 Things to Know about Croatian Gourmet Goodness. 

ZAGREB, November 11, 2019 - Construction Minister Predrag Štromar on Monday said that Croatia's target would be to reduce CO2 emissions by 2030 and to improve its energy efficiency in urban areas with more green spaces and green policies.

Opening the "Green future for cities" conference, Štromar informed that a national development strategy to 2030 was being prepared with the aim of making the "Green Croatia" development for a better quality of living standards.

"We are working on the strategy from 2020 to 2030 on how to reduce CO2 emissions and how to improve energy efficiency and how to create better living conditions for our citizens," Štromar underscored, explaining that the focus would first be on large urban areas where new green areas and green policies can achieve those objectives.

"Until now most of the money was used for energy efficiency. Currently there are 1,400 building that have been reconstructed or are under reconstruction. We have warm and safe homes, more comfortable classrooms, teaching staff rooms and health clinics and now we are preparing the next objectives," Štromar explained.

He warned of climate change in the environment and the speed that it is occurring at.

"Croatia is still a comfortable place to live and work, where forests take up almost half of its territory and with a low population density which presents excellent natural conditions for human living. Climate change however, is unavoidable even in Croatia," he added.

"It is our responsibility for our actions to be directed toward sustainable development," he concluded.

More news about environmental protection in Croatia can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, November 11, 2019 - The Women's Room nongovernmental organisation warned on Monday that it was overburdened as the only organisation in the country specialising in assistance to women - victims of sexual violence, and it called on the government to ensure funding for its work.

"The issue of sexual violence has attracted great public interest and the Women's Room has been contacted by a large number of persons who have experienced violence, whether sexual or domestic, as well as by other members of the public, media and representatives of state institutions and civil society organisations," the NGO's coordinator, psychologist Maja Mamula, said.

She said that in October 2019 the number of phone calls to the NGO and the services it provided had increased by 200% from October 2018. In 2018, the NGO provided assistance in 57 cases, while this year there have been 280 cases, she said, warning that the number of threats to the Women's Room staff had increased as well.

"We are overburdened at the moment, and we want to continue working well and need support for that. Without support, we cannot provide timely assistance in crisis situations in which (the victims) must not wait," said Mamula.

Antonija Hojt Ilić, who is in charge of the Women's Room education programmes, said that the Women's Room had nine staff members, of whom four were professionals and worked at the NGO's centre for assistance to victims of sexual violence, with several external staff members.

Of the four professionals, only one is fully employed at the centre, Hojt Ilić said, calling on the government to ensure funding for the Women's Room as part of annual budgets.

More news about the status of women in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, November 11, 2019 - Presidential candidate Dejan Kovač on Monday called for introducing electronic voting, saying it would increase the turnout both at home and abroad as well as enable the recently emigrated to vote who, he said, would not vote for the ruling HDZ or the opposition SDP.

Speaking at a press conference, Kovač called on Prime Minister Andrej Plenković to introduce electronic voting and give all Croatian citizens in Croatia and abroad equal voting rights.

The prerequisite already exists, the e-Citizens system, which has 750,000 users and all the necessary data security and encryption certificates, he said.

Other countries use electronic voting to make sure that all their citizens can vote, to prevent discrimination and to increase the number of people who vote, Kovac said.

He welcomed the government's intention to take over the Information System and Information Technologies Support Agency (APIS), which is owned by the City of Zagreb.

He added, however, that Plenković should introduce electronic voting already for this year's presidential election so that the APIS takeover "doesn't turn out to be a pure political trade, i.e. the bailout of Zagreb mayor Milan Bandić."

Kovač said electronic voting could make Croatia a more developed country, both technologically and democratically.

"If it's true that 300,000 citizens have emigrated, they certainly wouldn't vote for the HDZ or the SDP but for a third option, as they are bitter about the state because of their bad governments and bad policies," he said, adding that the HDZ won one vote among Croatians in Ireland in May's European elections.

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