As Poslovni Dnevnik/VL/Petra Balija writes on the 11th of February, 2020, the Jarun bridge is once again in focus, and in one of the drawers of Zagreb's city government, a projection has been gathering dust since way back in 2007. The documentation wad done by the late Jure Radic and his associates, and his work was selected in a public tender among ten applicants.

On numerous occasions, the Jarun bridge's construction was announced but nothing ever came of it, much like many projects in Croatia. Over time, the citizens of Zagreb began referring to it as a phantom project, which Mayor Milan Bandic mentions every now and then when it's convenient to bring it up.

Now the Jarun bridge project is on the table once again, and at the last session of the Assembly, the mayor said that a request for location permits for the route to him and a new bridge over the Sava had been submitted.

''We were looking for location permits for three sections on the extended Vrapcanska street, which would connect Ilica to Adriatic avenue, which includes the Jarun bridge itself. The first section, which is 1500 metres long, would involve the construction of a bridge, the second section would go from the bridge to Horvacanska road and would be about 1300 metres long, and the third section from Horvacanska to Zagrebacka road, and would include an overpass that would go over Zagreb avenue,'' says Dinko Bilic, head of the city construction office.

The design and technical documentation is being prepared, and location permits are expected by the end of April.

''After the issuance of the location permits, the preparation of the subdivision studies will be initiated, and after their preparation and verification, the project's technical documentation for the aforementioned sections will be submitted to the city office for property and legal affairs, which is expected at the end of summer this year,'' said the head of the construction office, adding that the plan for this year is to design the main and the implementation project.

This is not the first time that a location permit for the Jarun bridge has been issued, the 40 million euro project was also being discussed at this level back in 2011, when the same permit was first issued.

Make sure to follow our dedicated business page for more. If it's just Zagreb you're interested in, give Total Zagreb a follow or check out Zagreb in a Page.

As Morski writes on the 9th of February, 2020, an interesting new archaeological site was discovered during the reconstruction of the City of Porec's picturesque waterfront.

Archaeologists are now monitoring the entire area in which the works are being carried out, and after discovering a remarkable Venetian waterfront and the remains of an ancient port, a new site was found at a depth of four metres below what is today's walking level, more specifically two metres below sea level near a round tower.

According to Klaudija Bartolic Sirotic, an archaeologist at the National Museum of the City of Porec, one square structure was found with different reinforcements belonging to it. The assumption is that this is a fortification system of the City of Porec since it is located near a round tower that was built way back in 1474. Further and more in depth research will seek to clarify how this system of medieval fortification spread.

It is interesting to note that in the lower part of the site, free blocks believed to be from Roman times were discovered, which were used secondarily to strengthen the structure of the existing tower, while at the very bottom, a block believed to be of Roman production was also discovered. In addition, numerous other finds, such as alfalfa and amphorae, were found in various forms which were typical of the Age of Antiquity.

So far, no residue of organic material have been observed at the site, so further analysis of the detected samples will provide more detailed data. Based on just a few blocks, Bartolic Sirotic points out, it is difficult to determine the exact time of construction, but the deposited material here points to the 1st century. If it is a Roman structure that was upgraded during the Middle Ages, more will be known after the eastern face of the wall is opened.

Upon completion of the survey, the site, in agreement with the conservationists and the City of Porec, will be archaeologically protected and adequately presented to the public.

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

As Morski writes on the 10th of February, 2020, according to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, as of December 2019, there were 372.2 thousand tourist arrivals and 776.7 thousand tourist nights in commercial accommodation, which is 6.5 percent and 5.9 percent more than in the same month of 2018, which is excellent news for Croatian tourism.

In 2019, 19.57 million tourist arrivals and 91.24 million tourist nights were realised in commercial accommodation, which is 4.8 percent and 1.8 percent more (respectively) than back in 2018. Structurally, last year's growth in tourist nights resulted from an increase in the number of overnight stays by domestic (9.5 percent) and foreign (1.2 percent) tourists.

In the structure of overnight stays made up by foreign tourists, the most overnight stays were recorded by tourists from Germany (19.94 million), Slovenia (7.50 million) and Austria (7.06 million), with tourists from Germany (-0.2 percent) and Austria (-0.1 percent) realised almost the same number of nights, while tourists from Slovenia recorded an increase (3.1 percent). Tourists from these three countries alone accounted for as much as 41 percent of overnight stays realised by foreign tourists.

This continues the concentration of Croatian tourism, which, apart from the above, can also been seen in the data that about 65 percent of all overnight stays are spent in only three Croatian counties (Istria, Split-Dalmatia and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County) and that about 60 percent of all nights will be realised in just two months (July and August).

With the revival of many other Mediterranean countries which have always been traditional rivals of Croatia with their own, often cheaper offers, it wouldn't be surprising that the country eventually ''comes down'' from riding the record tourism wave. For this year, however, Croatian tourism can likely expect a continued increase in the number of tourist nights realised by foreign visitors.

Over the last five years, there has been a noticeable increase in the share of overnight stays realised by tourists from the United Kingdom, and British citizens ranked fifth in terms of tourist spending in the first three quarters of 2019. Foreign exchange income from tourism is also expected to increase this year.

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

February 11, 2020 - One of the most amazing projects in Croatia in 2019 is to be continued as RokOtok 2020, just like Domagoj Jakopović Ribafish announced after successfully finishing the first leg of his mission.

We followed Domagoj's story last summer, and we encourage you to read more about it if you missed it before. To summarise, Domagoj Jakopović Ribafish, a Croatian blogger and online personality decided to swim between the 50 inhabited islands in Croatia, in order to commemorate the life of his beloved son Rok who passed away tragically at the age of 12 (and who was in love with the Croatian Adriatic sea and the islands).

In 2019, Ribafish managed to connect the 17th southernmost Croatian inhabited islands by swimming. After this accomplishment, he went on to talk about the RokOtok project in schools and libraries all over Croatia and promote his project with various events (and also host a TV cooking show). Domagoj received an award given by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs,Traffic, and Infrastructure, for his promotion of maritime culture. 

And now, Domagoj is getting ready for this year's "season" of RokOtok 2020: swimming between 17 more inhabited islands in Croatia. Domagoj announced on his Facebook page that the route has been finalised, the boat has been rented, the crew is almost completely finalised too, he has supposedly hit the gym in order to get ready... Here's the route for RokOtok 2020:

July 5: Brodarica – Krapanj (port) – 0.2 nautical miles – 370 m

The welcome on Krapanj is expected at 10 am, and 2 hours are planned to be spent with the children (same goes to all other islands) 

July 6: Krapanj (Western Port) – Zlarin (Bay Vodena) – 1.7 nm – 3148m

Welcome on Zlarin at 10am

July 7: Zlarin (Vela Oštrica) – Prvić (Lovrenčevića Cape) – 1.5nm – 2778m

Welcome on Prvić at 10am

July 8: Zlarin – Kaprije 4,5 nm. – 8334m

Welcome on Kaprije at 6pm

Rest day

July 10: Kaprije (SE entrance to the Channel) – Žirje (Cape Muna) – 1,7nm – 3148m

Welcome on Žirje at 10am

July 11: Kaprije – Murter 2,8nm – 5185m

Welcome on Murter at 10am

Rest day

July 13: Murter – Vrgada 2,3 nm – 4259m

Welcome on Vrgada at 10am 

July 14: Vrgada – Pašman 2,2 nm – 4074m

Welcome on Pašman at 10am

Rest day

July 16: Pašman (Artina) – Ugljan (Cape Zaglav) – 0,1nm – 200m

Welcome on Ugljan (Kukljica) at 10am 

July 17: Ugljan (Kali) – Ošljak – 0,5nm – 926m

Welcome on Ošljak at 10am

Rest day

July 19: Ugljan (Northern Cape) – Rivanj – 0,2 nm – 380m

Welcome on Rivanj at 10am 

July 20: Rivanj – Sestrunj – 0,4nm – 750m

Welcome on Sestrunj at 10am  

July 21: Sestrunj – Zverinac – 1,3nm – 2407m

Welcome on Zverinac at 10am  

July 22: Ugljan – Iž (next to Dumboka bay) – 1,7 nm – 3148m

Welcome on Iž at 10am   

July 23: Iž – Rava – 0,9nm – 1670m

Welcome on Rava at 10am  

Rest day

July 25: Rava – Dugi Otok – 0,4nm – 750m

Welcome on Dugi Otok (Veli Rat) at 10am 

July 26: Welcome in Sali at 6 pm 

July 27 Dugi Otok – Kornat – 1,25nm – 2315m

Welcome at 10am

Rest day

29.07. Ošljak – Ugljan (Preko) – 0,5nm – 926m

Welcome at 6pm

(It's still not known if Ribafish's new companion, the adorable Dživo, will be joining him on the boat this year. We'll report when that crucial info becomes available.)

ZAGREB, February 11, 2020 - The last country that outgoing President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović will visit will be Slovenia where she will meet with her counterpart Borut Pahor, the president's office confirmed on Tuesday.

The president's office did not confirm the place nor time of the meeting between the two presidents, however, Pahor's office has said that this would be an informal and working meeting as "the culmination of the pair's intense dialogue", said Pahor's office, according to the Slovenian STA news agency.

Pahor's office notes that this will be their 39th meeting and that they will conduct a working lunch and brief walk through Ljubljana.

Pahor and Grabar-Kitarović "preserved their dialogue and good relations in all areas with the exception of respecting the arbitration ruling," Pahor's office said and added that their encounters were very important after Croatia abandoned the arbitration procedure.

Slovenia's STA news agency reported that according to unofficial sources, the meeting will take place at the end of this week.

The term of Grabar-Kitarović ends on 18 February when the inauguration of her successor, Zoran Milanović, is scheduled.

More news about relations between Croatia and Slovenia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, February 11, 2020 - Zagreb City Assembly deputies on Tuesday rejected by a majority vote Mayor Milan Bandić's draft amendments to the city's urban development plan (GUP) after they previously rejected by a majority vote 11 amendments to GUP put forward by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).

Of 49 deputies, 18 voted for the amended GUP and 31 voted against.

Deputies previously voted on individual amendments and rejected them all, with 42 votes against and seven in favour.

Bandić's draft amendments to GUP were rejected after deputies from his party first voted against amendments put forward by Bandić's coalition partner, the HDZ, which prompted the HDZ to vote against Bandić's amendments. After this, opposition deputies, who had proposed a referendum on amendments to GUP, withdrew that item from the agenda of the city assembly session.

Zagreb City Assembly Vice President, Rajko Ostojić of the Social Democratic Party said on Tuesday that the Assembly's failure to adopt the General Urban Plan (GUP) could have several effects on the coalition between the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić, and one could be a snap parliamentary election.

The SDP official Ostojić said after that that he believed that the failure to adopt the General Urban Plan (GUP) was a victory by residents and experts and not a victory of any particular party or political platform. "We voted for what we were asked to do," said Ostojić, thanking citizens, architects, urban planners and everyone who helped in today's decision being made.

Asked whether the fact that HDZ's councillors did not support the amendments to Zagreb's GUP also meant the beginning of the end of the coalition between Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić and HDZ at the national level, Ostojić said that everything was possible.

"We may go to a snap parliamentary election. All options are open. Maybe this is a way to avoid an intra-party election in HDZ. Perhaps the city branch of HDZ refused to obey the party's leader Andrej Plenković," Ostojić said and added that several scenarios could unfold.

The Plenković cabinet started its four-year term in late 2016 and the next parliamentary election is supposed to be held in the autumn.

Left Bloc whip Tomislav Tomašević, underscored that the "game of nerves," was over.

"The opposition was fairly disciplined and each time the count was taken we had a sufficient number to bring down the GUP. There was obviously too much at stake for the HDZ considering the pressure by experts, 20,000 citizens who attended the protest rally and public pressure, and they could not swallow that," said Tomašević.

The Croatian parliament on Tuesday made changes to its weekly agenda to postpone the vote planned for Friday noon. The vote has been postponed for next week.

The Croatian parliament media service said the vote had been postponed because a significant number of members of parliament would be absent on Friday due to official travel.

They pointed out that the changes had been made before the vote on Zagreb's General Urban Plan (GUP) and that it was not connected with the situation in the ruling coalition.

There are ten MPs in the Club of Bandić's Labour and Solidarity Party in the national 151-seat legislature.

More Zagreb news can be found in the Politics section.

February 10, 2020 - Recover, reshape, and recharge at Marvie Hotel & Health in Split. 

Wellness is the ‘active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life’. 

The World Health Organisation considers it “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being,” while it is "a conscious, self-directed and evolving process of achieving full potential” by The National Wellness Institute.

With more stressors surrounding us today than ever before, wellness has become the focal point that aids us through the day-to-day. Whether we turn to meditation, yoga, skincare or eating better, wellness shows its face in many ways and comes in a selection of shapes and sizes. 

Travelers today are increasingly turning away from the busier tourist cities and instead opting for wellness breaks, healing retreats, or spa getaways to help improve their physical or mental health. With that idea in mind, wellness tourism has taken off. 

Thus, in the heart of Split, you’ll find a hub for health and wellness - Marvie Hotel. 

After opening its doors in 2017, Marvie became Dalmatia’s first hotel focusing on medical tourism, targeting quality self-care in all of its segments. 

Located in Split's quiet residential area of Zenta, just a five-minute drive from the bustling city center, Marvie is spacious and modern, boasting an underground garage on three floors, 74 rooms and two suites, and modular halls that can accommodate up to 65 people. 

However, what truly makes Marvie the heart of medical tourism in Split is its health and wellness offer. 

The Renevie wellness zone is where guests can recover, reshape, and recharge. With relaxation at its core, the Renevie wellness zone offers an indoor hot tub and pool, as well as an outdoor rooftop infinity pool that boasts breathtaking views of the city. In the summer, the rooftop becomes an oasis for guests looking to enjoy the easygoing Mediterranean lifestyle, where sunbeds are offered for you to kick back with a cold drink and light snacks, while summer yoga sessions and exercise programs are held to encourage the more active vacationers. 

The Renevie wellness zone offers two private saunas that provide a variety of ways to rejuvenate your mind, body, and spirit. The Finnish sauna is for those looking to detox or enhance their skin elasticity, while the Turkish sauna benefits the immune system and helps with hydration. A fully equipped gym is also available for guests looking to push their fitness limits. 

AquaMed Medical Wellness, which is a modern clinic for physical medicine and rehabilitation, is a fundamental part of Marvie’s wellness offer. With a focus on physical therapy, manual therapy using the Maitland concept, hydrotherapy pool exercises, massages (medical, sport, AquaMed, aroma, anti-cellulite), beauty treatments, acupuncture and nutritional counseling, AquaMed aims to prevent and eliminate health and aesthetic challenges, while preserving your power and beauty.

Whether you require a physician, acupuncturist, nutritionist, masseuse, beautician, or pedicurist, Marvie’s specialists provide a full range of physical therapy and aesthetic services for guests to enjoy. 

Because Mediterranean cuisine is a vital organ to the region, Marvie fuses fresh, seasonal, and local ingredients with a scientific approach to ensure your dietary needs are fulfilled. Whether you have a specific medical condition or are looking to detox and adopt healthier eating habits, Marvie’s nutritional experts will craft plans tailored to your wishes. 

The Da’Mar restaurant at the hotel adds a modern touch to Mediterranean-inspired dishes, which are adjusted to service the gluten-free guests. Everything at the hotel, from light bites to dessert, is prepared fresh and in house daily. 

Finally, what completes Marvie is its partners. 

The Mediderm clinic at Marvie, which is led by dr. med. Sanda Peric-Susak, boasts twenty years of experience and specializes in dermatovenerology and anti-aging treatments. Their team of experts focuses on aesthetic and vascular surgery, immunology, endocrinology, allergology, orthopedics, and sports traumatology. Whether you’re looking to reduce the signs of aging or want a clearer picture of your overall health, the Mediderm clinic is at your service to ensure your body is taken care of. 

Therapists Vanja and Kristijan Kasalo are on hand to look after your mental health. After years of experience from Split to Norway and back, their private practice of integrative psychotherapy will give you professional insight and offer techniques to help you maintain a healthy mindset.

IDC Ruzevic, on the other hand, is the most modern facility for dental medicine and implantology in Dalmatia. Led by Niki Ruzevic, M.D., who boasts 35 years of experience as a dentist and more than 15 years of experience in implantology, its modern facilities include four dental offices, a surgical room, a sterilization room and an X-ray area. Offering a range of treatments for your oral health, IDC Ruzevic uses sophisticated methods, premium materials, and modern devices to care for each patient individually. 

With a full range of quality services on offer for its guests, there is no better way to optimize your well-being than at Marvie Hotel. 

You can find out more about Marvie Hotel here.

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

February 11, 2020 - Earlybird tickets are on sale for the One Day or Day One tourism conference in Zagreb this April. And we promise you won't want to miss out. 

Tickets are now on sale for the conference of the year in the B2B tourism sector, which will be held on April 2 at the Forum Congress Center in Zagreb with the support of the Ministry of Tourism, the Croatian National Tourist Board and the Croatian Chamber of Economy, organized by the leading B2B tourism portal HrTurizam.hr.

Namely, One Day or Day One, which is held just before the start of the tourist season, will bring together everyone who means anything in the tourism sector.

"We all say that we have an incredible amount of potential wherever we turn, and that we need a change in the context of market development, in order to turn that potential into resources. But in order to turn these potentials into resources, we need to be more proactive in addressing market development and growth, there must be dialogue and common communication and consensus around common themes and challenges. The question we all have to ask ourselves is: How do we move faster and better? What can we do to make tomorrow better? Where do we see Croatian tourism in 2030?,” said the conference director and founder of the HrTurizam portal, Goran Rihelj.

HrTurizam.hr wants to be at the center of this story as a kind of mediator, a channel that connects through dialogue and communication, and provides concrete solutions. In the tourism vocabulary, it is necessary to define a complete tourism product, or to remove market barriers for the development of the entire tourism sector.

"And that's why there is a need to launch the #DayOne platform, which focuses on connecting the 'incompatible' or initiating communication. The main focus is not on problems and the past, but on constructive, open dialogue and solutions. The focus is on the positives, not the negatives. The focus is on synergy and collaboration. As I pointed out, #DayOne is not another conference but a platform. Because we can talk about the future of our tourism not only one day during the conference, but every day,” adds Rihelj.

An excellent story about cooperation with big brands and a positive example of synergy between public and private will be told by Denis Ivošević from the Tourist Board of Istria. The challenges and opportunities of cooperation between OPGs and destinations in the 1 VS 1 format will be discussed with Petra Butković from the Lika Destination Cluster.

The One Day or Day One conference should showcase all niches and all development opportunities in Croatia. Thus, Berislav Sokač from Run Croatia will bring an interesting vision of Croatia as a racing destination.

We continuously talk about continental tourism and emphasize the importance of developing the continent that has the greatest opportunities for year-round tourism. The best campaign of the East was the great HeadOnEast campaign as part of Croatian Tourism Days in Slavonia. Ivana Juric from the Osijek-Baranja Tourist Board will also be at the conference. 

How tourism is developed in Austria, which is one of the best examples of year-round continental tourism, will be told by Michael Fend, LAG manager at Steirischen Vulkanlandes.

Paul Bradbury, owner of Total Croatia News, One Day or Day One conference partner, and an ambassador of Croatian tourism, is someone who sees the whole story from the outside as a foreigner with a Croatian passport. His lecture, “5 tourism gifts that Croatia is ignoring, and how to fix them,” will certainly arouse great interest.

Branding in Croatia is a unique story that is talked about often, and the importance of branding does not need to be over-emphasized, because it is imperative today. The conference will also be thoughtfully themed with branding, a complex process in which we cannot go wrong. Bozo Skoko will discuss this topic at the conference, too.

The private sector in tourism has a lot to say. What are the challenges and biggest problems, what they expect from the public sector, and what solutions they propose will be shared in a large panel where there will be representatives of hoteliers, travel agencies, family accommodation, and caterers. 

Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli, who has supported the conference and expects a lot from it, will present a tourism development plan and a vision of where we see each other in 2030. The fact that the Minister of Tourism and his associates will accompany the entire conference already gives hope for the detection of genuine problems and the concept of concrete solutions. The same panel should also feature the Croatian National Tourist Board, which should be represented by Director Kristjan Stanicic. This panel will give clear guidance to the private sector, where Croatia is going, and where Croatia wants to be. The moderator of this panel is acclaimed communications expert Kresimir Macan.

How private and public sector dialogue and cooperation can look will be revealed by the example of Ognjen Bagatin and Bagatin Clinic’s health tourism development.

One of the current leading tourism experts, Doug Lansky, will speak for the first time in Croatia about positive global examples of how tourism destinations are positioned, developed and grown. Doug's lectures have always attracted a large number of listeners and attention, especially from the tourist public and the profession, and he has a large base of followers in Croatia as well.

It is crucial to emphasize that after the conference, meetings with the private sector in each area follow, in order to gather all concrete solutions into one strategic document, with a clear argument of the whole issue, and most importantly, with concrete solutions offered to accelerate market change. A document that will integrate the views of the private as well as the public sector, with the aim of consensus on the main challenges with a specific time interval on how to overcome them.

There will also be an after party in a location yet to be announced, with discounted drinks and a chance for attendees to network with like-minded progressive tourism professionals, as well as meet some of the conference speakers. 

Tickets can be purchased directly from HRTurizam.

For Earlybird entries, which run through March 20, tickets are 750 kuna, or 40% of the total ticket price. After March 20, the ticket price will be 1250 kuna. Seats are limited.

Don't miss out on the first-ever One Day or Day One tourism conference in Zagreb!

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