International Travel and Destination Expo (ITDE) will take place in the five star Le Meridien Lav hotel in Split from 24 to 27 November this year.

This will also be the first year that the fair in Split will deal with connecting tourism trends with social networks (aka social revolution in traveling).

There will be a string of lectures and round tables about the influence of Facebook or Twitter on the tourist season. The fair is aimed at professionals in the tourism industry as well as users of their services.

Have a look at short intro video (Croatian language):

More info here + download ITDE brochure here

Have a look:

The value of the project is estimated at around 200 million euros and with its realization, the accommodation capacity should go up from the current 1000 to around 1600 beds.

The project predicts the reconstruction of existing accommodation units and the construction of a new medical hotel Jupiter, connected to the existing hotel complex Minerva, which would also be reconstructed, as well as the building of a new specialized hospital wing Junon.

After the reconstruction, the hotel Minerva would get a fourth star, and its pool facilities would be made over into a contemporary spa centre, which would be connected to the future hotel Jupiter. This hotel should be built across
an area of 33000 square metres and would hold 480 beds. A large number of rooms will contain a sauna and medicinal thermal water will be available in the bathrooms.

Varaždinske Toplice holds many advantages over other thermal centres in the surrounding areas - it is the unique thermal water with a rich source, over 300 years of medical tradition, a reputation as a leading specialized hospital for medical rehabilitation in Croatia with top experts, a central location, natural beauty and local organic food.

The town of Varaždinske Toplice is located in Hrvatsko Zagorje, about 45 min drive from Zagreb and a 10 min drive from Varaždin.

More info about Varaždinske Toplice at Tourist Board site  www.toplice-vz.hr + about Spa, Health and Wellness Tourism in Croatia

It shows a bit of so called Jadranska Magistrala, the road that run along the Adriatic Sea , in direction of West with sun shining over the horizon.

The broshure was published by Turisticki Savez Hrvatske (Croatia Tourist Board) and printed in 1966 by Graficki Zavod Hrvatske , from Zagreb.

Click on left image to enlarge this cute 44 year old graphic gem and see more great retro images in our Photo Gallery of History of Croatian Tourism

The Croatian National Tourist Board (Hrvatska turistička zajednica – HTZ)

The award-giving ceremony will be held in Dubrovnik on Friday.

This year the Golden Pen awards will go to two reporters, while the others will receive the so-called Small Pen awards.

Recipients are journalists from Austria, Italy, Germany, Russia, the United States, France, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and some other countries where HTZ has its representative offices.

The HTZ created the awards in 2005.

The biggest European auto club, Germany’s ADAC, has published the results of a survey of car renting in the most popular Mediterranean destinations among German tourists, with Croatian car rental providers showing the best score.
 
The Hertz branch in Dubrovnik rented the highest quality car in the overall survey, ADAC said in a report, adding that Croatian car rental companies scored the most points in terms of the technical quality of cars, while the overall impression was spoiled by poor service, which includes proper customer information and kindness of personnel.
 
The survey showed a worrying condition of cars being rented to tourists in Mediterranean countries, with 12 of 60 tested cars evaluated as completely unsafe for road traffic.
 
The survey revealed that the majority of the car rental providers treat customers poorly, fail to inform them about car rental contract details, such as insurance, and are unkind.
 
The only thing worse than car quality is the quality of personnel helpfulness, said ADAC.
 
The survey covered car rental providers in Germans’ favorite tourist destinations in the Mediterranean: Italy, Greece, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Malta, and Croatia. (Hina)

Click here for more info about renting a car in Croatia

In today’s Guardian article ‘Europe (without the euro)’, Croatia was featured as one of European ‘fantastic destination’ out of  the eurozone.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

Croatia:  The land of 1,000 islands, Croatia is a popular summer destination with its beautiful coastline, tranquil mountains and national parks.

Ecologically one of Europe’s best-preserved countries, exploring it takes you on a thousand-year journey through history, which has been turbulent, exciting and glorious.

Lie on golden sandy beaches and swim in romantic coves that are but a stone’s throw from ancient Roman monuments and streets as old as the emperor Diocletian himself… read the whole article here

Croatia

According to the survey that the European Commissioner published last week, the most attractive destinations are Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Greece and Great Britain.

The most attractive destinations outside the EU are the United States, Turkey and Croatia.

Croatia is among the top three travel destination in five countries:  Slovenia, Slovakia, The Czech Republic, Poland and Romania.

In the overall standings which includes domestic and foreign destinations, Croatia is ranked 13th. (Source HINA)

The International Tourism Fair Crotour 2009 will take place at Zagreb at ‘Zagrebacki velesajam’ from 1st to 5th of April, with intention to introduce foreign tour operators to offers of tourist services of Croatia.

The fair is intended for tour operators, owners of hotel , restaurants, marinas, campsites and other tourist facilities, as well as everyone else interested in using tourist services.

It is also aimed at a very wide public audience, professional organizations and associations.

Among others, the Crotour’s events will also include the ”Buy Croatia” tourism fair organized by Croatian Tourist Board’s to promote destinations in the continental parts of Croatia.

The International Tourism Fair Crotour 2009 is being held under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Croatia and supported by the Croatian Tourist Board and the World Tourism Organization.

Read more about the Fair and find contact info check  here

The law does not apply to the sale of agricultural land.

To date, EU citizens were able to buy property in Croatia based on reciprocity and with the approval of the Ministry of Justice.

The liberalisation of the property market is part of the EU chapter on free movement of capital while the liberalisation of the market for the sale of agricultural land, for which Croatia is asking a twelve-year postponement period, has yet to become a topic of pre-accession talks. (source hrt.hr)

Croatia Airlines chief executive Ivan Misetic has one key mission for 2009: maintain the traffic levels recorded by the carrier in 2008 by working closely with the Croatian tourism board to promote the country as a holiday destination.

“The main goal for 2009 is to protect the levels of 2008,” says Misetic, who has led the airline as chief executive since 1997. “Tourism represents a quarter of GDP in Croatia, so with the tourism board we will do our utmost to protect the figures from last year.” He adds that Croatia Airlines “does not feel the impact at the moment” of the global economic slowdown, although he does point out that forward bookings are “less attractive” than they were this time last year… Read the complete article here

The most visited national park was Plitvice Lakes with the total of 891,000 visitors, of which more than 816,000 were foreign visitors.

At the list of most visited, in second place was National park Krka with 664,000 guests, followed by Brijuni, Mljet, Kornati, Risnjak, Paklenica and North Velebit.

Croatia has a total of eight national parks, which, together with other forms of protection, cover the area of one tenth of the total area of the country.

Croatia is choosen by Mirror.co.uk as one of the hottest and coolest holiday destinations in 2009. This is an extract from the yesterday’s article:

Your puny pound won’t buy you a cafe au lait in Paris any more. Or a packet of patatas fritas in Benidorm. So where can you go to escape the inevitable British drizzle – and get value for money? Greece and Spain will still be high on the list, of course, particularly in all-inclusive resorts. But there is sun, sea and sightseeing to be enjoyed beyond the Eurozone. Here are four hot tips for 2009…

FOR COUPLES: Red-roofed Dubrovnik gets busy with cruise passengers during the day but at night its cobbled streets are lined with bars and restaurants, and you can escape the daytime crowds with boat trips to outlying islands. A romantic five-star hotel will be opening in June on Korcula, the closest to Dubrovnik of the larger Dalmatian islands. The Lesic Dimitri Palace is a restored 18th century bishop’s palace with six residences, each inspired by a destination on Marco Polo’s Silk Road travels.

FOR HEALTH NUTS: For more than 100 years, balmy Croatia has been a centre for relieving aches and pains. Lovran is a beautiful historic town and resort on the Opatija Riviera and the stunning Villa Astra hotel has the only flotation tank in Croatia. There are life coach programmes, spa services and tai chi on the lawn.

FOR FAMILIES: No sandcastles here – the beaches are mainly pebbly. But the sea is crystal clear and clean, and there are plenty of family-friendly hotels. The four-star Falkensteiner Family Hotel Diadora, opening in spring, has a babysitting service, entertainment programme, sport and excursions, children’s cinema, children’s water world and an exclusively-for-children restaurant.

FOR BACKPACKERS: Independent travellers can discover Croatia and its islands by hopping on the famous Jadrolinija ferries, from Rijeka to Dubrovnik.

FOR ACTIVITIES: Head inland to go birdwatching in Kopacki Rit, do a photo-safari in the Velebit mountains, enjoy wine-tasting in the Slavonia region and try white-water rafting in various places… read the whole article here

A highway will be built to Osijek in eastern Croatia and further east to Beli Manastir, as well as highways to Ploče in southernmost Croatia and between Zagreb and Sisak, Sanader said, stressing that the construction of Pelješac Bridge in southernmost Croatia, near the Bosnian border, was important for linking Croatian territory, revitalizing nearby islands, and introducing the Schengen regime in Croatia.

Sanader said it was unacceptable that produce from the south had to cross Bosnian territory and that a road from Trpanj to Ploče would be built for this reason.

Speaking of the construction of a new Zagreb airport, he said it should not be funded by the state and the City of Zagreb, but that international tenders should be called, which he would suggest to the city government.

The winner of the HTZ Blue Flower award for the tidiest town in the Primorje region is Rovinj. The tidiest municipality is Bol on Brac Island and the tidiest community Veli Losinj.

The Green Flower award for the tidiest continental town went to Cakovec. Daruvar won the award in the category of small towns, and Stubicke Toplice won the award as the tidiest continental community.

The coastal municipality of Nin won the special Blue Flower award, while Zagreb, Varazdin and Vukovar won the Green Flower awards for the best tourist services.

HTZ Worker of the Year awards were presented to 25 people working in tourism and tourism-related sectors.
The Tourism Flower-Quality for Croatia award of Croatian Radio and Television and the Chamber of Commerce went to the northern Adriatic resort of Rovinj.

The best small hotel on the Adriatic coast is the San Rocco in Brtonigla, the best five-star hotel is the Hotel Dubrovnik Palace, the best four-star hotel is the Hotel Sol Garden Istra, and the best three-star hotel is the Bluesun Hotel Soline in Brela.

The best five-star hotel in inland Croatia is the Zagreb Westin, the best four-star hotel is the Hotel Osijek in Osijek, and the best three-star hotel is the Hotel Terme Tuhelj in Tuheljske Toplice.

The best continental tourist destination is Varazdin, and the best spa destination is Varazdinske Toplice.

The best beach is Maslinica in Rabac and the best marinas are Frapa in Rogoznica and Punat in Punat.

The best small camping site is Adriatic in Orebic, the best medium-sized camping site is Vira on the island of Hvar, and the best big camping site is Park in Umag. 

Switzerland hangs on to the top spot for the second year, while Croatia jumps from number 10 to number three:  Top five: 1. Switzerland 2. Sweden 3. Croatia 4. Austria 5. Italy

The winners were awarded this last Saturday in Morocco at the Guardian, Observer and guardian.co.uk Travel Awards 2008. Some 17,000 readers took the survey.

See the full list of winners announced at this year’s Guardian, Observer and guardian.co.uk Travel Awards 2008 

A total of 215,025 tourists from the U.S.A. and Canada visited Croatia in 2007, which was an increase by 17 percent as compared with 2006.

As forecasted by Nena Komarica, the head of the office of the Croatian Tourist Board in New York, an increase by up to 10 % is expected this year, despite the economic crisis in the USA, a weak dollar, higher prices of oil, and the announced recession. 

In brief, the statistics shows that tourists visiting Croatia last year have spent 55 Euro per day which is increase of 6 euros in comparison with spending in 2004. The 68 percent  of this figure is spend on accommodation and food.

The very slight increase in spending is interpreted as the result of the quality of the services improving, particularly accommodation.

Tourists from Great Britain spent the most – about 108 euros per day, followed by Russians and the French.

If you can read Croatian, download pdf file of this report at this link

The total revenue from tourism in next period is expected to grow by between three and five percent. According to the report, expectations for comming season are close to 11.5 million tourist arrivals with nearly 57.14 million overnight stays.

This is what he says about Croatia:

In Split, the harbor-front promenade called the Riva has been completely overhauled. The café umbrellas, concrete, and patchwork landscaping were replaced by a broad, sleek, bright-white public space. While some people enjoy this snazzy and slick people zone, many locals think it clashes with the higgledy-piggledy Old Town.

Dubrovnik: Croatia’s top destination is being rediscovered – including by cruise-ship crowds. On a very busy day in summer, as many as 30,000 passengers (seven giant ships’ worth) inundate the little Old Town. Non-cruise travelers should do their sightseeing (especially walking around the City Wall) early or late to avoid the midday crush and heat.

The Nona Ana catamaran – which swiftly connects Dubrovnik to Mljet island (with its national park) - has extended its run. In the summer, it now also continues four times each week to the ever-popular island town of Korcula.

My favorite sentence in the whole article is :  They’ve been tinkering with it for thousands of years, but Europe is, wonderfully, still a work in progress.

Read the whole article here

Tips for Smart Road Travel in Croatia:

Croatia has not exactly been on the top of the charts when it comes to the world’s best tourist destinations. But for people who want to enjoy natural beauty that is untainted by excessive commercialization, Croatia is fast picking up as a popular holiday spot.
Easy accessibility and the operation of low cost airlines like Ryan Air to this area have further encouraged tourist traffic to Croatia. However, since most of us are not too well aware about Croatia and its infrastructural facilities, travel and stay are major considerations for people visiting this country either for pleasure or on business. But thanks to a number of internet based companies that offer transportation in the form of taxi services and airport transfers, you can easily take care of all your conveyance needs even before you leave for Croatia. While choosing a taxi service in Croatia, keep the points mentioned below in mind if you want to take care of your travel needs both efficiently and economically:

If you want to engage a taxi in Croatia, then make sure that you do it with a web based service. There are a number of professional taxi services that let you book airport transfers or taxis in Croatia online. This way, you can land in Croatia without worrying about how you will get to your hotel or to another nearby city or destination from the airport. Booking online is especially helpful during tourist season when local taxis are both unavailable and expensive. In case you do not want to book a car for yourself, then you can book your seat on an airport shuttle or airport transfer minibus that will pick you up from the airport on your arrival and deliver you to your destination without your having to shell out megabucks since you can share the cost with other co-passengers.

Whenever you book someone for your airport transfers , it is a good idea to ensure that the drivers of your taxi in Croatia speak English and are well versed with all the roads that you might have to travel on. Most of the best taxi services in Croatia will assign you drivers who can take you wherever you want and provide you with all the information you need. Since no one will ever charge you extra for an English speaking driver, specify that you want one while booking with your taxi service. Apart from this, go for a service that does not charge you anything extra if your flight gets delayed. Also make sure that you know the rates you will be paying for each and every service rendered instead of getting unpleasantly shocked on seeing the bill.

If you are traveling with a group or with your family, then you can book yourself on a minibus or an airport shuttle service in Croatia with one of the online taxi companies. This would not only ensure that you find reliable and assured transportation when you land at the airport in Croatia, but it will also let you get the best prices possible. If you are traveling to Croatia with your family or if you are going there for the first time, then you should definitely book your taxi or airport shuttle service through the internet or on the phone a couple of days before landing there. It is also a good idea to call up or email your airport shuttle or taxi service right before you board your plane in order to remind them once again about your arrival.

Johnnie Trade under the leadership of Johnnie & Kathy Kazija provides valuable Taxi Coatia services. They are licensed to make all types of taxi transfers ( to / from airport or ferry terminal etc.) or taxi excursions to famous national parks or hystorical cities. Visit their website http://www.johnnie.hr/ for more information.

The first monograph of Karlovac County was presented in Karlovac.  The photo monograph was created over the past 18 months, and printed in 1000 copies. An English langage edition is also being prepared.

Numerous people worked on this demanding project, dedicating the monograph to the citizens of the Karlovac region, passing travelers, tourists and natural beauty enthusiasts.

Karlovac photographers captured all the beauties of the Karlovac region, combining the differences between the specific natural features of Alpine, Panonian and karstic areas.

The local rivers of Kupa, Korana, Mrežnica and Dobra, the woody hills of Velika Kapela and Mala Kapela, the greenery of Kordun karst, the transit position and the rich cultural heritage are lasting values, providing the citizens of Karlovac County with a base for the economy and quality of living. These beauties also attract people from other regions because the geographic position of Karlovac County makes it ideal for year-round tourism, and provides recreation and active holiday options for all ages.

The four Karlovac rivers offer walks along the rivers, rafting, canoeing, fishing, bike riding on developed trails, swimming ..  In addition to hikers, recreationists and berry pickers, Karlovac forests offer hunting activity.

The Croatian Olympic Center Bjelolasica is located in Karlovac County on about 30 kilometers from Ogulin, and about 50 kilometers from the Adriatic sea. This is a popular winter resort and preparation venue for various sports clubs in wintertime, and an excursion, mountaineering and alpinism destination throughout the year.

More at Karlovac County Tourist Board : www.tzkz.hr

The Environmental Policy Centre of the Yale University released a report with a global list of 149 countries ranked by environmental performance, according to the Environmental Performance Index (EPI).

On the list Croatia is ranked at the 20th place with index of 84.6 out of 100 points.

The best ranked country is Switzerland (95.5 points), followed by Sweeden, Norway, Finland and Cosarica. The worst ranked countries are Mali (44.3), Mauritania (44.2), Sierra Leone (40.0), Angola (39.5) and Niger (39.1)

The EPI index measures emission of carbon and sulfur, water purity and conservation practices.

Last week at Brussels, Hrvatske autoceste – the Croatian Motorways Company was awarded for the tunnel Brinje of motorway Zagreb – Split (A1), as one of the safest European tunnels in 2007.

To come to this conclusion, EuroTAP  – European Tunnel Assessment Programme inspected 51 tunnels important for European road traffic located in 13 countries across Europe including Croatia with tunnels Ucka, Tuhobic, Plasina, Javorova Kosa, Gric and Mala Kapela.

Accoring to European Tunnel Assessment Programme, every fifth tunnel in Europe does not satisfy minimal safety standards. The most common shortcomings refer to a deficiency in fire protection and lacking escape and rescue routes.

Brinje tunnel is 1540 meters long. It was opened for traffic in the 2004 as part of Zagreb-Split Motorway.

More about roads in Croatia