June 12, 2021 – As we approach the peak of the season, the first signs of a slow return to normality are beginning to appear not only in the tourism and economic sectors, and Croatian women are stepping forward. Here are our five highlights of the week, recapping the big events in Croatia from June 7 to June 13, 2021.
The forecasts for the summer season in the tourism sector continue to be favourable. The population’s commitment to the vaccination campaign has allowed not only the reopening of thousands of businesses but also an evident decrease in infections and deaths related to COVID-19. The results are manifested through numerous reservations in hotels and private accommodations for these months, European countries clearing the way to travel to Croatia, or the first cruise arriving in the Port of Dubrovnik. It has also been a week where good news has also passed through the economic sector, after it was confirmed that the results of Croatian exports in four months of this year will exceed those of 2019, despite the conditions imposed by the pandemic. It has also been a great week for Croatian women, who have set an example in both the world of arts and sport: here’s a quick review of this week in news.
Croatian Film ”Murina” Will Premiere at Cannes Film Festival
The Croatian film ”Murina”, directed by Dubrovnik-born Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, was shot on the Croatian islands and it will premiere at the famous festival. (Credits: Mario Topić)
June 8th was a great day for Croatian cinema as a Croatian film will return to Cannes. Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović’s feature-length debut film ”Murina” was selected in the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs. It is the second collaboration between Antoneta and the star of the film, Gracia Filipović, who was also the protagonist in her short film ”Into the Blue”, which won a special jury award at the Berlinale in 2017. The talented cast also includes experienced actors such as Leon Lučev from Šibenik, Danica Curcic from Denmark, and Cliff Curtis from New Zealand. The legendary director Martin Scorsese is also an executive producer.
The Croatian film “Murina” is a family drama about sixteen-year-old Julia. Her tense relationship with the oppressive father Ante reaches a breaking point when an old family friend arrives at their home on an isolated Croatian island. While his father tries to make a deal with him, the charismatic guest offers Julia freedom from her militaristic existence and arouses her revolt towards her family. During a weekend filled with high expectations, Julia drags her family into a dangerous whirlpool of passion and violence.
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57% More Tourists in Croatia From Beginning of 2021 to 7 June
From June the 2nd to the 6th, there were an encouraging 185 thousand tourists in Croatia, who spent 787 thousand overnights. (Credits: Mario Romulić)
Out of a total of 787 thousand overnight stays achieved between June 2nd and 6th, 627 thousand of them were realised by foreign tourists in Croatia and Croatian tourists realised the rest. The aforementioned ministry provided the data on physical tourist traffic from the country’s eVisitor and eCrew systems, but without comparative indicators in terms of percentages with the same days last year.
As countries like Germany, Switzerland, and others continue to clear the way for their citizens (who have had Croatia as their favourite destination for many years), Croatia is also doing its part by effectively continuing its vaccination campaign.
The number of foreign tourists thus shows that, although the context is still far from that of a normal summer season such as back in 2019 or 2018, they see Croatia as a safe and accessible destination. This hypothesis resonates when it is known that most tourists opt for camps or private/family accommodation where they feel away from the crowds.
Starting today, the Croatian Adriatic counties will be removed from the red zone of Slovenia, which will allow easy access for tourists from that country, since they will not have to comply with mandatory self-isolation on their return home. Taking this fact into account, an increase in bookings by Slovenian tourists is anticipated.
Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.
For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
Barbara Matić Becomes Judo World Champion!
Barbara Matić won the gold medal at the World Judo Championships in Hungary in the category of up to 70 kilograms. (Credits: International Judo Federation)
Croatian women undoubtedly dominated this week, and just as there is news on the art scene, Barbara Matić gave us the best sports news so far this month, as the Split judo fighter defeated the Japanese judo fighter Yoko Ono in the final thus achieved the best result in the history of Croatian judo. Matić solved the fight with a great move 40 seconds before the end and defended herself masterfully until the end to reach the gold medal. The 26-year-old withstood the terrible attack in the last 28 seconds with her incredible defense and big heart, and then triumphantly raised her hands in the air to celebrate.
Matić thus continued with great results this season. In October, she achieved one of the best results of her career in Budapest after winning gold at the Grand Slam in Budapest, beating three medal winners from the last World Championships.
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First Big Dubrovnik Cruise Ship Arrives after Pandemic Break
The very first large Dubrovnik cruise ship with passengers on board since the start of the pandemic arrived today. (Credits: Bozidar Jukić)
In May, the situation regarding the presence of cruise ships was anything but hopeful. The tourism industry in Dubrovnik is closely linked to cruise trips that arrive in the port in the summer. It must be remembered that even the mayoral candidate, Andro Vlahušić, demanded last month to Mato Franković through a statement that the director of the Port Authority in Dubrovnik, Blaž Pezo, be replaced owing to the mismanagement of the situation regarding the absence of cruise ships.
The discontent and anguish in a city historically made up of sailors and dominated by the naval trade seems to be slowly dissipating, especially when witnessing the first cruise ship to drop ropes in its port: the MSC Orchestra. The 294-metre long cruise ship with a capacity of 2,550 passengers in 1,275 cabins arrived yesterday morning.
Tourism through cruise ships was one of the most affected of all by the pandemic, and perhaps the one that suffered the most. However, the most important cruise companies have taken advantage of these last two years to renew not only their infrastructure and adapt it according to the extraordinary situation, but they have also adopted measures that allow cruise ships to navigate and at the same time so many passengers, as well as their crews, can feel safe.
For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
Croatian Export Results for 4 Months of 2021 Overtake Those of 2019
In the first four months of 2021, Croatian producers placed 5.5 billion euros worth of products on foreign markets, which is more, even on an annual level, than was achieved in the record 2019 export year. (Credits: Pixsell)
It was expected that Croatian export results would be higher in March and April than they were last year when the economy in all major markets stopped due to the lockdown and trade flows were interrupted. However, the latest preliminary data from official statistics show something unexpected: that a record export year has begun in Croatia as 5.5 billion euros worth of products were placed on foreign markets.
When it comes to precisely which sector of production and which markets deserve the most credit for this step forward, more can be read from more detailed data that will be published by the Central Bureau of Statistics in around one month, but from that data processed for the first quarter of 2021, it can be inferred that pharmaceutical production, unsurprisingly given the public health crisis, did the best. Their results in the first quarter were as much as one-third better than they were last year, and double-digit growth rates were also recorded by wood processors, the agriculture sector, exporters of electrical equipment, rubber and plastic products, and the metal industry.
This slow but steady global recovery will also contribute to the good trend in the placement of Croatian goods on international markets, especially in the Eurozone, where Croatia’s most important foreign trade partners come from.
For more, follow our business section.
From Monday to Sunday, we list five events featured on the front pages of Croatia’s news portals.
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