Sunday, 16 February 2025
Mark Thomas

Mark Thomas

Mark Thomas - The editor and big chief of The Dubrovnik Times. Born in the UK he has been living and working in Dubrovnik since 1998, yes he is one of the rare “old hands.” A unique insight into both British and Croatian life and culture, Mark is often known as just “Englez” or Englishman. He is a traveller, a current affairs freak and a huge AFC Wimbledon fan.

Email: mark.thomas@dubrovnik-times.com

More than a month ago, the Israeli police posted a video on its Twitter profile on the Croatian Air Force Canadair CL-415 planes to express their thrill with the Croatian Air Force fire fighters.

Just to remind you, upon invitation of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu in November last year, Croatia sent two Canadair CL-415 planes with 14 crew members and aeronautical-technical staff as an air assistance in fighting forest fires that broke out in northern and central Israel.

Recently Israelis have posted a new video to thank Croatia and to show their enthusiasm with the Croatian Canadair planes and their pilots who have once more confirmed that they are true heroes.

In addition, after successfully putting out huge fires that broke out across Dalmatia last week, the Croatian Air Forces were also helping the neighbouring country of Montenegro, which was also caught in fire.

According to the data from the Croatian Ministry, 612,819 passengers crossed the borders on Saturday, while 562,299 left – reports Poslovni.hr.

Most of the passengers crossed the border with Croatia on the road- 579,755 of them. Busy Saturday was marked with huge traffic jams and long queues. 

According to registered data, 164,994 cars, 4542 freight vehicles and 1559 buses came to Croatia on Saturday. On the same day, 148,871 cars, 4398 trucks and 1362 buses left Croatia.

HEP ODS d.o.o. Elektrojug Dubrovnik plans to perform sound insulation measurement tomorrow, July 25th, at substation Sv. Klara which is located in the Old City of Dubrovnik, in the street ‘Iza Roka’.

This procedure is done on the request of the sanitary inspector, and for the purpose of meeting all the conditions for obtaining the license to use this substation.

Works are planned in the period from 11 am to noon or 12:30, when they will simulate a noise of considerable strength, which may cause discomfort to all those located in the surrounding area. The noise will not be simulated during the total measurement and should not last longer than 30 to 40 minutes.


French folklore group ‘’La Mentonnaise’’ will perform in Dubrovnik on Thursday, July 27th at 3:30 pm in front of the St. Blasius Church. The event is organized by Dubrovnik Tourist Board.

‘’La Mentonnaise’’ has been founded back in 1945 and is a member of National Confederation of French Folk Groups. The group consists of 35 people who sing and dance and their performance is often described as ‘lively’.

Post Office Travel Money has recently published the annual report on the cheapest destinations in Europe for family holidays. And a destination from Croatia has also found its place on this list.

The criteria for selecting the 13 cheapest European destinations are the prices of a cup of coffee, a beer, a glass of wine, Coca Cola, a family lunch and a family snack. According to the total amount of these prices, European cities were selected and ranked on the top list by Business Insider. The Croatian city of Porec in Istria has been declared the sixth cheapest destination in Europe for family vacation.

Here is the list in detail:

13. Nice, France - £138,13 ($179,28)

12. Corfu, Greece - £116,91 ($151,74)

11. Palma Nova, Majorca - £100,70 ($130,70)

10. Paphos, Cyprus - £88,35 ($114,67)

9. Marmaris, Turkey - £83,71 ($108,65)

8. Limassol, Cyprus - £82,06 ($106,51)

7. Crete, Greece - £81,39 ($105,64)

6. Porec, Croatia - £80,55 ($104,55)

5. Sliema, Malta - £79,40 ($103,06)

4. Costa Blanca, Spain - £78,41 ($101,77)

3. Algarve, Portugal - £61,62 ($79,98)

2. Costa del Sol, Spain - £58,15 ($75,47)

1. Sunny Beach, Bulgaria - £35,73 ($46,38).

The height of the season is upon us and with the summer sun pouring down what could be more romantic than falling asleep on the shores of the Adriatic.

These happy campers were spotted this morning in a park on Boninova, around 10 minutes, from the centre of Dubrovnik, slowly waking under the shade of a pine tree. Why book an expensive apartment or even a hostel when you can sleep for free on the doorstep of the historic Old City for free.

camping dub

Camp for free in Dubrovnik 

 

The seasonality of Dubrovnik Airport has always proved a challenge. The airport depends on the city’s tourism industry for the vast majority of its passengers. Dubrovnik doesn’t have a boom of business class travellers nor is it a major European hub; it isn’t even a hub in the region with only direct flights to the capital Zagreb bringing in a significant number of passengers. When the tourists fly home for the summer the airport takes it foot off the gas and a skeleton staff takes the reins.

Passenger numbers show that in January the airport handles around 20,000 passengers each month, whilst in August this number “takes off” to around 400,000. Every winter there are snail steps, a new carrier announces flights or an existing one adds an additional connection. This winter will once again see the airport grind towards a brighter winter period.

departures dubrovnik airport

Terminal A now has a new function as Terminal C is completed 

Firstly the Spanish low cost airline Vueling has announced that not only will they maintain their summer flights from Rome to Dubrovnik to an all year round service but also they will add Barcelona throughout the winter. The Turkish national airline, Turkish Airlines, has also agreed to increase flights from Istanbul to Dubrovnik. These flights proved difficult to fill last year as the complicated political situation in Turkey negatively affected the airlines business. There were reports that flights from the Turkish capital to Dubrovnik were flying with only 30 percent capacity, clearly not feasible. And according to the specialised website EX-YU Aviation the Dubrovnik Airport is in talks with other airlines for the winter period. The most popular budget airline in Europe, Ryanair, had shown interest in operating flights from the UK to Dubrovnik on a year-round basis but there business model was rejected by Dubrovnik Airport.

"Compared to last year, Turkish Airlines has seen its passenger numbers increase by 84 percent on its Dubrovnik service. For us, it is also important that, during the winter, Turkish Airlines will add an additional weekly flight, for a total of four. Combined with Croatia Airlines' service to Frankfurt, we also have high expectations of British Airways and several other carriers we are currently negotiating with," commented the director of the Dubrovnik Airport, Roko Tolić.

And even if the airport fails to attract airlines through the winter there is still plenty of work to be done. The new Terminal C building may have been completed by the second phase of the investment project is set to start this winter. Work on the apron, the runway and taxiways and the logistical buildings will begin this winter, and once completed the airport will be able to handle almost 4 million passengers a year by 2032. As the airport received it’s one millionth passenger two weeks ahead of last year and is expected to break the two million passenger mark by the end of the year the expansion work is quite clearly required. The latest construction works are expected to begin this winter and are scheduled for completion in 2020.

dubrovnik airport 2

Korčula
A true gem of the Adriatic Sea the island of Korčula is a must visit. A delightful walled city, stunning beaches, rolling countryside and a wealth of traditions...not to mention great wines, Korčula is truly magnificent.

korcula

Lopud
A favourite summer destination for Dubrovnik citizens, Lopud is part of the Elaphite archipelago and is home to arguably the best beach in the region, Šunj. Easy to reach with a short ferry ride from the port.

lopud island

Lokrum
The garden of the Old City of Dubrovnik, fifteen minutes from the city and you are in paradise, green heaven. Take a blanket, picnic, water and a good book find your olive tree and unwind in the shade.

lokrum 4

Mljet
Home of one of the most breathtaking national parks in the world, god was having a good day when he created Mljet. Spend a long weekend on the island and you’ll feel five years younger.

mljet aerial

Šipan
The largest of the Elaphite islands and an unspoilt beauty. Nothing much has changed here for the last few centuries and that’s the charm of the island.

sipan

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