After opening successful pilot stores at a busy train station in Moscow, Russia, Surf'n'Fries has recently opened two more stores at one of Europe's busiest airports - Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport.

The most successful franchise in Croatia launched in 2009 has already expanded its business by opening 55 franchises in eleven European countries such as Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Romania, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Ireland, Russia, and Norway as well as in Vietnam and Iran.

It is interesting to note that Andrija Colak and Denis Polic, a successful Surf’n’Fries duo from Rijeka won an award in America for the most promising young franchise business, beating more than 300 franchises from 38 countries in 2015.

In the same year they presented their new oil free technology, which they claim solves the problem of unhealthy fast food items by only using air to make fries, chicken nuggets, mozzarella sticks and other Surf’n’Fries specialty products.

The successful duo has also announced the opening of further 300 Surf’n’Fries outlets across Russia and Kazakhstan in the next five years. Furthermore, negotiations for signing a deal in South Africa are in the final phase, whilst Surf’n’Fries outlet in Dubai is to be opened this May. There are also plans for business expansion to the largest world markets of the US and China.

A leading coffee, tea and snacks company in Croatia successfully continues to conquer world markets.

The Franck company, one of the most successful food production and export companies in present-day Croatia, recently entered the market of the United States i.e. Franck's iconic jubilee ground coffee is now available in 150 stores of the largest American retail chain Walmart.

A business analysis shows that Franck's market share has been growing in the Adria region. The company has already expanded to Central Europe through companies in Vienna and Bratislava. On the other hand, Franck has invested more than 20 million Kunas in modernization and introduced 30 new products; therefore, the further expansion to other demanding markets is reasonably expected.

''We've shaken our distributors thus this year we are expanding exports to Scandinavian markets, whilst with a special offer of our jubilee ground coffee we recently entered Walmart stores in the US. Our products have already been available in more than 350 stores in Vienna, and after 25 years we have returned to the markets of Serbia and Montenegro with our popular ''brick'' (vacuum-packed jubilee coffee of 250 grams) as well as with our other assortment of ground coffee, instant cappuccino and teas'', explained Zoran Mabic, the sales director at Franck.

It is interesting to note that this year the Franck company is celebrating its 125th anniversary. The story began when a young and ambitious German entrepreneur named Johann H. Franck managed to produce a coffee substitute using chicory root. The company was first registered as Heinrich Franck Sohne G.m.b.H in 1828.

After opening branches in Austria, Italy, Czechoslovakia and Hungary, another one was opened in the Vodovodna Street in Zagreb in 1892, where the company’s headquarters are still today.

The island of Lokrum disappeared in a blanket of fog this afternoon.

These rather strange weather conditions brought thick fog down over the Adriatic Sea and completely covered the island of Lokrum from the Old City of Dubrovnik. As warm sunshine blazed down this micro-climate around the island was wierd to see. 

Photo Barbara Gate 

Croatia Air Traffic Control (HKZP) has received the Single European Sky 2017 award at the World Air Traffic Management Congress which was held in Madrid, Spain from the 7th to the 9th of March.

On this occasion, the European Commission awarded five projects that help modernise EU Air Traffic Management (ATM), whilst the winners were chosen among 36 applications from 35 world countries.

Croatia Air Traffic Control (HKZP) received the EU Commission’s award for the multinational project called the South-East Axis Free Route Airspace (SEAFRA).

SEAFRA is the first cross-border application of 24-hour free route airspace in Europe. The project brings together four countries: Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which are part of the Functional Airspace Block (FAB), with Serbia and Montenegro, which are not part of any FAB initiative. By doing so SEAFRA provides a concrete example of how this type of cooperation is possible and can benefit all stakeholders. The idea of such large-scale free route airspace was initiated to improve safety and efficiency, as well as environmental protection by reducing fuel consumption.

‘’This award is a great recognition of our project which we have implemented with our partners SMATSA and BHANSA from neighbouring countries. This project was the first to introduce free route airspace in Europe in the area of four countries – Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro. Apart from exceptional reduction of fuel consumption for air carriers, we have also significantly reduced CO2 and NOx emissions’’, emphasized Dragan Bilac, the director of HKZP.

Furthermore, EUROCONTROL’s Network Manager and high-level representatives from five air navigation service providers will present the Free Route Airspace (FRA) concept and provide real examples of implementation over Central and South East Europe.

Apart from four SEFRA countries, the FRA project would also encompass air spaces of Austria and Slovenia (SAXFRA). This project will significantly improve services for air carriers considering the fact that large part of European air traffic passes just over these six countries on the way from north-western Europe to the Middle East.

In terms of tourism, Croatia is best known for its coastal destinations; however, the continental ones do not lag behind them anymore. The popular Art&Spa centre in the Hrvatsko Zagorje region is one of them.

In the first two months of 2017, the Croatian spa centre Terme Tuhelj recorded around 20,000 overnight stays and placed on the TOP 10 most visited destinations in Croatia in that period. This positive trend is expected to continue in the rest of the year with encouraging indicators from both foreign and domestic tourists.

Noting that the tourist season at Terme Tuhelj lasts throughout the whole year, from the spa centre point out that they are very satisfied with the achieved results in the first two months of 2017 which put them side by side with popular Croatia's destinations such as Dubrovnik, Opatija, Rovinj, Umag, Split, Porec, Zadar, and Zagreb, which placed as the first on the list in terms of tourist traffic.

''Out of the total number of 20,400 overnight stays, most were realized by domestic guests (12,100), mainly in hotels and other accommodation spa centre facilities. Thus, we are among the TOP 10 destinations in Croatia in terms of hotel tourist traffic in the first two months of 2017'', Terme Tuhelj presented data from the eVisitor system.

Thanks to the increased activities on foreign markets for this year, apart from an increase in arrivals and overnight stays of domestic tourists, Terme Tuhelj expects growth from foreign markets as well. Furthermore, apart from the investment in the development of spa services and in education of employees, Terme Tuhelj has been working on the improvement of their congress offer, which has resulted in the continuous increase in the number of congresses and business guests.

''Bearing in mind that experiences and emotions are among the most important topics in tourism, this year we are also planning investments with emphasis on pools with thermal water in order to popularize natural wellness'', said Terme Tuhelj.

Yesterday marked a sad day in Dubrovnik's long history – for on the 20th of March 1970 the city's tramway was abolished. For almost sixty years the tramway was an important link and an iconic feature on the streets of the city. People still remember the Dubrovnik tramway with fondness, yes it was the most comfortable or even the fastest way of travel but it certainly had style and character.

In fact speed was one of the reasons why the tramway was abolished all those years ago, but the main reason was profitability. In a modern era trams were seen as somehow old-fashioned and not in pace with modern life.

It would be fair to say that this is not the case, many major cities have reintroduced trams, such as London, to reduce traffic problems. And trams are also an attraction in themselves, a visit to San Francisco just wouldn’t be the same without a ride on the tram.

From December 1910 the tramway tirelessly served Dubrovnik and its citizens. Until one fateful day, the 7th of March, when a tram derailed and crashed into the Pile park area just outside of the Old City, this signalled the final nail in the coffin for trams in Dubrovnik. Fourteen people were injured and there was one fatality on that day, although it could be argued that there were two fatalities – the end of the tramway in the city.

By meeting with representatives of the Croatian community in the Swedish capital of Stockholm the president of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic began her five-day visit to the Scandinavian country on the 20th of March.

According to the latest data between 35,000 and 40,000 Croats emigrated to Sweden in the last century whether as economic migrants, political migrants or fleeing from the war zone in 1990s.

At the meeting with the Croatian community Grabar-Kitarovic emphasized the poor demographic situation in the homeland by saying that Croatia was ''ageing and dying'' and needed people, referring to returnees from the Diaspora. She also added that Croatia had to provide returnees the standard of living they now have in Sweden. "It is up to us to ensure your return, your integration in the homeland and the fullness of life you have in Sweden."

The Croatian president begins the official part of her visit on the 21st of March. She is to meet with King Gustaf XVI and Queen Silvia, the Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lovfen, the Parliament Speaker Urban Ahlin, and the Minister of Defence Peter Hultqvist.

During the five-day visit Grabar-Kitarovic will also visit the Swedish telecom giant Ericsson, the owner of the ICT company Ericsson Nikola Tesla in Croatia.

The Dubrovnik Tourist Board in collaboration with the City of Dubrovnik will organize the first occasional sale of flowers and plants this year on Saturday, the 25th of March from 7.30 am until 4 pm in the Luj Soletic Park in Gruz.

On this occasion locals and their guests can buy seedlings at affordable prices. Locals can then arrange their gardens and balconies to make the city even more beautiful. All of the flowers and plants at this sale will be offered at promotional prices.