One of the greatest ever Croatian musicians passed away this morning at 5.00am in Split General Hospital. Oliver Dragojevic had been battling lung cancer for a year and this morning sadly lost the battle and died at the age of 71.

Oliver Dragojevic, who was born in Split, spent most of his childhood in Vela Luka on the island of Korcula. He attended a music school in Split, where he studied piano, then clarinet and guitar.

His career is marked with many timeless classics and his music will live on for the centuries to come.

The demographic woes of Croatia continue with news that amount of births in 2017 in the country was a record low in the 21st century. A report published by the Croatian Public Health Institute shows that in 2017 a total of 36,600 babies were born in Croatia which is around a 1,000 less than in 2016, and continues the negative birth rate trends.

In 2009 a total of 44,500 babies were born, a record for this century, but since then the number has fallen. The negative trend was worryingly continued in recent years, from 2009 to 2013 the number of newbrons fell by around 4,000 every year.
The age of mothers in Croatia is also increasing, over a third of all mothers in Croatia last year were aged between 30 and 34, followed by women between 25 and 29 years-old.

Overall, the number of births by younger women has been declining over the years, with births by older women on the increase, which is attributed to the limited socio-economic opportunities because of which youths gain employment increasingly later in life, meaning they also buy homes increasingly later - both of which are seen as prerequisites for starting a family with children.

It was a colourful and international evening in Dubrovnik last night as the YIP Children’s Choir from Hong Kong delighted the packed audience.

The concert, organised by the Dubrovnik Tourist Board and the City of Dubrovnik, was held in the heart of the Old City of Dubrovnik on the steps of the St. Blaise Church.

Their repertoire included well-known jazz and pop songs, themes from movies and modern classics. The choir will also perform in Split on July 31st.

One of the rising stars of Latin music, Juan Luis Londoño Arias, or as he is known Maluma, has arrived in Dubrovnik for a break.

The Colombian singer and songwriter, who has collaborated with Shakira and Ricky Martin, flew into Dubrovnik with his stunning Cuban model girlfriend, Natalia Barulich (25), who actually has Croatian roots.

“I am part Croatian! What a pleasure it is to be in this beautiful country for my first time,” wrote Barulich on one of her social media posts.

Maluma has been filling his Instagram account with shots of Dubrovnik, and as he has 35 million followers it is sure to be great promotion for our coastline.

Stunning Natalia Barulich in Dubrovnik - Photo Instagram 

Bravo! Croatia’s water polo team have won bronze at the 2018 European Water Polo championships in Barcelona. After a hard fought match Croatia finally beat Italy 10 – 8 to claim the bronze medal.

A whirlwind start saw Croatia charge off into a 4 – 0 lead but the Italians fought back in the second quarter and brought the match back to 8 – 5 at the break.

Croatia’s incredible sporting summer continued in Barcelona, after the football team won silver at the World Cup in Russia now it was the turn of the water polo team to grab the bronze in Spain.

Playing some tight defence in the third quarter Croatia controlled the match at 9 – 6 going into the fourth quarter. They came out winners 10 – 8 at the final whistle and joyous scenes erupted in the pool.

Turkish Airlines is looking for a third Croatian destination after flights to the capital Zagreb and to Dubrovnik have proved successful. Turkish Airlines is one of the rare airlines that operates flights to Dubrovnik out of the main summer season, with four operations a week through the winter last year. And they are now on the hunt for a further Croatian destination to connect with Istanbul. There are rumours that Split is the leading contender, and as the airport is the second busiest in the country this would seem to make business sense.

"Twenty years ago we launched two weekly flights to Zagreb, while today we maintain double daily services. In addition, two years ago we commenced four weekly year-round operations to Dubrovnik. This summer, services have been increased to eleven weekly. Our plan is to launch another route to Croatia so we can better connect the country to the world and bring even more tourists", commented the Country Manager for Croatia, Ugur Cantimur.

The first construction works on the new Peljesac Bridge are due to be started on Monday. The Chinese consortium, China Road and Bridge Corporation, will carry out all the works on the bridge and access roads and the deadline for completion is 36 months.

Once completed the bridge, which is the largest infrastructure project in Croatia for decades, will connect Dubrovnik to the rest of the country. The bridge will make it easier for mainlanders to visit Dubrovnik and explore the nightlife, casinos for real money and many historical sites. The bridge aims at ensuring the territorial continuity of Croatia by connecting its mainland with the southernmost region, the Dubrovnik–Neretva County, while avoiding crossing Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Neum Corridor. By connecting the Croatian peninsula of Pelješac with the mainland, the bridge would span the part of the Adriatic Sea which separates the two near the Bay of Mali Ston and the Neretva Channel.

 And at a cost of 2.08 billion Kuna it is certainly one of the most expensive projects in Croatia for years.

And the search for workers has already begun. At the beginning of June the Chinese company advertised for eleven construction engineers, from chief engineers to safety officers. And it is rumoured that around a hundred construction workers from China are on their way to Dubrovnik to work on the bridge. Locals had hoped to find employment on this huge project but it would appear that Chinese workers will fill most of the positions.

If they weren’t’ able to find employment on the construction site then at least they will be able to rent out their apartments and homes to accommodate the Chinese workers. Wrong again. According to information from the Croatian daily newspaper, Slobodna Dalmacija, the Chinese company plans to bring a cruiser from China to house the workers.

The popular American NBC morning program “Today Show” has featured a video of the tourism problems in Dubrovnik this morning. The show which reaches millions of US viewers certainly highlights the challenges Dubrovnik faces.

“Many U.S. travelers are planning European escapes this summer — but Kelly Cobiella reports those who live year-round in those popular tourist spots are not always thrilled about it,” writes the Today Show, which apart from Dubrovnik featured Venice and Barcelona.

The Mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Frankovic, comments on the show that work is underway to combat the rise in tourism and says, “When you have satisfied citizens then you have satisfied tourists.”

Check out the video and let us know your feelings