Wednesday, 12 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


By completing the criminal investigation of police officers of the Police Station Dubrovnik and the Police Station of Ploce, 66-year-old Austrian citizen is suspected of two criminal offenses of fraud.

He is suspected that from January 9th until January 12th this year he used the services of accommodation in one hotel in Ploce and left the hotel without paying a stay, which is a cost of almost 1,300 Kuna. Same thing happened in Dubrovnik, where he stayed in one hotel from January 13th to 16th, not paying the bill which was 5,500 Kuna.

The Austrian citizen has been handed over to the detaining officer of the Police Administration of Dubrovnik Neretva County, in addition to the criminal charges.

 

On Wednesday, January 17th at 7 pm Croatian time, Davor Rostuhar successfully finished the first Croatian expedition to the South Pole!

The expedition lasted for 47 days, during which Davor himself, walking on skis, without food being delivered to him and without help of the wind, dogs, etc., crossed 1163 kilometers (total climb - 2800 m) from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole, becoming the first Croat and 21st person in the world who has succeeded to do that.

All he needed for life (tents, food, equipment, etc.) he dragged in the sledge that weighed 135 kilos at the beginning of the expedition. He walked between 10 and 12 hours daily, an average of 25 kilometers a day. When it comes to breaks – he had a total of three days. The temperatures were between -15 and -27, with the windchill (real feel) up to -50.

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                           Photo by official Facebook page: Davor Rostuhar - pisac i fotograf 

Davor did not have any problems on his journey. He feels fantastic and is looking forward to eating pizza soon and standing under a warm shower. He will return to Croatia in late January.

- I am grateful to all who believed in me. So many of my dear people told me that they are sure I will succeed, even though I was not even sure myself. There were those who did not say it, but I felt they were suspicious of my success, as well as those who secretly hoped I would not succeed. And I am grateful to them because they awoke a bitterness in me which was sometimes welcome to get to my goal.. – Davor wrote at his blog, where he described every step of the way of his expedition. Amazing job!

 

The latest international production to be filmed in Croatia will hit the screens on the 29th of March. The Ridley Scott produced “The Terror” is a ten-part television series and was partly filmed on the island of Pag back in April last year. AMC Studios has released a teaser trailer for the upcoming series and it follows the disappearance of a Royal Navy expedition in 1847 after they were searching for the northwest passage.

Produced by Alien director Ridley Scott, the show is based on Dan Simmons’ 2007 novel by the same name. It’s a fictionalized account of the real expedition, which became mired in the ice near King William Island in Nunavut between 1845 and 1848. The remains of both vessels were only recently discovered in 2014 and 2016.

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Mamma Mia and The Terror filmed on Pag - Photo by Pag Tourist Board 

After the romantic comedy Mamma Mia – Here We Go Again was also filmed on Pag this series is a darker more supernatural tale. How a series based in the cold and snow could be filmed on the sunny Croatian island of Pag isn’t clear from the trailer, more will be revealed as the series starts.

 

The days of a blind turn into Cavtat from the main road will soon be behind us as a reconstruction project is currently underway. Creating a safer and wider entrance into the road to Cavtat has been in the pipeline for decades, but now the project is in the final stages. All the documentation required has long been collected, the process of expropriation and the purchase of land has been completed and the works are being carried out with full intensity.

"For decades we have been waiting for the beginning of works that will solve the traffic jams that have caused great dissatisfaction for locals and guests. The process of designing and getting all the necessary permits has been going on for too long, but luckily it is now behind us and it is time for Cavtat to get an entry road it deserves due to the traffic load during the season. The works should end by September this year, and the value of the project is almost HRK 20 million,” commented the mayor of Konavle Božo Lasić.

The contract for reconstruction, worth HRK 19.38 million, was signed in May by the President of the Croatian Road Administration, Josip Škorić, and CEO of Osijek-koteksa, Zoran Škorić. The President of the Croatian Road Administration said on that occasion that this project would solve a dangerous crossing and a big problem.

 

The beauties of the Dubrovnik region are being presented in the Spanish capital, Madrid, at one of the most important travel fairs on the Iberian Peninsula. Starting today the trade fair will last until the 21st of January and the Dubrovnik – Neretva County Tourist Board is attending on the stand of the Croatian National Tourist Board stand.

The FITUR fair in Madrid traditionally attracts both travel agents and tourism professionals as well as the general public looking for inspiration on where to holiday this year.

"This is our fourth consecutive presentation at this fair, and due to the abolition of the Croatian Tourist Board's representation in Spain, as well as the steady growth in arrivals and tourist nights from Spain, visitors are visiting our booth in large numbers,” commented the County Tourist Board.

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All smiles on the Dubrovnik stand in Madrid 

 

Croatians love their beer, that's not a secret and now there is a proof for that! The newest study by Statista reveals that Croatia was one of the top beer drinking countries in the world last year. 

The website brought data showing how much beer people in selected countries consumed in 2017. Croatia was placed 6th, with the beer sales per capita in last year - 81.19 liters.

They were far behind unbeatable Czechs – the average Czech drank 137.38 liters in 2017 and nobody came even close to that. For example, Poland that is placed second with 98.06 liters.

Other countries that drank more beer than Croatia are Germany, Austria and Lithuania.

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Looking to move abroad and get more bang for your buck, well the specialised website expatistan.com has released a list of the most expensive destinations in the world. The most expensive city in the world, in terms of cost of living, is Hamilton on Bermuda, whilst the cheapest is Odessa in Ukraine. But where does Croatia compare on the list?

If you have ever considered packing up your bags and moving to pastures new, or looking for that place in the sun to retire to this price comparison list will give you an idea on how far your cash will go.

According to expatistan.com the most expensive cities in the world to live in are Hamilton, Geneva, Zurich, Grand Cayman, Reykjavik, New York, San Francisco, London and Oslo. The site basically compares a few important factors to come up with the cost of living index and then starts with a base point of 100. Or as the website states “To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague. Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.”

Zagreb has an index rating of 105, making it a little more expensive than Prague, and placing it in 231st position in the world, but 5th place in Eastern Europe. Split on the Dalmatian coast has an index of 107, placing it above the capital and in 226th position in the world. Whilst Rijeka has a ranking of 94 making it the most affordable Croatia city on the list. There is no mention of Dubrovnik, however we presume that it would have taken the top position in Croatia.

Croatia’s neighbours are considerably cheaper on the cost of living index, Sarajevo has an index of 78, Podgorica 89 and Belgrade 85.

Hamilton, a British Overseas Territory, on Bermuda has a whopping 297 ranking on the cost of living index. For example, the average monthly rent of an 85 metre squared apartment in a normal area of the city will set you back 3,743 Euros a month, a basic dinner out for two in neighbourhood pub 74 Euros and a cappuccino 4.50 Euros. In Zagreb the same apartment will on average cost you 465 Euros a month, a meal for two in a pub around 18 Euros and a frothy cappuccino 1.57 Euros.
Check out the full list of the most affordable cities to live in here.

Speaking to The Dubrovnik Times a former resident of Bermuda, who now lives in Dubrovnik commented that "Bermuda is a beautiful island but being stuck in the middle of the Atlantic has it's challenges. Everything is imported, even water at times. There is little fresh produce and little to no fresh meat, a few chickens and turkeys. I once paid $70.00 for a Christmas bird. Exempted company business is the first pillar of the economy with tourism running behind, despite the recent success of the Americas Cup. Croatia has much to offer the visitor and resident alike. In most places you do get very good value for money. Living in an isolated paradise is not always what it seems."

Cost of Entertainment in Zagreb from Expatistan.com

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By far the largest increase in tourists in Croatia in 2017 were travellers from China. Statistics released by the Ministry of Tourism show that on an annual level there was a huge 53 percent increase in the number of tourists from China arriving in Croatia last year, far more than any other nationality.

A grand total of 191,428 Chinese tourists enjoyed the beauties of Croatia last year, which is the first time ever that Chines guests have made the top twenty list of nationality markets. This is a trend that has been continuing for a few years and to the delight of many travel operators the majority of these travellers arrive outside of the main tourist season.

Mario Rendulić, The President of the Chinese Southeast Business Association (CSEBA), Mario Rendulic, commented that “We never had more Chinese tourists than this year and the number is just going to increase in coming years. CSEBA together with Croatian Tourism Ministry and the National Tourist Board, is trying to speed up the removal of administrative barriers and obtain permits which form the basis for the establishment of direct airline connections. The direct links are necessary if Croatian tourist destinations want to attract more Chinese tourists.”

It would appear from the Croatian Tourist Board data that Chinese guests avoid the warmer, and more crowded, summer months. The majority arrive either at the end of spring or in early autumn, thus helping to prolong the Croatian tourist season. And if indicators are to be trusted as many as 300,000 Chinese tourists could land in Croatia this year.

The Voice of Dubrovnik

THE VOICE OF DUBROVNIK


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