Thursday, 13 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

On Friday, January 31, the 20th anniversary of Night of Museums will take place—a national event organized by the Croatian Museum Association in collaboration with numerous museums and other heritage, scientific, and educational institutions across Croatia. As in previous years, the event will be held on the last Friday of January from 6 PM to 1 AM, with this year’s central theme being "Museums – Visible and Invisible."

In Dubrovnik, city museums will be joined by the Museum of Red History and the Love Stories Museum, offering a rich program across 13 different locations. Visitors can enjoy educational workshops, lectures, exhibitions, performances, concerts, guided tours, interactive games, quizzes, and discounts on museum catalogs and souvenirs. As in previous years, public transport provider Libertas will support the event by adjusting the schedules of its most frequent bus lines.

easyJet is set to strengthen its presence in Croatia this summer with the launch of several new seasonal routes. Despite operating in Split only during the summer, the airline remains the city’s largest carrier by seat capacity, reports EX-YU Aviation

Among the latest additions, easyJet will introduce a new connection between Porto and Split, starting June 23 and running twice weekly until August 30. This marks the airline’s 16th destination from Croatia’s second-largest city.

In addition, new routes from Liverpool and Milan Linate to Split will begin on June 9 and June 23, respectively. Dubrovnik and Zadar will also see fresh connections, with flights from Bordeaux and Lyon launching this June. Tickets are now available on easyJet’s website.

Dinamo Zagreb won against AC Milan in the eighth and final round of the Champions League and finished the group stage with 11 points.

However, this was not enough for them to qualify for the knockout stage due to unfavorable results in other matches.

By simply qualifying for the Champions League, Dinamo secured €34 million, while each group stage victory brought in €2.1 million and a draw €700,000. Dinamo achieved three wins (Milan, Slovan, Salzburg), two draws (Celtic, Monaco), and three losses (Bayern, Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund), earning a total of €7.6 million.

As the 25th club in the final standings, Dinamo received an additional €3.3 million, as the last-placed team gets €275,000, with each higher position earning the same incremental amount.

According to data from the eVisitor system, a thousand guests spent the weekend in Dubrovnik, which is 65 percent more than at the same time last year.

The most numerous visitors to the city were from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United States, China, and Albania.

Since the beginning of the year, Dubrovnik has recorded 8,100 tourist arrivals and 23,000 overnight stays, which is 13 percent less than in the same period in 2024.

In celebration of the Festivities of St. Blaise, the patron saint of Dubrovnik, food lovers can enjoy traditional Dubrovnik šporki makaruli (dirty macaroni) in 15 restaurants across the city. This authentic dish, a symbol of Dubrovnik’s rich culinary heritage, is prepared using time-honored recipes that reflect the city's history and traditions.

Šporki makaruli is a delicious pasta dish served with a hearty meat sauce, typically made with beef or veal, depending on availability. The dish gets its name from its origins—while the finest cuts of meat were reserved for the aristocracy, the remaining pasta, often without meat but coated in sauce, was given to their servants. This "messy" or "dirty" pasta (šporki means "dirty" in Croatian) became a beloved dish that continues to be prepared with care today.

More than just a meal, šporki makaruli offers a taste of Dubrovnik’s past and serves as a connection between the city's history and modern-day life. Its preparation and enjoyment have become an essential part of the Festivities of St. Blaise celebrations.

A full list of restaurants offering šporki makaruli, along with details on availability and timings, can be found here.

The Dubrovnik Tourist Board launched a geo-targeted social media campaign on Facebook and Instagram during the prestigious Australian Open tennis tournament, held from January 12 to 26. The campaign aimed to promote Dubrovnik as an ideal destination for tennis enthusiasts.

Through targeted advertising on social media, Dubrovnik was showcased to audiences at three of the most renowned tennis arenas—Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena, and Melbourne Arena. The ads were displayed in feed and story formats, and the campaign’s results were impressive: it reached over 48,500 users and generated nearly 70,000 ad impressions.

This campaign is part of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board's broader strategy to further enhance the city’s global recognition and attract visitors from distant markets, such as Australia.

The prestigious Holiday World Show, one of Ireland's leading tourism events, took place in Dublin from January 24 to 26, 2025.

This year, the Dubrovnik-Neretva County Tourist Board participated in the event as part of a joint stand with the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board and the Croatian National Tourist Board, offering visitors a unique insight into the rich tourism offerings of southern Croatia.

The first morning of the fair was reserved exclusively for tourism professionals, while the general public had the opportunity to explore destinations during the remaining time.

Representatives from Dubrovnik-based travel agency Globtour and Dublin-based tour operator Croatia Tours, which includes travel packages and arrangements for destinations in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, were also present at the stand. The event attracted a large number of visitors on its first day, confirming the strong interest of the Irish market in the Croatian coastline.

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The Croatian Ambassador to Ireland, Mr. Davor Vidiš, visited the stand as well.

The importance of this market is underscored by statistics: in 2024, Dubrovnik-Neretva County welcomed 51,694 Irish tourists, who accounted for 239,537 overnight stays—an increase of 16% in arrivals and 11% in overnight stays compared to the previous year.

Given the continued growth of interest from Irish tourists in southern Croatia, participating in the Holiday World Show represents an excellent opportunity to further promote the destination and strengthen collaboration with the Irish market.

The Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Health, and the Dubrovnik-Neretva County have signed the fourth Supplement to the Agreement on Cooperation for the Implementation of Air Transport, ensuring year-round emergency helicopter medical services in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County for 2025.

The emergency helicopter medical service was first established as a pilot project in 2016 when the initial Agreement was signed by the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Health, and the Dubrovnik-Neretva County. The service continued to operate during the summer months in subsequent years until March 2021, marking a significant step forward for the safety and health preservation of all residents and visitors to Dubrovnik-Neretva County with the establishment of a year-round emergency helicopter service.

Enabling rapid transport for severely injured, critically ill, or wounded individuals is often critical for saving lives. If the patient is transported to a medical facility within the first hour, known as the "golden hour," their chances of survival increase significantly. Considering the geographical configuration, including the remoteness and transportation isolation of certain rural areas and islands in the County, a helicopter emergency medical transport system is indispensable. It serves as a functional complement to the existing land and sea-based emergency medical services.

Helicopters also enhance the efficiency of emergency medical operations by providing direct and rapid access to larger specialist and subspecialist hospital centers, according to representatives from Croatia's southernmost county.

The Voice of Dubrovnik

THE VOICE OF DUBROVNIK


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