Ivana Smilović – a senior journalist at The Dubrovnik Times. Born and raised in Dubrovnik, Ivana (or Smile as she is known to all) graduated Media Studies from the University of Dubrovnik. A book worm, coffee addict and want-to-be world traveller Ivana brings her unique local insight, connections and general optimistic and well smiley feel to the Times.
Email: ivana@thedubrovniktimes.com
The company Krilo line informs that the high-speed line Split - Brac - Hvar - Korcula - Mljet - Dubrovnik and vice versa starts sailing again.
Daily sailing in the 2020 season starts on Monday, June 29th.
The catamaran departs from Split at 7:40 am in the morning and arrives to the pier Petka in the port of Gruz at 12:15.
The catamaran will depart daily from Dubrovnik during June, July and August at 4:30 pm, and in the period from Semptember 1st to October 25th daily at 4 pm.
Ticket sales for this line will be organized in Dubrovnik Travel Corner - Avansa Travel d.o.o. in Gruz, Obala Stjepana Radica 40, right across the place where the ship comes.
-We believe that the re-establishment of this extremely popular line will improve the connection of Dubrovnik with other tourist centers on the coast and thus contribute to this tourist season - the company stated.
The city of Dubrovnik has installed free internet in the historic city center, on Pile and Lazareti, using 15 thousand euros of non-refundable EU funds. As part of the initiative "WiFi4EU - promoting Internet connectivity in local communities", Dubrovnik is one of one hundred cities in the Republic of Croatia that has got this support through a tender.
The WiFi4EU voucher covers the cost of equipment and installation of Wi-Fi access points. With this co-financing, the City of Dubrovnik has built a total of ten access points for free wireless internet network in public areas, and locations have been selected where both citizens and guests will benefit.
The goal of the WiFi4EU initiative is to provide high-quality free internet access for citizens and visitors through Wi-Fi access points. The total budget was 51 million euros, and applications were received from all countries participating in the program from EU Member States, Iceland and Norway, and 3,400 municipalities received vouchers worth 15 thousand euros each for costs of installation.
According to the first results of the eVisitor system, 185,389 arrivals and 842,659 overnight stays were realized in Croatia during the extended weekend, in the period from Friday 19th to Sunday, 22nd of June. There were about 210 thousand tourists in Croatia daily.
-We have entered the main part of the tourist year, Croatia is among the few Mediterranean countries in which tourist traffic is currently being realized and we should be proud of that fact. The defense system against the coronavirus throughout the country is set at a high level. We respect the efforts and recommendations of the competent professional services. Conditions have been provided for a safe tourist summer, day by day we will record an increasing influx of guests, and it is up to all of us, citizens and tourists to act responsibly and adhere to all prescribed epidemiological measures - said Croatian National Tourist Board Director Kristjan Stanicic, adding that promotional activities aimed at the domestic market will start in a few days.
Out of the total number of overnight stays, domestic tourists realized 23 percent, and foreign tourists 77 percent. The greatest number of overnight stays was made by tourists from Germany (202 thousand overnight stays, 24 percent share in total overnight stays), Slovenia (168 thousand overnight stays, 20 percent share), Austria (79 thousand overnight stays, nine percent share) and the Czech Republic (63 thousand overnight stays, seven percent share).
In terms of counties, the highest number of overnight stays was recorded in the County of Istria (258 thousand, 31 percent), followed by the County of Primorje-Gorski Kotar (200 thousand overnight stays, 24 percent) and the County of Zadar (144 thousand overnight stays, 17 percent). In terms of destinations, most of the overnight stays were made in Rovinj (44 thousand overnight stays), Vir (35 thousand overnight stays), Medulin (27 thousand overnight stays), Mali Losinj (26 thousand overnight stays) and Porec (25 thousand overnight stays).
During the extended weekend, most overnight stays were realized in household facilities (31 percent of overnight stays, 263 thousand overnight stays), camps (26 percent, 218 thousand overnight stays) and hotels (13 percent, 112 thousand overnight stays).
Austrian flag carrier Austrian Airlines, a member of Star Alliance, has resumed flight operations to Dubrovnik on Sunday, June 21st – Avioradar reports.
The first flight was operated with Airbus A319. Following flights are announced with a smaller Embraer ERJ-195. At the begining this route will be operated twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Next Saturday, on June 27th, Austrian Airlines will resume flight operations to Split. Airbus A319 is also announced for the first flight, and the smaller Embraer ERJ-195 for the following flights. At the begining this route will also be operated twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Saturdays – Avioradar writes.
The first arrival to Zagreb is announced on Monday, June 29th. At the begining this route is announced with 5 weekly flights, every day except Friday and Saturday. All flights to Zagreb are announced with Bombardier Q400.
In the past week in the area of Police Administration of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County there were eight traffic accidents, in which one person got heavily injured, two persons got light injuries, while there were five traffic accidents with material damage.
By carrying out traffic control measures, police officers have taken 897 repressive measures against the perpetrators of traffic offenses, out of which 497 measures taken due to speeding, 43 measures due to improper overtaking, 37 measures for improper stop and parking, 110 measures because of non-use of the seat belt, 30 measures against drivers who were driving the vehicle under the influence of alcohol and 52 measures because of using mobile phone while driving.
Culture continues to walk around the city of Dubrovnik. The next location is the park at Gorica. Today, on Tuesday, June 23, cultural institutions House of Marin Drzic, the Natural History Museum Dubrovnik, the Museum of Modern Art Dubrovnik, the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra and the Marin Drzic Theater will join forces once again!
From 6 pm, the creative workshop "Art Virus" will "infect" the youngest citizens on Gorica. The workshop is led by museum pedagogues and painters Jasmina Runje, Dubravka Tullio and Ivona Simunović, and children have the opportunity to make sculptures, draw, paint, free their imagination, get acquainted with various art techniques and socialize outdoors.
At 7.30 pm, a concert by the Brass Quartet of the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra and percussionist Karmen Pervitic is scheduled. The Brass Quartet consists of musicians Dzemal Cakić, Martin Hrcan, Toni Kursar and Damir Butigan, and is preparing an interesting musical review from the 16th to the 18th century that includes a selection from Renaissance madrigals and chansons (G. Gastoldi, O. di Lasso, M. Praetorius, HL Hassler), then the music of the Venetian school (GP Cima, A. Cima, G. Gabrieli), French Rococo (E.C. Jacquet de la Guerre) and Baroque (G. Reiche, J.S. Bach and G.F. Händel). The musicians will be joined by a member of the artistic ensemble of the Marin Drzic Theater, Srdana Simunovic, with a selection from the rich opus of Marin Drzic.
Citizens and their guests are invited to remain responsible at this event and follow the recommended measures while maintaining physical distance.
The partners in this project are the City of Dubrovnik, the Tourist Board of the City of Dubrovnik, cultural institutions and city districts / local committees.
Petrol prices have risen since midnight for the second week in a row. According to the website cijenegoriva.info, a 50-liter tank of petrol is 7 kuna more expensive than last week.
The price of diesel has also risen, so drivers will have to spend 5 kuna more for the average diesel tank.
Gas is also more expensive. Filling the average LPG tank from today is 3.5 kuna more expensive.
LOT Polish Airlines, Poland's national carrier, has announced the launch of international routes from July 1st to 20 European destinations, including destinations in Croatia – Croatian Aviation reports.
The company will first launch flights to Split, Dubrovnik and Zadar, while the introduction of other destinations (Rijeka and Zagreb) is expected in the second half of the month.
According to Croatian Aviation, from July 1st, the following lines will be introduced:
• line Warsaw - Split, twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays,
• line Warsaw - Dubrovnik, twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays,
• line Warsaw - Zadar (from July 4th), once a week, on Saturdays,
• line Budapest - Dubrovnik (from July 4th), once a week, on Saturdays.
B737-800 aircraft with a capacity of 186 passengers has been announced on all routes from Warsaw, while an Embraer 195 aircraft with a capacity of 112 passengers has been announced on the Budapest-Dubrovnik route.
The introduction of the line to Zagreb is expected from July 15th, while the new line to Rijeka is currently announced from July 19th.