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
Athlete Andrej Vistica has recently published an amazing video on his Youtube channel with a simple title 'Dubrovnik', describing it as bird's eye view of one of the prettiest cities in the world.
We've seen a lot Dubrovnik videos, but this one is one of our favorites. Sunset, sunrise, red roofs and some of the views we never seen before make it absolutely amazing. It will make you hit the replay button couple of times.
Croatia has got the first eleven travel agencies certified for senior tourism and implementation of specialized programs for senior citizens aged 55 +, who travel more and more every year and represent one of the fastest growing market segments in the total tourist travels.
UNPAH or the Croatian Association of Independent Travel Agencies carried out the certification with a support of the Ministry of Tourism and the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ) in accordance with European directives and the National program of Social Tourism. Among eleven certified tourist agencies in Croatia are Adriatours DMC, Adriatic TT DMC, Alfa Travel DMC, Azur Tours, Event-s DMC, Istraline DMC, Kompas Zagreb DMC, Kvarner Express Split DMC, Maestral VB DMC, Puh Tours DMC, and Svijet putovanja DMC.
According to data from Eurostat for 2014, tourists aged 55+ and 65+ accounted for 37 percent of the total travels in the EU, whilst senior groups of tourists from France, Germany, the UK, Spain and Italy realized 800,000 overnight stays in Europe in 2014.
Furthermore, according to data from the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT) for November 2016, every fifth person in Europe today is aged 60+, whilst senior citizens from Europe realize 6 to 7 travels a year, with a desire to travel and enjoy life such as tourists from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Scandinavia,who have the highest incomes, thus better opportunities for tourist spending.
''Trends from this market are also present in the Croatian tourism industry; many agencies, hotels and other service providers are working with this segment, however, the number of tourist arrivals and overnight stays of senior tourists and their spending are still not being followed statistically'', commented Vlasta Klaric, the secretary of UNPAH.
Klaric also emphasizes that senior tourists are mostly travellers who like to travel in the off-season when destinations are less crowded; they prefer peaceful and relaxing programs, whether it is sightseeing, stay at the spa etc.They usually travel several times a year for longer periods of time, and show
Don't tell me your dreams can't come true – commented Jamie Foxx as he sat on the balcony of his luxury Dubrovnik villa looking out over the Adriatic Sea. The Oscar award winning actor is here filming the latest Robin Hood movie – Robin Hood: Origins – as Little John.
He published a video on his Instagram account in the warm winter sunshine – “I am out here in Croatia, it’s crazy! For a young boy from Terrell, Texas this is blowing my mind a little,” added Foxx on the video. Foxx is staying in the mega luxurious Villa Šeherezada with views over the Old City of Dubrovnik. The villa is one of the most elite in the region and in the summer costs around 70,000 Euros a week! With its own private pier, butler service, extensive gardens, swimming pool, private beach and all with magnificent views, this is a Dubrovnik address for the rich and famous.
Famous Canadian musician Bryan Adams is coming to Zagreb – it was confirmed yesterday. He will perform in the Arena Zagreb, November 9th, and his fans are already excited.
His visit to Zagreb will be a part of a world tour meant to promote his newest album 'Get Up', published at the end of 2015.
Adams has a over 35 years long career and many famous hits like (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, Plese Forgive me, All For Love, Summer of '69 and many more.
The first day of filming of Robin Hood: Origins in Dubrovnik was a full day, the cast, crew and extras were still filming as the sun went down over the ancient city walls.
Night time filming in the Old City harbour saw full scenes including Taron Egeron as the youthful Robin Hood and Eve Hewson as Maid Marion. It would seem that the crew were preparing for another day of filming in the harbour area as new cameras and equipment was brought onto the sets.
A few days ago the Croatian government reported that it had received a 102 million Euros subsidy from the European Union for the construction of the LNG terminal on the island of Krk in northern Adriatic.
On this occasion, the Croatian Minister of Environment and Energy Slaven Dobrovic said that this was one of the most important energy projects not only at the national level, but also at the regional and European level, as it was proven with the EU decision on co-financing.
Dobrovic also added, ''This project will definitely give a significant impetus to the Croatian economy and industry, which will have the opportunity to develop new services, new skills and new technologies in the field of LNG''.
The funds approved on the 17th of February by the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) coordination committee will cover 50 percent of the pre-construction study and almost 28 percent of the works.
The LNG terminal project worth 363 million Euros is intended for the construction a floating terminal off the island of Krk. Currently, the Croatian government is in the final phase of selecting a strategic investor, whilst the construction works are to begin in 2019.
Robin Hood: Origins is underway in Dubrovnik and this morning hundreds of extras and props filled the streets of the ancient city. Colourful costumes, magnificent horses and bows and arrows all brought a touch of Nottingham to the pearl of the Adriatic as the first day of filming saw a flurry of action.
Filming will last until the 6th of March so we can expect more sights in the near future. Both Robin Hood, played by Taron Egerton, and Maid Marion, or Eve Hewson appeared relaxed on set today.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has introduced new direct flight from Amsterdam to Split in its new summer schedule for 2017. Therefore, the Dutch air carrier will operate flights to two Croatia's destinations from now on – to Zagreb and Split, thus make their capital city more accessible than ever before.
In the period of pre-season from the 22nd of April to the 2nd of July, and in off-season from the 9th of September to the 28th of October 2017, KLM will organize flights on Saturdays and Sundays with aircraft Embraer 100 with 90 seats.
In the middle of summer, from the 9th of July to the 31st of August 2017, KLM will increase the number of flights to six a week, as well as the number of passengers because the air carrier plans of flying Boeing 737 aircraft with available 132 seats.
''We would like to offer our clients more direct flights from Amsterdam to cities of their choice. Split seemed a logical choice because Croatia is a top destination and we have recognized the need for new flights and new destinations. However, this is an important decision for us because we have launched a direct flight to Split for the first time in our history'', commented Pieter Elbers, the president and director of KLM.