Dubrovnik will soon be connected to another international destination, Tehran. According to information in the media charter flights from Dubrovnik to Tehran in Iran should start on the 18th of March this year.

These first charter flights from Iran are the result of the removal of long-standing sanctions from Croatia to Iran. The first group of Iranian tourists are set to land on the 18th of March at Dubrovnik Airport, and there is another nine flights planned over another three week period. According to reports the flights will be operated by a Swiss airline, however more details are as yet unconfirmed.

Other international airlines are also starting to reintroduce direct flights to the Iranian capital with British Airways opening links on the 14th of June this year.

The south wind died down, the clouds parted and Dubrovnik was bathed in warm sunshine today.

Tourists and locals made the most of the bright sunshine to spend an “Al fresco” afternoon. Whether reading a book, spending time with a loved one or sightseeing the monuments, is was a mild winter’s day in the city.

The Dubrovnik Times photographers were on the spot to catch the atmosphere in the city today.

You have to admire their proactive approach, this is not a “wait and see” view this is more like a “strike whilst the iron is hot” tactic. As soon as news broke, well rumours broke, that the eighth episode of Star Wars was to be partly filmed in Dubrovnik the whole city was talking about nothing else. But rather than just gossiping a couple of bright sparks in the city were already thinking outside of the box. They scooped up the domain “starwarsdubrovnik.com” and created a blog of Star Wars news and rumours for Dubrovnik.

“Basically the first idea came from Zeljko Erak, who is also involved in the project, and he came to me with the idea of starting a Dubrovnik based Star Wars website,” explained the editor of the site Bozidar Jukic to The Dubrovnik Times. The initial plan was to create a small, fan website and when once the filming started to follow the events as they unfolded. However in a short space of time the website, and associated social media sites, exploded as lovers of the Star Wars franchise from all over the world saw the opportunity to get news from the front line.

“I am a fan from a very early age. I grew up religiously watching the first three episodes. I succeeded in wearing out these early VHS video tapes that my father brought me very quickly,” said Jukic. How surprised was he to find that Dubrovnik was chosen as a location for the next Star Wars in the series? “Extremely, I couldn’t imagine in a million years that I would see Star Wars filming in my city.”

As the rumours rolled like an avalanche the pair soon discovered that they were in the middle of an exclusive story. The blog almost filled itself as international fan websites and forums started speculating on the possible scenes and locations. Rumours turned into hard facts and renowned news portals started digging for more information, the Star Wars in Dubrovnik bandwagon was rolling along at breakneck speed.

Bozidar Jukic - I grew up religiously watching the first three episodes 

“I am not a journalist, nor do I try to be, this isn’t a news website it is a fan blog. Dubrovnik is a small town and lots of the information about Star Wars is going to be circulated no matter how hard they try to keep a lid on it. Of course people closely connected to the production have all signed contracts of silence; however rumours in any small town will spread like wildfire. We don’t push for information but a lot of information comes our way,” said Jukic. Adding that they don’t publish all of the information that comes their way and that they always respect their sources.

Of course there is lots of speculation, its Star Wars after all, so the blog has already had a healthy amount of hits and the social media sites are growing on a daily basis. Will Star Wars have the same positive influence of Dubrovnik’s tourism as the HBO Game of Thrones serial did? Jukic seems confident that the Star Wars effect will be even bigger. “Of course the Game of Thrones has had a huge sway on Dubrovnik’s tourism industry, especially in the American market, however the potential of Star Wars is way more than Game of Thrones. It depends on many factors, such as how recognizable Dubrovnik is when seen on screen, but the potential is enormous.”

The lasting results of Star Wars in Dubrovnik remain to be seen, “we love Dubrovnik and we love Star Wars, so of course we want to brag about the production coming here,” concluded Jukic. The force has certainly awakened these Dubrovnik bloggers.

Fancy a free week in the Dubrovnik sunshine this May; well your dreams just might come true. The website Independent School Parent have joined forces with the popular five star Sun Gardens, Dubrovnik resort in Dubrovnik and are offering a competition to win a seven-day break in the Mediterranean sunshine.

“The resort is offering one lucky family a seven-night stay, on a bed-and-breakfast basis, in a spacious two-bed residence,” writes the website. And all you have to do to enter answer a simple question and complete the registration form; it’s as easy as that.

Find all the details here and good luck!

Dubrovnik has always been an international city. Apart from the millions of foreign tourists who visit Dubrovnik every year, the region is also a magnet for people looking for a lifestyle change. In 2009 the Dubrovnik Foreign Circle (DFC), a non-governmental organisation, was registered and, whilst it started as a place for foreigners living in Dubrovnik to meet, it quickly became an important contributor to the city. The circle is an international group of people who live in the Dubrovnik area full or part time. The organisation represents all foreigners residing in Dubrovnik, irrespective of their country of origin, religion, or ethnicity.

“The organisation tries to assist the community by providing services that contribute to the health and vitality of the greater Dubrovnik Region. We provide friendship and understanding between our members and the local community by organising cultural and social events,” commented the President of the Dubrovnik Foreign Circle, Christiane Mandukich. She added that DFC aims to create a meaningful dialog regarding the integration of foreigners into the Croatian society. And that they enjoy many Croatian/local friends as well as many local sponsors.

The Dubrovnik Foreign Circle offers its members many social events: an annual all day visit to one of the DFC members’ home on Kolocep; monthly DFC luncheons in town; special interest groups such as Croatian language lessons; a very successful International Christmas Party and an International Lending Library in the Grand Hotel Park. However the social side of the circle is only one strand of their overall work inside the Dubrovnik society. “DFC is very proud of its successful fundraising activities for the benefit of its community projects over the past five years. We have raised a net amount of 191,000 Kuna to benefit local children in need and the Dubrovnik Hospital’s Children Ward among other beneficiaries,” concluded Mandukich.

With members from dozens of countries and a busy calendar of social events and humanitarian work, the Dubrovnik Foreign Circle can look forward to a bright future and a growing membership.

If you are interested in joining the Dubrovnik Foreign Circle you can contact them via their website - dubrovnikforeigncircle.com

AD Plastik, the largest Croatian manufacturer of plastic components for the automotive industry, has landed a contract to produce parts for Maserati. At the beginning of February won the contract to produce parts for the new Ford EcoSport SUV and now they have added to this success with the Maserati deal.

AD Plastik, which was established in 1992, will produce components for the new Maserati Levante SUV which is being built in Turin at the Maserati head office. This is the first contract that AD Plastik has signed with a luxury car brand.

"Last year we made a significant turnaround in the business of AD Plastik. The achieved results are a confirmation of the direction we are taking. Our main goal for 2016 is a further increase in sales revenue and continued reduction of our credit obligations,” commented Marinko Dosen, the CEO of AD Plastik.

In 2015 AD Plastik Group recorded an increase in total operating income of 15 percent and a sales growth of 16 percent compared to the previous year. The net profit of the group in 2015 came in at 44.3 million Kuna which was an increase of 800 percent compared to 2014.

AD Plastik in Split 

The organisers of the Dubrovnik Half Marathon have decided to donate all of the entrance fees from this year’s 5 kilometre run to a brave young lady and her family from Dubrovnik. In September last year Karla Sentic was diagnosed with a rare form of tumour in her right sinus, however the final diagnoses has not yet been fully confirmed. Seventeen year old Karla, born in Dubrovnik, is now spending most of her time in Zagreb where she is being treated.

“We always want to give back to the community and Karla is a very courageous young lady who deserves all our support,” commented the director of the Dubrovnik Half Marathon, Alen Boskovic. The 5 kilometre run is held on the same day as the Half Marathon, on the 1st of May, and runners of all levels are welcome. “People can run or even walk the 5 kilometre, it traditionally has a humanitarian nature and this year we want more people than ever to get involved,” concluded Boskovic. All of the proceeds from the entrance fees, which is 50 Kunas or 7 Euros, will be donated to Karla.

“As all young people her age, she’s full of hope, optimism and life plans. Now, you can support her in one of those plans!” – read a statement from the race organisers.

If you want to get involved follow this link

Dubrovnik has certainly found its place on the radar of international film production companies. Largely thanks to the globally popular HBO series Game of Thrones, Dubrovnik is reaping the rewards of worldwide exposure. The knock-on effect of these blockbusters is a constant stream of fans flooding to the city to see the locations up close and personal. With the eighth episode of the Star Wars franchise planned to be filmed in the city in March the influx of “film tourists” will certainly be even greater in coming years.

However one film could do more than Game of Thrones and Star Wars combined, and it has gone almost unnoticed in this continent. The most well-known Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan recorded part of his latest film “Fan” in Dubrovnik and it is due to hit the screens on the 15th of April this year. Back in May 2015 Shah Rukh Khan filmed some action scenes in the centre of the Old City of Dubrovnik, as well as other parts of Croatia, and even though these scenes form a short section of the movie the interest in Dubrovnik from Bollywood lovers in visiting the city is intensifying.

“Forget Game of Thrones I am being bombarded with emails and requests for Fan tours in Dubrovnik,” explained one tourist guide in Dubrovnik. “It doesn’t seem to matter that only a short section was filmed here the interest is huge, we are talking about a gigantic potential market,” he added. A recently released teaser clip for the film has already melted YouTube with almost 9 million hits in a few months.

The film which has been shot in Mumbai, Croatia and Delhi is about Aryan Khanna (Shah Rukh Khan character in the movie) and his biggest fan, a kid called Gaurav who is obsessed with him. Shah Rukh Khan has over 30 million social media followers, 15 million on Facebook and over 18 million on Twitter, and these numbers are growing daily. The publicity for Dubrovnik will undoubtedly open up new, previously untapped markets.