Hotel Astarea in Mlini, part of the Maistra group, has reopened after a complete renovation that included the reconstruction of all public spaces, the introduction of children's facilities, the expansion of the wellness area, as well as the renovation of accommodation units and an energy overhaul of the building—featuring a photovoltaic power plant to meet the hotel's energy needs, reports Dubrovacki Vjesnik.

"This investment has created the conditions for extending the operation of this holiday hotel, which is suitable for both families and couples. We would like to note that the investment in Hotel Astarea was co-financed by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan," stated the director Željko Miletić.

Adding that “Along with some retained elements, such as handrails, original design solutions and details were added, like round mirrors and the hotel's colour scheme or furniture lines, which act as contemporary reminders of the time when Astarea first opened its doors to the public," he explained.

The renovation also introduced a new lounge area, offering a view of the open sea from the reception, and the indoor pool was restored, along with the wellness centre, which was expanded with a Finnish and steam sauna.

The Dubrovnik-Neretva County Tourist Board successfully showcased the region’s rich tourism potential at the "Connecting Travel Marketplace" business workshop held in London from September 15 to 17, 2024. This prestigious event provided an opportunity for representatives from Dubrovnik-Neretva to connect with numerous international business partners.

During the event, pre-arranged B2B meetings allowed each travel agent 30 minutes to discuss potential collaboration opportunities with the county's representatives. This format ensured detailed, personalized conversations about future partnerships in promoting Dubrovnik-Neretva as a premier tourist destination.

Beyond the formal meetings, attendees were treated to a live presentation of traditional Konavle embroidery, a unique aspect of Croatia’s cultural heritage. Two women from the Konavle region, dressed in authentic local costumes, demonstrated the intricate craftsmanship of this beloved embroidery. As a token of appreciation, participants also received special gifts reflecting the county’s rich traditions.

Additionally, promotional films by the KUD Stjepan Radić from Pridvorje and the Dubrovnik-Neretva County Tourist Board captured the region’s natural beauty and cultural wealth, further enhancing the county’s presentation.

This emphasis on cultural heritage, alongside the natural splendor and history of Dubrovnik-Neretva County, underscores the region's goal of presenting itself as a multifaceted destination that offers visitors an authentic Croatian experience.

Our brain, with its remarkable plasticity, regulates our perception, auditory processing, cognition, learning, and interactions with the environment. This plasticity means that our actions, such as engaging in video games, can alter it over time. Video games, in particular, can induce many alterations in the brain, enhancing our visual, auditory, cognitive, and learning capabilities.

It's important to note that not all video games have the same impact. Just as diverse meals influence the body in distinct ways, different genres of video games can impact the brain differently.

This article will elucidate how our brain alters through gaming and how video game activity can modify brain function.

Dopamine and Reward

Dopamine, a chemical in the brain that facilitates the sensation of pleasure, plays a significant role in gaming. Video game design elicits sensations of exhilaration and stimulation by providing continuous incentives for your efforts, producing dopamine in your brain. This process is a key factor in the addictive nature of many video games.

Nearly every enjoyable action we engage in will elicit dopamine release.

When your brain anticipates a reward from a certain action, it secretes dopamine, which motivates you to engage in the intended activity.

When gaming is harmonized with other pursuits, the brain receives incremental doses of dopamine, enhancing gamers' happiness and motivation. This is a straightforward impact of video games on the brain. However, prolonged and frequent gaming sessions can lead to a cycle of dopamine release and compensation. This can ultimately result in insufficient dopamine production in the brain, a condition known as dopamine deficiency, which can have significant effects on a person's mood and motivation.

The same dopamine hits translate to various other gaming niches, including casino games.

Upon experiencing a big win in the casino, the brain secretes a pleasurable neurotransmitter known as dopamine. Frequent gambling habituates the brain to dopamine, rendering the sensation of victory increasingly elusive. As a result, we may need to engage in gambling to attain the same degree of gratification. However, as long as we play responsibly, a happy and motivated mindset can be achieved whenever using the best real-money mobile casinos.

Cognitive Benefits

Playing video games can enhance cognitive performance across several domains. For instance:

• Playing 3D video games can enhance your recognition skills and spatial memory.

• Participating in action video games can enhance response time without compromising accuracy.

• Engaging in first-person shooters might enhance cognitive flexibility, improving one's ability to transition between activities and swiftly adjust to alterations.

• Engaging in action games can enhance your visual processing capabilities, improving your ability to discern significant information while disregarding extraneous distractions.

• Playing video games can enhance your multi-tasking skills by augmenting your attentional capacity.

In general, video games can yield several cognitive advantages. It is essential to recognize that various game genres provide distinct advantages, implying that each game enhances a specific array of skills pertinent to its tasks, and no singular game can enhance all facets of cognitive performance.

Flow State & Emotional Engagement

Video games significantly influence our emotions through the notion of immersion. During gameplay, we frequently become completely engrossed in the experience, losing awareness of time and our environment, entering some flow state. This absorption level may evoke a spectrum of feelings, including exhilaration, ecstasy, irritation, and rage. Like hard stages or competitive multiplayer options, the game's design might amplify these emotions.

Video games influence our emotions by fostering a sense of accomplishment and mastery. Numerous games provide incentives for work completion or milestone achievement, fostering a sense of satisfaction and success. This sensation of achievement can be especially potent for persons grappling with poor self-esteem or perceptions of inadequacy in various aspects of their lives.

Nonetheless, video games may also harm our emotions and behaviors. A primary issue surrounding video games is the possibility of addiction. Like other forms of entertainment, video games may be pleasurable and innocuous when consumed in moderation. Excessive gaming can result in several adverse effects, such as social isolation, diminished academic or occupational performance, and physical health issues.

Moreover, certain video games may induce a desensitizing influence on our emotions, especially for violent or graphic material. Repeated exposure to violent or aggressive behavior in video games may result in less empathy and heightened tolerance for real-life violence.

Notwithstanding these possible adverse consequences, video games may also exert beneficial influences on human behavior. Numerous games necessitate problem-solving abilities, strategic reasoning, and collaboration, which may be advantageous in various aspects of our lives. Moreover, gaming is a social endeavor that facilitates connections and fosters partnerships.

Social Interaction

Researchers from Edge Hill University examined over 700 participants in multiplayer online gaming. The sample included gamers who played as little as one hour per week and those who played 30 hours or more. The researchers discovered that involvement in MMOs was associated with an enhanced sense of social identity, reflecting how individuals define themselves through their group affiliations. This was associated with elevated self-esteem, enhanced social skills, and reduced feelings of loneliness.

It was beneficial both personally and in the context of a wider social relationship. Gamers frequently assert that shared interests may foster connections and relationships, making a common emphasis socially significant.

Online, game-based interactions are as authentic as offline ones and should not be dismissed just due to their technological mediation.

Final Thoughts

It is crucial to achieve equilibrium between gaming and other life facets, although the cognitive advantages of video games warrant consideration. Video games may favorably influence our lives by enhancing cognitive function, memory, emotional well-being, and social skills. As research progresses in revealing the concealed benefits of gaming, we may discover other justifications for embracing the realm of video games. Nonetheless, akin to many aspects of life, moderation is essential for preserving optimal wellness.

According to data from the eVisitor system for tourist registration and deregistration, 17,900 guests are currently vacationing in Dubrovnik from midweek to the weekend, which is the same as this time last year.

Along with the leading British and American tourists, the most numerous guests are from Germany, Australia, France, Canada, Ireland, Croatia, Poland, and Spain.

Since the beginning of the year, 1.103 million arrivals and 3.539 million overnight stays have been registered, which is a 9 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

On Friday, the Fitch agency raised Croatia's rating from 'BBB+' to 'A-', with a stable outlook, highlighting the economy's resilience to external shocks, the reduction of public debt, and the continued integration into the core group of Eurozone countries.

The 'A' rating signals to debt security buyers that Fitch expects a low risk of debt not being serviced and that the capacity for repayment is strong, although possibly more vulnerable to adverse business and economic conditions than countries with higher ratings.

With the stable outlook, Fitch indicated that the rating will likely remain at 'A-' in the near future.

Croatia's rating reflects a “credible” legal framework based on EU and Eurozone membership, alongside fiscal discipline and a commitment to adhering to fiscal rules, which will support the reduction of public debt over the next four years, the agency explained.

Institutional capacity and governance have improved in recent years, narrowing the gap with comparable countries.

However, GDP per capita will remain lower than similar 'A'-rated countries, with a small economy, which makes it vulnerable to external shocks, Fitch warns.

The Standard & Poor’s agency also raised Croatia's debt rating last Friday, from 'BBB+' to 'A-', but with a positive outlook, signaling that it could be raised again in the next year.

Domestic Demand as a Driver

Croatia's GDP per capita reached 76% of the EU average in 2023, an increase of nine percentage points compared to 2019, thanks to strong economic growth, driven by the swift utilization of EU funds, wage growth, and continued integration into the core group of Eurozone countries, Fitch notes.

Despite significant external shocks, Croatia ranked among the top in the European Union in terms of post-pandemic recovery strength, with real GDP at the end of the first half of 2024 being 19% higher than in the fourth quarter of pre-pandemic 2019, the agency observes.

From 2024 to 2026, Croatia's real GDP is expected to grow by an average of 3.1% annually, according to Fitch. This growth rate will be more than double the Eurozone average, which is expected to be 1.3%, and will exceed the median for 'A'-rated countries, estimated at 2.6%.

Domestic demand will drive activity, supported by strong household consumption and the continued high level of EU fund withdrawals, Fitch forecasts.

Croatia is leading in the pace of withdrawing money from the European Recovery and Resilience Fund, and by mid-2026, it is expected to have drawn the full amount allocated to it, equivalent to 12.1% of GDP.

European funds will remain an important growth driver until 2030, Fitch estimates.

Lower Debt

Thanks to strong nominal economic growth and prudent fiscal policy, Croatia’s public debt as a share of GDP is expected to decrease to 59.3% in 2024, meaning it will still be higher than the median for 'A'-rated countries.

By 2028, Croatia is expected to align with the median, Fitch forecasts.

This year, Croatia will meet all Maastricht criteria, with public debt below 60% of GDP and a budget deficit under the ceiling of 3%, they note.

Fitch says they may raise Croatia’s rating again if GDP per capita and governance indicators move closer to the median of 'A'-rated countries in the medium term.

However, if economic growth slows significantly in the medium term, due to, for example, structural shocks affecting key sectors and/or competitiveness, the rating could be lowered, the agency notes.

A potential reason for a downgrade could also be a significant increase in public debt as a share of GDP in the medium term, due to, for instance, a prolonged period of looser fiscal policy or weaker economic prospects.

The most influential nautical magazine in Italy, Nautica, has published a report on the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, with a focus on Dubrovnik, the Elaphiti Islands, and Ston.

In the most important issue of the specialized magazine Nautica this year, which is also being distributed from today at the 64th edition of the International Boat Show in Genoa (September 19-24, 2024), a report dedicated to the southern Adriatic coast has been published.

In the 10-page color report titled "Beauties of the South," journalist Patrizia Magi describes the beauty of the Riviera from Dubrovnik, the ancient capital of the Republic of Dubrovnik, to Ston, the city of salt.

A portion of the report is also dedicated to the Elaphiti Islands, a green paradise of exceptional beauty, a group of scattered islands separated from the mainland by the Koločep Channel, where you can safely sail while discovering fantastic coves and remnants of a glorious past.

The editor of the report, Patrizia Magi, stayed in Croatia in cooperation with the Croatian National Tourist Board's office in Italy, the Croatian National Tourist Board, the Dubrovnik-Neretva County Tourist Board, the City of Dubrovnik Tourist Board, and the Ston Tourist Board.

Patrizia Magi, a renowned Italian journalist specializing in nautical topics, is also the recipient of the Golden Pen award from the Croatian National Tourist Board and a great admirer of Croatia and its islands.

Nautica, which is read by more than 100,000 passionate sea and sailing enthusiasts, is distributed through subscriptions, at sales points throughout Italy, and will be available in digital form at the end of the month on the portal nautica.it.

On Thursday, September 12, Zagreb Airport proudly welcomed its three-millionth passenger of the year, achieving this significant milestone 34 days ahead of its pace from 2023.

This impressive performance positions the airport to surpass four million travelers by the end of the year, setting a new record. With the current number of flights, Zagreb Airport is projected to see a notable 9.7% increase in scheduled seat capacity and a 6.5% rise in the number of flights during the last quarter.

This growth reflects the airport's ongoing commitment to expanding its services and enhancing the travel experience for passengers.

A decision regarding the leasing of public spaces has been published, introducing a condition for restaurateurs: winter operations.

“We have decided on a system that requires restaurants to work for at least one winter month—December, January, or February, one of those three months. There will surely be some dissenting opinions, but we must think long-term,” stated Mayor Mato Franković for Nova TV.

Đani Banovac, a representative of the Catering Guild, explained that they are aware of the city's desire to finally implement year-round operations.

“We were flexible. This decision by the City of Dubrovnik is made to be commented on and adjusted according to the desires and needs of us restaurateurs. We have been flexible so far and have adapted to ensure our guests have places to go and a better offer year after year. I believe it will also be easier for us to achieve our business goals and plans through year-round operations,” Banovac said.

For decades Dubrovnik has been trying to attract tourists out of the main summer season. And this latest measure by the Mayor is linked to the fact that more airlines will fly to the city through the off-season.