Thanks to the initiative of Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković, this year’s Croatian Tourism Days (Dani hrvatskog turizma) will be held in Dubrovnik from November 19 to 21, 2025. The announcement follows a high-level meeting in Zagreb between Mayor Franković, Minister of Tourism and Sport Tonči Glavina, and Croatian National Tourist Board Director Kristjan Staničić.

“I would like to thank the Government of the Republic of Croatia, Minister Glavina, and Director Staničić for choosing Dubrovnik as this year’s host. It’s a recognition of our long-term commitment to sustainable tourism,” said Mayor Franković. He recalled that in 2017, Dubrovnik was listed among the top ten cities most affected by overtourism. “That was the turning point. We launched the 'Respect the City' initiative and introduced smart tools to guide Dubrovnik toward sustainability.”

Franković highlighted several milestones along the city’s sustainability journey: receiving the 2023 Tourism Champion award, achieving record tourism results in 2024, and being named one of the top five cities to visit in 2025. He also noted the importance of managing mobility, including plans to expand Dubrovnik’s Special Traffic Regime Zone and introduce a Park and Ride system, making the city a pioneer in Croatia in this field.

Tourism and Sports Minister Tonči Glavina praised the city’s progress: “I thank Mayor Franković for proposing Dubrovnik as the host of this year’s event. Dubrovnik has made great strides in becoming a sustainable destination that offers rich, year-round experiences for visitors.”

Croatian Tourism Days is the country’s flagship annual tourism event, attracting more than 1,000 participants from across the tourism, hospitality, media, and business sectors. Organised by the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, the Croatian National Tourist Board, and the Croatian Chamber of Economy, the multi-day gathering features lectures, panels, workshops, and networking sessions. It culminates in a televised awards ceremony recognising excellence across the industry and outlining future development opportunities.

Croatia Airlines has officially retired its second Dash 8 Q400 turboprop aircraft as part of its strategic move toward a unified Airbus A220 fleet. The 72-seat aircraft, registered 9A-CQA and named Slavonija, was returned to its leasing company in Canada over the weekend after 17 years in service, reports EX-YU Aviation. 

This follows the earlier phase-out of another Dash 8, registered 9A-CQB, earlier in 2025. With these retirements, the national carrier is now operating only four Dash 8 aircraft this summer, all of which remain under operational lease agreements.

Despite their long service, the Dash 8s played a vital role in the airline's operations—accounting for 57.8% of all scheduled flights in 2024. The average age of the turboprop fleet stands at just over 15 years.

The transition to a modernized, single-type fleet comes with some operational adjustments. Croatia Airlines has announced it will reduce flight frequencies on certain routes following the Easter holidays, reflecting the shrinking turboprop fleet.

The move is part of a broader modernization plan that aims to improve efficiency, reduce maintenance costs, and offer a more consistent passenger experience across the network.

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Positive economic indicators at Dubrovnik Bus Station have continued into 2025.

In the first quarter of 2025, the station recorded 8,847 bus departures and 8,014 arrivals, marking a 2% increase compared to the same period last year.

The wall that collapsed onto the road above Banje Beach in Dubrovnik is still under repair. Heavy rainfall on the morning of March 26 led to the collapse of the wall, which damaged the road and nearby parked vehicles.

Fortunately, there were no casualties, and a greater tragedy was avoided. Take a look below to see how the repair work is progressing.

China and the European Union have exchanged views on boosting economic and trade cooperation in response to rising U.S. tariffs, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced on Thursday.

Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao held a video call on Tuesday with EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič to discuss the potential relaunch of talks focused on trade support, the Ministry said in a statement.

One of the key topics was the opening of negotiations on setting minimum prices for Chinese electric vehicles.

Last October, the EU imposed additional tariffs of 17.3% to 36% on electric vehicle imports from China, citing unfair advantages due to state subsidies that give Chinese manufacturers an edge over competitors.

Last week, China’s Ministry of Commerce confirmed that Beijing and Brussels had agreed to reopen negotiations on the minimum pricing of Chinese electric vehicles, although no date was specified.

Meanwhile, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced last Wednesday that the U.S. would impose "reciprocal tariffs" on imports from China and the EU. China responded with countermeasures two days later, and the EU also signaled its intention to retaliate.

On Wednesday, the U.S. raised its tariffs even further on imports from China, prompting an immediate response from Beijing with increased duties on American goods. The EU also announced new tariffs on U.S. imports the same day.

Just one day before this new wave of tariffs, China’s commerce minister told the European Commissioner that Beijing is ready to deepen trade, investment, and industrial cooperation with the EU.

According to Wang, China and the EU should work together to protect the multilateral trade system based on rules and to uphold the principles of trade liberalization and free exchange. Such efforts, he said, would help bring more stability and security to the global economy and trade.

China and the EU also discussed creating a more favorable business environment for companies and touched on the issue of trade transfers.

Additionally, both sides agreed to continue communication within the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and to jointly advocate for reforms in the organization’s system.

At the invitation of the UK’s leading travel association ABTA, Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković presented the city as a model of sustainable tourism to tourism representatives from around the world.

Speaking via video link, Mayor Franković addressed delegates from 20 different national tourism boards, sharing Dubrovnik’s transformation from a destination overwhelmed by visitors in 2017 to one now praised for smart, sustainable tourism management. The presentation was part of ABTA’s twice-yearly global partner meeting, where key tourism leaders gather to discuss challenges and share best practices.

Franković focused on the city’s strategic “Respect the City” initiative, a multidisciplinary approach designed to balance the needs of both locals and tourists. “Overtourism isn’t about the number of visitors—it’s about how visitor flows are managed,” he explained. “Tourism is Dubrovnik’s main economic driver, so we needed to find a way to protect residents’ quality of life while keeping the city welcoming and vibrant for guests.”

He highlighted a range of short- and long-term solutions implemented by the city, including:

• Croatia’s first-ever Management Plan for a historic city centre

• A carrying capacity study to track tourism pressure

• Introduction of special traffic zones to reduce congestion

• Smart City tools like the Bus Web Shop and the Dubrovnik Pass

ABTA and its partners praised Dubrovnik’s approach, particularly the city’s commitment to affordable housing initiatives, which are seen as a key part of sustainable tourism strategies. ABTA also announced plans to include Dubrovnik in future case studies and best-practice projects.

The event gathered tourism boards from countries including Canada, Hong Kong, Greece, Portugal, Colombia, Australia, South Korea, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, and Gibraltar. The continued international interest in Dubrovnik’s model underscores the city’s reputation as a leader in setting global standards for destination management and sustainability.

With the goal of preserving and protecting one of Dubrovnik's most important cultural monuments, the Orlando Column, a series of expert conservation and restoration works have been carried out over the past few years, resulting in significant progress in its preservation. Given the complexity of the structure and the need to minimize further damage, the final step—loosening the force applied to the central rod of the column—was a prerequisite for further conservation activities and has now been successfully completed. This process required exceptional precision and the collaboration of experts from various fields.

As reported by the Croatian Ministry of Culture and Media and the Croatian Conservation Institute, the loosening of the rod's tension was successfully executed at the end of March 2025, after several unsuccessful attempts to reduce friction between the nut and surrounding materials. This step, previously identified as crucial for the future of conservation efforts, marks a major milestone in the restoration and preservation of the Orlando Column.

Following the removal of the nut and anchor plate with minimal intervention to the column’s structure, the results of continued monitoring—conducted through specially adapted crack-tracking devices—are expected to guide the next phases of the restoration process. The first interpretation of this data is anticipated in May 2025. Based on the findings, further conservation work will include cleaning, repairing previous patches, and treating damage not directly linked to the cracks.

Monitoring of the column’s condition will continue, alongside analysis of climate conditions that may affect the structure’s stability. Due to the evolving nature of the damage and the unpredictability of structural responses, the full conservation and restoration work is expected to be completed by 2026.

This successful milestone in the protection of the Orlando Column is the result of continuous efforts, expert collaboration, and the application of advanced techniques in cultural heritage restoration. In addition to active restoration work, long-term monitoring will also continue to ensure the column’s stability and to preserve the historical value of this iconic Dubrovnik landmark for future generations.

It’s worth recalling that the Orlando Column, due to its historical and cultural importance, has been subject to multiple interventions over the years. Contrary to popular belief, it is made up of several stone components, not a single monolithic block. In 2006 and 2007, in response to the threat of damage from vertical cracks, a central metal rod was inserted into the column to stabilize it. Although the intervention was necessary, the damage continued to develop progressively, which led the Ministry of Culture and Media to initiate a protection program in 2018, implemented by the Croatian Conservation Institute. The project is carried out in cooperation with the City of Dubrovnik, the Dubrovnik Conservation Department, and the Dubrovnik Reconstruction Institute.