Chef Marijo Curić, the long-standing head chef of Dubrovnik’s Michelin-starred restaurant 360, has been recognized at the prestigious The Best Chef Awards in Dubai. For the eighth consecutive year, the event celebrated culinary excellence worldwide, with Chef Curić receiving an award in the “Excellent” category, alongside Chef Deni Srdoč from Neba in Rijeka.

This recognition is a testament to Chef Curić’s ongoing commitment to exceptional culinary craftsmanship. The "Excellent" category features chefs who scored 20 percent or more of the maximum points during judging, and this year, a total of 276 chefs earned a place in this elite group.

In a significant shift from previous years, the The Best Chef Awards introduced a new ranking system designed to provide a more inclusive and understandable perspective on global culinary talent. The new approach categorizes chefs based on their skills and places them into three distinct performance tiers. This year’s awards featured a total of 550 chefs from around the world, showcasing the diversity and quality of talent in the global culinary scene.

Chef Curić’s inclusion in this esteemed group highlights his continued dedication to excellence and innovation in the kitchen, reinforcing Dubrovnik’s status as a premier destination for fine dining. As the Michelin star holder at Restaurant 360, his culinary achievements have garnered international acclaim, and this latest award is a further recognition of his remarkable career.

The new ranking system promises to provide an even clearer and more inclusive picture of culinary excellence, making it easier for food enthusiasts and professionals to identify the chefs shaping the future of global gastronomy.

Dubrovnik Airport is on track to achieve a record-breaking year, with passenger numbers steadily climbing towards an unprecedented 3 million. October proved to be a milestone month, with 307,527 passengers passing through Croatia’s southernmost airport—a notable increase from 242,752 in October 2023 and 217,751 in October 2022. This October’s figures push the total number of passengers in 2024 to nearly 2.9 million, already surpassing the 2.4 million total recorded for all of last year.

In 2019, the airport reached its previous high with a total of 2.9 million passengers, marking the peak of Dubrovnik’s tourism boom. Now, as the industry recovers post-pandemic, Dubrovnik Airport looks set to surpass even that record, which highlights the city’s resurgence as a premier tourist destination in Europe. With a steady stream of travellers and enhanced connectivity to key European hubs, the airport is poised to reach and possibly exceed the 3 million passenger milestone by the end of this year.

Part of Dubrovnik Airport’s success in 2024 can be attributed to new routes and increased frequency of flights. As the winter season approaches, Dubrovnik Airport has worked to extend its traditionally seasonal traffic into the colder months. Leading low-cost carrier Ryanair has introduced flights to three winter destinations, including London, which will sustain visitor traffic and further bolster passenger numbers. This extended connectivity through the winter, typically a quieter period, could play a crucial role in helping the airport achieve its best year on record.

With this momentum, Dubrovnik Airport is not only positioned to surpass its own records but is also setting a new standard for off-season tourism in the region. Enhanced air connections, including more frequent flights to popular destinations, are poised to sustain this trend, cementing Dubrovnik’s reputation as a year-round travel destination. All eyes are now on the final two months of 2024, as Dubrovnik Airport continues its upward trajectory.

Due to the LUMIART 2024 Light Festival organized by the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, public lighting will be turned off in areas from Pile Gate, along the entire Stradun, and in front of Sponza Palace, Rector's Palace, and Držić Square.

On Thursday, November 7, lighting will be turned off from 10:30 p.m. for technical rehearsals and equipment setup. During the festival, from Friday, November 8 to Sunday, November 10, lighting will be turned off from 6:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

The city will be illuminated by light projections and interactive installations, with regular public lighting turned off, so please exercise extra caution when moving around the city during the event.

The complete festival program, including all locations, can be found at www.lumiart-dubrovnik.com.

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The Mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Franković, participated via Zoom in the "Cities of Media and Information Literacy" panel, held as part of the twelfth session of the World Urban Forum in Cairo, Egypt.

This year’s Forum emphasizes the crucial role of local actions in addressing sustainable urban development challenges, such as affordable housing, climate change adaptation, essential public services, and the impact of rising living costs. In this context, Mayor Franković shared Dubrovnik's experiences.

"Education and citizen involvement are key to our city’s future. We are proud that our residents actively participate in decision-making for Dubrovnik’s future," stated Mayor Franković.

Discussing future plans for media and information literacy, he highlighted the transformation of the former TUP factory into a new urban cultural and social hub. This includes a Center for Children, Youth, and Families and the construction of a large new public library, which will provide spaces for these initiatives.

The Forum, themed "It All Starts at Home: Local Actions for Sustainable Cities and Communities," officially opened this week in Cairo, gathering over 37,000 participants from 182 countries, marking it as the largest World Urban Forum session in history.

"In times when misinformation is one of the greatest threats, we educate our citizens to actively engage and contribute to sustainability through practical urban initiatives. Transparency is the foundation of trust, which is why we’ve digitized city systems so that all residents can monitor public spending at any time. Since UNESCO's warning in 2015, Dubrovnik has come a long way. Today, we are among the top cities frequently highlighted as a must-visit destination. It’s a challenging process, but I deeply believe it’s the only path to real success — because only cities with engaged citizens are truly vibrant cities," concluded Mayor Franković.

Alongside Mayor Franković, the UN and UNESCO panel featured Dr. Mariani Yanti, Head of Culture and Tourism in Jambi, Indonesia; Nataļia Vecvagare, International Policy Advisor for the Baltic Countries from Latvia; Marjo Kyllönen, Director of Education for the City of Helsinki, Finland; Dr. Foad Helmy, Planning and Institutional Development Consultant from Egypt’s National Research and Development Center; and Jeff Nyoka, Head of E-Learning Services at the City of Johannesburg Libraries in South Africa.

Why is Dubrovnik so quiet in the off-season? Walking around the Old City yesterday, it’s hard to see why more people aren’t here. The cobbled streets glistened under the warm November sun, and the sky was a perfect shade of azure.

While northern Europe is cranking up the central heating, Dubrovnik feels more like early spring than late autumn. Al fresco coffee is still the norm, and tourists are making the most of their flip-flops one last time.

Restaurants and cafes, eager to attract the smaller crowd, are offering discounts, making a visit this time of year even more affordable. Dubrovnik has also broken with tradition by welcoming a higher number of international flights this November, with direct routes still available from a range of European cities. And, yes, flights are cheaper too. If the forecasts hold, this warm spell should last another ten days.

It’s an ideal time to be in Dubrovnik—if a bit surreal to see the city’s Christmas decorations going up under such blue skies.

November has certainly started in fine form in Dubrovnik with bucket loads of sunshine and endless blue skies and temperatures in the low twenties

The Indian Summer has lasted longer than predicted and in fact the weather should be calm and warm until at least the end of this week. Indeed, the Adriatic is still a tempting 20 degrees.

Check out the video that we recorded yesterday in the historic Old City of Dubrovnik -

Spegra, a Croatian construction company specializing in restoration and advanced technologies, has been recognized by the Financial Times as one of Europe’s top 300 long-term growth champions. Founded 35 years ago, Spegra has played a key role in restoring notable landmarks like the Temple of Jupiter in Split, Krk Bridge, and the Old Bridge in Mostar.

The Financial Times Statista list highlights companies that sustained revenue growth despite Europe’s economic challenges. Spegra’s founder, Berislav Borovina, expressed pride in the achievement, noting the dedication of his team and their commitment to preserving cultural heritage for future generations.