December 28, 2021 - In the 28th edition of the renowned World Travel Awards, the distinction of the best European cruise destination went to Dubrovnik, surpassing other cities such as Amsterdam, Oslo, Lisbon, and Athens.

The award for the leading European cruise destination went to Dubrovnik as part of the 28th edition of the World Travel Awards, reports HrTurizam. It is an organization that awards the best in the travel, tourism, and hospitality industry every year, and the awards are given at the global, regional, and national levels.

The winners are chosen by experts from each field, but also by users who also participate in the selection. The World Travel Awards, also known as the Oscar of the World Tourism Industry, is an esteemed award in the tourism sector and is globally recognized as a top feature of excellence in the industry.

Dubrovnik has been declared the leading destination for cruises in Europe, where there is no lack of competition. Also nominated were Amsterdam, Athens, Lisbon, Venice, Copenhagen, Oslo, Cannes, St. Petersburg, the Scottish cities of Edinburgh and Forth, and as many as three Turkish destinations: Bodrum, Izmir, and Kusadasi.

Dubrovnik has also entered the selection for the world's best cruise destination. A total of 14 destinations from all continents were nominated, and Jamaica was re-elected as the best. In addition to this, Dubrovnik was nominated for the award of the leading European city destination at sea, which also included Barcelona, ​​Lisbon, Porto, Istanbul, and Venice.

The cruise industry around the world, including Croatia, has experienced a slight recovery this year. In the first nine months of this year, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics, 24 foreign cruise ships sailed into Croatian ports with 134 cruises. Of that number, most cruises were realized in Dubrovnik, a total of 111.

For more, check out our dedicated travel section.

December 20, 2021 - As the festive family holidays approach, will it be a lonely one for digital nomads? Not in Croatia - a look at how nomads spend Christmas holidays in Croatia. 

When I did my last major trip back in 2001, I hardly met anyone on the road in 9 months, apart from the many people who hosted me on the road. I spent a lot of time alone, which is fine as I really like my own company. 

Often I would arrive at a destination, spend 2-3 days there, look around and not speak to anyone apart from the hotel reception and restaurant waiter. 

I had no phone and no camera, and this was an era before Wordpress, Facebook and Instagram. Google was just 3 years old.

I kinda liked it that way.

I have spent a lot of time with digital nomads in the last 12 months, and I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute. But I don't think I could be a digital nomad myself these days, I just find the whole thing too exhausting. 

What fascinates me the most, especially compared to my travel 20 years ago, is the sense of community and the need to connect on a daily basis. Each to his/her own, and this is obviously the new reality. 

But what happens when it comes to family times like Christmas? How do nomads spend Christmas and the holiday season when the rest of us gather in families? I was a little concerned for our December Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador, Anna Maria from Poland, and how she would spend the last week in December.

I need not have worried, for she has a far better social life than I have ever had in Zagreb. Here she is, with a group of nomads yesterday having drinks after they visited the Museum of Broken Relationships yesterday. 

Zagreb Special Guest Ambassador Steve Tsentserensky would have joined too, but he was halfway up a mountain with another group of nomads.

According to the Nomad List 2021 survey, which placed Zagreb 5th in the most liked cities in the world, hiking is the number one activity for nomads.

And there are not many international cities which offer such hikeable views from the city centre as Zagreb does.

The community is growing nicely in Zagreb, Split and other cities in Croatia, and one of the best community builders of all, Zagreb's September Ambassador, Dean Kuchel, is coming back to Croatia to spend Christmas and New Year, mostly in Dubrovnik. 

"I will be in Zagreb for 18 hours on the 25th, Paul, so let's meet and have an event."

"Everything will be closed Dean, nothing will be open."

It made me wonder what nomads will be doing. And I realise that I do not need to worry about Anna Maria being lonely. 

Or any other nomad in Croatia. For it seems that there is a lot happening in the major nomad hubs. Without scanning too hard, here are a few options to meet locals, expats and fellow nomads over the festive season.

The Daltonist in Split is offering an authentic Irish Christmas tale this evening, one of a number of events over the festive period, including Christmas Day - more of their Facebook page.

Sunset Beach in Dubrovnik is the place to be on Christmas Eve for a festive nomad catchup. Check more on the Facebook event page.

But make sure you get in shape first, with the 10k run starting from Gruz, Dubrovnik on December 24. 

The Expats and Digital Nomad Christmas Eve party is already proving popular. Sign up here.

I was curious if Dean would find something to eat in Zagreb, but that man knows how to fill his stomach. A Nomad Pot Luck Christmas Dinner on December 25 in the Croatian capital is already oversubscribed, so I will not post details. 

Advent in Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik continues throughout the month of course, as well as the Dubrovnik Winter Festival, so plenty of options to catch up with other nomads.  

See in 2022 in Zagreb with a Nomadic News Year's Party organised by December Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador, Anna Kochanska. More here. 

As for nomadic New Year's Eve fun, you could do worse than join this man. You can join Dean's party here.

There will likely be several other options that I have not featured, and the best place to follow the latest is the Digital Nomads Croatia Facebook page, which is growing nicely - now at 8,300 members. 

The community is growing, and 2022 will be an epic year for the digital nomad community in Croatia. You can follow the latest news and features on the dedicated TCN section. 

December 18, 2021 - Jug AO and Jadran Split will play in Sunday's Croatian Water Polo Cup final. In the first semifinal match, Jadran defeated Solaris 12:6 (4:1, 2:1, 4:1, 2:3), and in the second match, Jug defeated Mladost Zagreb 14:7 (3:1, 5:2, 3:3, 3:1).

This will be the 26th Croatian Cup final for Jug, and for the second time since 2017, Dubrovnik and Split will play in the final. Jadran, on the other hand, has qualified for the Croatian Cup final for the third time in history. They lost in the final in 2003 and 2017, reports HRT.

The best for Jadran in the first semifinal match were Bukić and Kharkov with three goals each, while Čagalj added two. Goreta, Pelicarić, Penava, Koprčina, Šparada and Kadmenović scored one goal each for Šibenik.

"I am really satisfied. I am most pleased with our good game in the defense. We played great defense for three quarters. This was good for us because we are realistically expecting Jug in the final tomorrow, and this was a preparation for us, because Jug plays similarly to Solaris, with a lot of swimming. Everything was fine, this is the crown of our half-season, we have neglected some things because of the Cup, we will see if it will pay off for us," said Jadran coach Mile Smodlaka.

"Jadran settled the match in the middle of the third quarter. The result was expected, although we could and should have done much better. The qualitative difference is big, but we knew how to offer them much better resistance," said Solaris coach said Jure Marelja.

Later, Jug confirmed their role as the favorite and defeated Mladost, the host of this Final Four, 14:7 (3:1, 5:2, 3:3, 3:1). As a result, Dubrovnik decided the game at halftime when they had a five-goal advantage (8:3).

Jug then slowed down and maintained the advantage until the end for a spot in the final. Loren Fatović and Alexandros Papanstasiou were the top scorers with three goals. Two goals were added by Argyropoulos. Marin Dašić and Dario Rakovac scored two goals for Mladost.

"We played a relatively good game, I am satisfied with the victory, but also about most of our game. In order to be competitive, Jadran needs to play a little better than today. We haven't played with Jadran yet this year, we didn't touch each other in the pool, and we can only see things there. They have more rotation, but we’ll see. It is nice that the match is on national television, the final will be a fight between the two best teams in Croatia. The quality is not in question, the match should be uncertain, the defense and swimming readiness could decide," commented Jug coach Vjekoslav Kobešćak.

"We were thin in rotation and we couldn't keep up with the pace. We saw a lot of personal mistakes early on and that handicapped us further. We were not great at realizing the extra man, we should have played better, but I congratulate Jug and wish them luck in the final. Jug has a slight advantage because it has a winning mentality, Jadran will be under a lot of pressure," said Zoran Bajić, Mladost coach.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

ZAGREB, 16 Dec 2021 - The City of Dubrovnik has become the majority owner of the Dubrovnik Port company with a 51.32% stake, mayor Mato Franković said on Thursday, calling this important for the company's future and the management of the city's port area.

The city previously acquired a 48.75% stake in the company and has become the majority owner after the city-owned company UTD Ragusa acquired another 2.75%. At a general shareholders' assembly on 22 November, Dubrovnik Port was authorized to buy 8.99% of its shares from the Atlantska Plovidba shipping company.

The mayor told the press that today was a historic day and decision for the future of Dubrovnik Port and the management of the city's waters.

"In recent years attempts were made to devalue Dubrovnik Port and award the cruise ship terminal project to another company. That would have made the port's future questionable and now we have changed all that."

Franković said that after 15 years the obligations to the government had been fulfilled and that, together with it, a procedure was launched to award a concession for the construction of a cruise ship terminal in the port. He hopes Dubrovnik Port "will soon get a priority concession."

The company's director Željko Raguž said the next step, in order to get the concession, is to amend the urban plan with regard to the city's port.

He said Dubrovnik Port would end 2021 with a profit of over HRK 2 million (€266,000).

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

ZAGREB, 16 Dec 2021 - Dubrovnik-Neretva County has procured equipment for its firefighting units as part of an EU project for the strategic development of flood management. 

The equipment, worth around HRK 600,000, is intended to remove damage caused by floods in the county.

Next year, equipment worth more than HRK 1 million will be procured as part of the STREAM project to alleviate the consequences of serious river and sea pollution accidents, county head Nikola Dobroslavić said.

The total value of the STREAM project is HRK 70.5 million (approx. €9.4 million)), of which 85% comes from the EU through the Interreg Italy-Croatia cross-border cooperation programme while the remaining 15% is secured by project partners.

The value of project activities in Dubrovnik-Neretva County is HRK 5.8 million.

(€1 =  HRK 7.5)

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

December 15, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as the British Airways London Gatwick-Dubrovnik flight will resume next year, namely in April with a daily service from May! We also have the latest on Dubrovnik-based Croatian start-up Pragusa.One. 

British national airline British Airways has announced it would resume the scheduled flight between Dubrovnik and London Gatwick Airport, bringing two flights to Dubrovnik next summer from London, from two different airports, reports Croatian Aviation. 

The London Heathrow-Dubrovnik line was in traffic last summer season, while this airline previously operated to Dubrovnik from Gatwick Airport. Following the pandemic, British Airways relocated all operations to Heathrow to reduce its operating costs, and with the gradual recovery of traffic, the line from Gatwick Airport will run again. 

From Monday, April 4, British Airways will connect Dubrovnik and London Gatwick once a week, on Mondays, from April 20 three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and from May 2 every day!

In addition, the airline will keep operations from Heathrow Airport, so Dubrovnik will have two regular routes to London on this British airline.

The lines between London and Dubrovnik are very well filled in the summer flight schedule, which is not surprising considering that Dubrovnik is the most frequent destination for British tourists in Croatia. British Airways currently operates between London and Zagreb, and in the summer flight schedule additionally to Pula, Split, and Dubrovnik.

In other Dubrovnik flight news, Ex Yu Aviation reports that Croatian start-up Pragusa.One will finally launch flights from Dubrovnik in the fourth quarter of 22022. The airline was meant to launch flights already in the 2021 summer. Airbus A330 and A350 aircraft from Dubrovnik and Prague will be used on long-haul flights to North America and Asia. 

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

December 12, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as American Airlines Philadelphia-Dubrovnik flights will not resume next summer. 

Ex Yu Aviation reports that American Airlines will not resume its Philadelphia-Dubrovnik flights for the 2022 summer season. While the airline successfully maintained the route in the 2019 summer, it did not return the following year with additional flights and capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

But Dubrovnik isn't the only victim of American Airlines. Ex Yu Aviation adds that the airline won't resume seasonal flights to Prague and has discontinued operations to Edinburgh, Shannon and Hong Kong. The airline will, however, operate from New York to Doha, Qatar.

"Boeing continues to be unable to deliver the 787s we have on order, including as many as thirteen aircraft that were slated to be in our fleet by this winter. Without these widebodies, we simply won’t be able to fly as much internationally as we had planned next summer or as we did in summer 2019," said Vasu Raja, American’s Chief Revenue Officer. 

United, on the other hand, has announced it would return to Dubrovnik next summer.

United introduced a regular line between Dubrovnik and New York in early July this year. Three flights a week were announced which quickly increased to four times a week from the beginning of July to the beginning of October this year.

Encouraged by the great interest, the airline announced that traffic between Dubrovnik and New York would run in the summer flight schedule next year.

Unlike this year, United Airlines plans to launch the first flight between Dubrovnik and New York at the end of May (May 27, 2022). This summer season, the last flight was at the very beginning of October, and for next year, United plans regular operations until the very end of October (October 26, 2022). Thus, this line will be in traffic for a full two months longer next summer compared to this season.

Delta Air Lines, which also operated regularly between New York and Dubrovnik this summer, has not yet released tickets on this route for next summer. If this route doesn't relaunch, United may increase its capacity to Dubrovnik, either by introducing a larger type of aircraft or by increasing weekly rotations. Only time will tell. 

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

ZAGREB, 6 Dec 2021 - A memorial plaque was unveiled in Dubrovnik under a clock tower where wartime photographer Pavo Urban was killed by shrapnel during the fierce shelling of Dubrovnik's old town on 6 December 1991.

The ceremony was held on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the heroic defense of Dubrovnik during the Homeland War and Dubrovnik Defenders Day. Urban's family attended the unveiling ceremony which was conducted by Mayor Mato Franković and the prime minister's envoy, Agriculture Minister Marija Vučković.

(Photo: Grgo Jelavic/PIXSELL)

Minister Vučković underscored that Urban's photographs are remembered because the world saw the culturecide that occurred in Dubrovnik and Croatia.

"Urban's photographs bring documentary directness but also an incredible artistic experience," the agriculture minister said.

Mayor Franković said that Urban gave the most valuable thing he had, his life, in exchange for the truth and to bear witness to Dubrovnik's suffering and destruction and to present it for the world to see.

The last photographs ever taken by Pavo Urban, before he was killed during shelling in Dubrovnik on December 6, 1991. Photos: Pavo Urban.

The program marking the 30th anniversary of Dubrovnik's defense ends on Tuesday with the launch of a book by Nikola Obuljen, "How we Negotiated with the Enemy".

For more on politics, follow TCN's dedicated page.

For more, check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 6 Dec 2021 - SENSE Transitional Justice Center has launched a video about the 6 December 1991 massive shelling of Dubrovnik, and the video is part of the interactive narrative "Targeting History and Memory".

SENSE Transitional Justice Center is the successor to SENSE News Agency dedicated to documenting and making permanently accessible the facts about wars in the area of former Socialist Yugoslavia, established beyond a reasonable doubt at the ICTY in The Hague.

The shelling of the Old City of Dubrovnik was qualified in International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)  indictments and judgments as to the "destruction or deliberate damaging of institutions dedicated to religion, charity and education, arts and science, historical monuments, and works of art and science."

The five-day online campaign about the destruction of Dubrovnik was launched on 4 December and brings about the contents of the ICTY's investigation, documents, and trial about the war atrocities committed by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and Serbian and Montenegrin paramilitaries during the siege of Dubrovnik in 1991 and 1992. 

The five-day internet campaign can be watched on Facebook, YouTube, and the SENSE Transitional Justice Center's official website.

30th anniversary of an all-out assault on Dubrovnik

The siege of Dubrovnik culminated in an all-out assault on 6 December 1991 when the JNA and Serbian and Montenegrin paramilitaries targeted the medieval walled town with all types of weapons, killing 19 defenders and civilians and wounding another 60 people. Thousands of shells fell on the historical center, nine palaces were burnt to the ground and 461 buildings were severely damaged that day.

During the siege, this Adriatic town lived mostly without electricity or freshwater. The JNA swept through the surrounding villages looting houses and razing them to the ground. Villagers fled to Dubrovnik or to the islands, some of the elderly who could not flee were taken off to war camps in Morinj, Montenegro, or to Bileća in Serb-controlled Bosnia and Herzegovina.

During the war in a wider Dubrovnik area, 116 civilians and 430 Croatian soldiers were killed and several hundred were injured. As many as 443 Croats were taken to detention camps, and as many as 33,000 had to flee their homes during the siege and the JNA attacks.

Several commemorative events will take place in Dubrovnik to mark the 30th anniversary of the all-out attack.

For more on politics, follow TCN's dedicated page.

November 24, 2021 - This Saturday the program of the 8th Dubrovnik Winter Festival will begin with the lighting of the first Advent candle and the Christmas lighting in the city, which will last for 40 days.

As Turističke Priče reports, the program of the 8th Dubrovnik Winter Festival event will begin on Saturday, November 27, with the lighting of the first Advent candle. On the same day, the holiday lighting will be turned on, which will complete the magic of this year's holidays for 40 days, and there will be a concert by Nena Belan & Fiumens in front of the Church of St. Vlaho.

The center of events returns to Stradun where the people of Dubrovnik and their visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy six concerts. Thus, on December 11, the group Magazin will perform, and on December 29, Marko Škugor will sing. The celebratory atmosphere on the last day of 2021 will begin at noon when Dubrovnik bartenders will prepare New Year's cocktails in front of the City Café, and the rock New Year's Eve will be prepared by Silente and Vatra with spectacular fireworks at exactly midnight.

Traditionally, on January 1, a waltz will be danced on the Stradun with the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, while the Rišpet klapa will take care of the evening entertainment on the first day of the new year on Stradun.

The charity concert for the Covid ward of the Dubrovnik General Hospital will be held on Monday, December 6, at the Valamar Lacroma Hotel. Music diva Tereza Kesovija, klapa Ragusa and Ženska klapa FA Linđo will perform accompanied by the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra. Under the direction of maestro Huta, the DSO will traditionally perform at the Dubrovnik Christmas Concert to be held on Sunday, December 19, and on that occasion soprano Valentina Fijačko, tenor Roko Radovan, vocals Goran Karan, Lucija Pećar and Nikoleta Ivanković and the klapa Ragusavecchia. As for the concerts on Stradun, entry will be possible upon presentation of the EU digital COVID certificate.

From 16 to 19 December, the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, in cooperation with Dubrovnik restaurants, will organize the traditional "Cod Days" when many restaurants will be able to taste the holiday gastronomic treat cod, prepared in various ways.

Saturday mornings will traditionally be marked by the performance of the Folklore Ensemble Linđo with free tourist sightseeing organized by the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, while Saturday afternoons will be reserved for also free, thematic guided tours called "Golden Age of Dubrovnik" organized by the Marin Držić Home.

For the youngest on Friday, December 10, the North Pole Station will open its doors in Lazareti, and Lapad Bay will be enriched this year by the "Colorful Winters" program as well as the Advent train, which will run its small passengers for free every day from 10 am to 4 pm. This year, too, there will be a visit by Moto Mrazova, who will arrive on Stradun on December 26. Last year's novelty Pop-up Kolenda bus will delight everyone who meets it, and passengers will delight the youngest with sweet gifts.

Dubrovnik kindergartens and primary schools will once again decorate the windows of the City as part of the Marin Držić Home project "Advent Calendar on Stradun", and all lovers of good photography, except for the "photo point" location under the Advent wreath on Luža, expect a new one in the Rector's Palace atrium.

Dubrovnik cultural institutions have prepared various contents for the Dubrovnik Winter Festival for all ages, from exhibitions, lectures, and workshops to plays, so the Marin Držić Theater will perform its favorite Nutcracker in November and December in the version of Lada Kaštelan.

All programs of the 8th Dubrovnik Winter Festival will take place in accordance with the current recommendations for the prevention of COVID-19 infection, published by the Croatian Institute of Public Health. To attend the events, it will be necessary to register in advance with the institution or organizer of the event that is planned to visit.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.