At the beginning of June, the first direct charter flight from Osaka to Zagreb arrived at Zagreb airport. The Croatian National Tourist Board organized a welcome ceremony for the 350 passengers and crew-members, who enjoyed a performance of the folklore ensemble “Turopolje”, each receiving a traditional gingerbread heart (“licitarsko srce”) as a gift. The charter flights are organized by the Japanese agency “Hankyu”. For Japanese visitors, they enable faster and easier travel to Zagreb, the capital with the highest increase in the number of visitors from Japan in the region. …

The Dubrovnik Summer Festival, traditionally held from 10 June to 25 August, will once again gather top Croatian and international musical, dance and theatrical performers. What makes this year’s festival special is that it is celebrating its 60th anniversary. The festival turns Dubrovnik, a city of exceptional beauty, into a unique stage. Its history dates back to 1950. It soon became clear that it is an exceptional cultural event. For instance, French author Claude Aveline, who took part in the very first festival, wrote ten years later that, at the …

Interesting landscapes, a rich culinary and wine offering and cordial hospitability are all only a part of what Slavonija and Baranja has to offer, a Croatian region of a rich history and tradition. The region is now even closer for visitors to Eastern Croatia thanks to the project “Road of the Golden Thread”, recently promoted by the Town of Županja Tourist Board. The project comprises ten towns of the Vukovar-Srijem and Slavonski Brod-Posavina Counties: Županja, Štitar, Babina Greda, Cerna, Šiškovci, Gradište, Bošnjaci, Vrbanja, Drenovci and Kruševica, and the “road of …

When an author and a director decide to open a hotel, and move from Germany to the tiny Croatian town of Tribalj, 6 km from Crikvenica, it is clear that we are not talking about an ordinary facility. This is how the ethno hotel Balatura came to be founded, a hotel different from others in many ways, which, at least for now, remains outside traditional hotel categorization. This 10-room hotel is located in an ancient, several centuries old house that has been restored in collaboration with restoration and conservation professionals. …

The Californian daily paper Los Angeles Times has ranked Croatia among the world’s 40 countries that are a must-see travel destination. The LA Times recommends Croatia in its entirety, saying unequivocally: “With its food, climate, hospitability and lookout spots, Croatia is particularly attractive as a travel destination on account of the versatility of its landscapes, from the continent to the coast.”

The 55th annual Split Summer Festival will begin with a premiere of Carmina Burana, performed on the Republic Square on 14 July by the Opera and Ballet ensembles of the Split National Theatre. It is directed by the famous Hungarian director Youri Vamos, the orchestra and choir will be conducted by Ivo Lipanović, and solo performances will be delivered by soprano Ivana Kladarin, tenor Sveto Matošić Komnenović and baritone Joachim Seipp. The Split Summer Festival is the oldest and one of the most attractive Croatian festivals, organized since 1954. This …

Podravina, a region in the northwest of Croatia, is recognized as the cradle of a peculiar style of painting known all over the world: naïve painting. It dates back to the beginning of the 1930’s. Its most prominent representatives were Ivan Generalić and Franjo Mraz, whose many followers, both painters and sculptors, ensured this art movement live on with its numerous admirers. Today, more than 300 painters of the naïve exist in this interesting region, rich in tourist attractions. A review of their work, “Motifs of Podravina”, is held in …