Presenting

 Croatia – Eco Destination

In the ranking of tourist values in Croatia, along with many other qualities, the beauty and level of preservation of the natural environment holds a convincing first place along with an ecological awareness that is reflected in the relationship with nature, the organic production of food, and doing business with companies that have harmonised with environment protection standards.

There are eight national parks in Croatia and ten nature reserves. These are: Plitvice Lakes National Park (NP), Risnjak NP, Brijuni NP, Mljet NP, Sjeverni Velebit NP, Krka NP, Kornati NP and Paklenica NP. The nature reserves are: Kopački rit Nature Reserve (NR), Papuk NR, Učka NR, Vransko jezero NR, Telaščica NR, Lonjsko polje NR, Velebit NR, Medvednica NR, the Žumberak – Samobor Highlands NR, Biokovo NR and the Lastovo Islands NR. These are areas of exceptional beauty that are attractive as tourist destinations but also for all those that wish to study the flora and fauna of the area and natural processes. Even outside of these protected areas there are many tourist destinations that attract visitors with their preserved natural environment and their hiking and cycling trails, the opportunities for organised water navigation (rafting, canoeing and the like) and exceptionally beautiful and clean rivers and other natural sites.

One of the strong points of Croatian tourism is a tourist industry with an offer that is eco-friendly. There are some 340 eco-producers currently registered in Croatia, many of which sell their products to hotel companies and in doing so offer tourists food of recognisable, full and, in other places somewhat already forgotten, flavours. Some of them are involved in the exclusively ecological production of fruit, vegetables, cheeses and many other products, and some offer the option of an overnight stay on the estate along with the manufacture.

Fresh food designated as organic - production that is regulated by law in Croatia - is increasingly present on the Croatian market, and there are a growing number of producers that have opted to produce health food, the quality of which is attested to by the appropriate certificate.

Vegetables, fruits and grains are grown on eco-estates using entirely organic methods and are served fresh to guests or are processed into winter preserves, also manufactured following ecologically friendly methods. Fruits and vegetables picked just before they are served - frequently and by the guests themselves - is an experience that is particularly fondly remembered by visitors and that guarantees them that they are being served truly fresh and healthy food.

Eco-estates are frequently workshops of sorts and guests can join their hosts in harvests, the preparation of foods and even their preparation as winter preserves.

With the growing demand for natural, organically grown production, many Croatian hotels have opted to follow the trend and are more and more often putting eco products on their menus. The trend is present in the entire tourism industry and in particular in many small family-operated hotels whose offer is based on the local values of the region they are located in. Organic production is a part and parcel of their culinary and overall offer and features many locally produced products. 

Croatian National Tourist Board
E-mail: info@htz.hr
Web site: www.croatia.hr

The Year 2008

Heading For New Records 

The Head Office of the Croatian National Tourist Board (CNTB) estimates that Croatia will close the 2007 tourism season with about 11.2 million guests, 56.2 million overnight stays and tourism revenues in excess of 6.9 billion euros. This confirms that the 2007 tourism season has been the most successful to date. It will be, however, as the experts at the CNTB are forecasting, surpassed by the coming season, which - based on the forecasts of business partners and the estimates of the tourism regions and businesses - should see a 3 percent growth in the number of guests and a 2 percent growth in the number of tourist overnight stays. This increase, tourism analysts agree, should result in a 5 percent increase in tourism revenues, the value of which is forecast to be about 7.27 billion euro in 2008.  

Split-Dalmatia County

Something for All Tastes and Generations

In Split-Dalmatia County, by size the largest county in Croatia, situated in central Dalmatia, there are some 150,000 accommodation units available to tourists, 30,000 of which are in hotels, about 95,000 in private accommodation providers and the remainder in camps, nautical tourism harbours and other types of accommodation. This region is accessible to tourists thanks to an excellent traffic infrastructure - motorways, an airport and a seaport.

Two cities – Split and Trogir - enjoy UNESCO protection. These are exceptionally attractive Riviera tourist areas in Trogir, Kaštel, Split, Omiš and Makarska. Also in this region are proven tourism hotspots - the islands of Brač, Šolta, Hvar and Vis. An increasingly more frequent destination for tourists is the Dalmatian hinterland - the Zagora region, known for its rural tourism, ethno offer, traditional customs, active holidays and more.

The highest concentration of accommodation capacity - about 40 percent of the county's hotel capacity and an equal percentage of camp capacity and private accommodation providers - is found on the Makarska Riviera.

Of increasing interest to tourists is the city of Split itself with its monumental, 1,700 year-old Diocletian's Palace - a monument unique, among other things, by the fact that life continues to go on within its walls. It has been - since 1979 - on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and is reputed to be the best-preserved example of antiquity period imperial palaces. There are no other antiquity period imperial residences, built before or after Diocletian's palace in Split, that have preserved their original form to this extent.

Along with the Summer in Split, a renowned cultural event, there are a growing number of new events in Split that attract tourists to this attractive and content-packed city. In 2007 the traditional events - among which the Summer in Split certainly stands out among culture events - have been joined by new ones: the Busker Festival, the concert program in the Diocletian Cellars, the Changing of the Guard on the Peristyle with the appearance of Diocletian, the Nights of Diocletian and much more. All of this is followed by an increase in the hotel and hospitality industry offer that make a stay in Split and enjoying its content an interesting and pleasant experience.

1.6 million tourists stayed in Split-Dalmatia County in 2007, up 6 percent from the previous year. They recorded about 9 million overnight stays, up 8 percent from the previous year. That the "sun & sea" vacation concept continues to be predominant in the region, the content of which is continually enriched with numerous activities such as water sports, rafting on the Cetina River, bicycling on tended cycling trails and the like. The fascinating cities and islands and the tourism capacities, however, allow for the intensive development of congress and incentive tourism and a city break offer, and they are covering a growing portion of the tourism turnover. Significant funds are being invested in product quality. Thanks to a cultural and historical heritage and intensive investment some of the world renowned and proven tourist destinations - like the islands of Hvar and Brač and the Makarska Riviera – are now four-star destinations with an excellent reputation confirmed by numerous awards and top spots in the rankings of top destinations.
In Split-Dalmatia County they expect a 3 percent growth in the coming year in overnight stays and the number of tourists, so that based on the current forecasts 1.7 million guests will visit the area in 2008 recording 9.3 million overnight stays. Tourists will be awaited by an even richer offer of island, coastal and hinterland vacation programs with an increasingly developed active vacation offer.

Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board
Web site: www.dalmatia.hr

Investment

Municipality of Ribnjak
New Rural Destination  

The village of Lipnička Gorica in the municipality of Ribnjak, situated on the Croatian-Slovene border in Karlovac County, was recently declared extinct and non-existent, but today it is the home of the rural tourism Srakovčić Estate owned by Karlovac hospitality industry businessman Ivan Srakovčić.
Ivan Srakovčić, owner of the Korana, one of the best family-operated hotels in Croatia, cites the natural beauty of the Ribnjak region, from which he draws his own roots, as one of the reasons he has jumped on board the rural tourism bandwagon.
90 percent of the population of Lipnička Gorica and other settlements in this passive region in the western corner of Karlovac County have moved away over the past 50 years, which has almost resulted in their disappearance from geographic maps.
Srakovčić is a pioneer in national development programs, who used a favourable loan to launch his small family hotel, and it is little wonder that his new project has received the backing of the Ministry of the Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development, which is assisting him in the construction effort, and of the Ministry of Agriculture, which is helping to implement the program.
1.2 million kuna have been invested to date in the renovation of the family estate and the construction of a brewery, a seminar hall and bowers for a restaurant, and 2 million more have been earmarked for further investment as Srakovčić wants to base his offer on twenty rooms in four authentic wooden cottages, with a wine cellar that would double as a reception area.   

Hotel Korana Srakovčić
E-mail: info@hotelkorana.hr
Web site: www.hotelkorana.hr
Karlovac County Tourist Board  
Web site: www.tzkz.hr

The Hrvatsko zagorje Region
Castle Veliki Tabor Restored

Castle Veliki Tabor, located in the Hrvatsko zagorje region, is numbered among the most attractive and best-preserved monuments of medieval fortification architecture in Croatia and in this part of Europe.
Veliki Tabor (Great Encampment) is a fortified medieval aristocratic hilltop burg situated in the northwestern part of the Hrvatsko zagorje region in the municipality of Desinić.
More than two years of work on its reconstruction and protection has seen the renovation of the portico, gallery and the five-cornered tower.
The oldest sections of this top-category cultural monument date from the 12th century, while its current appearance dates from the 19th century. The castle was owned by many prominent Croatian families, such as the Counts Celjski, and it was after their possession that the unhappy legend of Veronika Desinićka emerged.
The castle covers over 3,000 square metres of floor space and its interior contains, among other things, galleries adorned with circular columns, a court chapel, a wine cellar with a large winepress, a large well and the most attractive part of Veliki Tabor – the grand rustic hall.
The castle houses many collections, such as those featuring old vehicles and pottery, and a well stocked ethnographic collection. A noteworthy visual arts gallery, a presentation of the first medications factory, presentations of fencing, musketeers and the armour of the "wretched knight" are only a few of the fascinating exhibits in this engrossing museum and excursion grounds in the Hrvatsko zagorje region.

Municipality of Desinić
E-mail: opcina-desinic@kr.t-com.hr
Web site: http://www.desinic.hr/
Krapina-Zagorje County Tourist Board
Web site: www.tz-zagorje.hr

Dubrovnik
Hotel Lapad Renovation and Restyling Kicks Off

Atlanska plovidba, majority owner of Dubrovnik's Hotel Lapad, and their Zagreb-based partner INGRA, have launched the renovation of the hotel that should get a four star rating in May of next year, and in the near future become the reception of a marina that is to be situated in Gruž Bay.
The Hotel Lapad is situated on the peninsula of Lapad, one of the most attractive parts of Dubrovnik, and its reconstruction is only the first phase, as the plan also foresees the construction of a marina along the entire southern shore of the waters of Gruž, which the Hotel Lapad will serve as a reception of sorts.
Demolition has started on the highest floors of the hotel were the rooms are being widened and their number reduced. Instead of the current 190 rooms the hotel will feature 140 and the capacity of the old section will be reduced from the former 53 to 33 rooms. The ninth floor will house the hotel services and will have a separate entrance.
Future plans also include filling in the current swimming pool and the demolition of the existing restaurant that are to be replaced by new facilities to the east of the hotel, on a thousand-square-metre lot that Atlanska plovidba has purchased from private parties. The complete renovation and expansion of the hotel complex on the shores of Lapad cannot, however, be launched presently as this part of the city has yet to adopt a zoning plan and, as a result, construction permits cannot be procured.

Hotel Lapad
E-mail: sales@hotel-lapad.hr
Web site: www.hotel-lapad.hr
City of Dubrovnik Tourist Board
web site: www.tzdubrovnik.hr

 Opatija
Another Top Notch Wellness Centre Opens

The Grand Hotel Adriatic in Opatija has opened a 600 square metre Phytoaroma & Wellness centre featuring 13 massage parlours and 5 bathing rooms. The wellness centre is located on the top floor of the Grand Hotel Adriatic and offers a spacious sunning area and a unique panoramic view of Kvarner Bay.
The distinctive architectural solution and design and the recently launched Essentia Adriatica line of cosmetics, based on substances found in the sea and the aromatic and medicinal plants collected in the nearby Učka Nature Reserve, are just a part of the offer accompanying this wellness centre, where everything is dedicated to relaxation.
With the growing number of premium wellness centres across the country, Croatia is becoming competitive not only on the regional, but also on the global wellness market. Along with the many luxuriously appointed wellness centres in Dubrovnik, Split, Biograd, Lovran, Poreč, Rovinj, Zagreb and other Croatian towns, yet another new Opatija wellness centre is slated for opening in the near future, this time the Five Elements at the Hotel Ambasador. Also scheduled for opening are the Wellness & Active at the Hotel Aurora in Mali Lošinj and the City Wellness Centre Outfit in Samobor. 

Grand Hotel Adriatic
E-mail: info@hotel-adriatic.hr
Web site: www.hotel-adriatic.hr
City of Opatija Tourist Board
Web site: www.opatija-tourism.hr

Baška
New Five Star Suites Next Year  

The demolition of existing accommodation facilities on Vela beach in the settlement of Baška on the island of Krk started recently at the site where by the coming peak season new facilities featuring five-star suites and service are to be opened. These will be the first facilities with a quality rating of this level on the island.
The facilities are owned by the Hoteli Baška Company and are the former hotels Velebit, Štrand and Baška that are to be replaced by the end of May of next year with two new facilities. The larger of the two – Velebit, will feature 64 suites on three floors with the sea view suites featuring a five-star accommodation standard, while the remaining units will offer four-star service, as will the units in the second, smaller facility also under construction. This smaller 16-unit facility will in fact be an annex added to the existing Adria facility, which already offers 12 rooms. All of the rooms in the refurbished Adria will feature a four-star standard. The investment is worth about 10 million euro, and the word from the Hoteli Baška Company is that investments will also be made into constructing new congress halls within the Hotel Corinthia complex with a planned capacity of 250 persons.

Hoteli Baška
E-mail: info@hotelibaska.hr
Web site: www.hotelibaska.hr
Primorje-Gorki kotar County Tourist Board
Web site: www.kvarner.hr

Croatia in the World

European Tourist Destinations of Excellence
European Award Goes to Sveti Martin na Muri

Last year the European Commission launched a pilot project for the selection of the European Tourist Destinations of Excellence, and Sveti Martin na Muri in Međimurje County was selected the Croatian winner in the selection.

Along with the winner, Sveti Martin na Muri, the other nine national winners were also presented at the awards ceremony held in Algarve, Portugal, in the frame of the 6th European Tourism Forum, with all ten destinations bearing the laudable title of 2006 European Destination of Excellence in the category of best new rural destinations.

Croatia was nominated for participation in the pilot project by the Croatian Ministry of the Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development in collaboration with the project implementer, the Croatian National Tourist Board.

The chief criteria were initiatives by the destinations that at least once in the past three years contributed to the promotion of the local tourism offer through the preservation and valuing of the natural and cultural heritage of the village and that is has adopted a general approach to managing its own tourism offer by securing social, cultural and environmental sustainability. Sveti Martin na Muri was proclaimed national winner in a field of 18 destinations.

Croatia's success at this European competition lies in the fact that it succeeded in securing the right to participate, given that it is not yet a member of the European Union. That means that it does not qualify for financial support covering 50 percent of the costs EU member countries receive in this competition.

All of the national winners in the selection of European Destinations of Excellence have been secured space for successful destinations on the European portal of tourist destinations, which aims to promote countries, regions and the networking of the winning destinations.  

Sveti Martin na Muri Tourist Board
E-mail: info-point@ck.t-com.hr
Web site: www.svetimartin.hr
Međimurje County Tourist Board
Web site: www.tzm.hr

City of Zagreb Tourist Board
At the Top Of Global Congress Promotion  

At this year's Meetings Industry Marketing Awards (MIMA) ceremony, held in mid October at the Science Museum of London the representatives of the City of Zagreb Tourist Board won second place in the best CD-Rom / DVD promoting MICE industries.

The organiser of these awards is the Meetings & Incentive Travel magazine, from UK publisher CAT publications, which has been granting the awards in 12 categories since 2002.

The City of Zagreb Tourist Board won the second prize for its eight-minute congress film by author Ozren Letica. In the selection of the best for the Meetings Industry Marketing Awards (MIMA) the awards were granted by a panel of 35 experts in MICE industries and the world's leading buyers of congress services. The film and a new brochure targeted to the congress industry has created an integral and very high quality product that promotes Zagreb's possibilities in the MICE industry and the tourism offer of its environs.

Besides this award the City of Zagreb Tourist Board is also the winner of a special commendation for tourism film it won at the International Festival of Tourism Film (SW ITF 2007), held in Split in mid October.

City of Zagreb Tourist Board
E-mail: info@zagreb-touristinfo.hr
Web site: www.zagreb-touristinfo.hr 

Croatian Food Festival in New York

Angelina Jolie Enjoys Croatian Dishes  

Prominent international film star and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie was in New York recently to enjoy authentic Croatian culinary specialities. A Croatian food festival was organised at the seat of the UN in mid October by staffers at the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, pooling ten top chefs from across Croatia.

Besides by Angelina Jolie the Croatian specialities were enjoyed by diplomats from 192 countries who had an opportunity during the one-week event to sample štrukle pastry from the Zagorje region, zlevanka pudding, stuffed cabbage rolls, Dalmatian pašticada marinated meat stew, roast turkey with mlinci, scorpion fish brudet (stew), a fuži noodle dish, muštarda, motar and a number of other specialities prepared by a team of ten top Croatian chefs. 

Participating in the organisation of the Croatian food festival in New York were top officials at the Ministry of the Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development and the Croatian National Tourist Board. The culinary week also saw the opening of the BeCroative exhibition. The exhibition featured all of the more important inventions Croatia has given the world, including Penkala's pen, Vučetić's dactiloscope, Vrančić's parachute, Lupis' torpedo, Tesla's alternating current and others. The BeCroative exhibition, organised by the Croatian Chamber of Economy, also featured Croatia's quality products, bearers of the Croatian Original and Croatian Quality designations. The exhibition has already been staged in Munich, Lisbon, Brussels and La Rochelle.

UN member states organise culinary weeks to promote their countries and as additional events aimed at lobbying for some particularly key seats in UN bodies.

The Croatian Food Festival coincided with Croatian diplomatic activity in the final stages of lobbying for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, an effort that paid off on 16 October when Croatia was voted into the seat.  

Kremlin Culinary Cup
Croatian Chefs Win Top Prizes  

In a field of over 500 chefs from 20 countries competing at the international Kremlin Culinary Cup in Russia, Croatian chefs won two medals – the silver and bronze.

The event is an international competition held in early October at which a Croatian team of four appeared for the first time including: Hrvoje Zirojević of Split's Noštromo restaurant, Grozdana Bohorč of Ludbreg's Fantasy restaurant, Marija Kuzminski, a chef at the Varaždin hotel Turist and Matija Balent, a young chef at Zagreb's Antunović hotel. The team was led by the coach of the national culinary representation, Branko Ognjenović, a chef at the Zagreb restaurant Bon Appetit.

The silver medal was won by Hrvoje Zirojević in the Hot Poultry Dish category, which pooled a field of 30 contestants. He also netted a commendation, although not an award, in the Original Fish Dish category. The bronze medal was taken by Grozdana Bohorč in the Dessert category, facing competition from some 20 chefs from around the world.

The two medals won at this major international competition are a great recognition of Croatian cuisine in general. The next culinary Olympics are to be held next year in the German town of Erfurt.

Croatian Chef's Association
E-mail: hks@kuhar.hr
Web site: www.kuhar.hr  

Hotel Dubrovnik Palace
Winner of the Prestigious World Travel Award  

The five-star luxury Hotel Dubrovnik Palace has for the third year running won the "Tourism Oscar", as the World Travel Award is referred to, in the category of best SPA resort in Croatia.

The Hotel Dubrovnik Palace operates in the fold of the Adriatic Luxury Hotels Company and was this year also nominated in the category of leading European hotel and leading suite in Europe.

The World Travel Awards are an annual award that has been granted for the past 14 years to pioneers in the travel and tourism industry. This year 160,000 travel agencies from over 160 countries voted for the best tourism products.

In 2005 and 2006 the Hotel Dubrovnik Palace won the World Travel Award in the category of best new hotel and most attractive SPA resort in Croatia. 

Situated in Dubrovnik, one of the most attractive cities in the world, itself nominated for a World Travel Award in several categories (leading European destination and leading European cruise destination), the Hotel Dubrovnik Palace offers a premium wellness and spa centre, elegantly appointed conference rooms for business guests and seven specially designed multifunctional congress halls with a capacity of up to 1,000 participants. The ten floor hotel features 308 rooms and suites, 11 bars, including the attractive pool bar and a cocktail bar on the beach, the hotel's Elafiti restaurant, several fine dining restaurants, the Maslina tavern and a sushi bar. 

Hotel Dubrovnik Palace
E-mail: info@dubrovnikpalace.hr
Web site: www.dubrovnikpalace.hr
City of Dubrovnik Tourist Board 
Web site: www.tzdubrovnik.hr 

News
Croatia's Culinary Offer: Specialities as Protected Cultural Assets

The Croatian Ministry of Culture has issued a decision according to which traditional štrukli pastries, certainly one of the most popular Croatian foods, has secured the status of a non-material cultural asset and will as such be entered in the Register of protected cultural assets of the Republic of Croatia.

Štrukli, also referred to as štrukle or štruklji, are made of pastry dough filled with fresh cow milk cheese and eggs, topped with a cream dressing. They can be prepared sweet or salty, can be cooked or baked and are served as a soup, hors d'oeuvre, dessert, main dish or on their own as a small meal. They are prepared for various occasions – it is both a daily and holiday meal and are now the basic food and symbol of the Zagorje region.

Besides štrukli, the status of a non-material Croatian cultural asset was also granted to other foods such as the Poljica traditional soparnik dish. This Dalmatian dish dates to the period before the Turkish incursions and was originally prepared on round wooden plates on which dough was rolled, filled with Swiss chard and baked on a hearth.

Slavonia's best-known cold cut, the kulen (also referred to as the kulin), a large smoke-cured sausage filled with chopped pork, sweet and hot paprika peppers and garlic, is also now a protected indigenous Croatian brand, as is the traditional sinjski arambašići dish from the Cetina region – well spiced cooked leaves of pickled cabbage filled with beef, pork, onion and garlic.

One of the best-known cheeses, not only in Dalmatia and Croatia, but also around the world, is certainly Pag cheese, a full-fat sheep's milk cheese from one of Croatia's largest islands, Pag, also known for the handicrafts that the ministry has also proclaimed protected non-material cultural assets.

Croatian National Tourist Board
Web site: www.croatia.hr

Presenting 

Dalmati Ethnoland
A Tourist Attraction in the Šibenik Region

Dalmati Ethnoland, a new tourist attraction, has been opened in Pakovo Selo, a village situated between the towns of Šibenik and Drniš. This 15,000 square metre ethno excursion site in Šibenik-Knin County revives life in a Dalmatian village as it once was, and is located only some ten kilometres from the main entrance to Krka National Park

Dalmati Ethnoland, the first Ethnoland park in Croatia, has been built in its entirety using only traditional construction techniques and, as such, is one of the most demanding construction projects in Dalmatia.

This reconstruction of a typical Dalmatian village is a window to the region's past. The property, among other things, features Didova kuća (Grandfather's home) with a kitchen, hearth, and konoba cellar where the local debit wine can be sampled, and all of the other parts of a rural homestead and a museum open to visitors.

A vegetable garden and young olive trees have been planted nearby, the pens and stables house sheep, goats and donkeys, and the property is guarded by a Croatian ovčar (sheep dog).

Dalmati Ethnoland also features an Old Crafts House in which local blacksmiths, weavers, stonemasons, woodworkers and other increasingly forgotten crafts people work, with their products available at the Ethnoland souvenir shop.

A special attraction on the property is a modern counterpart to the original Roman ruins excavated in nearby Ivoševci – a spacious amphitheatre, a "ruins" with excellent acoustics where the original songs and dances of the region are performed for visitors by local folklore ensembles.

An authentic peasant's lunch is served featuring lamb or veal prepared under a baking lid, salted potatoes, fresh vegetables from the nearby garden, the local prisno sweet bread, and a hors d'oeuvre of Dalmatian style dry-cured ham, cheese preserved in a goatskin and many other Dalmatian specialities.

Ethnoland Dalmati
E-mail: info@dalmati.com
Web site: www.dalmati.com
Šibenik-Knin County Tourist Board
Web site: www.summernet.hr/sibenik-knin

Opatija
Croatia's First Museum of Tourism Opens  

The town of Opatija, the first settlement on the Adriatic coast with the status of tourist destination to be proclaimed a sanatorium in 1889 by a special act, has deservedly become the home of the Croatian Museum of Tourism.

The history of tourism in Opatija stretches back to 1844, and given that it has the oldest tradition of tourism in Croatia, Opatija, in collaboration between municipal officials and the Government, has opened the Croatian Museum of Tourism, housed in the Villa Angiolina and at the Juraj Šporer Art Pavilion with permanent and temporary exhibitions.

The first floor of the Villa Angiolina features a two-part permanent exhibition. One is dedicated to Opatija, the "Grand Old Lady", as the cradle of Croatian tourism, while the second part offers an overview of the history of tourism in Croatia. It has all been presented with settings, documents, old photos, postcards and other exhibits. The exhibition also presents the significant figures of tourism in Opatija.

The staircase features the story of the Villa Angiolina itself, the first villa in Opatija, while the ground floor has retained its current function.

The Juraj Šporer Art Pavilion will have non-permanent exhibitions, the first featuring Kvarner area bathing grounds in the frame of which a monograph on the same topic was presented.

The local administration in Opatija underlines the need for an expert and scientific processing, preservation and gathering of material, non-material, mobile and immobile heritage, to be archived and registered in a single location and as such presented to the public, as the motivation to establish the museum.

The museum collects data on all relevant sources and potential museum exhibits, and the goal of the institution is to create a system for the evaluation of museum material and the creation of a database.

The museum is also the reference centre for the logging of data on tourism related museum material. 

City of Opatija Tourist Board
E-mail: info@opatija-tourism.hr
Web site: www.opatija-tourism.hr 

Points of Interest
Slavonian Tourism
Stara Kapela Becomes an Eco-Ethno Village 

Stara Kapela, a village situated on the slopes of the Požega highlands, some 20 kilometres from Nova Gradiška and 40 kilometres from Slavonski Brod, has been proclaimed the first ethno village in Brod-Posavina County.

Until recently Stara Kapela was a village with only a dozen inhabited houses, put two years ago the Eco-Ethno Village association launched the eco-ethno project with the aim of preserving the traditions and authenticity of rural architecture, customs, folklore, landscaping, the reconstruction of buildings and objects and the preservation of the natural environment.

The association reconstructed the houses and stables. Proof of the economic potential of the undertaking are the 14 investors that have already purchased abandoned village farmsteads with the intention of renovating them for rural tourism.

Two blacksmith's workshops and two cabinetmaker's workshops have already been renovated and a museum opened. Ethnological materials have been collected to furnish some 20 houses, a 13 kilometre long hiking and cycling trail has been opened with six rest stations, public lighting has been set up combining electric lights and lanterns, landscaping has been completed and an old crafts' street is in the works.

The people putting this together say that Stara Kapela will by next year have over 30 beds to offer to tourists, and Pero Huljić, director of the Brod-Posavina County Tourist Board, feels that this project, along with the eco-ethno village projects in Lovčić, Ciglenik and Živike, will make Brod-Posavina County the leader in rural tourism. 

Brod-Posavina County Tourist Board
E-mail: turisticka-zajednica.bpz@sb.htnet.hr
Web site: www.tzbpz.hr

Events

Mali Lošinj
New Year's Cup in Underwater Fishing

Every year Mali Lošinj, the largest settlement on the island of Lošinj, organises a New Year's Cup in underwater fishing. The event includes two competitions, the Winter Cup of Cities and the European Cup of Nations, and is this year being held from December 28th to 30th.

The New Year's Cup has a long tradition, the pride of the people of Lošinj. The Winter Cup has been held 47 times and the European Cup 37 times, pooling underwater fishers from ten nations

The bond between Mali Lošinj and underwater fishing is attested to by a monument to the underwater fisher, the work of Academy educated sculptor Ante Starčević of Zagreb, who created the monument based on the original by sculptor Vinko Matković of Rijeka.

Underwater fishing or apnoea (temporary cessation of breathing) fishing is numbered among the extreme sports as it entails many hours of extreme exertion at great depths, working at the limits of physical strength the fishers are subjected to, and the many potential dangers present in these conditions. It is the most sporting and selective kind of fishing as the fisher chooses the fish he or she will catch.

And while it is a sporting discipline, underwater fishing knowledge has always been passed on among a small body of enthusiasts. Fish rich locations are kept a top secret.

Underwater fishing is attracting a growing number of hobbyists and professionals from year to year.

The New Year's Cup in Mali Lošinj, like some other international events, are an indicator of the excellence of the top athletes and their exceptional physical and psychological preparedness.

City of Mali Lošinj Tourist Board
E-mail: tzg-mali-losinj@ri.t-com.hr
Web site: www.tz-malilosinj.hr