Croatia Travel Blog

Archive for the ‘Life in Croatia’ Category

The wrangle over Croatia’s Sunday shopping ban has gone on for a number of months but now there’s a final verdict: unconstitutional. Ever since the ban went into effect in January 2009, Croatia’s merchants have been agitating for its repeal, arguing that the weak economy could ill afford the loss of jobs that the ban would entail. Supporting the ban was the Roman Catholic church, a potent political force in Croatia. Even though the law was riddled with exceptions designed to minimize the impact on tourists, the owners of various supermarket chains, malls and shops filed suit claiming that the law was an unconstitutional impingement on market freedom. Croatia’s Constitutional Court agreed and struck down the ban in a unanimous decision.

See more on shopping in Croatia.

So far, so good. Swine flu has not yet made an appearance in Croatia despite yesterday’s scare in which a Croatian man tested positive for the disease. It turns out that the London laboratory that tested the sample made a mistake! By the time, the false positive and the correction were published, the sufferer was already feeling much better thanks to his homespun herbal treatment.

Of course, it’s probably only a matter of time until someone falls ill with the malady in Croatia but for now the country is swine-flu-free. See more on staying healthy in Croatia.

An interesting article in the New York Times discusses the problems facing Croatia’s tourist industry this year as the global economic crisis bites down. For a country that depends heavily on tourism to prop up a frail economy, any drop in visitors is cause for alarm. And Croatian tourist industry professionals are alarmed. In fact they’re so alarmed tourist agencies are even trying to persuade Serbs to let bygones be bygones and return to Croatia for their summer holiday.

The article also contains some interesting nuggets for others contemplating a Croatian vacation. Although frequently touted as a budget vacation because the country is “not in the eurozone”, the fact that the kuna is pegged to the euro keeps prices relatively high for Brits and Yanks dealing with a weak currency. Devalue already, I say!

Budgeteers should also note the reference to the Dubrovnik’s five-star Excelsior hotel enticing visitors with vouchers and discounts. I’m sure they’re not the only one.

See my special budget tips for visiting Croatia.

Go to the NY Times article.

Golf in Croatia has never really gotten off the ground for several good reasons. First, Croatia’s climate doesn’t allow for a long golfing season and second, Croatians have never been much into golfing (now, tennis is another matter entirely).

Yet, in their pursuit of tourist money, the Croatian government is undeterred by these obstacles. Recently the Croatian Parliament passed a law making it much easier for the government to snatch land from private owners and sell it to golf course developers under the theory of “eminent domain”.

And where are golf developers headed? Not to the rocky Dalmatian coast, that’s for sure. No, it’s Istria with its gentle rolling countryside that will be the primary target of golf developers.

The above photo is of the countryside surrounding Motovun where the proposed new golf course is planned.

Local residents are, ahem, teed off by the proposal. Lawsuits and countersuits have been launched with dark insinuations of collusion between the developers and politicians. There are a lot of good reasons why the proposed golf course is a bad idea for the environment and for local life. If you’d like to join the protest, you can go to the Facebook site against the golf course (in Croatian) and register your support.

Croatia’s controversial ban on Sunday shopping is now in effect (as of January 1). Perceived as a concession to Croatia’s powerful Roman Catholic Church, the law bans stores from opening on Sundays except for  bakeries, newsstands, flowershops, and stores located in hospitals, gas stations, and bus and train stations. Shopping over the Christmas holidays and the summer season is also allowed under the law.

The law was passed in July 2008 over the bitter objections of retailers who warn that implementing the law could lead to 7000 lost jobs at a time when the Croatian economy can ill afford such a blow. A large retailers association has appealed the law.

See more on shopping in Croatia.