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Travel Talk: Visit Croatia
Trend spotting Travel talk / 11
Darija Reic, Director, Croatian National Tourist Office, UK
UK citizens who have recovered from, or been vaccinated against, Covid will be able to enter Croatia from the same date the UK resumes international travel. Alternatively, a negative PCR test must be provided upon arrival.
We have intensifi ed preparations for the upcoming tourist year and are arranging additional points for testing in visitor hot spots in order to make Croatia as pleasant and safe as possible.
Croatia has launched the ‘Safe stay in Croatia’ project, a web platform that provides information about the tourismspecifi c health and safety measures currently in place. Visitors can also use this platform to check whether their chosen accommodation and other service providers are certifi ed with the Safe Stay label.
Croatia’s calling
Clients can escape lockdown by exploring our eight National Parks and 12 Nature Parks, among which is Plitvice Lakes, known for its 16 terraced lakes and waterfalls.
According to the European Commission, Croatia’s sea is the cleanest in Europe and some of its beaches, such as Zlatni Rat on Brac island, Saharun on Dugi Otok, or Sunj Bay on Lopud, are considered the most beautiful. In addition, Croatian delicacies such as oysters and mussels from Ston, braised beef pasticada from Split, and desserts like Kotonjata will tempt foodies .
Agents can contact Croatia’s representative offi ce in the UK for information, itineraries ideas or promo materials. On April 20, we are hosting a Croatian Virtual Get2Gether, a webinar for the travel trade, with special focus on the City of Dubrovnik and Croatia Airlines. croatia.hr
Graeme Bowie, B2B Sales Manager, Rabbie’s
Since the Government announced its timeline out of lockdown in February we have seen a big increase in interest and bookings. People are starting to look and book for later in the summer and we are hopeful this will continue for autumn and winter.
Until now Rabbie’s has been mainly an inbound company, relying on overseas clientele, so we are encouraged to see bookings now coming from UK travellers, with the greater certainty of staycations playing a big part in that.
Robbie’s started life in 1993 as Rabbie’s Trail Burners, with one vehicle doing tours from Edinburgh to the Highlands and scenic and rural areas of Scotland. We have stayed a small group operator but in 2019 had 150-plus vehicles – luxury Mercedes 16-seat mini-coaches – picking clients up from various departure points in the UK.
Safety measures in place
While restrictions last, we will be taking a maximum of eight passengers per trip, with masks for guests, hand sanitisers, improved air con in the vehicles, drivers tested every morning and guests asked to do a quick test before departure. Before the pandemic we had 100 diff erent variations of tours – with 40% of bookings via agents.
For our one-day tours the Loch Ness, Glencoe and the Highlands of Scotland option is very popular, while for multi-day tours the three-day tour to the Isle of Skye and four-day trip to Islay and the Whiskey Coast are among our best-sellers.
Travel agents can contact us through our website. We know that for clients there is added certainty and reassurance when booking through an agent. rabbies.com
