Nov 7, 2007 (CIDRAP News) – A new food protection plan from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), released yesterday as part of a comprehensive import safety plan, places a heavy emphasis on preventing food contamination by enlisting other groups to help the agency focus inspection efforts on high-risk food products.The FDA’s 25-page plan spells out a host of actions it will take, such as writing food protection guidelines for industry and helping foreign countries enhance their regulatory systems. It also specifies new legislative authority it will need to pursue several other safety initiatives, such as enhancing access to a food company’s records during emergencies.Federal efforts to improve food safety focus not only on recent cases of tainted imports, but also on recent contamination episodes involving domestic food products, such as Salmonella in peanut butter and Escherichia coli in fresh produce.In May, FDA Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach, MD, appointed David Acheson, MD, to the new job of assistant commissioner for food safety and asked him to develop an “agency-wide, visionary strategy for food safety and defense.” Acheson was formerly chief medical officer and director of the Office of Food Defense, Communication and Emergency response at the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.Officials who spoke at a press conference yesterday to introduce the import and food safety plans declined to estimate what the FDA plan might cost. Tevi Troy, deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said staff needs and cost decisions “will be determined through the normal budget process.”When asked whether cost constraints would prevent immediate implementation of parts of the plan, von Eschenbach said, “I’m not prepared to say what we can’t do right away. . . . There are many things that we’re currently in the process of implementing and others that will come.””We’re working with Congress so they understand the plan . . . and hopefully will provide the support needed,” he added.Strategies address new challengesThe plan identifies several trends that present food safety challenges. An aging US population will be increasingly susceptible to foodborne illnesses, and Americans eat more fresh fruit and vegetables and rely more on convenience foods that carry a greater risk of cross-contamination.Though the FDA said imported food doesn’t pose greater risks than domestic food, “increases in the volume and complexity of imported foods have taxed the limits of FDA’s approach to handling imports.””America’s food supply is among the safest in the world, and we enjoy unprecedented choice and convenience in filling the cupboard. Yet, we face new challenges to meet both the changing demands of a global economy and consumers’ expectations,” said HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt in a press release yesterday.With strategies based on prevention, intervention, and response, the plan incorporates safety into every step of the food supply chain, Leavitt added. The FDA also said it believes the strategies would also effectively address deliberate contamination such as a criminal action or terrorist attack.Using third-party inspectorsThe number of domestic and foreign food production businesses that are subject to FDA inspections is growing faster than the FDA can manage on its own, the report notes. The plan asks Congress to allow the FDA to accredit third parties, or to recognize another agency that accredits third parties, to handle some inspection duties.Third-party inspectors could be federal, state, local, or foreign government agencies or private entities that don’t have conflicts of interest, the report said. The FDA would not be bound by their inspection findings.The FDA would develop best practices for and solicit industry input on a system for third-party inspectors. In addition, the agency would audit the work of the third-party inspectors, review their inspection reports, and provide them with ongoing training.Corporate responsibilitySeveral of the plan’s components increase the responsibility of companies for preventing foodborne illnesses, and some would require legislative action. For example, the FDA would like the authority to require some food supply companies to implement specific safety measures to guard against intentional adulteration. The authority would apply to vulnerable bulk or batch links in the food supply chain, such as requiring locks on tanker trucks that transport food.Also, for certain types of products that have been linked to serious human or animal foodborne illnesses, the FDA seeks the authority to require manufacturers to implement Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems, which the US Department of Agriculture requires for meat packers.”Promoting increased corporate responsibility is key in shifting FDA’s food protection effort to a proactive rather than a reactive one,” the FDA said in its report.Research and technology measuresThe report mentions several technological enhancements that could help the FDA improve food safety. More basic research is needed on identifying, managing, and preventing contamination. Also, the agency said new diagnostic tools are needed to speed the identification of and response to foodborne outbreaks.New data management systems across federal agencies could also improve food safety, the FDA said. “For example, assigning a unique identifier [for each food company] will eliminate duplicate records and make risk data about a firm easier to access,” the report added.Certification of foods before shipmentFor imported products that have been shown to pose a public health threat to the US population, the FDA would like the authority to require electronic certificates of compliance with FDA standards. Such a system would require the FDA to seek agreements whereby foreign governments or other accredited inspectors would certify each shipment or class of shipments before export. The FDA would have to take steps to ensure that the system was not vulnerable to counterfeiting or other security breaches such as transshipment to avoid certification.”This approach shares the burden of ensuring the safety of food products with the exporting country. Shipments that fail to meet the requirements would be refused entry,” the FDA report says.Improving the ability to detect food safety signals is also a focus of the FDA’s plan. The agency proposes improving its adverse-event and consumer-complaint reporting systems and creating a food-safety database for veterinarians.Speeding outbreak responseThe report highlighted several actions that could improve response to food outbreak emergencies. As reported previously, the FDA plan, like the overall import safety plan, asks Congress for the authority to order mandatory recalls when companies are unwilling to issue voluntary recalls.Also the FDA said it needs more streamlined access to company records in the event of a foodborne illness outbreak. The agency would like the authority to access company records on related food items, such as food produced on the same manufacturing line as a product suspected of contamination.The agency also proposes to remove the requirement that a product must be shown to be adulterated before inspectors can access records in an emergency. Instead, officials should be able to investigate company records when they have a reasonable belief that a food presents a serious health threat.”The recent melamine situation in which the FDA had early clinical evidence that a specific food was causing illness in pets but did not have clear evidence of a specific adulteration is an example of such a scenario,” the report states.Risk communication is also addressed in the plan, and the agency proposes enhancing systems of contacting retailers and other groups during a foodborne illness outbreak. The agency also plans to build a Web site to communicate important food-protection information to consumers.Mixed reviews The FDA plan drew mixed reviews from consumer groups.Consumers Union welcomed the proposal to equip the FDA with mandatory recall authority but criticized some other aspects of the food and import safety plans.In a news release, Jean Halloran, Consumers Union’s director of food policy initiatives, faulted the administration’s proposal for not including a budget increase to cover the costs. She also said the plan doesn’t increase the penalties for safety rule violations enough to serve as a deterrent.”And the focus on the ‘carrot’ approach—enticing companies to buy from ‘certified’ producers to import products more quickly—appears to shift the emphasis towards increasing trade and away from the number one priority—ensuring that all products entering the US are safe,” Halloran said.In a similar vein, the nutrition watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) hailed the proposal for FDA recall authority but criticized the administration plans on some other counts.In a statement, Sarah Klein, CSPI’s food safety staff attorney, called the safety plans “woefully short on specifics” about improving the traceability of food imports. She also said it was “very disappointing” that the proposals don’t call for “a single strong food safety agency” to end the current division of food safety responsibilities between the FDA and the US Department of Agriculture.On the industry side, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) praised the food safety plan, including the FDA recall authority.Hailing the plan’s focus on prevention, GMA President Cal Dooley said many elements of the plan resemble measures in the GMA’s own food safety plan, unveiled in September. The GMA plan calls for doubling the FDA’s budget over the next 5 years and for “strengthening the food safety private-public partnership,” he said in a statement.Concerning the recall authority issue, Dooley said, “We believe mandatory recall authority should be granted to FDA to expedite the agency’s ability to more rapidly respond whenever there is a significant risk of an adverse outcome, or whenever food companies refuse FDA’s request to voluntarily recall a product.”A report in today’s Wall Street Journal said most of the administration’s proposals are not new. The story quoted William Hubbard, a former associate commissioner of the FDA, as saying, “I see this as the administration falling into line with the other groups, with the industry, the Congress, consumer groups and the FDA career scientists. You’ve got a strong groundwork upon which to craft legislation.See also:Nov 6 HHS press releasehttp://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2007pres/11/20071106a.htmlNov 2007 FDA Food Protection Planhttp://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FoodProtectionPlan2007/default.htm Nov 6 CIDRAP News story “US food safety plan calls for FDA recall power”Nov 6 Consumers Union news releasehttp://www.consumersunion.org/news/cu-urges-strong-action-on-the-safety-of-imports/Nov 6 CSPI statementhttp://www.cspinet.org/new/200711062.htmlMay 1 CIDRAP News story “New FDA job to focus on food safety strategy”
Feb 26, 2008 (CIDRAP News) – Deaths from H5N1 avian influenza were reported today in two women, one from southern China and the other from Vietnam, as officials in Egypt announced that a 4-year-old girl has been hospitalized with an H5N1 infection.China’s health ministry reported that a 44-year-old woman from the city of Shanwei in Guangdong province died of an H5N1 infection yesterday, according to a statement today from the World Health Organization (WHO). Her death raises China’s H5N1 count to 30 and its number of fatalities to 20.The woman got sick on Feb 16 and was hospitalized 6 days later. China’s national laboratory confirmed her infection yesterday, the WHO reported. An investigation into the source of her infection found that she had contact with sick and dead poultry before she became ill.Chinese officials said the woman was a migrant worker from Sichuan province, Xinhua, China’s state news agency, reported today. Personal contacts of the woman are under medical supervision, and so far all remain healthy, the WHO reported.The woman’s death is China’s second fatality in less than a week. On Feb 22 the WHO reported that a 41-year-old man from Guangxi province died of an infection on Feb 20.Meanwhile, health ministry officials in Vietnam today reported that a 23-year-old woman from Phu Tho province in the northern part of the country died yesterday of an H5N1 infection, the WHO reported today. Her illness pushed Vietnam’s number of H5N1 cases to 105, and her death raises the fatality count to 51, according to the WHO.The woman got sick on Feb 14 and was hospitalized 5 days later. Investigators found that she had contact with sick and dead poultry before she got sick, the WHO reported.The woman worked as a teacher, according to a report today from Reuters.Elsewhere, the health ministry in Egypt today confirmed that a 4-year-old girl from Menia governorate, about 100 miles south of Cairo, is sick with an H5N1 infection and is being treated in a Cairo hospital, the Associated Press reported. If her illness is confirmed by the WHO, the girl will become Egypt’s 44th case-patient and the country’s first H5N1 case this year.Media reports on the girl’s illness gave no details on the possible source of her H5N1 infection; however, women and children are known as the primary caretakers of backyard poultry in Egypt.The two newly confirmed H5N1 infections raise the WHO’s global count to 368 cases and 234 deaths.See also:Feb 26 WHO statement on Chinese deathhttp://www.who.int/csr/don/2008_02_26/en/index.htmlFeb 26 WHO statement on Vietnamese deathhttp://www.who.int/csr/don/2008_02_26b/en/index.html
At the recent Days of Croatian Tourism in Mali Lošinj, the travel agency Uniline once again received a great recognition, the award for the best DMK travel agency of the year.Winning the prestigious title of the best DMK travel agency of the year in 2017 at this year’s Days of Croatian Tourism just held on Mali Lošinj represents for us the culmination, ie the point of the most successful year in our twenty years of business, says Boris Žgomba, President of Uniline, and adds “The recognition, which has just been awarded to us and the results we have achieved so far, and especially this for our most successful business year, directs us and obliges us to enter a new and more complex company development dimension with a focus on selected market segments and new economic, sociological and cultural trends ” Žgomba points out.By the way, the services of Uniline as a tourist group are used annually by more than 350 thousand guests on various grounds and motives, growing at a rate of more than 10% with much higher profit growth. “We have learned that if we do not change, we do not grow! ”, continued Žgomba, emphasizing, “If we don’t grow, we don’t live! Experience shows us that changes should be made just when it is – the best, of course with a mature look ahead. ” concludes Žgomba.This year is certainly special for Uniline, not only because Uniline has entered a new decade of the business cycle by celebrating 20 years of work and activity last year, but also because of new challenges and setting new strategic goals. Thus, by the end of this year, Uniline will enter a new office space of three thousand square meters in Pula, which is financed from its own revenues and boldly enters the hotel business, ie hotel management. in sports tourism as a one stop sport travel company.Also, one of the more important missions is to open new markets, especially Asian markets, where recently after the Shanghai office, a new office was opened in Seoul as well. In all new trends, the Chinese market has been marked as the market with the highest growth, and it is quite certain that tourists from China will become the world’s main travelers. It is through the strengthening of the Chinese middle class that millions and millions of new journeys are opening up, and the process is already underway. It was China that, after a long, long time, overtook Germany from the second position of world travelers, and soon it will overtake America as well. ”After entering the rent a car business and taking over the Europcar franchise, we decided to enter into taking over the complete management of sales and marketing and then the management of the hotel business. To illustrate, for now it is a total potential of 1.800 to 2.000 beds. The entrance to the new office building, which will be completed by the end of the year, will open space for a new and modern organizational structure whose primary focus is the design and delivery of experiences”, emphasized Edita Petaros, Member of the Management Board and Director of the Rent a Car and Logistics Sector.From a once small travel agency, Uniline has transformed step by step into a modern content creator at the national and regional level and a distributor in the regional and world market, and Sandra Gobin, Member of the Management Board and Director of the Tourism Sector the way employees work at all levels, which should be enhanced and enriched by the new organizational culture. Travel agencies will never be the same again, especially as in previous years, today the focus is on online and digital processes, as well as on selling experiences, or more simply the focus is on content rather than form.There are many challenges, but luck accompanies the brave. However, there is not much luck, but only courage, perseverance, proactivity and a lot of work, and when we focus and “provoke” some processes, success is guaranteed. Tourism is one of the first branches affected by all new trends as well as new technologies, and accordingly tourism is constantly on the move and prone to change. As in everything and in tourism, we must be vigilant and monitor changes, especially in the world market, because if we stagnate we will be late for the train and the competition will go too far.So open your eyes, jump on the train because the change is there and it’s getting faster and faster, whether you want to admit it or not.Related news:SANDRA GOBIN, UNILINE: BEFORE SLAVONIA AS A DESTINATION IS A BEAUTIFUL FUTUREROBERT SEDLAR, UNILINE: GREAT SUPPORT FOR THE INITIATIVE STARTED BY UNILINE BECAUSE SLAVONIA HAS A LOT TO OFFER AND SHOW
On the occasion of the 165th anniversary of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber once again awards the prestigious “Golden Marten” award.The Golden Marten is the highest recognition of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, and is awarded to the most successful companies and individuals for exceptional achievements in the economy for the past year. The annual award of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, the Golden Marten in the Croatian economy is a synonym for success and quality of business, and has been awarded since 1993.In the post startup category this year, the company ViagemIT, which is behind the famous Orioly application, was nominated. The Orioly application allows small travel and tour organizers to easily sell and promote the tourist offer online, track contacts, costs and reservations from any device.Orioly has 425 mostly foreign users, and since mid-2017 the application offers functionalities specific to the domestic market, mainly related to monitoring the financial part of the business from ViagemIT, adding that by the end of the year they plan to reach 100 new users from the domestic market and continue to increase number of users from the US and South America. ” Further development of the Orioly application will enable users to easily distribute the tourist offer to business partners, tourist portals and leading world travel promotion sites, which will ultimately help the growth of the domestic economy and Croatian tourism workers to more easily promote their unique tourist experience. The ultimate goal of Orioly software is to save small travel agencies and tour operators time, money and help them focus on what they love to do, and that is to create wonderful trips.. ” concludes the founder of the Orioly startup, Ivan Ilijašić.Related news:CROATIAN TRAVEL AGENCIES URGENTLY NEED TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESSHOW CAN TOUR AND ACTIVITY ORGANIZERS COMPETE WITH LARGE ONLINE BOOKING PLATFORMS?
Yesterday (November 28), the now traditional press conference was held in Vienna, organized by Ranko Vlatković, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board in Austria.The conference was attended by a large number of tourist journalists from the highest-circulation Austrian daily newspapers, tourist magazines and magazines, said Vlatkovic and thanked all Austrians, but also tourist journalists, who enabled the Croatian tourism sector to achieve excellent results from this very important market. According to the eVisitor system, 1,4 million arrivals and 7,6 million overnight stays have been made from the Austrian market so far this year, an increase of 8 percent in arrivals and 7 percent in overnight stays. With these results, the Austrian market is at the national level in the top three markets with the largest tourist turnover, just behind the traditionally leading Germany and Slovenia.The conference also highlighted that Croatian tourism this year, for the first time in history, realized more than 100 million overnight stays, and presented data on expected investments in 2018 in the amount of 940 million euros and data on expected growth revenue and an increase in tourism spending, which this year amounted to about 80 euros on a daily basis.However, special emphasis was placed on approaching the Croatian offer through selective tourist products, such as health, MICE, eno-gastro and active tourism, which will allow extending the tourist season to pre- and post-season because these are the periods during which Austrians also like to travel. As director Vlatković said, perhaps the greatest potential is precisely that health tourism as part of which a new big wave of investment is expected, and it is a product that is in great demand in the Austrian market.See the Austrian market profile here: Emission market profile Austria
As I was born in Zagreb, I have been living in Vinkovci for ten years now, weekend trips to Crikvenica have always been the most popular weekend destination for Zagreb residents. It has always been, let’s go for petrol and go to Crikvenica for the weekend. However, since I started working as an animator in tourism at the age of 16,5, unfortunately I have never been to Crikvenica with my team, but that was the rule of young people in Zagreb. The sea before the sea, ie the real annual. That’s what we said.Also, Crikvenica has always been a destination that we called Zagreb in a nutshell, because a lot of Zagreb residents, except on weekends, decided to spend their summer in Crikvenica. Certainly, for the most part, the decision to spend the annual in Crikvenica was made by previous positive experience. At the same time, due to its proximity, the first sea from Zagreb, as the people of Zagreb called it from miles away, has been a favorite destination for retirees all these years, both due to its proximity due to short travel and lower travel costs.In the whole story, a whole economy was born long ago, organized buses as well as weekend arrangements that offer cheap transportation to Crikvenica for the weekend and back. Crikvenica has partly lived since the weekenders from Zagreb, and it lived well. But times are different, Crikvenica has developed from year to year, raising its quality of accommodation. Exactly this year, Crikvenica is celebrating 130 years of tourism, a great jubilee, for which the weekenders were certainly responsible in part. After last year’s record tourist season, this year has started like never before. Thus, from January to May 2018, 50.835 guests stayed on the Crikvenica Riviera, achieving a total of 158.315 overnight stays, which is 26,64% more arrivals and 27,22% more overnight stays compared to the same period in 2017.Crikvenica bans entry of buses during the weekend in the destination that bring tourists on day trips Under the prism of reducing crowds, the City of Crikvenica brought The decision to stop and park tourist buses in the area of the City of Crikvenica during the tourist season, more precisely from June 15 to September 15. The decision of the City of Crikvenica was made according to which buses that bring tourists on day trips from June 15 to September 15, and they are mostly pensioners, will no longer be able to enter the city area.As stated in the explanation of the Decision, in the area of the City of Crikvenica during the summer tourist season, especially on Saturdays and Sundays, the arrival of a large number of tourist buses with several thousand tourists was noticed. It was assessed that the arrival of buses and one-day tourists should be reduced to an acceptable level, having in mind the sustainable capacity of roads, public areas, especially beaches. Therefore, in cooperation with the tourist community and bodies dealing with tourism, a proposal for a decision has been made which intends to regulate the arrival of these tourists, point out the city of Crikvenica. The decision refers to stopping and parking of tourist buses in the zone of special traffic regime in the area of the city of Crikvenica (settlements Selce, Crikvenica, Dramalj and Jadranovo), while the fine for stopping and parking of tourist buses in the zone of special traffic regime is 40.000,00 kuna (excluding VAT) per vehicle.Of course, the decision directly concerns “weekenders” as young people, and mostly retirees. Regardless of the perhaps good intentions of the city of Crikvenica to raise the quality of guests, it is not done in this way, practically banning some of the tourists from whom Crikvenica has lived very well all these years. It is important to emphasize that the Decision does not apply to tourist buses that bring or take away guests who have secured accommodation in accommodation facilities.The Pensioners ‘Union and the Croatian Pensioners’ Union reacted: Minister Cappelli, prevent discrimination against domestic older tourists!The Pensioners’ Union (SUH) and the Matica umirovljenika Hrvatske (MUH) opposed the decision of the City of Crikvenica on Thursday and consider it discriminatory against pensioners. Pensioners’ associations also addressed a letter to the Minister of Tourism, Gari Cappelli, in which they point out that it is well known that pensioners come on such one-day tourist trips, and assess that this discriminates against one category of tourists, domestic tourists, who are mostly elderly. age.”We express our extreme concern over the recent decision to stop and park tourist buses in the area of the City of Crikvenica and the knowledge that a similar decision could be voted for the area of the City of Novi Vinodolski and possibly other cities. Namely, the above-mentioned decisions refer exclusively to buses that bring tourists on day trips, and it is well known that these are pensioners. This discriminates against only one category of tourists, and that is domestic tourists, who are also mostly elderly people. Since the problem is multi-layered, please pay attention to the most important things. One-day excursions are part of the tourist offer, and given that the Republic of Croatia is economically oriented towards tourism as the main driver of development, limiting the tourist offer damages the image of Croatia as a tourist country, and will not bring anything good to local communities.”They point out from the Association of Pensioners and add that the largest number of one-day tourists are Croatian pensioners, who come to tourist destinations in favorable arrangements (from 80 to 120 kuna) because that is the only thing that is financially acceptable. See the full press release hereNamely, the average pension in the Republic of Croatia for March 2018, according to official HZMO data, amounts to HRK 2.345. The poverty line according to the CBS in 2017 amounted to HRK 2.180. Such pensions are received by 52,5 percent of our retirees or more than 600.000 people. I welcome the city’s desire to solve the problem of congestion in the city and bring order, but not in this way, by discrimination or banning some tourists, so there is a strategic and planned development, for which Crikvenica had more than enough time and capital, thanks to income from tourism.If in Crikvenica they think that they are now a destination for 4 stars, which they certainly are not, it is defined not only by desire, but by the quality of service, accommodation and content, and ultimately the price. Let them raise the prices in the destination by 40 percent if they think they are at the level of 4 stars and they will immediately make it clear what the price range of the destination is.But is the price increase realistic in line with the current tourist product of Crikvenica? It is not a question of mere price, but of value for money. A 4-star destination does not make a hotel a category, that it is one of the prerequisites, but the destination or motive for arrival is not accommodation, but a tourist destination. The destination must be at that level, with its decoration, quality and content for this type of guests. After all, it is a matter of strategic and sustainable development of the entire destination, including transport infrastructure that has not developed in line with tourism growth. There is less and less parking, greenery, beaches, and more and more tourists and the entire infrastructure is cracking at the seams. And that is the main reason for all the problems.As Nedo Pinezić pointed out in one of his columns… „A good destination is like a good theatrical performance. Spectators choose a different place in the theater at a different price, from the ground floor to the box, but everyone watches the same play. ” It is a good formula for product marketing and it is successfully applied in the most developed tourist countries”Smart enough. Whether this is a good or bad decision, time, ie the market will show its own.
Related news:”MAKE ME CARE” AS THE MAIN PHILOSOPHY IN TOURISMARENA HOSPITALITY GROUP OPENS THE FIRST LUXURY GLAMPING RESORT IN CROATIA – ARENA ONE 99 GLAMPING Arena Hospitality Group has so far shown that it is a leading travel company when it comes to new technological trends in tourism.Recognizing the growing interest in energy efficiency technology, Park Plaza Belvedere, Park Plaza Arena and Park Plaza Verudela offer electric car chargers to their guests. One exclusively for Tesla’s cars and the other two for all other electric vehicles. At the same time, one of the chargers was installed in Pomer, in the new Arena One 99 Glamping, the first family glamping resort in Croatia with a total of 200 luxury tents. Also, cars are not allowed in the Arena One 99 Glamping, but movement is only possible with electric vehicles.Park Plaza Arena the first hotel in Croatia with a digital keyFree applications “PPHE Croatia” and “Arenatuurist” were launched in 2015, and due to the rebranding of the entire company, new, improved applications “AHG Hotels” and “Arena Campsites” have become this season. Free applications “PPHE Croatia”For guests of Park Plaza Histria, Park Plaza Arena, and Park Plaza Verudela came due to requests and expectations of guests to access all necessary information related to the stay via tablets and smartphones on the one hand, and the need for direct communication of the hotel with its guests on the other side. The logical next step was to expand the application, ie its functionality, to the possibility of using a mobile phone to enter hotel rooms, thus avoiding additional cards and eliminating waiting for check-in at the reception. Such an extension was just realized a year ago in the Park Plaza Arena hotel, which became the first hotel in Croatia with a digital key, and the intention is to expand this function to other hotels under the Park Plaza brand in Pula and Medulin.Further improvement and renaming of the application happened before this tourist season. The application is located on the store under the name “AHG Hotels”, and combines the complete offer of hotels and apartment houses of the Arena Hospitality Group with accommodation facilities in Pula, Medulin, Berlin, Nuremberg, Cologne and Budapest. Additional functionality of using mobile phones to enter hotel rooms is currently being implemented in the Park Plaza Nurenberg hotel, and by the end of the year they will be introduced in one hotel in Berlin.Active free guest app “Arena Turist”Had its original application in unbranded AHG facilities. Today, the “Arena Campsites” application specializing in the needs of camping guests has emerged from it. It combines the complete camping offer of AHG, including 7 campsites and the new Arena One 99 Glamping. In addition to the listed guest applications, Arena Hospuitality Group also uses application “Facility”For communication between hotel management and individual hotel departments, Arena Hospitality group has positioned itself as a leader and leading Croatian hotelier in the application of new and mobile technologies.Hotel Park Plaza Arena, Park Plaza Histria, Park Plaza Belvedere Medulin and the tourist resort Park Plaza Verudela Pula offer „mobile”Guest service. It is a state-of-the-art mobile and digital offer for the hotel industry, whereby every guest of the mentioned facilities receives a mobile device with unlimited international and local calls and internet access during their stay at no additional cost.Namely, the whole thing works in such a way that when guests check in at the reception, in rooms or apartments they will be waiting for them and will be available during their stay mobile phone at a special charging station (docking station) that offers unlimited local and international calls, free internet access, a free destination guide, speed dial calls and emergency information.This year, seven AHG hotels in Germany and Hungary were introduced for guestsIn addition to guest applications, this year we also use NFC technology in communication between guests and employees. At the Sensimar Medulin Hotel, we use NFC technology in the lobby bar and on the terrace in such a way that the guest puts his own mobile phone on a special sticker on each table, opens a menu offering drinks, and selects and sends orders to employees at the bar.Also, in the new Arena One 99 Glamping, where the traffic of motor vehicles is prohibited, and the transfer of guests to the tent is done by electric vehicles, there is a need for a special communication line between guests in glamping tents and reception, or electric vehicle driver service. A sticker is placed in each glamping tent and by pressing the mobile device on it, a signal is sent to the reception / transfer service, which sees exactly from which tent the call came and goes to pick it up…. For the end, an interesting fact is how websites www.arenaturist.com at www.arenacamps.com they achieve an impressive 8.000.000 views per year, which is a great foundation for direct booing which is increasingly in the focus of hoteliers and certainly one of the main future challenges.Its innovative way of introducing new services in its own accommodation facilities has a clear goal – to raise the quality of existing services and get even closer to its guests and enable them a better stay. Today, more than ever, it is imperative to follow all new trends in tourism and technology, and they are faster than ever. That is why if we do not keep up with the demands of the market, it will be increasingly difficult for us to catch up with the competition later.
A very interesting and exceptional idea of positioning Sinj as a destination for weddings will certainly arouse great interest of newlyweds who want a unique wedding experience. River Cetina / Sinj Tourist Board Also, this form of tourism would promote small crafts and companies that aim to strengthen their competitiveness in relation to other cities in Dalmatia and to turn Sinj into an elegant destination for many weddings, it was explained on the official website of the City. And all under the slogan: “Say yes in the city of Sinj! ” / “ Say yes in the city of Sinj!” “I think that this is a big step forward in the development of this part of Croatia because we believe that we have the potential and excellent offer of various types of weddings. And this was recognized by the City of Sinj and the Tourist Board of the City of Sinj, with whom we are going on a project.”Concludes Gusić. This year, for the first time, the City of Sinj was one of the sponsors of the Split wedding fair “Wedding Day”. With this, Sinj showed the initiative to promote the city as a romantic destination for wedding ceremonies. The idea of the Split wedding fair is the development of the so-called “wedding destination”, ie a form of tourism that is developing rapidly, and the goal of the city of Sinj is to impose itself as an ideal destination for newlyweds to choose for their “big day”. “We came up with the idea to create a project that would bring together all small Sinj crafts and companies dealing with the theme of weddings and to present them through online and offline channels to develop entrepreneurship in the city of Sinj. Thanks to the many natural, cultural, historical and traditional riches, the whole city has the potential to become a wedding stage”, Said Marija Knežević Gusić, author of the project and owner of Angelus Communications, a public relations and marketing agency. “The emphasis is on foreign guests, but we must not neglect the domestic ones. Sinj is special because there are five wedding dress salons and halls in one street, but this needs to be raised to a higher level in order to attract foreign guests.” In addition to traditional weddings in the Church, Sinj also offers alternative, adventurous weddings. “Perućko Lake, the Cetina River and the surrounding area are ideal places for adventurous weddings that include facilities such as riding and riding quad motorcycles (quad bikes)”, Knezevic Gusic points out. In terms of accommodation capacity, a new five-star hotel is under construction in the center of Sinj as part of the historic palace. “We also offer private luxury villas with larger capacities, but also smaller family hotels. We currently do not have the capacity for huge weddings, but that is why we are ideal for more intimate weddings of about thirty guests.” Photo: City of Sinj / sinj.hr, Cover photo: Pexels.com “Regarding the further promotion of this form of tourism, the plan is to enter into cooperation with domestic and foreign agencies for the organization of weddings and travel agencies that bring guests. We also plan to create a website where we will present the entire offer”, Explains Knezevic Gusic. This is supported by Sinj’s trump cards such as the beautiful park and promenade, the natural beauty of the Cetina, luxury hotels, top restaurants, wedding streets, numerous wedding halls, beauty salons, flower shops, jewelry stores and catering, but also beautiful and romantic views of the city.
DUBROVNIK AND SPLIT AGAINST LIBERALIZATION OF TAXI MARKET, WANT TO INTRODUCE ORDER DUBROVNIK: ATMS ARE LEAVING THE OLD TOWN An excellent positive example of dialogue and how the City should cooperate with various professional associations, because without synergy and market development, and not politicking, we certainly cannot move forward. Also, the profession and people from the field know deeper issues, and one man, in this case the mayor, can not know everything, and accordingly not even make decisions on topics in which he is not familiar enough. Communication and synergy. He paid special attention to staying at the entrances to the old town and the movement of groups along Stradun, because these are the busiest parts where crowds quickly form. “Better throughput and movement through the City will provide tourists with a better experience ” Franković points out. RELATED NEWS: “Licensed guides for the protected area of the City of Dubrovnik with their knowledge and experience and direct contact with visitors can significantly contribute to the perception of our city and life in it ”States Mayor Franković in the letter, inviting all guides to introduce their groups to the project Respect the City and call on them to respect the prominent rules and the local population. On the Pile and Ploče bridges, stopping groups is not allowed, as well as in Široka Street, and it is recommended to stop as little as possible on Stradun, and it is especially important to pay attention to the streets of the pedestrian corridor. All recommendations and rules have been previously harmonized with the leadership of the Tourist Guides Association and the Tourist Guides Guild. The City of Dubrovnik continues to develop and implement the strategic project Respect the City, in order to prevent the negative effects of excessive tourism through destination management. 
By the way, for 2021, a change has been announced that will apply to all guides, the introduction of the rules of mandatory use of headphones for all groups over 15 people and a complete ban on the use of microphones with loudspeakers. To this end, the Mayor of the City of Dubrovnik, Mato Franković, invited tourist guides to cooperate, addressing the Dubrovnik Tourist Guides Association and the Tourist Guides Guild. “Tourist guides know the City and each of its cantons best. Every virtue and advantage, flaw and need. You have a great role in creating order, as well as in the experience by which tourists will remember our city, and we believe that you will help us create change and achieve our goals.”Concluded Mayor Franković. Photo: City of Dubrovnik UNIQUE SMART PARKING SYSTEM LAUNCHED IN DUBROVNIK Although Dubrovnik certainly has a lot of problems, as do other cities due to mass tourism, it is still nice to see concrete moves aimed at bringing order to Dubrovnik. The Respect the city project is growing and expanding, although for many it is too slow, it cannot be said that it is not a quality project and that there are no concrete changes for the better. Definitely to be commended.
When we talk about the policy of the European Union and its cohesion policy, this is one of the proofs of effective action on the development of our islands, ie a concrete measure for employment, but also a significant demographic measure. “Ovaj projekt je od infrastrukturnog značaja za Korčulu u smislu poboljšanja povezanosti i razvoja infrastrukture. Cilj projekta je modernizacija prometne infrastrukture i kvalitete povezanosti između otoka Korčule s okolnim otocima i kopnom, ali i stvaranje boljih uvjeta za povećanje kvalitete života otočana. Provedbom ovog projekta i ispunjenjem cilja osigurat će se dugoročna održivost i unaprijedit će se kvaliteta javnog pomorskog prijevoza te će se povećati sigurnost putnika” prenosi morski.hr. The Korčula County Port Authority has prepared all the necessary project-technical documentation, ie it has received a valid building permit for the construction of the New Port of Korčula at the Polačišća location, for which a contract for the main project was signed in March 2019. The value of the New Port of Korcula is almost 150 million kuna and is financed by the Cohesion Fund of the European Union. Applications for the signing of the Grant Agreement are being prepared, followed by public tenders for the contractor. “Nova luka Korčula kao najveći projekt Županijske lučke uprave Korčula , predstavlja pomorsko građevinski objekt u funkciji prihvata plovila javno pomorskog prometa, zatim plovila opskrbe, turističkih i drugih plovila, kako u lokalnom tako i u međunarodnom prometu. Istočni dio luke planiran je za domaći putnički promet odnosno za prihvat trajekata na lokalnoj liniji Korčula – Pelješac ali i ostalih plovila katamarani, linijski putnički, turistički i drugi Na zapadnom dijelu luke se nalazi zgrada lučkog terminala te je planiran prihvat putničkih trajekata u međunarodnom prometu .Na krajnjem sjeverozapadnom dijelu obale je gat, uz koji je moguć prihvat plovila, kako s vanjske tako i s unutarnje strane. Sveukupno luka Polačište ima oko 550 m operativne obale, na obuhvatu zahvata površine oko 20 000 m2 te za sam otok predstavlja povijesno najveću investiciju u lučku infrastrukturu” objasnio je za morski.hr ravnatelj Županijske lučke uprave Ante Tvrdeić.