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Unique by its embroidery, cathedral, Lipizzaners and Eucharist wines, Dakovo is the tourism jewel of eastern Slavonia. The basilica of St. Peter dominates the town‘s landscape with its two 84 metrehigh belfries, built in 1882. The cathedral was erected in the time of Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer, who by initiating the construction of numerous church and commercial buildings launched the development of the Dakovo episcopate. Throughout its 760-year history, namely, many bishops have left traces of their activities in Dakovo. In 1806, in the time of Bishop Antun Mandic, the first institution of higher education in Slavonia was opened – the School of Theology.

In the direct vicinity of the cathedral is the wine cellar with its renowned Eucharist wines, served as an exceptional treat at special occasions. It will always be found on the table at state visits to Croatia or at presentations the Croatian National Tourist Board organises around the world for tourism representatives and professionals and journalists.

The historicist and Secession style old town core today draws the attention of a growing number of tourists, who come to Croatia on the cruisers that ply the waters of the Danube River from Budapest. And that is why a tour of the town must include a not-to-bemissed
visit to the National Lipizzaner Stud Farm, founded in or around the year 1506. Their beauty and grace was remarked upon by British Queen Elizabeth, who visited the stud farm in 1972.

Every year the Lipizzaners are a part of the traditional culture and tourism event known as the Dakovacki vezovi (Embroideries of Dakovo), held for its 41st time in July of this year. This function has long ago become a national event and this year drew performers from five continents and ten of thousands of visitors from around the world. With its tradition and far and wide renowned embroidery in gold thread, preserved trades and old skills, Dakovo offers tourists a cornucopia of possibilities for a quality vacation in an indigenous milieu.

Source: ?Croatia Tourist Board?

The American publisher of the tourist guidebook Lonely Planet has issued a new tourist guide about Croatia, that on 304 pages describes Croatian landscapes, coastline, islands, as well as the interior of the country, and wine and gastro offer characteristic for each individual region.

The author Karen Torme Olson has divided the guide into four logical units – Get under the skin, Rest Easy, Dine Al Fresco and Get Around, while each of these describes various segments of Croatian heritage, culture and everyday life.

The first part of the guide, titled “Get under the skin”, describes the richness and diversity of Croatian cultural-historical heritage, while the chapter “Rest Easy” offers useful service information like where to stay, with an emphasis on authentic coastal stone houses and apartments.

In the chapter “Dine Al Fresco” she gives a list of authentic gastro and wine offer, and restaurants and specialties which, in her opinion, you simply must not miss during your holiday in Croatia.

Here too is the part “Get Around” with a map of attractions and natural beautiful sights you should see, while in the part of the guidebook “Talk to talk” she lists practical advice, words and phrases which may help tourists to communicate with the local inhabitants.

With the issuing of the latest guidebook about Croatia, Lonely Planet has once again acknowledged tourism in Croatia, after proclaiming it as one of the most desirable world tourist destinations at the beginning of 2005.

Source: ?Croatia Tourist Board?

The old town of Osor on the Island of Cres, known among classical music lovers also for the Osor musical evenings, which have been taking place in the cathedral and on the central square of the old town for more than 30 years, is also unique for the number of cultural monuments. The town is lies on the south-western side of the Island of Cres on a narrow strip which connects the Island of Cres and Lošinj in the Primorje-Goranska County. A long time ago these islands were joined, however because of the needs of trade and the Amber path they were separated by an artificially dug out canal at Osor, which today does not serve any function. The town is surrounded by old walls from which the history of Osor can be read which reaches back to ancient times. The centre of the town is dominated by the Parish Church of St. Mary (cathedral) from 1498 and is ranked among the most beautiful Renaissance monuments in Croatia. It is a three-naved structure with a three-leafed façade and Early Renaissance portal with the statue of the Mother of God in a niche, which is the work of the great Croatian sculptor and builder Juraj Dalmatinac. The bell tower of the cathedral is the work of a Krk master Jakov Galeta from 1575, but it was later reconstructed and in 1901 raised to today’s height. In the cathedral there are three altars and pictures from the time period from the XVI to the XVIII centuries, while the treasury guards a wooden gothic sculpture from the XV century, golden and silver liturgical items and dress from the XIV to the XVIII century and in the capitular archives illuminated codices from the XV century. Aside from the beautiful cathedral in Osor there are also a series of structures which were built in the surrounding area in the gothic era and a few Romanesque churches – St. Mark and St. Catherine, Churchof St. Lawerence on a hill to the southwest of the town, the small church of St. Petar at the foot of the Osoršcice and on the peninsula Supaton the pre-Romanesque church of St. Plato with a richly decorated weave, while in the Bijar cove are the remains of a Franciscan monastery and church from the XV century.

Source: ?Croatia Tourist Board?

In September, on the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, streets and squares of the old town of Buzet turn into a historic stage. All participants of this event wear original folk costumes, resembling townspeople from XIX/XX century. The sound of traditional Istrian music is accompanied by the irresistible sweet smell of delicacies that surely satisfy the palate of even the most demanding visitor.

Source: Croatian Natural Tourist Board

The Croatian motorway management company, Hrvatske Autoceste, invested nearly 825,000 Kuna, not including VAT, in informative billboards, meant to inform drivers during the tourism season of roadwork and possible obstacles that they may expect on their way.
The said value was paid for printing and renting advertisement space. The billboards, printed in Croatian and English, have been posted on 300 boards along main roads, for a two-month period.
The posting of the billboards is a part of the activities that HAC prepare each year, in order to ensure maximal safety and traffic flow on the roads they manage, as well as on parts being reconstructed or built.

Source: daily.tportal.hr

“Jesen u Baranji” (Autumn in Baranja), is held in the first weekend in September in the town of Beli Manastir. It is a cultural, economic and tourist manifestation which unites the work of all association in our town, exhibition of handicrafts, exhibition of paintings, concerts for the young, tradesman fair, folklore review, competition in cooking “fiš paprikaša” (a traditional spicy fish stew).

Source: Croatian National Tourist Board 

Each year, the Croatian festival stage introduces more and more diversities and offers higher quality performances. Nine years in a row, the new standards have been repeatedly set by ŠPANCIRFEST, the festival taking place on the most beautiful open stage in Croatia - the Varaždin Baroque city core. This year the stage will open from 24 August to 2 September. Although festivals and their concepts have always been considered to respect the continuity, ŠPANCIRFEST and each of its productions travels far beyond the borders of expectations and, in these ten days, its only beacon yearns to transform Varaždin into an area of endless joy and countless smiles.
This is ŠPANCIRFEST 2007: 10 days, 7 stages, 246 events, VINDILAND, 130 exhibitors, crowds of people caught into the whirlpool of the festival …

Source: Croatian National Tourist Board

Croatia’s premier cultural event: an international festival of music, theatre and dance in a city with a legacy of centuries of civilisation.
The unique ambient of the closed and open-air stages of the Renaissance and Baroque city of Dubrovnik are home, during the Games, to about 80 plays, ballets, operas and musical performances, promotions of literary works, exhibitions, recitals of poetry, Off-Theatre shows and much more.

The Dubrovnik Summer Games were founded in 1950 and have since 1956 been a member of the EFA, the European Festivals Association.

Source: Culturenet.hr 

Croatian air carrier Croatia Airlines, that has earned the esteem of passengers and the business world with the quality of its services,recently added yet another recognition to those it has already won: it received an award at an international airline companies annual conference on electronic commerce for the innovative use of the Internet payment system. The Croatian air carrier received the award for the integration of the Internet payment process into the already existing Amadeus Internet booking solution. The award in the category for most innovative use of Internet payment was awarded to Croatia Airlines at the eCommerce annual conference at which 44 airline companies took part recently in Nice. The development of the eCommerce program at Croatia Airlineswas launched in 2005. Internet and telephone reservations payment systems have been introduced so far via the five top credit cards, a system for the display of prices on the Internet, the Fly- OnLine club, multi-language Internet pages and reservation processes, a Business centre (B2B Internet operations with partners), the Euro-Label certificate and other applications. The Amadeus e-Travel Internet Booking Engine (a system that allows for the reservation of airline tickets via the Internet) used by Croatia Airlines, is also used by over 80 other airline companies.

Source: National Tourist Board

The city of Biograd in the category of cities and Primošten in the category of settlements – both well-known tourist destinations in Dalmatia - have been nominated among the 12 best in their category for the gold, silver, or bronze, Golden Flower Award Europe 2007. This prestigious award is conferred by the Brussels-based European Association for Flowers and Landscapes. The success of the two Croatian destinations is all the greater if one takes into consideration that as many as 27,000 European cities were in the running, 5,600 of which made the final selection. The commission responsible for the award conferred by this European association was in Biograd and Primošten recently. After a thorough inspection of the two destinations, the twelve members of this multidisciplinary team expressed their happiness with what they had seen and had numerous compliments for the two nominated Croatian tourist destinations. And while making the 12 best in their categories is in itself an exceptional recognition and certainly another reason for tourists to visit these attractive destinations, the representatives of Biograd and Primošten are optimistic for the outcome of the closing ceremony in September of this year in Great Britain. The closing ceremony is held in a different country each year and its host from the 17th to 21st of September of 200 will be Croatia’s city of Split.

Source: Croatian National Tourist Board