If you are now going to smaller Croatian towns or villages, expect that finding accommodation may not be as easy as before the pandemic. As the editor of the daily E15, I went with my sister to the southernmost Croatian tip to the town of Molunat.
When we booked accommodation in the evening via the Airbnb host platform, the booking was confirmed immediately. Within a few minutes, however, the owner canceled the accommodation, saying that he was not at home because he was not expecting anyone at all.
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Accommodation prices are relatively higher in this area, so it is necessary to take into account that if you have a limited financial budget, there are not many options left. We found a new accommodation in Molunat quickly and the owners were surprised again. “We did not expect anyone to come here now. The season has begun, but it’s completely empty here, “says the owner of the apartment in Molunat.
We were alone in the whole villa, which offers over ten apartments. We saw the only tourists in a caravan park, from which the pandemic made a mass trend.
Tourists in the villages arouse a sincere surprise, in big cities you can already hear a mixture of languages on the street. Restaurant operators literally crave tourists and hope that people will not be afraid to travel. For example, the Dalmatian port of Zadar has quite revived and the restaurant is slowly filling up. However, restaurateurs are still struggling with low attendance, so they are left with some ingredients.
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“We want to be prepared for tourists and we want to offer them a variety of dishes. Unfortunately, there are few tourists, so now we are struggling a bit, “says the waiter of the famous Zadar restaurant. Last summer, they said, they were not surprisingly in need of tourists. Now they hope the visit will be repeated.
Anti-pandemic measures are relatively mild. Staff in restaurants or shops must wear veils, but do not need a respirator. Customers must wear a veil or respirator in stores and when entering a restaurant. Of the possible checks on coronavirus tests, we came across one, and that is at the border when entering the country. Customs officers ask everyone why they are going to Croatia, where exactly and for how long they will be there.
In 2019, 21 million tourists arrived in Croatia. The country was one of the few European regions that managed to reduce the number of new positive tests to zero in May 2020. Last September, however, Croatia became an example for the American daily The Wall Street Journal of the start of the second wave of the European pandemic caused by summer tourism.
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