During the past few months, everything changed. All live events and meetings were cancelled, schools, shops, restaurants and cultural facilities closed. We had to get used to social distancing and with that to moving business online. Online conferences, workshops and meetings came to life in full glory but if we have learned something through all of this it’s that humans are primarily social beings and online can never replace meeting in person. Croatia and Zagreb are gradually waking up and welcoming event planners and guests, ready to host new business, scientific and social events as one of the safest European destinations.
One of the safest destinations in Europe
Health and safety are at the forefront when thinking about organizing an event. The Croatian government has taken adequate and timely measures to combat COVID-19 and currently has one of the best epidemiological pictures in Europe with as many as 20 times fewer infected per million inhabitants than in other European countries. This was also recognized by the European Best Destinations Organization (EBD), which works to promote sustainable tourism and published in Forbes magazine that Zagreb ranks 8th on the EBD list of the 20 safest and best European destinations for post-corona travel and tourism.
Green light for business, cultural and social events
With the good epidemiological picture, restrictions in Croatia have started to ease up and from 27 May, public gatherings in large numbers are allowed, as well as the organization of events with a catering service. Furthermore, most of Zagreb’s hotels are opening their doors again.
HZJZ (Croatian Institute of Public Health) has published an extensive list of recommendations for the prevention of COVID-19 infection during public events and gatherings. It includes general recommendations and the maximum number of persons that may be present outdoors or indoors, enhanced personal hygiene, keeping a distance of 1.5 meters between people, and wearing face masks or medical masks for people at risk of developing a more severe form of COVID-19 disease. You can read more about it here.
Zagreb is again connected internationally
During the lockdown, all borders and airports were closed. With the lifting of regulations, border-crossing restrictions are also relaxing. As of 28 May, the Croatian government has made the decision to open the country’s borders to residents of Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Germany. They have also announced that the borders will open completely for all the other countries as of 1 July.
The national airline Croatia Airlines will soon reconnect Zagreb by air with 11 European destinations, namely Frankfurt, Zurich, Munich, Sarajevo, London, Dublin, Rome, Brussels, Vienna, Amsterdam and Copenhagen. Additionally, numerous international airlines have announced the return of flights to Zagreb, mostly from the German, UK and Benelux markets.
