The Cetina River is the lifeblood of Dalmatia, and its 100km+ length from its source near Vrlika to the Adriatic is one of beauty, adventure sports, and fascinating history. For this is a region which was both pirate country and the front line from Ottoman invaders.

Look up from its waters and you will see no less than seven fortresses guarding its strategic points, each with their own tales to tell.

And now take a good close up at two of the main fortresses, Glavas and Nutjak, courtesy of some great aerial footage by EdoStuff Aviation, complete with introductory comments:

North of the source of the Cetina river, during the 14th and 15th century, the Glavas fort was built. The Venetian maps record it under the name Dinarić, because it stands under the mountain Dinara. The fort was erected to oversee an important trade route to Bosnia, and was the first line of defense against the Ottoman forces.

Nutjak fortress is located downstream from the town of Trilj. It can be found on the rock above the right bank of the river Cetina. Nutjak was built at the end of the 15th century by Žarko Dražojević, the Duke of Poljica, in order to protect the village west of the Cetina river from the Ottoman irruption.

There is no doubting which is the biggest event on the Split tourism calendar each July these days… Ultra!

The arrival of Ultra Europe, the largest electronic music festival in Europe, to Split in 2013 helped the promotion of the Dalmatian capital reach completely new audiences over the globe. In a very short time, it became established as one of the top music festivals in all Europe, changing the peak season dynamic of the city, and bringing in plenty of welcome revenue.

Organiser Joe Basic recently gave a talk about Ultra at the University of Split, saying that the city had now become the leading destination in the world for music tourism.

“When we surveyed young people in 2013, only 34 percent of them knew how to show Croatia on the world map. Today, thanks to Ultra, 67 percent know where it is,” Basic boasted.

So big had Ultra become that it would have a significant negative impact if Ultra was ever to leave:

“The numbers are large, they would lose two million overnights, one billion euro spent, 150 million euro in the name of taxes, and Split would definitely not be the number one European destination for young people between 18 and 35,” said Basic.

And he was very upbeat about the opportunity for growth:

“I’m sure we’re only halfway there. We have the opportunity to reach half a million overnights. By comparison, in the beginning, the ticket cost 85 euro, today it costs 169 euro, then, seven years ago, Split had only 6,700 beds, today there are 36,000. Overnights in 2013 were 24 euro, and today it is 67 euro, on average,” Basic concluded.

Have you been to Ultra? Check out the 2019 aftermovie below. This year’s event will take place from July 10 – 12.

The infrastructure upgrades in Central Dalmatia continue apace…

There has been a lot of investment in better infrastructure to cope with the rising traffic and tourism demand in recent years in the region. Travellers arriving by air, of course, will perhaps notice the biggest difference with the opening of the new Split Airport terminal in July last year, but there have been plenty of upgrades on the region’s roads as well, something which is set to continue.

This year’s plan by Croatian Roads includes the implementation of road projects in the Central Dalmatia region to the tune of 487 million kuna.

“All projects are planned, which means that they will be realized. We are working on preparing quality documentation so that we can apply for EU funds and secure financing.  We will not be able to apply all projects, but what cannot be covered will be financed from the state budget,” said Transport Minister Oleg Butkovic.

Areas around Split to be addressed include Solin and Stobrec, where the focus will be on a fast road to Omis.

“With the implementation of these projects, southern Croatia will be in line with northern Croatia and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County,” said prefect Blazenko Boban.

Croatian Roads also plans to work on the intersection in Makarska, reconstructing the Makarska-Vrgorac road, the Imotski-Zagvozd-border road with BiH, constructing the road on Hvar Poljica-Sucuraj, and the connection via Drvenik to the Ravča junction, Dicmo bypass.

Mayor of Split, Andro Krstulovic Opara, says that he is pleased that the segments of the Master Plan for the Development of the City Port and Kopilica are being adopted through the planned projects.

“The Split Ferry Port is the most important island facility. This is where most of the demographic problem is addressed. The ferry port and Kopilica mean not only the connection of the islands, but also all of the south,” he said.

Split Tourist Board, Alijana Vuksic, announced that season 2020 kicked off with a bang, with an impressive 20% more tourists visiting the Dalmatian capital in January than the corresponding period in 2019.

In all, some 10,254 tourists visited Split in January, recording some 27,792 overnight stays, a 14% increase on last year. This was proof, according to Vuksic, that Split was becoming an attractive year-round destination for both local and international tourists.

“The trend of longer stays in the city is becoming more widespread in the winter, as evidenced by the fact that Slovenians had 1004 nights, registering a 74 percent increase, staying in Split for almost six days. However, the largest increase in arrivals in January in Split was from the Asian tourism market,” said Vuksic.

“In the past few days, Split and the Split Tourist Board staff have taken part at the New York Times Travel Show. This confirmed the interest of US guests to come and stay in Split as a must-see city once again. It is realistic to expect tourists from the USA to be the most numerous guests of Split in 2020,” concluded Vuksic.

To learn more about Split, click here.

The Adriatic Sea is the main attraction for the millions of tourists who arrive each year, and with very good reason. It is one of the cleanest in the world, and combined with the endless sunshine and magnificent beaches, Central Dalmatia offers some of the beach holiday conditions in all Europe.

But not everyone comes to the Adriatic to simply lie on the beach and swim. Scuba diving is an increasingly popular – and diverse – activity in the region. In addition to a rich selection of rich flora and fauna, there are many shipwrecks and other foreign bodies, such as World War II planes, which found their final resting place on the bottom of the Adriatic. For divers, the diversity is appealing, but how to find out what is on offer?

A new cultural and tourist guide presents 28 underwater sites and three museum collections with underwater archeological finds. The guide is designed in such a way that the waters of Split-Dalmatia County are divided into five geographical areas (the waters of Split and the Bay of Kastela, the waters of Brac island, the waters of Hvar island, the waters of Vis and Palagruza islands), and covers the period from prehistory to World War II. All localities are approximately indicated on maps, and different colors indicate different depths of sites.

“With the introduction of this guide, we offer something that should be recognizable, especially to the clientele who will not stand for busy roads and terminals, and their financial potential is exceptional. For this purpose, the underwater heritage of our county stands out as an additional value of our tourist offer. Through the guide presented, almost all the localities of our county are listed, with all the directions, depths, and a breakdown of what is allowed at these locations. In addition to tourism, this guide will serve to protect these beautiful sites. I believe that through the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, tourists who want to see these cultural and tourist values in an organized manner can now become acquainted with them. I also thank the authors of the guide, as well as the county services who have done something extremely valuable and of good quality,” said County Prefect Blazenko Boban.