Great news for the island of Hvar, as it has been announced that the 3rd edition of ÖTILLÖ Swimrun will once more take place on Central Dalmatia’s sunshine island.

The Swedish adrenaline race will once more take place in Hvar Town and surrounding area on April 6-7.

ÖTILLÖ is the origin of Swimrun, a new endurance sport driven by respect and dedication. Swimrun is about experiencing nature in the purest possible way, with Respect for yourself, for your team partner, for others and for the environment.

The ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series is the premium brand in Swimrun providing sustainable events of the highest quality which challenge your mental and physical endurance. We are dedicated to recreate the ÖTILLÖ experience in unique places around the world and to inspire the growth of a community that shares our values.

The event is a key part of the adventure tourism calendar of Hvar, which has expanded considerably in recent years, as the island looks to brand itself as an adventure tourism destination. One of the world’s top cycling teams, Bahrain Merida, recently completed their second year of winter training on Hvar, one more string in the bow of Hvar’s adventure tourism offer.

To learn more about the island of Hvar, click here.

SPLITB2B is back!

The second edition of the B2B conference bringing together local tourism providers and international agencies who work in neighbouring countries but not yet in Croatia will take place from March 11- 14 in Split.

The conference is a mixture of FAM trip to familiarise international agencies, who are mostly on their first visit to Croatia, with the rich tourism offer of Central Dalmatia, before an intense B2B session on the final day with local Destination Management Companies who have already pre-arranged meetings with their potential new international partners.

The inaugural event included field trips to Brac, Kastela, Klis, Omis, the Poljicka Republika and a river trip up the Cetina. It was attended by, among others, the Mayor of Split, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Central Dalmatian Tourist Board Director and the Croatian National Tourist Board Director.

Check out the teaser video below, and there is still time to register on the official website.

Makarska is rightly famous for its great beaches and vibrant nightlife, but there is much more to the popular Central Dalmatian town and nearby riviera.

2018 was the Year of European Cultural Heritage, and Makarska was extremely active in a number of projects. Under the motto, Heritage and Technology, the Makarska Development Agency (MARA) worked with key stakeholders, including the City of Makarska, Makarska Tourist Board, Makarska City Museum, City Gallery of Antun Gojak, the Franciscan Monastery and others to launch cultural projects in a modern and innovative way.

Lidija Vukadin Vranjes of MARA spoke to the media about the progress they had made:

“I am particularly proud of the ‘Heritage and Technology’ project funded by the European Regional Development Fund. It is about the revitalization of the cultural and historical heritage of the hamlet of Kotisina. The project encompasses both content and theme-related investments that affect the development of the hamlet of Kotisina, which contribute to its socio-economic development through the valorization of cultural heritage, making it a tourist destination.

“The project encompasses the reconstruction of the 17th-century Veliki Kasteli, housed in the Botanical Garden of Kotisina, which is set between cliffs. There is also the cemetery Church of Sv. Martina from the second half of the 14th century, which is extremely valuable for the architecture of Makarska because it represents the only construction with partially preserved, intact medieval parts and the church of Sv. Ante, whose construction lasted from 1891 to 1901, in front of which a stage will be set nature. The Church of Sv. Martina and Veliki Kasteli were previously archaeologically explored by the Makarska City Museum as one of the critical, starting activities.

“In addition to the renovation of valuable heritage, the project includes establishing a bicycle path, a signaling system, organizing two new tourism tours in the hamlet of Kotišina and the most attractive activity – developing a modern interpretation center for Veliki Kasteli.”

To learn more about Makarska, click here.

Another great chapter for the Central Dalmatia cycling story, as the world’s leading cycling magazine, Cyclist, has been checking out the roads of the region ahead of a big feature due out in the popular biking magazine this month. According to the Tourist Board of Imotski’s Facebook post:

The Cyclist magazine team visited Dalmatia in September 2018 and cycled 136 kilometers through Imotski – Kamenmost – Zmijavci – Runovici – Slivno – Zagvozd – Rascane – Gornje Igrane – Biokovo Sveti Jure – Makarska. Editor-in-chief Peter Muir was part of the team to travel the extremely demanding route, which is best explained by the fact that the total altitude difference rises to 3100 meters.

The article in Cyclist magazine will be released in February this year and is perfectly timed to when cyclists begin to plan their travel for the upcoming spring season and summer of 2019. The spread comes out to a total of 16 pages in the most attractive part of the magazine. The headline reads “Flying High in Croatia”, while the article itself is titled “Slaying the Beast”.

In the editorial column at the beginning of the release, called “Ed’s Letter,” editor Peter Muir marks the rise to Sv. Jure as a “Must Do”, and the climb to Sv. Jure is considered one of the best articles ever published in the journal.

Fancy doing the ride yourself?

Learn more about Makarska and Imotski.

The Central Dalmatia cycling revolution continues.

Cycling has become an important part of the region’s adventure tourism offer in recent years, with no less than 4,000 km of bike routes now in place on the mainland, as well as islands such as Brac and Hvar.

But there are even more ambitious plans to develop this environmentally-friendly method of transport and activity. Plans such as connecting Podstrana and Split by coastal pedestrian and cycle path, for instance.

Podstrana Municipality received the Decision on financing the project “Sea River Walk” and the “Podstrana Walk & Bike” cycling path in the amount of 8.5 million kuna, for the construction of a promenade and bicycle path on the coastline of the mouth of the Žrnovnica River to Strozanac harbour.

The goal of the Sea River Walk and cycling trail “Podstrana Walk & Bike” is to improve and develop the cycling infrastructure within the Podstrana Municipality, and thus within the Urban Agglomeration of Split. The project encourages cycling as an alternative mode of transport with zero CO2 emissions, which will contribute to the overall reduction of the negative impact on the environment. The aim is also to build new and equipped bicycle trails and routes, connect multiple settlements within the Municipality of Podstrana and merge Podstrana and Split to increase the overall coastal mobility in the area of the Urban Agglomeration of Split.

You can follow progress of the project.

To learn more about Podstrana, click here.