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After officially entering the European Union in 2013, Croatia will be joining the Schengen Zone and adopting the Euro in January 2023.

Foto:Gettyimages

Croatia has grown swiftly in the past decade as a top tourist destination in Europe, attracting visitors with its stunning coastline, picture-perfect towns like Dubrovnik, and lush national parks

The country is known as a popular yachting and sailing destination, as well as for being one of the main filming locations for Game of Thrones.

Now, as of January 1, Croatia will complete its entry into the European Union as it adopts the common Euro currency and becomes a part of the Schengen Zone.

Here’s what this means for travelers visiting Croatia in 2023:

1. Americans will be subject to the 90 days rule in Croatia.

Previously, although Croatia was part of the EU, it was not part of the Schengen Zone.

This is an area made up of 26 countries (mainly EU countries and some non-EU countries like Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland) in Europe.

Americans may only spend 90 days out of every 180 days in the Schengen Zone as a tourist.

Since Croatia was not part of the Schengen Zone, Americans could spend up to 90 days in Croatia visa-free. This made it a popular place to go to “wait out” the Schengen Zone time limits.

However, that will no longer be possible as soon as Croatia joins the Schengen Zone. Any time spent in the country will count towards the 90-day limit for Americans in the Schengen Zone.

2. You won’t need to show ID when traveling from another Schengen Zone country.

Now that Croatia is joining the Schengen Zone, it will allow for free travel between Croatia and all other Schengen Zone countries.

Borders will be eliminated between Croatia and neighboring Italy, Slovenia, and Hungary, who are all part of the Schengen Zone.

It’s also now possible to travel uninterrupted all the way through Croatia to Dubrovnik. Previously, travelers had to drive through a small stretch of Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to reach the popular destination of Dubrovnik.

This was a major reason that Croatia was unable to receive Schengen Zone status.

However, a new bridge has been constructed that connects Dubrovnik to the rest of Croatia without having to cross a foreign border.

3. Prices may go up.

Although not directly tied to Croatia switching from the Croatian Kuna to the Euro, prices are expected to go up next year in Croatia.

The Croatian Kuna has already been pegged to the value of the Euro for years.

However, prices have increased dramatically over the past decade as Croatia has grown into a tourism hotspot.

Croatia has also experienced drastic inflation over the course of 2022, like many countries around the world.

All of this, combined with Croatia becoming a more accessible vacation destination, may cause prices to increase even further in 2023.

4. Some countries in Europe still aren’t part of the Schengen Zone or Eurozone.

Although Croatia was just approved, Bulgaria and Romania, two other members of the EU, were rejected from joining the Schengen Zone, with concerns about illegal migration cited as the reason for rejection.

Foto:Gettyimages

These two countries have also not yet adopted the Euro, despite being part of the EU. Additionally, Denmark, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland still use their own currency instead of the Euro.

When it comes to the Schengen Zone, aside from Bulgaria and Romania, Ireland and Cyprus are the two other countries that are part of the EU but aren’t part of the Schengen Zone.

Additionally, a number of European countries including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Albania are not part of the EU or the Schengen Zone.

For now, these countries are still good places to go while waiting for your Schengen Zone time to “reset” (and they’re great destinations in their own right!)

Qatar Airways has further enhanced its onboard safety measures for passengers and cabin crew.

The airline is implementing several changes, including the introduction of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) suits for cabin crew while onboard, as well as a modified service that reduces interactions between the passengers and the crew inflight.

Cabin crew have already been wearing PPE during flights for a number of weeks, including gloves and face masks.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “At Qatar Airways, we have introduced these additional safety measures onboard our flights to ensure the continued health and wellbeing of our passengers and cabin crew, and to limit the spread of coronavirus. As an airline, we maintain the highest possible hygiene standards to ensure that we can fly people home safely during this time and provide even greater reassurance that safety is our number one priority.”

“Seeing as we are still flying the world’s largest international network by operating flights to more than 30 destinations around the world, and aiming to grow our network again in the coming months, these onboard safety measures will assist us in achieving our goals,” he added.

Cabin crew will wear the PPE suit over their uniforms in addition to safety goggles, gloves and a mask to provide even greater reassurance to customers in addition to enhanced hygienic measures already in place.

As well, starting Monday May 25, Qatar Airways will require passengers to wear facial coverings inflight and urges customers to bring their own to ensure the best possible fit and comfort.

Qatar Airways continues to implement the highest standards of health and safety. Its aircrafts are regularly disinfected using cleaning products recommended by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Hamad International Airport in Qatar, the airline’s hub, has also implemented multiple safety protocols to ensure traveller safety through measures such as deploying autonomous disinfectant robots that emit concentrated UV-C light that is known to be successful in removing infectious microorganisms.

The plan to allow direct flights from abroad as of July 1 should not be cause for public concern, Civil Protection Deputy Minister for Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias said on Thursday, as the plan is to reopen Greece to tourism gradually and cautiously after the global pandemic breakout.

“We understand citizens’ concerns about tourism but there must be trust,” he said. “We still have 40 days ahead of us to get ready and to reliably guarantee that all safety standards are met.”

According to the ‘Restart Tourism’ plan unveiled on Wednesday, international flights will resume on June 15 but only from countries that have successfully contained their infections numbers and only to Athens. That will be extended to all the country’s airports by July 1 if the first phase of the reopening goes well.

At the briefing held with Health Ministry spokesperson and infectious diseases expert, Professor Sotiris Tsiodras, Hardalias said several factors would be considered, including what was happening in other countries and which countries would be exempted based on their epidemiological features.

“Random sampling and controls will be thorough and strict wherever necessary, in order to keep the general population safe,” he noted.

Currently, flights are limited to the Athens International Airport, where travellers submit to coronavirus tests and have to follow quarantine protocols. “Absolute numbers (of incoming flights) show a reduction and near-disappearance of incoming infection cases,” Hardalias said.

Between May 13 and 20, for example, 21 flights arrived in Athens with 2,236 passengers, of whom only 1 was found to be positive. In the last 4 days, 3 flights from Germany have arrived with 548 passengers, several as transit travellers through countries with heavy epidemiological loads, but all tests were negative.

Next Monday, May 25, will see the reopening of bars, cafes and restaurants, which will have to implement strict social distancing and hygiene measures to ensure staff and customer safety. The same day, the government will announce whether the primary schools, kindergartens and nursery stations would open on June 1 or not.

Pretplati se na: Postovi ( Atom )

1. Americans will be subject to the 90 days rule in Croatia.

2. You won’t need to show ID when traveling from another Schengen Zone country.

3. Prices may go up.

4. Some countries in Europe still aren’t part of the Schengen Zone or Eurozone.

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