For those who are not familiar with Virtuoso, it is nothing more nothing less than a huge network of the best luxury travel agencies, with more than 17,500 advisors worldwide.

Virtuoso releases a luxury european tour report every year, in which displays what the travelers seek when looking for a perfect holiday destination. The report for this year, revealed that people are looking for pristine, unique and less-known destinations to visit.

European Tour

In 2018, Croatia featured on the second place on list of top emerging destination, amongst Japan, Portugal, Cuba and Iceland.

If you think of Croatia, you instantly might think of the popular spots such as Dubrovnik, Hvar, Split and Rovinj. Although those regions are espectacular and have plenty to offer, the uniqueness and authenticity of destinations that are still not very explored and overcrowded are attracting the attention of tourists.

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If you are familiar with Istria, you are familiar with the variety of incredible and fresh ingredients, such as olives, olive oil, truffles, wine, prosciutto and seafood. And, if you are not familiar then you are really missing out on one of the top gourmet destinations in Europe.

Because Croatian ingredients and products are not really mass produced, it is quite rare to find exported goods from Croatia available in the supermarkets and shops of other countries. For that,  you should definitely spend some time in Croatia, and during this visit, you better be hungry.

Food lovers will love Istria!

Istria is famous for having great and high class cuisine, with the fresh and tasty seafood of the coast, together with the hearty meat-based fare of Central Europe.

Depending on the time of the year you decide to visit Istria, you can get served a fresh Scampi Buzara dish, some prosciutto (pršut), or asparagus risotto, even some traditional Istrian pasta fuži or pljukanci with black or white truffle, fish or shrimps with white truffle, steak with grated truffle, truffle ice-cream, chocolate cake with olive oil and truffles…and this delicious list goes on.

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If you are planning on investing in Croatia, in an specific sector, for example real estate, it is important to know beforehand, what is the investment scene of the country you are aiming for. 

It is not news that the main industry and sector that receives more investments currently in Croatia is tourism, showing amazing numbers that constantly increase yearly. For that reason, plenty of investments are moving towards Croatia’s tourism. However, the country is aware of other sectors that are growing interest for large amounts of investments, for example:

Real Estate

DAMAC was the first real estate company from the Middle East to list on the London Stock Exchange and they raised 379 million US dollar in the form of an IPO.

Valamar, a large investment group that operates in Croatia, plans to invest 2 more billion kunas by 2020 in real estate in Croatia, being 95 mln only in 2018.

Banking

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has set up a 11 billion dollars fund to invest in Central and Eastern Europe. If you fit this money in a room it would probably reach the ceiling.

Currently the fund invests in projects in Poland, however the fund has already contacted the Croatian government with a request of presenting them some companies to invest in or projects.

Davis Cup – originally known as International Lawn Tennis Challenge Trophy -, is the main and biggest international tennis tournament in the sports scene. It attracts tennis players from all over the globe, giving them the unique opportunity to represent and play for their homeland.

How did the tournament start?

With Davis Dwight, born in 1879, as well as serving as Secretary of War was also an incredible athlete. In 1899, Davis, in partnership with others, proposed the idea of an international tennis competition. 

In 1900, he then bought a trophy dedicated to the winner of the first contest, the international championship was then founded. The first contest worth the trophy was a match between USA and British Isles, that took place in the Longwood Cricket Club in Boston. 

One of the best investments one could do is property investing, but it can also be very difficult decision requiring research on the area the property is located and on the property itself, apart from a lot of budgeting or financing for most people. For that reason, It can be really a decision for life if that is the case as if you decide to finance you will have a couple of year of mortgage awaiting for you.

How then to make the most of your money and depending on the area even an income?

To make an income it is important to decide on a property that is located in a very attractive area or country. This way you guarantee there will be away interest from tourists to stay in your house if you decide to rent it. That is the core of buying an investment property as well as in an area. Buying an investment property has to both ways, for the investor and for the guests.

To make this comparison simpler we selected a few countries and the prices for a house in comparison to Croatia. So, here is a brief list of properties in Europe. There are requirements you can stick to when looking for an investment property abroad, on the list below the requirements were either price or number of rooms.

A mediterranean lifestyle is what most people should aim for. But why is that? The Mediterranean diet and active life is a healthy and pleasant way of living.

The proof that mediterranean lifestyle and diet is so healthy, is in the fact that mediterranean countries have amongst the highest life expectancies in the world.

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Croatia country has become a popular holiday destination in Europe. The climate, gastronomy and landscapes attract more and more visitors each year and for that, developments are necessary to keep this figure increasing.

Gari Cappelli, the minister of Tourism of the Republic of Croatia since October 2016, said: “ The achieved results of tourist traffic during the extended weekend mark the beggining of a good tourist year in Croatia. This year, we expect a billion euros of investment in tourism, through which, realisation, in addintion to the increase of traffic, will enable us to continue with the revenue growth that we generate from  tourism, which is extremely important for the further developments of destinations”

Social media is being bombarded with Croatian landscapes during the summer of 2018. Sunny weather, clear turquoise sea, picturesque lanes and buildings make the perfect combination for that snap you are looking for.

Receiving the amount of 18.5 million tourists only last year, makes it easier for the spread of dreamy summer holidays in Croatia, and Instagram is playing a large role on this exposure.

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When arriving to Croatia, you might wonder where to go for a classy and refined experience. Istria has many of those places but one worth the visit is Opatija.

You won’t regret sightseeing this elegant city of Rijeka, 1 hour and a half driving from your Candy Brick luscious investment property, is a must go day trip to take your family or to relax on your own. The great thing about this city is that it can be delightful during the summer but also during the winter in Croatia.

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Over 1 million tourists arrived in Istria in August 2018, generating 8.5 million overnight stays all over the peninsula

The region of Marčana in Istria, where Candy Brick villas are located, had an increase of 9% arrivals in comparison to August 2017. This generated an impressive 5,000 more overnight stays. These numbers keep increasing over the years.

The good news about these numbers are that they show the region of Istria is attracting an incredibly large amount of tourists. This is impressive considering that there are only 208 thousand inhabitants in an area of just 2,813 km².

Istria is divided into 10 officially designated cities and 31 rural municipalities. During the summer peaks, it can get overcrowded and lack of options for accommodation creating more opportunity for rentals.

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