Source: Poslovni dnevnik, journalist Nađa Irena Fišić
Luxury cruising, completely Croatian, is a discovery for wealthy guests. Business Weekend reporter
sailed the route of the mini cruiser ‘Swallow’
We moor near the islet of Galešnjak. Yes, that’s the one – the one that looks like a heart and was released in 2008. Google Earth declared it one of several natural heart-shaped phenomena. Dubbed the Island of Love or the Island of Lovers, it has become a real sensation on social media. We can bet that most tourists who come to Croatia have asked about this island. Especially because Beyonce herself celebrated her 39th birthday there. birthday.
Our captain and ship owner, Igor Stančić, knows very well how important Galešnjak is. Because not only is it heart-shaped, but it’s surrounded by a turquoise blue sea, just like in all those Instagram reels and posts. It’s the beginning of May, but the sun is scorching, so the whole group throws themselves into the not-so-warm 18-degree sea. There’s no going back now if you’re a coward and don’t jump. Especially because they serve us fantastic pina coladas with Tabasco to warm us up. Afterwards, the crew awaits us with thick, soft towels, as well as a warm jacuzzi on the upper deck, while the chef prepares some of the fish specialties.
Well, that’s just part of the day on the mini cruiser “Swallow”, which has just opened the season and will sail the Adriatic until mid-October. There are 18 cabins on the ship, each luxuriously equipped, and the service is top-notch. These are the ships you see in the harbor while walking along the waterfront and wonder: is it possible that Beyonce is sailing around Croatia with her head and shoulders high?
What are Jacob’s caps?
“Swallow” can host her and any other celebrity because it has everything needed for top-notch service and luxury.
It is privately owned by the Stančić family, as are two other ships – “Lastavica” and “Nera”. All three are part of the Croatian Association of Private Shipowners, which brings together over 260 privately owned ships, which, according to data for 2023, achieved an annual turnover of almost 319 million euros, of which 3 million goes to the state treasury thanks to paid taxes and mandatory contributions. Few people know that everyone in the association must meet strict criteria, because small Croatian shipowners are a unique part of the offer of Croatian nautical tourism. They all sail under the Croatian flag, the shipowner is also the shipowner, the professional crew on the ships is employed on the basis of an employment contract, the crew regularly includes members of the shipowner’s family, and it is a family business. In addition, everything is a 100% Croatian product, from design, construction and equipment, and the ships are both tourist and passenger ships, and at the same time provide tourist catering services and passenger transport. Shipowners are Croatian companies and crafts that replenish the budget revenues, mandatory contributions and revenues for other public needs. They do not pay out profits but reinvest them. There are a lot of regulations, but small shipowners respect them and operate according to the law from start to finish. In addition, there is a unique fleet of mini cruisers that have become a favorite part of luxury and authentic tourism that attracts a crowd of foreigners. Because almost 95 percent of guests who vacation on mini cruisers come from outside Croatia.
“Swallow” is mostly visited by Americans. Because of the beauty of the destinations on offer and the popularity of Croatia as a tourist destination, it is not difficult for them to cross the ocean and fly for dozens of hours to find themselves on its deck. Because the ship is special in many ways. For example, the gastronomic offer is unique, because the top chef prepares dishes that most people have never even tried.
“What are scallops?” asks American Vicky, who is sitting next to me and studying the lunch menu offered for tomorrow. “A real delicacy,” I say, “You should try it.” She had never even tried octopus, which chef Dejan from Belgrade, with the help of his sous chef Roseanne from the Philippines, prepared and combined with broccoli and corn puree. All the ingredients are local, the tomatoes smell like tomatoes, the wine is local, as is the local olive oil. Desserts on board are a rhapsody in themselves. Blueberry tart, strawberry mousse cake with whipped cream, juicy apple pie – all of us guests can’t wait to see what new things they’ve come up with for us every day. We’ve been looking forward to that sweet treat after lunch since morning! We’ll think about kilograms later.
Derby in the cafe
We are in a different port every day. We left from Šibenik, and are heading to Vodice, Zadar, Mali Lošinj, Krk, Rab, Telašćica Nature Park…
In Zadar, they also organized a city tour for us, the Americans found out that there is a maraschino cherry brandy and they didn’t believe that the city really existed since the 9th century. before Christ. Dolphins greeted us near Lošinj, and a delicacy awaited us near Rab – Rab cake.
“Your country is beautiful, wonderful, the best thing I’ve ever seen,” Bill, a former Marine, who has been to Croatia several times, tells me. I’m also watching the Dinamo – Hajduk game in Vodice on the waterfront in a cafe with him, and he finds it incredibly exciting that everyone is wearing white and the atmosphere is boiling. I tell him this is the most important game of the year. I warn him that we have to be quiet, because we are rooting for the – blues. Bill chuckles and asks me in a whisper after Dinamo’s victory: how will you manage to hide your excitement now? I don’t have the heart to tell him that I’m not really that big of a fan.
As the days go by, the Americans – and I along with them – somehow don’t want to leave anymore. Even though rain and storms hit us after two days and we huddled in our jackets, we lacked absolutely nothing. What’s more, they take care of us and pamper us more than before.
Because “Swallow” is a fantastically well-oiled machine that works flawlessly in all conditions. Whatever happens – the guests will not feel anything.
Behind everything is the owner Igor Stančić, a man from the Kvarner sea, who has lived and felt ships, sailed and created all his life. He sailed with his father before he could walk, and then took over the family ship.
“My father was also a man of the sea. A fisherman from Brač who moved to Kraljevica. Then he went into tourism, transporting guests from Skot Bay, and as his son, I was supposed to work with him. He passed on to me all the knowledge he had about the sea, and through that, his love,” says Igor, who later graduated from the maritime school in Bakar and the Faculty of Maritime Studies in Rijeka.
The sea later drew him to fishing, so he went scampering and catching shrimp in the Brac channel. There he did his first serious work and the idea was born to buy a real boat for tourism. His wife Irena was with him the entire time.
Just as she fished for shrimp with him back then, she is now by his side as support for everything related to their boats, while their son Filip is himself a sea captain on the ship “Lastavica”. It was with this name that Igor began his boating story a long time ago, buying his first boat of that name. It was made of wood and transported tourists on day trips, and became a kind of legend and brand given how much tourists loved it. When he was selling it, he didn’t want to give up the name, because he was emotionally attached to it – because Lastavica is his family.
It started with shrimp
“This has been a family business from the beginning and that is our strongest asset today. Our crew is like our family, we are together for more than six months a year, my Filipinos sleep at my place when needed. We want them to feel that they are not just earning a salary here, but that this is also their second home,” says Igor, adding that the majority of the crew is made up of local people, and some of them have been with them for 10 years or more. Chef Mateo from Ogulin has been working with Lastavica Cruising since he was 19 years old, and during his ten-year tenure, he developed his craft to perfection in the ship’s ‘kitchen’. Also, Captain Toni began his career as a sailor. Today he is a respected and reliable captain and a permanent member of the Lastavica cruising family. Two years ago, sailor Ante followed in Toni’s footsteps with Lastavica, and Captain Igor is sure that he will soon become the commander of one of the ships in Lastavica’s fleet.
Filipino Jemarkpoe works as a waiter, Filipina Evelyn works as a maid and masseuse, and Croatia represents a new beginning and a chance for a better life for them. They are all members of the Lastavica Cruising crew and it is the best employer they have ever had. And not only in their native Philippines, but also on other continents.
“I had the opportunity to work for a while in the Middle East. I have to admit that I find it much nicer and more comfortable working in Croatia. The people here are very kind,” says Evelyn, whose husband Kris Patrick also works on the ship. They also have two children, who are currently being cared for by Kris’ mother in the Philippines.
“It was very difficult to leave the children behind, but we know we are working for their future. Croatia is a safe country, which, along with the fact that it is predominantly Catholic, was also an important factor in making the decision,” she said. The two plan to bring their children to Croatia soon and apply for citizenship, because that is the country where they want to raise them.
Comparing Croatia and the Philippines, they say that it is safe and beautiful here, and that employers accepted them as family members from the very beginning.
Igor says that the Filipinos are a fantastic crew for him, because they are so warm and kind, and he never has any problems with agreements. There are also Serbs, waitress Irina and chef Dejan, who also get along wonderfully with them and everything runs smoothly.
However, what is not going smoothly and is a stumbling block in the beautiful story that promotes Croatian tourism and stands out for what it offers is – Croatian bureaucracy.
“At this moment, the sea is not ours, but the sea of bureaucracy,” our capo di tutti capi, Igor, said briefly. Specifically, this means that bureaucratic tangles are so extensive that they threaten that guests this summer may not even experience all the charm and warmth of, for example, the Island of Love, because they will not be allowed to anchor near it.
Namely, the incomplete regulation denies yachts and ships the right to moor along the coast in such a way that they are more than 50 meters away from the coast. Although our “Swallow” is just under 50 meters long, with the ropes needed for mooring it exceeds the aforementioned distance, so the VTS, the maritime traffic system, warns us that we must move away urgently. The guests, who were carefreely strolling around, of course, had no idea what was happening. Even though there’s no one around for miles, some bureaucrat warns us that we’re in violation. And with that – boom!
It destroys the possibility of tens of thousands of guests jumping into the Adriatic near some of the islands and telling stories about how amazing it feels. And in this way, they boost the Croatian economy and the salaries of those bureaucrats. Because tourism is one of the most important economic sectors of our country. In addition, Croatia, with its unique fleet of mini-cruisers, is becoming increasingly recognizable as a destination for luxury and authentic tourism. These ships, which combine intimacy, top-notch service, and access to hidden Adriatic gems, are attracting more and more tourists. However, while the potential of this segment is growing, Croatian shipping companies face a series of challenges that make their daily operational and long-term planning difficult. The potential of this segment is growing, guests are delighted, and Croatian shipowners are struggling and facing a series of challenges that make their daily operations and long-term planning difficult.
Wastewater treatment
One of the biggest problems is the lack of clear information about future infrastructure projects in key ports like Split.
Not only that, but small cruisers are no longer even allowed to tie up next to each other – while at the same time their berths have been reduced to a minimum. Where to stop – they’re not allowed in the harbor, they’re not allowed in the bay. They created a market, a product that is unique and attractive to foreign guests, they pay huge taxes and contributions, but – there are no benefits.
The popularity of the Croatia and Lastavica cruising fleet is evidenced by the fact that most of the guests on board were from the US tourism sector. Agents who book cruises around the world and promote Croatia – landed on the deck of the “Swallow” to take a closer look at the offer and offer it to their clients.
Suzanne Schreiner, owner and travel expert at the American agency Azure Blue Vacations, which specializes in luxury travel and cruises, emphasizes that Croatia is unique in the world precisely because of its mini-cruiser fleet.
“In America, we see these ships as luxury yachts. They provide an exclusive experience that is not available in neighboring countries like Greece and Turkey. Croatia has a unique position and the potential to become a global leader in this segment,” explained Suzanne, adding that Croatia is the only country in the Mediterranean that offers ships of this size, which is why she often receives inquiries about whether ships from Croatia can be found, for example, on the coasts of Greece.
“If Italy and Greece had a child – it would be Croatia, because it took the best of both,” says Suzanne, adding that Lastavica plays a key role in promoting Croatia as a top destination because they are not just ship operators, but also true ambassadors of Croatia.
“Their attention to detail and hospitality make them a true example of quality in this sector,” says Suzanne, adding that mini-cruisers allow tourists to experience the authenticity of the Croatian coast – from the beautiful architecture of historic towns to the unique local gastronomy and top wines – all while having the opportunity to explore smaller and lesser-known ports. This makes them an ideal choice for travelers who want to escape mass tourism, and there are more and more of them.
“Swallow” will soon have a filter for wastewater treatment – as a rare example, because Croatian bureaucracy is also very unclear in this regard. Where do sailboats release them, and where do mini cruisers? No one knows for sure. That’s why there is the Croatian Association of Private Shipowners, which, as the largest and oldest association of tourist shipowners on the Adriatic, tries to protect the interests of its members. But everything is still in the hands of bureaucracy, which – if it is this slow and illogical – will only make the tourist season more difficult for people who want Croatia to prosper.
Because while Bill, Vicky and I, along with the rest of the cheerful crew, are just mooring in Rab, eating fresh Adriatic tuna and the sun has finally risen, there are no problems for us. But the crew and Captain Igor are working behind the scenes to resolve all those unresolved regulations, unclear laws, and unanswered emails, keeping an eye on our safety. Because the sea doesn’t wait, the season doesn’t forgive, and the competition doesn’t sleep.
Therefore, if Croatia wants to remain the jewel of the Adriatic and maintain this unique advantage in the mini cruiser segment – it must finally make a clear decision: whether to treat its greatest potential as a stepmother or as a unique opportunity.
