Croatian boat-building days are back for the 8th time with over 90 exhibitors, 40 boats, 8 premieres, loads of attractive competitions and, our favourite part, free entry!
I must admit I have grown rather fond of the Croatian Boat Building days and Tourist Attractions Expo or Dani hrvatske male brodogradnje and Sajam turističkih atrakcija as it is called in Croatian, an event that was officially announced at a press conference on April 19, 2016, at Brasserie on 7 in Split.
Croatian Boat Building Days, a traditional thematic event organised by and for the Croatian boat builders, will take place in Marina Lav within the Le Meridien Lav Resort in Podstrana from April 28 until May 01. What started 7 years ago as a small event with an aim to showcase boats for sports and entertainment produced by skilled boat builders from all over Croatia has grown into one of the biggest boat shows in the country proving that the Croatian public is ready to support their own and their excellent products.
This year’s Croatian Boat Building Days and the accompanying Tourist Attractions Fair bring over 90 exhibitors and 28 boat builders from every corner of the country with 40 boats ranging from small dinghies to glossy 14-metre yachts for those that want luxury with that recognizable “Made in Croatia” feel. And since most of these boats don’t make an appearance on other boat shows in the country, Podstrana event is highly anticipated each year.
According to Branimir Matijaca, president of the Association of Croatian Boat Building Days, this year’s edition will bring the highest number of premiere models ever, including Arba 555, Sampa 6 by Brodomehanika Brnabić, Vento 670, Pakleni otoci are coming with two brand new models, a cool catamaran 40wcat and a Colnago 260 dinghy, Faraon brodovi will present their Faraon 700, PearlSea Yachts selected this event for the world premiere of their PearlSea 33 yacht, Remia Plast is coming with Nautika 690k which can be tested in the sea for the first time, while Fortis Nautika will finally unveil their Fortis 590 open model.
Deputy minister of tourism Robert Pauletić was also present t the press conference stating that the time when tourists were happy with just the sun, sea and a few activities is long gone and that events like this one are the perfect opportunity for everyone in tourism to broaden their horizons and see what they can add to their existing offer to create excitement and emotion, two things modern guests are looking for.
This year’s Tourist Attractions Expo is also bigger and better than last year, Tomi Božiković, a member of the organizing team stated. Along with an adventure park, daily presentations a open air concerts, programme is full of various competitions for all ages including Cedevita kayaking cup for fathers and kids, Cedevita badminton cup for mothers and kids, and an open competition for baristas sponsored by Barcafe with a cool 1500 kn prize for the very best coffee master.
If you are sporty and would love to show off your volleyball, SUP and kayaking skills, then you cannot miss this year’s Croatian Boat Building days since Surfmania is organizing a SUP Surfer’s Challenge on Saturday, April 30, which will include three events – SUP (stand up paddle) race, kayak race and a trampoline volleyball game. If that’s not enough, they are organising the first ever kayak polo event too! All events are for teams of two and this year’s prize fund is a whopping 15 000 kuna. If you want to apply for the SUPer Surfer’s Challenge, just follow Surfmania’s competition link.
Expo will open on Thursday, April 28 at 1 PM and working hours are from 10 AM until 7 PM until Sunday, May 01. Last but not least, test rides and entry is free so put it in your itinerary for next weekend, support Croatian boat builders and we guarantee your entire family will have a fun-filled day. Total Croatia News is this year’s media partner so we will bring you a full day-by-day report from Marina Lav.
