DUBROVNIK, CROATIA - Ajay Ahuja

DUBROVNIK, CROATIA

Population

4.33 million persons

PopulationGrowth

1.21%

Land Area

56,410 sq km

Currency & Exchange rate

1 Croatian kuna (HRK) = 100 lipas

(~ 0.0901978 GBP)

GDP-PPPMethod

24,158.0 millions of US dollars

GDP Growth

2.85%

GDP Per Head

5,574.0 Thousands of US Dollars Per Person

Financial

Interest Rate

Inflation Rate

4.50%

2.2%

National Bank

Croatian National Bank

Political

Under the 1990 constitution, legislative power rests with the bicameral Sabor, both houses of which are directly elected for 4-year terms. The lower house, the Chamber of Representatives (Zastupnicki Dom), has 127 seats the upper house, the Chamber of Districts (Zupanijski Dom), has 68 members. Executive power is held by the President, elected for 5 years, who appoints a cabinet of ministers.

The HDZ enjoyed unchallenged power from 1990 until President Tudjman's death on 10 December 1999. However, the failure to meet international commitments to human rights and democratic standards, in addition to the nationalistic approach of the government virtually isolated Croatia from the European mainstream.

Since Tudjmans death, much has changed on the political front. Prime Minister Racan and President Mesic pursued economic and political reform programmes upon election in 2000.

The more recent governments have acted positively on initiatives to tackle the problems of displaced refugees, restructuring the Croatian national army and civil service and constitutional reform. Croatia was recently accepted into the NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP), and is now working to implement the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) which it signed with the EU last year. Relations with Croatia's neighbours, particularly Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina have improved significantly.

The latest Croatian elections were held on 23 November 2003. Results revealed that centre-right HDZ will lead the next government. Subsequently, Sanander has been appointed as the new Prime Minister. He has formed a coalition Government with a number of smaller parties. The new Foreign Minister is Miomir Zuzul (HDZ).

Social Security

Yes

Languages

Croatian, Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Slovenian and German. Istriot, Istro-Romanian, and Serbo-Croatian also have been spoken in specific regions or at specific points in recent history.

Customaries

People normally shake hands upon meeting and leaving. Smoking is generally acceptable but there are restrictions in public buildings and on public transport. Certain restrictions exist with taking photographs.

Ethnic Make-up

Croat	78.1%
Serb	12.2%
Other	6.6%
Bosniak	.9%
Hungarian	.5%
Slovenian	.5%
Czech	.4%
Albanian	.3%
Roma	.2%

Tax

Income Tax

Capital Gains Tax

Taxable income		Rate on excess
Exceeding (HRK)	Not exceeding (HRK)	%
0	30,000	15
30,000	75,000	25
75,000	-	35

Capital gains derived from the sale of a property or real estate are not taxed, with the exception that capital gains derived from real estate held for less than three years is not used by the owner or dependent family members for lodging.

Description

After the effects of war and financial mismanagement, the Racan government tried to stabilise the Croatian public finances. With substantial support from and investment from abroad, the Croatian economy has recovered moderately well. The Racan government introduced budget cuts and started a broad economic –reform programme.

The major industries include Steel, cement, chemicals, fertilisers, textiles and pharmaceuticals. Agriculture produces beet, maize and wheat is used for domestic produces and has never really contributed much to the economy. The main trading partners are the EU, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The economy is slowly growing yet more reforms are required to reduce the 23% official unemployment rate. Priority areas include pensions, health, and the ending of subsidies.

The Dalmatian Coast is a key area for tourism and after the ravages of the war, the beach and sunshine provide a healthy outlook for future tourist initiatives. About 15 percent of GDP and has been largely responsible for Croatia’s recent economic progress

Investor Profile:

Cash & Equity Investor

Pension Investor

Downshifter Investor

Business Investor

Category:

Bronze

Population:

Total

British

125,000

800

Climate:

Hours of Sunshine Per Day in Summer

Days of Rain Per Year

January

July

Average

Water Temp.

Eleven

14C

29C

20C

Proximity to:

Airport

Beach

Nearest City

20 km from the city of Dubrovnik

Beaches are lined all along the Adriatic coast.

Ploce

Restaurants and bars:

In the old town there are loads of good pizzerias in little side streets and squares. Just look around. Many restaurant touts can be found along the Placa but they are harmless and most are really friendly.

The Main Street of the old core of the town is called the Placa. It is non-traffic area, as well as the rest of the old historical centre of the town. Many of those who have visited the town comment that this is one of the most beautiful streets in the whole world.

There are many bars and pubs with great offers to tempt you in. There are also many Irish bars clustered in areas.

Sports and leisure facilities:

Boating and sailing. Some people come to Croatia just to sail in the Adriatic Sea. One look at the glistening blue water and the beautiful coastline will tell you why. Other popular activities are fishing, Scuba diving and parachuting

Basketball is a popular sport in Croatia and the country's national team has had a lot of success on the international level.

Football is a passion in Dubrovnik although not to the degree that the locals in Split and Zagreb are nutty about their respective teams!

Transport:

Public Transport

Roads

The main bus station is located about 3 km outside of the Old Town next to the port in the suburb called Gruz. Dubrovnik is well serviced by bus from all over the country and there is a local bus station right across the street from the station.

The most pleasant journey to the city is probably by ferry from Rijeka, which stops at many islands and ports along the way, and takes about 17 hours. There are also international ferry services from Bari and Ortona, near Pescara (only in summer), in Italy.

It can also be reached by bus from Zagreb (which takes about 12 hours), Rijeka, Split or Trieste in Italy.

Crime rate:

It is quite safe to travel all over Croatia and mugging and thefts are not a problem. You can safely walk in any town at night, but use your common sense, as always.

Main types of employment

Services, Tourism and agriculture

Future plans:

To provide passengers with the highest quality and widest range of services, in line with other international airports, major development works are being undertaken to represent a new, modern identity for Dubrovnik Airport for the 21st century. The second stage of reconstruction, due to take place in 2003, will have a capacity of 2 million passengers a year.

Yield range

4 – 10%

Type of property

Entry Price

Rent-

Peak

Rent-

Off Peak

Average Annual Yield

2 bed apartment

£30,000

£300

£180

9.6%

3 bed apartment

£40,000

£500

£200

9.6%

3 bed townhouse

£65,000

£400

£200

5.5%

Detached

£75,000

£400

£200

4.8%

Demand for letting

Peak

Off peak

Very high

Moderate

Finance and leisure scores:

Total (out of 10)

Financial (out of 5)

Leisure (out of 5)

Flights scheduled from:

Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester fly directly to Dubrovnik. There are also some cheaper flights from London Stansted

Typical cost of flights:

Peak

Off Peak

200 – 300 GBP

130 – 200 GBP

Operators:

British Airways, Croatian Airways, Sky Europe, Germanwings, Alitialia, Austrian Airlines

Description:

Throughout the history Dubrovnik has attracted and fascinated with its beauty many inquisitive persons, travel writers, adventurers, and many others as it still does today. Dubrovnik, with its 17 monasteries and churches and one of the oldest synagogues in Europe, represents a cultural heritage monument and is protected by UNESCO.

Another place that has been talked up a lot and is yet to deliver. Again I would tread with caution. Property prices are low but so are rental prices. There is a lot of hype surrounding this area so you can bank upon capital growth as you main income earner. Sell within 3 years and then see what the market does.

Interest rates and inflation rates are comparable to ours but do not let that mask the political uncertainty of the country. Get in now, if this is a pet favourite of yours because the prices are low, but do not invest your life savings in to the place as a lot can change.

Hot Website:

www.visit-croatia.co.uk/dubrovnik/

Estate Agents:

Name

Address

Tel

Web

Dream Property Croatia

Nikole Tesle 4,
20000 Dubrovnik,
Croatia,

+385 (0) 20 435535

www.dreamcroatia.com

Optic Cruise World Ltd