THE FIRST tourist train owned by the Czech company RegioJet arrived in Rijeka this morning at around 10:15.
Director of the CNTB Kristijan Stanicic confirmed that there were 550 passengers on the train, adding that 180 of them got off in Matulji, and then went south to Dalmatia by organized bus transport. After the passengers got off the train, they immediately underwent disinfection.
The guests from the Czech Republic and Slovakia were also welcomed by the Minister of Tourism Gari Capelli. He revealed that RegioJet will introduce routes to Croatia next summer as well, and that trains will also ride to Split, with special train cars for car transport.
About 52.53 percent of the tourists that arrived will be staying in private accommodation units, 15 to 20 percent in hotels, and the rest in camps throughout the Adriatic. About 50 percent of them will be staying in the south of Croatia, and the rest of them will be staying in Istria and in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County.
The tourists we've talked to said that their ride was pleasant and that they had a great time on the train. They have also stated that they were not afraid of the coronavirus because the epidemiological situation in the Czech Republic is similar to the situation in Croatia. Some of the tourists who talked to us mentioned that their final destination are our islands – Krk and Cres, while others chose Kvarner – Crikvenica and Novi Vinodolski or Rijeka.
"People were merrily drinking and singing – everything went as we expected"
Željko, a Croat from Zadar who has been working and living in the Czech Republic for six years and is an employee of the RegioJet agency also talked to the press.
"The trip went great, people were merrily drinking and singing. Everything went as expected. As someone who comes from Croatia, I welcomed the Czechs and Slovaks when we crossed the border. There were also Croats on the train. Some even asked me for advice during the trip regarding which beach to go to and what to visit. I gave them advice, I told them about some places they should visit, but most of them already planned everything and came to Croatia completely prepared."
We also talked to an accommodation provider from Krk, he says he is afraid of the coronavirus, but he has no choice but to rent
While we were waiting for the train with the tourists, we also talked to an accommodation provider. An elderly gentleman from Stara Baska, a village on the island of Krk, was waiting for his guests from the Czech Republic. We asked him if he was afraid of the spread of coronavirus with the arrival of tourists. We also asked what the accommodation prices are like given the current situation.
"Of course I'm afraid, everyone is, but tourism is my bread and butter, I have no choice but to work. Fortunately, my guests from Austria, the Czech Republic, and Italy have been coming here for years. I know these people, and I trust them. Everything is epidemiologically under control in our accommodation, we are following all the recommendations", he told us, and then answered our question about prices:
"The prices are the same, we haven't changed them. If we lowered the prices, we would basically have no profit, and we can't work for free. We need to have something left after paying all the expenses."
Approximately 30,000 tickets were sold. The trains will ride three times a week until July 11, and then a train on the route Rijeka - Prague will be available daily until the end of August. In September, trains will ride 3 times a week again, and the last train from Rijeka will depart on September 26, 2020.
The highest increase in the number of infected individuals in the Czech Republic since April 3
On Sunday, there were 305 new coronavirus cases in the Czech Republic. That was the highest increase in the number of infected individuals since April 3, according to the data released by the Ministry of Health on Monday.
It was also the fourth consecutive day that the number of coronavirus cases increased, with a total number of cases being 11,603.
There were 260 new cases yesterday, while today there were twice as many new cases relative to two days ago.
Out of 10.7 million people in the Czech Republic, 348 died from COVID-19.
On Monday, Minister of Health Adam Vojtech stated that most new cases had been reported in mining regions in the east of the country, as well as that he hoped the number of infected people would decrease after the testing of mining workers and their contacts.
"We are convinced that the situation is mostly under control despite these high numbers," Vojtech stated during a press conference.
The Czech government has gradually lifted most restrictive measures, with the exception of the requirement of wearing masks indoors, cafes working shorter hours, and major cultural events being banned. The government will continue lifting the measures, except in the regions of Karvina and Frydek-Mistek, where gatherings of more than a hundred people and visits to hospitals and nursing homes will be banned.