Chartering in croatia at times of covid-19

 

 

Croatia is certainly one of the most popular areas for recreational skippers and after weeks of shutdown the longing for a trip in the Dalmatian island world is greater than ever – whether on your own keel or with a chartered motor or sailing yacht.

ADAC: What is the situation at Splendid Yachting and what are the questions and concerns of charter clients??

ADAC: Are there any first announcements when crews in Croatia could set sail again with the charter yacht??

Stefan Breck: Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to look into the crystal ball and we do not have any binding dates at the moment. However, Prime Minister Plenkovic gave a press conference on 21 December in which he stated that the government would be able to issue a new pension.4.2020 first concrete statements on the opening of the border and how tourism could be slowly ramped up again. Accordingly, there are initial plans to open the borders from 18.05. for tourism in nature, d.h. For camping sites, vacation homes and nautical tourism, hotels will not be able to profit from these border openings for the time being. In addition, entry to Croatia will be allowed only for tourists from countries with good Corona quotas. If from 04.05.20 more clarity on the development of the pandemic, the government will make a final decision on how to proceed. As long as there is freedom to travel again, we expect numerous bookings at short notice.

ADAC: How does Splendid Yachting deal with the situation when, contrary to expectations, booked trips cannot be started??

Stefan Breck: We actively contact our guests in order to find a joint, individual solution. We are pushing for free rebooking within the 2020 season, in case of a price difference due to the change to another season we are striving for an individual and amicable solution and so far we are very pleased that basically all guests are very open to it. For those who cannot come in 2020, we are working with a combination of vouchers and a discount, respectively. Loyalty bonus valid for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

In order to provide our customers with more security, from now on only a 15% deposit is required for bookings for 2020 and the balance is due only 14 days before the start of the charter. If there is a travel warning 14 days prior to charter departure or quarantine measures are pending in Croatia or in your own country of origin, we would refund the deposit in full.

For bookings for the 2021 season we also work with a reduced deposit of 15%, the second payment of 35% is then due on the 31st day of the season.12.2020 and the remaining 50% 30 days before the start of the charter. Basically, however, a distinction must be made between package tours – where cancellation is possible even if only individual services are cancelled – and individual trips such as charters, which fall under rental law and therefore do not automatically entitle you to free cancellation if the companies are able to provide the service. Also a cancellation of the if necessary. booked flights do not necessarily entitle to cancel the charter, because Croatia is reachable by own car in manageable time.

ADAC: Many charter customers worry about possible insolvency of the fleet operator even with a significantly reduced down payment. Can Splendid Yachting take that worry away?

The received deposits or. Vouchers are insured against insolvency by us through UNIQA as part of a charter price insurance policy.

ADAC: Basically, a yacht is an excellent way to get around.B. isolate from crowds in remote anchorages, what additional measures does the Splendid Yachting team take to help customers& Crews maximum possible safety from the Corona virus to offer?

When arriving with your own vehicle and vacationing on a yacht, you do not necessarily have to come into contact with many people and, depending on the cruise planning, this is tantamount to a voluntary quarantine. Also in the nautical infrastructure, such as z.B. in bathing bays, at gas stations and in restaurants it is easily feasible for the local operators to implement a social distancing with a manageable effort, even if this may mean that the charterer will have to pay a small fee. Is associated with a little more waiting time.

We offer our clients a food& Beverage service and our crews will find the desired drinks and food already chilled on the ship upon arrival in Sibenik. So not even a visit to the supermarket is necessary, and if the crew is self-catering on board, the highest level of contact avoidance is given.

In addition, we are already preparing for strict hygiene measures. This concerns in particular the intensive cleaning and disinfection of the yachts before each charter and on board sufficient hygiene and protective materials such as disinfectants, masks& Co. held out. bedding, towels, kitchen utensils and ventilation systems are cleaned and treated with special care before each charter.

Due to the foreseeable relaxation, we are confident that with prudent behavior, sensibly planned trips and well-prepared yachts, water sports enthusiasts will be able to enjoy the best days of the year on a rented yacht this summer as well.

ADAC: Thank you for the very informative interview. The availability of the fleet of Splendid Yachting can be viewed on the comparison and booking portal of the ADAC partner CharterCheck, there is also a special information page on yacht charter at times of COVID-19. If you plan to book a yacht during the Corona period, we recommend that you talk to the agency, which is in constant contact with the fleet operators and has an overview of current developments and changes in booking modalities.