Petition to return the Blue Highway ferry line

A few years ago, the Jadrolinija Management Board decided not to finance the summer ferry line between Rijeka and Dubrovnik, which they considered unprofitable. This decision also put an end to the centuries-old tradition of connecting the northern and southern Adriatic along the coast, i.e. the tradition of 60 years as long as the line was connected by Jadrolinija ships.

Although the Government of the Republic of Croatia in 2016 made a decision to reintroduce the so-called long-distance “blue highway” for the whole year, after the sale of the ship Liburnija, the former president of the board of Jadrolinija stated that the company does not even have a ship to sail on that line.

However, more and more people do not agree with this decision, because many have chosen to travel along the Croatian coast by boat rather than by land.

The Dubrovnik initiative “Srđ is a City” is also advocating for the return of this coastal ferry line.

Vacation begins on board

Jadrolinija once had a very successful slogan for the line “Vacation begins on board!” And indeed, for motorized guests from Slovenia, Austria, Northern Italy and everyone 4-5 hours from Rijeka, the holiday would start with a cruise on the Adriatic to destinations on Korcula, Peljesac, Mljet and the Dubrovnik Riviera. With the introduction of subsidies on return tickets with discounts for longer stays at the destination (e.g. 30% cheaper ticket for stays of 5 days and longer), quality promotion and high-security standards when boarding at ports, as planned at airports, we would ensure the arrival of 2-3 thousand guests a week in our county.

If we design a promotional tourist package with accommodation service providers that would make tourists free of charge every 5th day of their stay in the destination, we would offer them a related service of subsidized boat tickets and additional overnight stays, which would extend guests’ stay at the destination and achieve higher consumption, while maintaining the level of the price of accommodation – they suggest from this initiative.

The source, as well as a link for the petition, can be found here.