A postcard from Croatia, where the holiday season is in full swing

Back in early-June, when summer truly began, Croatia was officially virus-free. It was also blissfully peaceful. Then, as the borders opened, several new cases emerged, connected to arrivals from neighbouring Bosnia Herzegovina and Serbia (border restrictions on those countries have since been reimposed). Once tourists appeared, some were also found to be carrying the virus, including several from the UK.

Croatia has always been considered a safe destination, and judging by the crowds in Split this summer, it still is. At the time of writing, according to the Croatian Tourism Association's excellent coronavirus information website there are only 224 coronavirus cases in coastal counties. And there are some 760,000 tourists here.

So, when rumours emerged last week that the British Government was considering imposing 14-day quarantine on arrivals from Croatia, the mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Franković, felt obliged to write to Mr Johnson to clarify the situation. "The total number of positive COVID-19 cases from the area of the city of Dubrovnik is three, and currently over 8000 tourists are in our city", he wrote.

Due to its geographical isolation, backed by the mountains of Herzegovina and cut-off from the rest of Croatia by a tiny coastal section of Bosnia at Neum, Dubrovnik is suffering the economic effects of the pandemic more than any other destination here. There's no motorway connection to Central Europe, so visitors generally arrive by plane. This summer is seeing only 30 per cent of visitor numbers recorded in 2019. Visitors from the US are noticeably absent, due to rigorous entry requirements.

"This negative image is very damaging for the tourist season in Dubrovnik", says Iva Svetac from the lovely waterside Sun Gardens, "In reality, we have only eight active cases in the Dubrovnik Neretva County, and most of those are not even from Dubrovnik, but from the Neretva Valley". Locals agree that now is the perfect moment to visit Dubrovnik – you can walk the medieval walls without the crowds and find a restaurant table without queuing. Bill Gates, Roman Abramovich and Rod Stewart were here in July, aboard super-yachts.

Information about the virus is reliable and updated daily. The Croatian government website reports the number of new cases and recoveries, region by region. To date, Croatia has only recorded 145 deaths. Most active cases are in continental Croatia (Vukovar, Osijek and Zagreb).

Back in Dalmatia, walking along the seafront promenade in Split on Friday night, it looks like a regular summer – crowds of sun-tanned tourists, a babble of languages. Restaurants are heaving, music is blaring, bars are serving cocktails below a moonlit sky. "We're seeing fewer visitors, maybe 20 to 40 per day. Most are from Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, in past years they'd be from the US, UK and France. They're all polite, wear masks and follow the rules", says Željan Kutlača, at Split's Meštrović Gallery, set in gardens above the sea. "The gallery isn't hosting any commercial events this year – usually we have weddings, gala dinners and VIP receptions. This means our revenue has dropped, but we'll survive".

South of Split, the Makarska Riviera has some of Croatia's best beaches – swathes of fine pebble shaded by Aleppo pines, giving onto turquoise sea, backed by Mount Biokovo. "There's no danger here, everything is extremely strict. We haven't opened all the hotels, but for a season which everyone predicted as catastrophic, visitor numbers are excellent", says Stanislava Čulina of BlueSun Hotels . "We're seeing more half-board guests this year, rather than B&B – people feel safer eating in the hotel, where they know standards are adhered to".

In private accommodation on the islands, the situation is likewise positive. "We've been fully-booked all through July. Nobody is scared, neither tourists nor locals, everything seems like last year, except that masks have to be worn in the shops and by waiters", says Goran Skelin at Zlatni Bol apartments. "There's antibacterial hand gel at the entrance and I do check-in by WhatsApp – no corona here on Brač".

Trendy Hvar is famed for its elegant Venetian-era harbour town, classy restaurants, fertile vineyards and purple lavender fields. It's also Croatia's most expensive island destination. "Since tourism is the main source of income for locals, once the borders opened, they were relieved to see that Hvar is still a very sought after destination. Croatia is marked as safe and tourists recognize this", says Marzia Marti of Sunčani Hvar. "This is the perfect opportunity to holiday on Hvar, without having to spend as much as before".

Meanwhile on Korčula, home to Croatia's oldest vineyards and birthplace of fearless explorer Marco Polo, wine tasting at the Toreta winery in Smokvica is continuing as usual, with social distancing and disinfection measures, on a wide terrace overlooking the vineyards. "Korčula has never had massive tourism so it's an ideal destination in these conditions – we're corona-free, with only three cases since the pandemic began", explains Martina Marelić. "Guests and locals are coexisting in these 'new normal' conditions and so far we're functioning very successfully"

Hosts have changed standard routines to accommodate safety regulations."The biggest challenge was breakfast – it's still organized as a buffet, but in individual portions, so guests don’t touch the same food or drinks", says Ivana Kalpić at Kalpić Agrotourism, near the waterfalls of Krka National Park. "We've added the option of a picnic basket - we bought charming baskets with plates, cutlery and glasses, which we fill with homemade products, which guests love". And then there's cleaning, "We now only clean daily on request. Otherwise, we don’t enter the rooms, but leave clean towels and other amenities outside the door. Between guests, room are totally disinfected".

Up in north Croatia, the Istrian peninsula, famed for truffles and wine, is faring better than any other region, with July 2020 seeing 60 per cent of guests as compared to July 2019. "Rovinj has always been Croatia's top destination, with the highest number of overnights", says Vanja Mohorović of Maistra. "One reason, appreciated more than ever today, is that it's easily reachable by car for guests from Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Italy, who make over 50 per cent of current arrivals". Maistra's properties range from five-star hotels to campsites, the latter option proving particularly popular due to the epidemic.

On the morning of August 1, there is news of three-hour queues at the Slovenian border to enter north Croatia. The visitors keep arriving, in search of sunshine, turquoise sea and a safe vacation.