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‘Dubrovnik For Digital Nomads’: Mayor Frankovic Labels Mass Tourism as Thing of the Past

‘Dubrovnik for Digital Nomads’ is the name of the well-known international conference within the European Freelance Week 2020 and this year it is being held in Dubrovnik, making our city the host and the leader of this initiative in Croatia. This largest annual event aimed at independent work and its empowerment, will take place at Lazareti starting October 16, all the way till October 25.  On that occasion, a press conference was held this Monday.

Dubrovnik is the first city to turn to the digital nomad market. Digital nomads are people who use telecommunications technologies to earn a living while conducting their life in a nomadic manner, spending significant money on the destination where they live. Those kind of stays include longer stays as well, not only the months of the main tourist season, but throughout the year.

The organization of this event gives our city the opportunity to host digital nomads and be a leader in the development of this project. According to the director of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, Ana Hrnić, Dubrovnik is positioning itself as a destination for many years of successful tourism. With their activities and way of life, she adds, they become ambassadors of Dubrovnik as a destination, thus attracting other digital nomads and friends.

Digital Nomads

“The Dubrovnik Tourist Board, but also the City of Dubrovnik, recognized the importance of this event, not only for now, but also for the future. Dubrovnik has the potential of becoming a prestigious and popular destination for digital nomads,” Hrnić emphasized.

“Global tourism has experienced a significant turnaround, and many destinations plan to turn their attention to other types of tourism,” adds Mayor Mato Franković, “Those will be different kinds of tourism. Ones that respect the quality of life and local people.  One of the segments of that future tourism will definitely be digital nomads who will contribute to Dubrovnik immensely.”

“This is a great opportunity to make a turnaround. We will not give up traditional markets or cruising tourism, but we will do it in a different way. The crowds that Dubrovnik has recorded in the past, will stay just there – in the past. The future will be completely different.” Franković added.

Digital Nomads

“I would like to thank the City of Dubrovnik for accepting and enabling this event to take place. This is a great opportunity for locals to get to know digital nomads and how to adapt their businesses to them,” said Tanja Polegubic, Australian with Croatian roots, the founder of the company ‘Saltwater’ that organizes the event with the patronage and cooperation of the City of Dubrovnik and the Dubrovnik Tourist Board.

One of the speakers in Dubrovnik will be Jan de Jong, who stood out as the initiator of the introduction of visas for nomads in Croatia.

The event will take place at Lazareti from October 16 to 25, with the opening program starting on the October 16 at 4 p.m.  The first part, on October 16 and 17, will include guest lectures on digital nomads, while during the second part, from October 18 to 25, participants will have the opportunity to experience the full involvement in working with digital nomads.