May 28, 2022 - A destination long associated with short visits continues its journey of diversification aimed at the digital market and longer-stay tourist. Meet Dubrovnik Long Stay, a new official website.
It has been a really interesting two years working with the City of Dubrovnik and tourist board since my first meeting with Dubrovnik Mayor, Mato Frankovic back in July 2020. His receptiveness to explore new tourism avenues was very refreshing, and we started working on some new digital nomad initiatives with Saltwater Nomads. With many destinations simply waiting for the pandemic to pass, Croatia (with its new digital nomad permit) and Dubrovnik were busy and prominent. Saltwater Nomads delivered the first-ever digital nomad conference in Croatia, Dubrovnik for Digital Nomads, which was followed by the award-winning Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence programme (DNIR) in April 2021, and recent Work. Place. Culture. conference which took place earlier this month.
The DNIR project was particularly illuminating, and it was a pleasure to watch the city, tourist board, community and resident nomads co-creating a strategy for the city to become more attractive to remote workers in the future. One of the many recommendations from the resident nomads was that Dubrovnik was perceived as a 2-day destination, whereas many nomads on social media were looking to try a Croatian destination for 30 days or so. If there was no information or marketing about longer-term stays, then there was little chance that nomads would be heading in that direction. A suggestion to create a website called Dubrovnik Long Stay could promote a different image of the city, catering to the needs of those who were more interested in spending a longer period, perhaps with working remotely built into the plan.
One thing that has really impressed me with the cooperation with Dubrovnik has been how willing both the city and tourist board have been not only to implement recommendations, but to go even further. Making lasting change takes more than a couple of conferences and strategy exercises if the recommendations are not followed up. Changing the perception of a destination takes time, but there are already some encouraging results, as the two British newspaper headlines - one from 2017 and one from 2021 - show.
Dubrovnik has responded well to the challenge, and the city has some pretty cool features for nomads. In addition to adding co-working (and soon co-living) spaces, the tourist board has reached out to local businesses to see who would like to support the digital nomad community in the form of discounts and special offers. There has been a great response, and the Dubrovnik Digital Nomad Card will soon be available. The tourist board has also established a digital nomad concierge service point at its main Pile Gate office, where digital nomads can register and receive a DN information pack.
Nothing spreads faster than the spoken word or a hearty recommendation, and the latest collaboration between the City of Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik Tourist Board and Saltwater Nomads has been the Dubrovnik Digital Nomad Ambassador program. Mandy Fransz (one of the top 10 LinkedIn voices on remote work), and Yvette Pelgrom, have done an excellent job and are now continuing their ambassadorship on Korcula. So what did they make of Dubrovnik as a nomad destination? Read more in The Ultimate Guide for Digital Nomads in Dubrovnik.
The latest addition to Dubrovnik's impressive digital nomad offer went live this week - the latest implemented recommendation from DNIR - the Dubrovnik Long Stay website - check it out here.
Lots of practical information for longer-term renters, including accommodation options and co-working spaces, as well as the latest news and events. More details on the DN card will appear once it is launched, and if you are considering coming down to the southern coast of Croatia for an extended stay, a website to bookmark for sure.
To learn more about Dubrovnik, check out the TC Dubrovnik in a Page guide.
For more news and features about digital nomads in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.
