Sveta Nedelja Beyond Rimac: Jobs, Innovation, Nature, Population Growth
September 29, 2020 - Looking for a part of Croatia which is booming in this economic crisis? Look no further than Sveta Nedelja near Zagreb, where Rimac Automobili is just a small part of the story.
One of the most inspiring events in Croatia each year is the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Zagreb, a gala dinner which brings the brightest and most successful Croatian entrepreneurial talent together to celebrate its success. I have been fortunate to have attended the event as a journalist twice, witnessing two very worthy winners, Mate Rimac and Croatia's first unicorn, Infobip.
Rimac, the one-man Croatian car industry who has brought inward investment from the likes of Porsche and Hyundai, as well as being reportedly on the verge of acquiring Bugatti for his Rimac Automobili company, is headquartered in Croatia's newest town, Sveta Nedelja, just a few minutes drive from the capital, Zagreb. Quite by chance, one of my dining partners at the Entrepreneur of the Year dinner, was also headquartered in Sveta Nedelja, and he too, had been a previous EY finalist, back in 2015. And what a story he had - a Syrian who employed more than 600 Croatians, running a business empire with an annual turnover of more than 200 million euro.
Mohamed Radwan Joukhadar's story is as fascinating as the man himself, one which we have partially retold previously on TCN. As I watched the two business powerhouses from Sveta Nedelja at the gala dinner, I wondered if it was just a coincidence that they had based themselves in the same town, and I made a mental note to look into it a little more closely when I had a moment.
That moment finally arrived last weekend.
In addition to the business success of Sveta Nedelja, the town made it onto TCN news for another, very un-Croatian, reason - transparency in its local administration. A local authority which transparently published every invoice on its website, and one which introduced innovative initiatives such as paying its employees based on citizen evaluation Now I was intrigued.
A Facebook chat with then deputy mayor Davor Nađi at the beginning of this year led to an invitation to visit the town, to learn more about Sveta Nedelja beyond Rimac. Nađi wanted to show me the thriving business scene, the transparency of the public administration, and - and I had not even considered this - the tourism potential of Sveta Nedelja.
(Photo credit Grad Sveta Nedelja)
It was quite a visit. And one which we will be covering in quite some detail, in partnership with the town of Sveta Nedelja. We begin with an overview of just some of the businesses which are thriving in the town, all of which we will be featuring in greater detail on TCN in the coming weeks. Writing for TCN over the years, I am used to being taken around a tourism destination to visit all the sites with a guide. And while that also happened on the Saturday in Sveta Nedelja, the tour of just a fraction of the excellent businesses located in the town showed just how successful this small town has been in attracting outstanding businesses from numerous sectors, which are quietly performing brilliantly on the national, regional, and even global stage.
And the numbers speak for themselves. In an age of huge emigration from Croatia, the population of Sveta Nedelja has increased more than 10% since the last census in 2011, when there were 18,059 people resident in the town. Today that number is over 20,000.
The employment situation is even better, as jobs are being lost elsewhere. A 20% increase in jobs since 2017, from 7,200 to 9,000, the year that the current administration, led by independent mayor Dario Zurovec, took charge. Unemployment is down to just 3.9%, considerably less than the 9% national average. Aggressive local tax cuts to stimulate business and transparent administration have played their part in filling the local government coffers, with the budget increasing from 107 million kuna annually in 2017 to 169 million during the period of this administration. And with the town located just ten minutes from the Slovenian border, one minute from the motorway network and a bus ride to Zagreb (a free bus ride to the ZET network in Zagreb is planned in the coming months), the town also has many geo-location advantages.
But while there might be a lot of businesses operating there, I was struck by how many of them were forward-thinking businesses, less polluting industrial production. Clean technologies and clean nature.
And if there is a town with a higher ratio of kindergartens per capita in Croatia, I would like to see it. Kindergartens are EVERYWHERE. In addition to the booming economy, Sveta Nedelja is just 15 minutes from Zagreb, but a natural paradise of lakes, hills and spectacular views. My expectations prior to my arrival were of an industrial town. The expectations of my kids were even lower - another boring weekend with Dad - but on the Sunday drive home, it was they asking when we could go back.
So how much fun can you have touring businesses in Sveta Nedelja on a Friday in late September?
Where better to start the day than at the town's most famous business, and a global superstar. I will write more about the visit to Rimac Automobili shortly, but perhaps these two photos will suffice as a taster of the incredible Rimac journey, from a beat-up BMW with blown engine in 2008 to the C_2 electric hypercar, price tag US$2.75 million, just over a decade later.
Never mind the investment from the likes of Porsche and Hyundai, or that rumoured Bugatti acquisition.
With more than 800 employees and all the international headlines, one might expect that Rimac would be the biggest show in town, but a bigger contributor to the town budget was my new Syrian friend from the Entrepreneur of the Year dinner. Now with 829 employees in his portfolio of businesses, his flagship Medical Intertrade company, which specialises in medical devices, medical products and medical equipment, turned over a quarter of a billion euro last year, up an impressive 25% since 2015.
As we have written about extensively on TCN, Croatia has a thriving medical tourism industry, with the potential to become one of the market leaders in Europe,. The industry is not well-coordinated, however, and I am continually finding pockets of medical tourism excellence all over the country. And in Sveta Nedelja, on the first day of our visit, we were introduced to not one, but two. One of the messages that came across very clearly that first day was the concept of niche markets to establish a position on regional and global market. Rimac is of course a great example of that, but there were several others. A visit to Sveta Nedelja Clinic and Ottobock Adria was an eye-opener. Global specialists in prosthetics and rehabilitation for amputees, this dual business under one roof attracts more than 1,200 patients for rehabilitation from all over the world each year. Sveta Nedelja's lockdown earlier this year apparently included 20 amputees from Libya.
Radiochirurgia Zagreb from Radiochirurgia Zagreb on Vimeo.
A short drive away, at Radio Chirurgia Zagreb, one can find one of the most advanced clinics for diagnotics and treatment of various forms of cancer. With the most advanced technology in its field in the wider region, as well as advanced and painless diagnostic methods such as virtual colonoscopies, the diagnostics, treatment and technology offered by Radio Chirurgia Zagreb places it as one of the leading clinics in the region for this niche.
The niche business which surprised us the most is one you would not normally think about - engineering process control systems for large production facilities. This has been a speciality for Sveta Nedelja-based Montelekro since 1990, and they have carved out an impressive business model with a focus on the brewing industry.
With Heineken a key client, Montelekro's systems are in over 250 breweries all over the globe, and they are also very active in the cement, steel, pharmaceutical and tobacco industries.
And, as it the case with many other businesses in the town, growth in revenue and jobs has been steady over the years.
There was no doubt which business was the most fun to visit, and one which we would happily return to for the day - 3D Grupa. One of the newest businesses in the town, having relocated from Zagreb back in February, 3D Grupa is a fascinating introduction to the world of 3D printing. The facility is actually three different companies, which all interconnect - 3D scanning, 3D printing and 3D virtual modelling. One of their biggest objects to scan this year was a 40-metre yacht moored off Sibenik.
From leading 3D printing solutions, to more traditional printing methods embracing the latest technology, 3D Grupa might be a new arrival in Sveta Nedelja, but Printera Grupa has been successfully operating and growing in the town since 1990. Specialists in brochures, magazines, monographs, picture books, direct mailing, offset print and digital print, Printera's strong domestic client base is complemented with established export markets in Austria, Germany, Slovenia, France, Denmark, Belgium, Italy, Liechtenstein, and the United States.
Sveta Nedelja's cosmetic excellence can be found at Magdis doo, whose Biobaza and Neva brands are growing in popularity both domestically and internationally. With more than 150 products and a key partnership with partners such as drug chain DM, Magdis has an excellent national and regional distribution network for its products. Parent company Magdis was founded in 1993 by Srećko Gross, a former Pliva Expert, whose years of experience in pharmaceutical production helped to build the company. Known as a provider of premium services of dietary and cosmetic products, Magdis also has a strong product research and development arm. The Biobaza range has been adapted to sensitive skin, as there are no preservatives, irritants, artificial fragrances or colours in its products, and a high proportion of its products are of natural origin.
Mayor Zurovec joined us on electric scooters for the last business visit of the trip, to one of the town's oldest businesses, which was recently acquired and is exporting all over the globe. Genera's roots can be traced back to the Royal Croatian-Slavonian Bacteriological Institute in 1901. Part of the Pliva empire for over 60 years, it was acquired in 2015 by Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC from the UK and is now listed on the London Stock Exchange. Its core activities include animal health products, food supplements in the form of vitamins and minerals and plant protection products, and its exports are global.
"But this is just a tiny fraction of the successful businesses you will find here," said the mayor with a smile. "We can only show you so much in one day."
And he was right. As we toured the town later that weekend, successful business after successful business was pointed out as we passed. Croatia really can work well with the right conditions and mindset.
Sveta Nedelja is consistently named as the best town for entrepreneurship in Croatia, and after this brief introduction, it is not hard to understand. We will look at the administration's transparency and business incentives in a later article, but check out the video above (with English subtitles of course...) to learn more about the business success story. And there was one other surprise when I went to visit the official town website - I don't think I have ever come across a local authority website in three languages before - even an English version is comparatively rare. Check out the section for entrepreneurs in English, for example. Or German.
Throughout the day, as we drove from business to business, there were moments of extreme beauty, and I was promised a tourist experience that I had not expected. My perceptions of Sveta Nedelja as an industrial zone had certainly been shattered - some parts of it, especially its lakes, were exquisitely beautiful. And just a bus ride from the centre of Zagreb.
(Sevdah Facebook page)
A day full of surprises, and we reflected on our perceptions of a town we had known little about some 24 hours earlier, apart from the famous Rimac association. But the surprises were not quite finished yet - a delightful authentic Bosnian restaurant called Sevdah was an additional unexpected highlight on this rather fabulous and very stimulating day.
And if, as the mayor suggested, we had only seen the tip of the iceberg of successful businesses in Sveta Nedelja, how much more was there to discover?
And what of the promised tourism surprises that would leave my kids asking to return some 48 hours later.
Sveta Nedelja beyond Rimac - to be continued...
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HGK Head Calls for More Flexible Labour Legislation
ZAGREB, Sept 28, 2020 - Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) head Luka Burilovic said on Monday that Croatia needed more flexible labour legislation that would put emphasis on teleworking and the possibility to lay off workers more easily than was now the case.
Organising remote work in a better manner and flexibilities employment contracts are to be regulated by the new law, on which Labour Minister Josip Aladrovic and 35 Croatian business people presented their views at a meeting organised by the HGK in Zagreb.
The business people and the minister said they also expected issues to be raised such as government support for the business sector during the coronavirus epidemic, a non-working Sunday, and the minimum wage for next year, which should be determined by the end of October.
"The new law should put emphasis on remote work and the possibility to lay off workers more easily. I do not think that good worker should be laid off, but there must be greater fluctuation," Burilovic said before the meeting.
Croatia lost only 18,000 jobs due to pandemic
Burilovic said that owing to the measures taken, Croatia had lost only 18,000 jobs to the coronavirus pandemic but that the manufacturing and textile industries would need additional help.
Minister Alandrovic recalled the government's aid for a shorter working week, measures for small business owners, and those for job retention, noting that the government was not against well-substantiated proposals and would continue supporting the business sector.
The head of the KTC retail chain, Ivan Katavic, called on the government to regulate the issue of non-working Sunday, dismissing speculation that a ban on Sunday trading would result in the dismissal of 23,000 workers and a drop in GDP.
Katavic said that 97% of domestic retailers were in favour of a non-working Sunday but that foreign-owned retailer was against it and called for a consensus on the matter.
Dario Vukadinovic, president of the association of road and cargo transporters at the HGK, called for making the labour market more flexible while retaining "a certain level of social security."
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Milanovic: Croatia Needs Strong, Fair, Uncorrupted Local Government
ZAGREB, Sept 28, 2020 - President Zoran Milanovic said on Monday in Donji Miholjac that Croatia needed a strong, fair, uncorrupted local government and a central state that would always have to ensure equal standards.
At a special session of the Donji Miholjac Town Council, held on the occasion of the town's day, Milanovic said that the area was not remote but that it was on the sidelines a bit so it had not made as much progress as it should have in the last 30 years, which was obviously the price the entire Slavonia was paying.
He said that European funds should be used for further development. The government is trying hard, but in the end, it is on the best and the most hard-working among you to ensure that the money really comes here, said Milanovic.
Talking about the system of local self-government, he recalled his earlier speeches when he said that the existing model of counties was sustainable. Croatia perhaps does not need 502 units of local self-government but it cannot have 100 either, as was the case in socialism, because that is not good.
"Maybe some municipalities will disappear but that is more an exception than a rule because decisions on life and basic matters are made where people live," Milanovic said.
Osijek-Baranja County prefect Ivan Anusic recalled that in the past three years the County had invested HRK 22.9 million (€3 mn) in projects in the area of Donji Miholjac, adding that a project for an irrigation system for 682 hectares of land, worth nearly HRK 87 million (€11.5 mn), was in the pipeline.
Donji Miholjac Mayor Goran Aladic said that a new secondary school with a sports hall, worth over HRK 50 million (€6.6 mn), was under construction, that over HRK 3 million (€398k) had been invested in a kindergarten, and that the road from the centre of Donji Miholjac to the border with Hungary, worth HRK 9 million (€1.2 mn), had been finished.
Aladic said that projects together worth over HRK 65 million (€8.6 mn) were currently underway in the town.
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29th Zagreb Marathon Canceled Due to COVID-19
September 28, 2020 - The 29th Zagreb Marathon, scheduled for Sunday, October 11, has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, the organizers announced on Monday.
"After several months of efforts by us to provide all the necessary conditions for the 29th Zagreb Marathon, we would like to inform you that, unfortunately, we have to cancel the races. The Zagreb marathon was supposed to be held on Sunday, October 11, 2020, with a start and finish on Ban Josip Jelacic Square. Still, unfortunately, like all major marathons in the world, this year, it suffered the same fate," said the organizers on their official website.
"Precisely because many marathons have been canceled in Europe and the world, many runners wanted to take part in the Zagreb Marathon, which this year also received a Bronze label from World Athletics. As the epidemiological situation in all countries has significantly deteriorated and there are many registered participants from Croatia and the world, we cannot consciously run the risk of endangering the health of our runners and the potential spread of the infection to other fellow citizens. The Zagreb Marathon is a major international sports event, which primarily aims to promote a healthy life, and we certainly want it to stay that way," the statement continued.
However, to mark October 11 and the day of the marathon in the spirit of running, the organizers announced they would hold virtual races, and preparations are now underway. All information will be published on the Zagreb Marathon website.
"Unfortunately, this year is uncertain and difficult for the organization of all events. As much as we hoped that the races would be possible with all organizational changes and adherence to epidemiological measures in the start zone, unfortunately, there are too many participants for the current epidemiological situation," the organizers concluded and expressed hope "that this year is really an exception and that we will all welcome 29th Zagreb Marathon, October 10, 2021, with joy and satisfaction."
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WWF Calls on Croatian Government to Endorse Leaders' Pledge for Nature
ZAGREB, Sept 28, 2020 - The global environmental organisation WWF on Monday called on the Croatian government to join more than 65 heads of state and government and endorse the Leaders' Pledge for Nature by committing to decisive action to protect nature, people, and the planet.
More than 65 heads of state and government, including the leaders of five of the world’s largest economies and the president of the European Commission, will endorse the Leaders' Pledge for Nature at a gathering in New York today, to be held as part of the UN General Assembly, WWF Adria said in a statement.
"They have committed to reverse nature loss by the end of the decade. Countries endorsing the pledge represent more than 1.3 billion people and more than a quarter of global GDP," the statement said.
WWF called on the Croatian government to join this Pledge, which has been endorsed by neighbouring Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which have decided to take the necessary steps towards a greener future.
WWF said that leaders have pledged to undertake urgent actions over the next ten years based on the document "The Leaders’ Pledge for Nature: United to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 for sustainable development".
"It comes days ahead of the UN Summit on Biodiversity, sending a strong, united signal that the world must step up ambition to halt and reverse nature loss for the benefit of people and nature and to help tackle climate change," it added.
The Pledge, which will be officially launched at the Leaders Event for Nature and People today, is a direct response to the need for urgent and immediate global action to address biodiversity, climate, and health crises, WWF said.
The Pledge has been endorsed, among other countries, by Germany, Kenya, the United Kingdom, Colombia, Mexico, France, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as by organisations and companies such as GEF, the World Health Organisation, the International Chamber of Commerce, BirdLife International and Danone.
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AD Plastik Seals New Deals for Car Parts Manufacture
ZAGREB, Sept 28, 2020 - Croatian plastic car parts manufacturer AD Plastik said on Monday it had sealed several new deals with carmakers that would be carried out in the coming years.
The company, based in the southern town of Solin, has agreed with the PSA Group the manufacture of grab handles for the Peugeot 308. The project is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2021 and last for nine years.
Also agreed was the manufacture of grab handles for TOGG, Turkey's first car maker, for the electric C-SUV.
Grab handles for both companies will be manufactured in Mladenovac, Serbia, and the total value of the deal is €1.4 million. Serial production is scheduled for the second quarter of 2023 with an estimated project duration of five years.
The manufacture of visible interior components for the new Alfa Romeo Tonale has been agreed with the FCA Group and will take place in Croatia. The total value of this deal is €4 million. Serial production is due to start in the first quarter of 2022 with an estimated project duration of eight years.
In Russia, new deals have been sealed with the VW Group and the Renault-Nissan-AvtoVAZ Alliance, worth a total of €2.2 million. Serial production for the first batch of projects is scheduled for 2021 with an estimated duration of three and a half years and six years respectively. Serial production for the second batch is planned for 2022 with an estimated project duration of four years.
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Croatia Reports 48 New Coronavirus Cases, No Deaths in Last 24 Hours
ZAGREB, Sept 28, 2020 - Forty-eight new coronavirus cases and no related deaths have been confirmed in Croatia in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Monday.
The number of active cases is 1,180, of whom 291 are receiving hospital treatment, including 24 who are on ventilators.
In the last 24 hours, 3,029 samples have been tested, and 184 infected people have recovered. Currently, 9,057 people are in self-isolation.
Since February 25, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 16,245 people have contracted the novel virus, of whom 272 have died and 14,793 have recovered. A total of 295,998 people have been tested to date.
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Croatian Headquarters Will Discuss Lowering Music in Catering Establishments to Reduce COVID-19
September 28, 2020 - Music in restaurants, bars and cafes could soon be quieter in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The latest, as the Croatian Headquarters will discuss lowering music in catering establishments.
Namely, as various Croatian media learned on Monday morning and as Jutarnji List reported, the National Civil Protection Headquarters will soon begin talks with representatives of caterers in which they will try to agree on reducing noise in restaurants, bars, and cafes, i.e., reducing decibels from speakers, which would 'lower' the tone of visitors' conversations.
Colder weather will certainly increase the number of those sitting in cafes and restaurants indoors where there is usually loud music, resulting in guests amplifying their speech. Since the coronavirus spreads mainly by droplets, in part by aerosol, any increase in speech or shouting helps it spread.
According to Croatian laws, catering establishments in which music is not provided as an obligation in the minimum conditions can have noise only up to 65 decibels, which would be the strength of the average conversation. However, it is almost certain that music in cafes is sometimes much louder. These are all reasons why the Headquarters intends to reach an agreement with the caterers, because, in the end, it is to their advantage, given that if a cafe is registered as a hotspot, it will face temporary closure.
The Headquarters' views are also supported by the research of scientists from the University of California who said that, for example, reducing the volume by only six decibels in average speech can have the same effect on preventing the spread of the coronavirus as doubling room ventilation.
Increasing the volume by 35 decibels, which is the difference between whispering and shouting, emits 50 times more particles. Namely, whispering creates a noise of 35 decibels, ordinary conversation of 65, loud speech 75, and shouting 100 decibels, which is 30 more than the noise generated by city traffic. Noise of 100 decibels is mostly allowed in nightclubs under Croatian law.
Experts warn that during the corona period, due to the excessive spread of the virus, singing in choirs should also be limited, and they also recommend 'quiet zones' in all high-risk enclosures like hospital waiting rooms.
In the past 24 hours, 48 new cases were recorded, so the number of active cases in Croatia today is 1,180. Among them, 291 patients are in hospital, of which 24 are on a ventilator. In the past 24 hours, 3,029 people were tested.
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Meet Andrea Tintor, Young Entertainment Entrepreneur and Popular Culture Enthusiast
September 28, 2020 – A successful business career in the field of entertainment entrepreneurship and popular culture seems impossible for many Croatians, but not for Andrea Tintor, who, despite the pandemic, started her own business in those rare fields.
Andrea Tintor completed her undergraduate studies in Cultural Studies at the University of Rijeka, and her graduate studies in Journalism at the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Zagreb. Today, she is a successful young entrepreneur who creates her business from popular culture – in Croatia.
In an interview with TCN, this graduate journalist, blogger, columnist, and entrepreneur explained how she turned popular culture into her career, what it means for her to be an entrepreneur in Croatia and the problems the entertainment industry in Croatia is facing.
Also, she shared with us her biggest dreams and plans for the future, which includes expanding to the global market, all the way to Los Angeles.
- What exactly is your job – entertainment entrepreneurship – and how do you combine it with popular culture content? How would you describe entertainment entrepreneurship in Croatia?
For two years, I have been actively thinking about how to define "that something" when I have absolutely no talent for singing, playing, acting, I am an introvert, and I can't stand being the center of attention, but I have editorial and agency experience. How to create a career from fragments of popular culture? That’s when I realized I was going to have to create my own business. There is an unsaturated market in Croatia and the need for small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the lifestyle industry for new approaches to marketing, advertising at the global level.
Entertainment entrepreneurship has its clientele, the entertainment industry has its audience, and I think it’s time to actively start talking about behind the scenes business segments. There are ingenious PR managers in Croatia who shape the communication of our biggest music stars, female singers finally talk about the business side of their careers and profile themselves as excellent entrepreneurs, event managers have been organizing world-class festivals for years that attract today's leading musicians… We need even better public education and quality projects that will build domestic showbusiness.
Andrea Tintor / Copyright Petra Mikšik
- During your career, you've been a journalist, you've had a blog named "Razlivena tinta" ("Spilled ink"), and now you're writing weekly columns on a lifestyle Croatian portal. What motivated you to go into entrepreneurship, to start your own business in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic?
The idea of owning a business and going into entrepreneurship has been brewing for several months. My biggest motivation was financial independence and the freedom to manage time and choose the clients I want to work with. I have always wanted to have the freedom to create my own business and I adore creating something recognizable out of nothing. At the moment when I was just starting, the WHO declared a pandemic and I could have given up, but today I am grateful for my persistence.
- What is it like to be a young entrepreneur in Croatia?
Challenging and exciting! Every day is different and I have completely unlimited time, creative ideas, project realizations, and choosing clients. I believe that anyone who has a business idea should embark on its realization to see if they will be persistent enough to succeed. We need to start somewhere, and if we are waiting for a move to a "better-organized state" or "for things to change in our country", I don't think we will get anything but to miss the time to create positive stories.
- You work from home and tailor your working hours. Therefore, you are a digital nomad. What would you single out as the biggest advantages of this way of working? How do you see the future of digital nomads in Croatia?
As I have already stated, the advantage is freedom in all segments of the business. What I would list as a special challenge is that a person has to work on organization, focus, and daily discipline. I work from home, from cafes or with clients at their place, and I have unlimited time to work. However, my clients usually have fixed working hours and I try to adapt to their needs as much as possible. I believe that more and more individuals will become digital nomads, so I hope that the executive authority will recognize and encourage this, both domestic digital nomads and foreign ones.
Andrea Tintor / Copyright Petra Mikšik
- You believe that popular culture's contents can be of quality, too, which is what you write about in your columns. What do you think is the perception of popular culture in Croatia?
Primarily, I think this is a very complex topic because I think the quality of the content is quite variable. For example, there are great musicians, creatives who write blogs, record vlogs and podcasts, niche media with positive topics, and everyone can find content for themselves. But the quality of content on television, starting with reality shows, is very superficial. It is clear to me who the target audience is, but for television as a medium to survive, it must also affect a younger audience. I believe that the audience must be educated and think about the content they consume, which I write about on my page.
- What advice would you give to young people, creatives, and talents thinking about entrepreneurship?
Simply – go for it! The world is big enough and full of possibilities for anyone who dares to think outside your comfort zone. I believe that in the age of digitalization and global connectivity, the impossible does not exist. Every goal takes time, so the sooner you start – the sooner it will be achieved.
- How do you comment on the negative Croatian mindset? Do you believe that there are any positive changes in this regard?
I think it was imposed on us by spreading panic, misinformation, and political scandals through the general media. Young people and everyone who is fed up with such propaganda turn to other channels of information, follow the content that interests them, and gradually exclude themselves from that cacophony. Such an approach will, I believe, bring us positive changes in the long run.
Andrea Tintor / Copyright Petra Mikšik
- One of your desires for the future is to expand globally and collaborate with the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Can you explain your vision and what would it look like? What would this mean for the Croatian entertainment industry?
I don't like to talk about long-term plans in detail, because sometimes there are points that I have to agree on myself, and on the other hand I allow life to surprise me. What I can say is that in a month, the plan is to launch an education program for small entrepreneurs and creatives who need PR support to expand their brand. Next year will be a year of growth, new projects, returning to conferences, travel… There is a big project planned that will be realized from Zagreb, and then global domination will gradually start (laughs).
- Also, in the future, you want to establish a foundation and academy for the education of young creatives. What are your other plans?
Establishing a foundation and academy to educate young creatives and talents is definitely on my list of life plans that should be realized in my fifties when I make one round from what I started, to what I accomplish. I believe that each individual must return to the community what has been given to them and invest in the younger generations who need support, be it educational, financial, or both.
I have many plans on paper and in my head, primarily to continue to act creatively, to try myself in some new media forms, to write and publish a book… But, all in good time.
You can follow Andrea Tintor on her page for more.
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Dubrovnik Embraces Digital Nomads: October EF Week Events, April International Competition
September 28, 2020 - Croatia, the lifestyle destination welcomes lifestyle workers, as Dubrovnik digital nomads embraced with a new tourism initiative.
These are heady days for Croatia 2.0, with a gentle breeze of change blowing across Croatia. While the coronavirus caused severe damage to the global economy and tourism industry, it also forced countries to look at the current status quo and to find ways of adapting to the new reality. The traditions of bloated bureaucracy and mass tourism are clearly not sustainable, and the crisis has advanced the cause of digitalisation considerably, as well as focusing the debate on more sustainable tourism and embracing new tourism trends.
Perhaps the most exciting development in this regard has been the readiness of Croatia to ride the wave of the digital nomad revolution, as Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic confirmed that Croatia would be only the second country in Europe (and the fifth in the world) to introduce the new digital nomad visa. This visa enables bona fide remote workers from any country to live and work in the country, provided they can prove some basic requirements, such as health insurance, no criminal record, and a certain level of income. With more than one billion remote workers projected by 2035, many of whose are looking for lifestyle as a key living factor. The potential of Croatia - arguably the lifestyle capital of Europe - to accommodate this new dynamic, wealth-creating and mindset-changing sector, is exciting indeed. The introduction of the new visa, which has already been introduced to the Croatian Parliament and is expected to become law in 2021, will enable Croatia to attract a new type of tourist. A tourist who will stay not for a week on the beach in peak season, but in various locations across the country for a month, three, even a year, while enjoying the true gems that Croatia has to offer - safety, authentic experiences, and lifestyle.
One city which has been quick to grasp the potential of the new opportunity has been Dubrovnik, which is looking at ways to diversify its dependence on cruise and mass tourism. Total Croatia News, in partnership with the City of Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik Tourist Board, and Croatian-based remote work and lifestyle specialists, Saltwater, is delighted to announce the first concrete steps to position Dubrovnik as an attractive lifestyle and digital nomad destination.
Symbolically located in the infamous former quarantine quarter, the Lazareti, on the edge of the city walls (the Dubrovnik Republic was the birthplace of quarantine back in 1377), Dubrovnik will host a series of events, both in real life (IRL) and virtual, during European Freelancer Week (October 16 - 25). The event, which will also be streamed live, will also be shown in several other cities simultaneously through the Saltwater network, further broadening the coverage of this new initiative. The October event will be a precursor to a much bigger initiative in Spring 2021, when an international digital nomad competition will bring 10 lucky winners to the Pearl of the Adriatic for a month as guests of the city. During this time, they will work with the city authorities and tourist board to develop strategies for the development of Dubrovnik as a lifestyle and digital nomad destination.
On a personal note, and after many years of dealing with local authorities in Croatia, I have been very impressed not only in the way that the Dubrovnik authorities have embraced the opportunity, but also how proactive they have been in pushing it forward. I first presented the concept to Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic back in July, who immediately gave the green light and set things in motion. Several subsequent meetings with Deputy Mayor Jelka Tepsic and Dubrovnik Tourist Board Director Ana Hrnic, have led to today's announcement. Saltwater founder Tanja Polegubic was in Dubrovnik last week to finalise details for the October event, as well as looking forward to the larger initiative next Spring.
(TCN presenting the digital nomad concept to Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic on July 21, 2020)
The speed of acceptance of this digital nomad initiative is one which will no doubt be acknowledged by one of the keynote speakers at next month's events - Dutch entrepreneur Jan de Jong. An avid Total Croatia News reader, de Jong came across the digital nomad opportunity back in May via TCN while researching for a presentation at a tourism conference. A few months later, an open letter to the prime minister on his LinkedIn profile asking for the introduction of a digital nomad visa for Croatia set off a chain of events which resulted in PM Plenkovic announcing a digital nomad visa for Croatia on Twitter just 44 days later.
The breeze of change of Croatia 2.0 is gathering strength.
(Keynote speaker Dr. Wallace J. Nichols)
The full programme and registration process will be published shortly on TCN, but I am also excited to mention the top keynote speaker for Dubrovnik's European Freelancer Event in October. Dr. Wallace J. Nichols is a marine biologist and author of the NY Times Bestseller, Blue Mind. Known simply as 'J', Dr. Nichols will speak about productivity and wellbeing, especially for digital nomads. You can learn more about J by supporting him on Patreon. Check out his Blue Mind Movie Sizzle Reel video.
We will publish more details about this new Dubrovnik initiative shortly. Who is this for? If you are:
- A digital nomad planning to be in Croatia from October 16 to 25, Dubrovnik will be an interesting destination.
- A tourism business wanting to adjust your business to become digital nomad friendly.
- A city council in Croatia anticipating the arrival of digital nomads entering with the incoming digital nomad visa.This is the premier event to follow online and in person if you are in Dubrovnik, 16-25 October.
Given the increased interest in the digital nomad revolution, TCN recently started a dedicated section - catch the latest news from the remote working world in Croatia here.
