March 19, 2023 - Can Croatia become a 12-month Mediterranean tourist leader? That and many other thought-provoking topics at this year's 3T Tourism, Travel and  Tech conference, reports Cimerfraj.   

The annual 3T conference was held with a number of experts and conclusions: AI cannot replace humans, Croatia can still be a leader in realizing the maximum sustainability of tourism in the Mediterranean, and the offer for year-round tourism is not at all questionable.

On Wednesday, March 15, 2023, the 3T - Tourism, Travel & Tech conference was held. On that chilly morning at the dawn of another spring, conference visitors came to Zagreb's Kaptol Center for a solid dose of optimism.

The conference that combines tourism and technology, without which tourism in its modern scale would not exist, brought together experts from various areas of the tourism and IT sectors and delivered current views on trends and forecasts in business to those gathered at its 6th physical and online edition.

The 3T conference was announced as a discussion on the possibilities of using AI in tourism, and this motif ran through almost all the presentations, with a common conclusion - AI will never replace humans

The response of Zoran Pejović, a consultant from Lošinj, made us think about how reliable artificial intelligence (AI) is.

Igor Marušić, product manager of Hrvatski Telekom, established that artificial intelligence can be a significant factor in solving the problem of labor shortage, in his presentation on Chatbots in the hotel industry.

Marušić emphasizes that the point is not the implementation of AI in business, which would result in the dismissal of workers, but that such technology can be programmed to solve simpler tasks and inquiries of guests, whereby people can focus and concentrate on solving more complex problems in business

This is precisely why Marušić sees the development of artificial intelligence as a great opportunity to fill unpopular jobs, which no one wants, along with the growth of the quality of tourist products.

Total sustainability is impossible
Sustainable tourism in Croatia is far from being fully realized, but it is still more than empty talk, is the conclusion of the presentation by Robert Sedlar, an expert whose company Interzero deals with the issue of waste disposal.

Transport is the biggest polluter in tourism - Robert Sedlar

Sustainability is the thread that connected almost all the presentations. There was more talk about the hotel's sustainable business than family accommodation, which accounts for over 50% of overnight stays. That is why we now know that Croatia has 1199 hotels, of which only 26 are green.

We also know that luxury tourism is no longer characterized only by the consumption of expensive and exclusive material goods, but today's luxury is the enjoyment of the unique features that abound in Croatia, like every tourist country. This type of offer is in the best position to fulfill almost all sustainable principles and achieve what we want from tourism - fewer guests and burden on local communities, with maximum income.

The participants of the panel discussion on the sustainability of luxury, moderated by the conference director Oleg Maštruko, concluded that 100% sustainability is an impossible mission, but that does not mean that we should not even try to achieve the goals of complete sustainability of tourism. The morning part of the conference ended with an interesting question by tourist journalist and blogger Anja Mutić from the audience: "Why is there so much talk about sustainable tourism, isn't it time to focus on regenerative tourism?".

From motoring to the potential of year-round tourism
The afternoon part of the conference was less about theory and more about practical examples.

No one in Croatia had previously done an expert study of the socio-economic impacts of a tourist event on local communities. The first such analysis "Socio-economic impacts of WRC Rally Croatia 2022 on the area of Central Croatia", prepared in cooperation with the Faculty of Economics in Zagreb, was presented by Marin Frčko, one of the key people from the WRC Rally Croatia organization.

Marin Frčko on the impact of WRC Rally Croatia on the quality of life of locals

In 2022, this world-renowned sports event brought Croatian tourism an income of 105 million euros. Its full potential could be unlocked only this year, because last year's result was largely influenced by the release of pandemic measures and the escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian war. This year's edition, without a doubt, we expect great results from April 20 to 23.

"The question is why Croatia has too few such global events, especially in the pre- and post-season, although I don't like those terms, I prefer to think about the year-round offer of domestic tourism," Frčko pointed out, noting that such events are followed by millions of fans around the world.

The WRC is among the TOP 20 sports events in the world. Unlike others, such as the world football championship, this and similar manifestations do not need the construction of a stadium, the existing infrastructure is used, so their organization should be among the projects of national interest in terms of the development of year-round tourism.

Did you know that, in addition to Croatia Airlines, we have another airline? Few visitors knew this, until they met Stjepan Bedić, pilot and director of ETF (Enjoy Your Flight) Airways. Launching an airplane startup during a pandemic is more than a challenge, but today ETF flies and covers the logistical problems of numerous partners with its planes.

One of the most convincing ambassadors of Croatian tourism - Paul Bradbury probably knows the cultural heritage of Croatia's gastronomy better than the average Croat. He will convince everyone that Croatia has everything a tourist could want for an unforgettable stay at any time of the year, but it's best if he tells you about it himself...

February 19, 2023 - This year’s 6th edition 3T - Tourism, Travel, and Tech conference will deal with the impact of artificial intelligence on the future of the tourism sector, its advantages and its dangers.

The long-term processes of the development of artificial intelligence led to a real “explosion” of its application, and expectations are that in 2023 there will be even more active use of AI. Applications of systems such as DALL-E, ChatGPT, and similar will be more and more widespread, and their acceptance will affect all segments of society and business.

It is inevitable to talk about the impact of artificial intelligence on the most substantial industry in Croatia, tourism. And where is a better place to combine these two topics than at the 3T – Tourism, Travel and Tech conference, which in its five previous editions covered topics specifically from technology and tourism?

This year one of the keynote speakers, consultant Zoran Pejović (All Things Hospitality) will talk more about artificial intelligence and the future of the tourism sector, about the dangers and advantages of this unexpected combination.

Another keynote speaker is Antoaneta Šimunović, owner and director of Luxury Living Croatia, whose lecture is entitled “Does Luxury exist in Croatia?” The third keynote will be given by Robert Sedlar, head of sales at Interzero Croatia, with the title “Sustainable tourism in Croatia – myth or reality?”

A traditional panel discussion will be held on the topic “Do Luxury and sustainability in tourism and travel go together?” The program is still a work in progress, and the rest of the conference speakers and programme will be announced soon.

The 3T – Tourism, Travel, and Tech conference will take place on March 15, 2023, at the Kaptol Boutique Cinema & Bar, Nova Ves 17, Zagreb.

The ticket price is €80 (HRK 602.76) and includes lunch. The price for a virtual conference is €30 (HRK 226.04). Ticket holders also get permanent access to lecture recordings. You can already get your tickets here.

March 5, 2022 - AI, robots, and TikTok in tourism are all in one place at the 2022 3T Tourism, Travel, Tech Conference in Zagreb on March 22!

The 3T (Tourism, Travel & Tech) conference will bring together speakers to talk about a wide variety of topics, both in-person and online.

3T is a professional conference that unites tourism and IT as the leading and most important branches of the Croatian economy. The fifth edition is scheduled for March 22, 2022.

The keynote lecture will be given by Sonja Prvan, Designer of Responsible Tourism Experience. Her talk "Sustainability and experiences as a booster of the tourist offer" will discuss socially and environmentally responsible travel. They bring greater visibility and sales, but the question arises - how to achieve this and to whom to sell it? For the last three years, the lecturer has been responsible for designing and upgrading new tourist offers to focus on sustainability and responsibility at the Intrepid Travel agency.

Aco Momčilović, a graduate psychologist, HR expert, and doctoral student in Digital Economics, will talk about the application of artificial intelligence, which is slowly finding its way from finance, health, or military applications to tourism. His lecture will discuss how suitable tourism is for AI solutions and whether we already have some good practices.

On the examples of Valamar and Arena Hospitality Group, a solution for robotizing business processes using Robotiq.ai technology will be presented, and the lecturer will be Marko Gudelj, Ph.D. and co-founder of Robotiq.ai.

To move away from "serious" technologies, a more relaxed but very current topic has been announced. The most famous domestic TikToker and one of the ten most popular in the Balkans, 26-year-old Dario Marčac, will discuss applying the mega-popular social network TikTok in the tourism sector. Linking TikTok to Instagram, Dario has over 650,000 followers; TikTok is his source of income, and his business is expanding daily. “With the help of short videos with concise information, the TikTok community allows brands to present themselves in an honest and fun way and make an emotional connection with customers,” Dario says, announcing his presentation.

Free streaming
Tickets are on sale if you'd like to participate. If you want to watch the program via live streaming, you can completely free of charge, but with prior registration. The date of the event is March 22, 2022, and the location is HUB385 or online. You can check out the prominent lecturers and the program here.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

March 4, 2021 - The 3T Conference will hold its 4th edition online on March 23, 2021. 

3T – Tourism Travel and Tech conference returns this year for the 4th time and will be available for everyone online. Depending on the COVID-19 measures, it may also have a location for live visitors. On March 23rd, participants will hear tourism and IT professionals who share their thoughts on how to deal with pandemic and post-pandemic tourism. The current situation with COVID-19 and travel opens up possibilities for IT and tech to support tourism activities. The main topics covered will be climate – sustainability – technology and main the conference will try to answer the main question „How to survive after the pandemic?“

The exact conference programme and all the speakers are not yet set, but two keynote speakers will share their tourism and tech thoughts. The first keynote is Zoran Pejović with the lecture “How to keep the best employees in tourism in the post-Covid world?” The second keynote is Robert Sedlar, who will analyse the pandemic's consequences on the tourism sector and offer directions for the future. Additionally, the participants will be able to hear famous Croatian chef Mate Janković and lecture on “How to be great with content and build personal branding on social media?” by Ilija Brajković. 

The panel discussion with the main conference topic will be moderated by Oleg Maštruko, director of the conference. He believes there will be a lot of interest in tourism and tech-related advice. Everyone who works in tourism will need to use technology as a way out of the unprecedented crisis. The conference will try to address some of the following challenges:

Can tourism be sustainable, and how can the development of technology help us?

How to maintain the quality of life at the desired level with the growth of tourist traffic? 

Will VR and AR reduce the need for physical travel to the location?

To participate and learn from experts how to deal with tourism challenges during the pandemic, check out more info on the conference and tickets at 3t.bug.hr.

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Croatia has the largest tourism percentage of GDP in the EU. It also has some outstanding technology. The two meet in Zagreb later this month at the 3T Tourism Travel and Tech conference.