7 July 2022 – The 73rd Dubrovnik Summer Festival will open on Sunday, 10 July at 9 pm, in front of St. Blaise’s Church, with the traditional raising of the Libertas flag to the verses of Ivan Gundulić’s Hymn to Liberty.

The rich and diverse programme, which both local and foreign audiences of all ages will enjoy in the coming 47 festival days, was presented at the press conference held on Wednesday, 6 July in the Sponza Palace by the Festival’s POA Paulina Njirić and Artistic Director Dora Ruždjak Podolski, where the City of Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković and Head of the Administrative Department for County Affairs and the Dubrovnik-Neretva County Assembly Leader Žaklina Marević showed their support for the Festival as well.

"It is especially important to say that this 73rd edition of the Festival is actually a return to how things were before, for the first time after two years. I have to emphasise also the importance of the support we received in 2020 and in 2021, from the Ministry [of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia] as well as the City and the County. If the Festival hadn’t been held then in its full format, I am not sure that we would have been able to have such a rich programme now or be able to strategically look at the future that is certainly ahead of us – pointed out Artistic Director Dora Ruždjak Podolski. 

The direction of the opening ceremony was entrusted to Aida Bukvić who co-wrote the script with dramaturge Marijana Fumić. Accompanied by the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra under the baton of maestro Ivan Hut, soprano Kristina Kolar will be joined by the Pro musica Mostar Academic Choir, Libertas Mixed Choir, Dubrovnik Chamber Choir, and Blasius Choir, with the Festival Drama Ensemble and the Acting students of the Zagreb Academy of Dramatic Arts and Linđo Folklore Ensemble also performing. Alongside the large audience and important dignitaries gathered in front of St. Blaise’s Church, the opening ceremony will be followed by viewers and listeners of the Croatian Radio and Television who will be broadcasting it live.

The drama programme includes two premiere titles and three hit reprise productions, performed by the Festival Drama Ensemble. One of the most famous 17th century Dubrovnik prose comedies (the so-called smješnice), the juicy play Lovers with a plot that does not lose any of its relevance even three hundred years after publication, directed by Aleksandar Švabić and sponsored by OTP Bank, will be staged on 19 July at a new festival location – in front of St. Jacob’s Church. The relationship between masters and servants, the ridiculing of covetousness, miserliness, artifice and superstition, all revolving around the theme of courtship, will be presented by the best actors of the younger generation Marin Klišmanić, Andrej Kopčok, Boris Barukčić, Kristijan Petelin, Josipa Bilić and Veronika Mach, led by Nataša Kopeč and Dražen Šivak. Set design and costume design are done by David Morhan and Mia Popovska, stage movement by Damir Klemenić. Maro Market is the composer of the music, the lighting designer is Martin Šatović, and the advisor for Dubrovnik's speech is Maro Martinović.

August brings the culmination of the drama programme in the premiere staging of the cult Federico García Lorca tragedy Blood Wedding directed by the award-winning Franka Perković Gamulin. Despite being tied to the rural environment in the first half of the 20th century, the play bears universal values, considering the story it tells. Goran Ferčec did the dramaturgy, Igor Vasiljev set design, Doris Kristić costume design, Elvis Butković lighting design. Matija Ferlin is in charge of stage movement and Toma Serdarević is the director's assistant. With an impressive creative team, the doubly-cursed dramatic characters confined within their own limits and enslaved by their own passions will be embodied on stage by an impressive festival ensemble led by Ksenija Marinković, Jadranka Đokić and Nikša Butijer together with Lana Meniga, Luka Knez, Nikola Baće, Iva Kraljević, Tanja Smoje and Mojmir Novaković, who also composed the music. On 17 August the play will premiere at two locations on the island of Lokrum, sponsored by Hrvatska elektroprivreda (Croatian Electric Company).

To the delight of the audience, reprises of Festival hits are on the programme. Starting on 13 July, the drama programme will open with the award-winning staging of Shakespeare's Hamlet directed by Paolo Magelli which premiered at the anniversary 70th Festival with Dubrovnik's own Frano Mašković playing the title role. Last year's success Lion House will follow, based on the eponymous debut novel by Ivan Salečić and directed by Aida Bukvić, its strong cast narrates the story of Dubrovnik, portraying it as a place where burdened history and burlesque transition clash. By now the audience favourite Mara and Kata, an original project by director Saša Božić done in collaboration with actresses Nataša Dangubić and Doris Šarić Kukuljica as the titular gossipmongers, is an indispensable part of the summer. The Festival will also host the Croatian National Theatre Zagreb and their stage adaptation of the world-renowned novel My Brilliant Friend by the mysterious writer Elena Ferrante, directed by the young Marina Pejnović already known well by the festival audiences. On the programme as well is the traditional performance by the Lero Student Theatre who will present a select scrapbook of faded pages of lost and lonely owners, their sadness, foreboding, suffering and silence in the play Ladies’ Park directed by Davor Mojaš.

The festival audience will enjoy listening to the great names on the Croatian and world music scenes as part of the music programme, which will be opened by one of the most respected voices in the baroque and classical milieu, the acclaimed soprano Nuria Rial, who will perform together with the distinguished Fahmi Alqhai and his Accademia del Piacere ensemble in the Rector’s Palace and bring an inspiringly fresh early music oeuvre. The same stage will see a concert dedicated to Croatian music by the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra Chamber Ensemble under the baton of maestro Ivan Hut, joined by soloists Franjo Bilić on the harpsichord and Lovro Merčep on the saxophone, after which the music programme continues with an integral performance of Liszt's Transcendental etudes by a musician of tremendous focus and energy Lovro Pogorelić. The Zagreb Quartet with bassoonist Žarko Perišić and clarinettist Milan Milošević will perform at the Rector’s Palace too, where the pianist Fazıl Say will play a Bach piece consisting of an aria and 30 variations, as well as his own original recital in the same week.  After many years Roman Simović, violinist of brilliant virtuosity and limitless imagination, will return to the Festival. Vadym Kholodenko, one of most musically dynamic and technically gifted young pianists to recently emerge on stage, will first have a solo recital in the Rector’s Palace atrium where he will then perform with the violinist Alena Baeva two days later. Magnificent baroque compositions performed by the Antiphonus Vocal Ensemble will also echo through the Rector’s Palace, as well as the melodies played by the world's most respected classical guitarists Miloš Karadaglić who will also be performing there. Furthermore, the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra with the young and promising soloists Lucija Stilinović on the flute and Veronika Ćiković on the harp under the baton of one of the most charismatic conductors of the new generation Dawid Runtz will hold a concert there. The unique project Dubrovnik on a Rock of Music will once again gather brilliant Dubrovnik musicians in an exciting ensemble of accomplished soloists under the direction of Tomislav Fačini, in this year’s edition featuring two soloists – flautist Đive Franetović Kušelj and mezzo-soprano Dubravka Šeparović Mušović.

A big jazz concert in the Gradac Park sponsored by Mastercard® will be held by keyboard and organ virtuoso, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and Grammy award winner, Cory Henry, who will be accompanied by talented musicians, reveal to the festival audience an unusual combination of jazz, funk, gospel and soul. Fans of world music will enjoy the performance of Indian musician Arnab Bhattacharya, who will present the deep and introspective sound of the sarod in the Sponza Palace atrium, on the occasion of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the celebration of 75 years of Indian independence, which is joined by the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, under the auspices of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the Embassy of India in Zagreb. The opera gala, the magnificent finale of the Festival on 25 August in front of the Cathedral, will bring one of the most interesting young soloists, the American soprano who has already had numerous performances on the world's most prestigious stages Nadine Sierra, and this year's Boris Papandopulo National Competition for Young Musicians winner Croatian tenor Filip Filipović accompanied by the indispensable hosts of the final concert, Croatian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, this time conducted by maestro Ivan Repušić.

Ballet and dance lovers will relish the acclaimed neo-romantic staging of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice in Gradac Park, choreographed and directed by Leo Mujić and performed by the Croatian National Theatre Zagreb Ballet, as well as the performance of frequent festival guests, the Zagreb Dance Ensemble, with a contemporary dance show Revel Revel by the Spanish choreographer Roser López Espinosa, in which five women question the limits of their own freedom. A key part of the festival programme is the Linđo Folklore Ensemble, whose performances at the Festival celebrate the rich Croatian folklore, dance, and music heritage.

The rich accompanying programme includes Response, an exhibition by the exceptional Dubrovnik artist Izvor Pende, who will put up his large-format abstract oil paintings of strong colouristic expression in two locations, in the atrium of the Sponza Palace and in the Lazareti, and Livio Badurina’s Diary of an Actor – Rehearsal Room/Space of Appearance and Disappearance which will open at the Public Library Grad on the first day of August. The film programme brings the premiere of the Croatian Radiotelevision documentary Time of Aretej at the Jadran Open-air Cinema on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the premiere of the legendary play Aretej at the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, and the screening of the recently premiered documentary film 80 Years of Radio Dubrovnik directed by Vedran Benić at the Slavica Open-air Cinema. On the same big screen, the festival audience can catch the winning domestic film from the Pula Film Festival, brought in cooperation with Dubrovnik Cinemas.

With the Behind the Stage programme in the Sponza Palace atrium, composers Ardian Halimi and Nina Perović will present themselves and their work as part of a two-week residency on the project #synergy: Sharpening the capacities of the classical music industry in the Western Balkans. The project is co-funded by the EU Creative Europe programme, with the aim of strengthening cultural cooperation and the competitiveness of cultural and creative industries in the Western Balkans. The main partner of the project is the KotorArt Don Branko’s Music Days from Montenegro, and alongside the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, the project partners are: the Belgrade Festivals Centre (CEBEF) from Serbia, the Festival Ljubljana from Slovenia, the Kosovo Chopin Association from Kosovo and the Vox Baroque International Festival from Albania.

Always an important part of the Festival is the programme intended for the youngest audience, and this summer's the Festival is happy to announce real treats: one of the few plays in Croatia for children under two years of age – The Story of the Wheel, and for the slightly older kids the playful and interactive The Princess and the Pea, both of which will be staged by the Mala scena Theatre at the Bunić-Kaboga Summer Villa. The highlight of the children's program however will be put up at the Lovrjenac Fort, where the musical-stage work The Enchanted Forest will be premiered, with the support of the Caboga Stiftung foundation. The adaptation of the novel of the same name by the writer Sunčana Škrinjarić is directed by Lea Anastazija Fleger, the dramaturge is Nikolina Rafaj, the music composer Frano Đurović, and the conductor is Mateo Narančić.

"I would like to thank all the sponsors and donors who have been with us for years, and none of whom have given up on us in the last two years of the coronavirus pandemic. Of course, besides the financing which is always very important, I can't help but thank all the people and all departments of the City who have, I would rather say fulfilled our wishes, than just worked with us – concluded the POA Paulina Njirić, extending special thanks to the citizens who have been suffering and loving the Festival for all these years. 

The full programme of this year's Festival and as well as tickets to all performances are available online at the official website https://www.dubrovnik-festival.hr/en/agenda and through the service www.ulaznice.hr, with the latter also available Festival Palace Box Office (Od Sigurate 1), which is open every day from 9 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. Purchases made with Mastercard® and Maestro® cards provide a 10% discount, while purchases over HRK 500 receive a 30% discount voucher on festival souvenirs.

The Dubrovnik Summer Festival – the centre of Croatian and global spirit and culture, a place of creation and not just a place of visit, a place of community, ideas, and new artistic expressions, is traditionally supported this year by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, the City of Dubrovnik, the Dubrovnik-Neretva county, Dubrovnik Tourist Board and numerous sponsors Euroherc, Mastercard, HEP, ACI club, ALH, Kraš, Coca-Cola, Croatia Airlines and TuttoBene and donors Caboga Stiftung foundation, OTP bank, and other benefactors who helped bring this most prestigious cultural event in Croatia to fruition.

To read more about sports in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 16 Dec 2021 - The City of Dubrovnik has become the majority owner of the Dubrovnik Port company with a 51.32% stake, mayor Mato Franković said on Thursday, calling this important for the company's future and the management of the city's port area.

The city previously acquired a 48.75% stake in the company and has become the majority owner after the city-owned company UTD Ragusa acquired another 2.75%. At a general shareholders' assembly on 22 November, Dubrovnik Port was authorized to buy 8.99% of its shares from the Atlantska Plovidba shipping company.

The mayor told the press that today was a historic day and decision for the future of Dubrovnik Port and the management of the city's waters.

"In recent years attempts were made to devalue Dubrovnik Port and award the cruise ship terminal project to another company. That would have made the port's future questionable and now we have changed all that."

Franković said that after 15 years the obligations to the government had been fulfilled and that, together with it, a procedure was launched to award a concession for the construction of a cruise ship terminal in the port. He hopes Dubrovnik Port "will soon get a priority concession."

The company's director Željko Raguž said the next step, in order to get the concession, is to amend the urban plan with regard to the city's port.

He said Dubrovnik Port would end 2021 with a profit of over HRK 2 million (€266,000).

For more, check out our dedicated politics section.

September 22, 2021 - The city of Dubrovnik has been positioning itself as one of the best-prepared destinations to receive digital nomads, after the success of the In-Residence project. Now, it has invited economic entities and other city services to present new offers for digital nomads and thus continue their arrival.

The City of Dubrovnik, through the Administrative Department for Tourism, Economy, and the Sea, announces a Public Invitation for the participation of economic entities in shaping the offer of Dubrovnik as a destination for digital nomads, reports HrTurizam. The Call invites all interested parties to express their interest through new offers for digital nomads that include accommodation, catering, transport, trade, and other social and service activities in tourism, which would attract digital nomads to choose the City as their place of residence.

Namely, by amending the legislation on 1 January 2021, the Republic of Croatia introduced visas that regulate the temporary stay of the so-called digital nomads. It has thus become only the fifth country in the world to regulate the market, which currently covers 4.8 million people, and which could house 17 million people in the future. The initiative of the Government of the Republic of Croatia was launched due to the fact that more and more people in the world work exclusively online, and the further increase in interest in this specific way of life was additionally influenced by the COVID-19 virus pandemic.

With its geographical location, natural and cultural heritage, and safe environment for a comfortable life, Dubrovnik certainly has the prospect of becoming one of the most desirable destinations for digital nomads, with numerous benefits for the local population. In order to diversify the tourist offer and strive to become a year-round destination, the City of Dubrovnik recognized digital nomads as one of its tourist niches, which is why in 2020 it organized a special conference to discuss digital nomads and implemented the project "Dubrovnik Digital Nomad In-Residence”, which was a success and attracted the attention of the international public.

For positioning on this market, with excellent communication technologies developed by the City of Dubrovnik, it is necessary to adapt, monitor trends and market requirements of this segment of tourism. In this context, it is important to involve employers in shaping the new offers for digital nomads that will attract them and ultimately reap the benefits for the entire community.

Applicants are required to provide information about their company or trade and a statement of intent to participate in this project with the benefits that registered digital nomads can use with them.

Applications are accepted by e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. until September 30, 2021.

For more news and features about digital nomads in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.

September 13, 2021 - The City of Dubrovnik limits single-use plastics as part of the EU 'Plastic Smart Cities' project. 

Within the EU project "Plastic Smart Cities," the City of Dubrovnik, as well as institutions and companies (co) owned by the City, will limit the use of single-use plastics. This also comes as part of the Decision adopted at the last City Council session and previously, in April, the Action Plan for the Reduction of Plastic Pollution in the City of Dubrovnik from 2021 - 2026, reports HRTurizam.

The decision on restricting single-use plastics enacts measures which, administrative bodies, institutions, and companies (co) owned by the City of Dubrovnik determine how they will restrict disposable plastics and replace certain items used in business with environmentally friendly solutions, all to prevent and/or reduce the adverse impact of certain plastic products on the environment.

The decision also stipulates that the use of single-use plastics is limited to all public events that the City of Dubrovnik (co) organizes or (co) finances. Furthermore, the city, institutions, and companies are obliged to ensure or arrange with the organizer of public events a separate collection of waste at the venue and its timely and appropriate collection and disposal.

Furthermore, in the operations of the City, institutions, and companies, it is necessary to apply the criteria and benchmarks of green public procurement whenever possible. Therefore, one of the measures prescribed by the Decision also refers to the digitization of documents and the promotion of electronic documents among employees, officials, and employees whenever possible.

With the adoption of the Plastic Pollution Reduction Action Plan, which began in June with a two-day workshop, the City of Dubrovnik became the first city in Croatia to have such a document. Some of these measures are applied before the Plan and Decision.

Recall, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has launched a Plastic Smart Cities initiative that supports coastal towns and villages in taking action to stop plastic pollution. Other Mediterranean and European cities, such as Nice, Izmir, Tangier, Amsterdam, and Venice, are also part of this initiative. The contractual aspects of the project implemented in the area of the city of Dubrovnik are WWF Mediterranean, Association Sunce, and the City of Dubrovnik.

For more on lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

August 20, 2021 - The Dubrovnik UNESCO World Heritage Management Plan is the first management plan for the world heritage in Dubrovnik and the first of its kind in Croatia.

The City of Dubrovnik has obtained the Ministry of Culture and Media's consent to entrust the implementation of the Management Plan of Dubrovnik's Historical Entity to the Institute for Dubrovnik's Reconstruction. This fulfills one of the legal steps that precede the appointment of the ZOD as the main coordinator of the plan's implementation, which is envisaged in the activities listed in the Plan's text, reports HRTurizam.

Following this decision, the Dubrovnik mayor, Mato Franković, was presented with a Proposal to conclude the "Dubrovnik Old Town" UNESCO World Heritage Management Plan to the Public Institution Institute for Dubrovnik's Reconstruction. According to the City of Dubrovnik, the conclusion will be on the schedule of the next City Council session.

Namely, the Institute for Dubrovnik's Reconstruction successfully drafted the plan, which the City Council unanimously adopted in the previous convocation. Furthermore, the appointment of the ZOD as a legal entity at the head of its implementation will establish a continuous management system that will ensure that all challenges are addressed, which are defined in the Action Plan through the priority levels of implementation to preserve the outstanding universal value of the heritage.

The "Dubrovnik Old Town" UNESCO World Heritage Management Plan is the first management plan for the world heritage in Dubrovnik and the first of its kind in the Republic of Croatia. Although drafting the Management Plan arose from the instructions of the UNESCO-ICOMOS World Heritage Committee and Reactive Mission 2015, drafting the document itself began in July 2019. It was based on an extensive participatory process, which defined goals and priorities. As a result, an action plan has been developed to implement strategic activities, together with monitoring indicators to measure the implementation of objectives and activities.

"Dubrovnik Old Town" UNESCO World Heritage Management Plan 

The purpose of the World Heritage Management Plan is to provide a long-term management system that will preserve the quality, originality, and integrity of the recognized world heritage and components that confirm outstanding universal values while maintaining the quality of life and active multifunctional use of the city center.

The management plan covers the entire heritage area, its contact zone, and the associated environment.

The strategic activities of the Management Plan are asset management and capacity building; protection, preservation, and maintenance; sustainable development; tourism management; and traffic management.

You can read the entire management plan here.

For more, follow our lifestyle section.

May 21, 2021 – We have been covering the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program for some time now, focusing on the digital nomads themselves. We’ve decided to catch up with the nomad partners as well and find out about their Dubrovnik experience.

The Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program gathered ten digital nomads from various corners of the world. They have been working hard to give their input in an effort to create a strategic direction for Dubrovnik. This program was created by Saltwater Nomads in partnership with Total Croatia News, with crucial help from the City of Dubrovnik and Dubrovnik Tourist Board. During the four-week-long program, design thinking workshops are used to define the perfect image of a digital nomad-friendly Dubrovnik.

With all the emphasis on what digital nomads need in a destination, it is easy to forget many of them do not travel alone. Six of the nomads in the DNiR program have their partners with them. Whether or not a destination is attractive to their partners will undoubtedly play an important role in the decision to move there. We’ve gathered our digital nomad partners and did short interviews with all of them. It was very interesting to hear their stories. Much like the digital nomads themselves, their partners are a very diverse group. Some of them are digital nomads themselves, while some are using the time in Croatia to rest and re-charge. All of them love being in Dubrovnik, but all of them also have their comments on how to improve the offer.

The Interviews

Nicki is a digital nomad as well as his partner Kaisu who is one of the digital nomads in residence. He is often seen at the Lazareti co-working space making sure he stays on top of his work while staying in Dubrovnik

"...in determining whether to go somewhere or not, for us it's always about: Is there something to do? Is there a community? Is there something we can learn from? Is it an inspiring place?"

Jeff is here with his wife Marlee and they are both digital nomads in the broadcasting industry. Their needs are similar, but they also want to spend quality time in a nice location when working remotely.

"...meeting the people has been the highlight. Getting to know someone other just - 'Hi, How are you? Here are the keys to your home.- We've actually gotten to know people and spend time and talk...

Mira is a student from Hungary, so she doesn’t get to work much while in Dubrovnik. She needs plenty of activities and enjoys exploring the destination she finds herself in. Emi is also from Hungary. She is a digital nomad with a job that requires specific conditions in her place of remote work.

"For me, the challenge has been getting around in the public transportation. That's an everyday challenge."

"I have different requirements than some other digital nomads. Because I teach online, so I need a quiet room. That is actually something not everybody needs."

Pete comes all the way from sunny California and is enjoying his stay in Dubrovnik. The nature of his work doesn’t allow him to work remotely. So, his main focus is on exploring the area and enjoying his stay in Croatia.

"...some of the challenges, especially when your partner is working, you are kind of just left on your own. But, luckily, Dubrovnik has great things to do. So, I've been kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving, eating a whole bunch..."

Sam is a writer and a digital nomad, just like his wife Charlie. They are flexible and determined to enjoy the digital nomad lifestyle. But being a digital nomad couple often means having different requirements than when you are an individual traveller.

"...because we are a couple we like doing things independently as well. So, for the people that are here in the co-living space, you've instantly got that community together. Whereas being a couple, we obviously like a bit of our own time as well."

With all these different views and opinions, it seems catering to all of them is not an easy task. However, if you already have beautiful areas and friendly people in your community, most other items on the wish list are quite manageable. It is safe to say all of them have one thing in common. They are happy in Dubrovnik and want to be a part of the community.

Saltwater Nomads' Tanja Polegubic on Dubrovnik Digital Nomad-in-Residence Program

Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic on Digital Nomads, US Flights, 2021 Season

Winners announcement video:

Learn more about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program.

May 17, 2021 – Among Dubrovnik digital nomads is also Zoltan Nagy, a Hungarian photographer, videographer, and a really cool person. He told us about his impressions of the city and the life of a digital nomad.

Zoltan Nagy is a landscape photographer, videographer, and web designer. He is not too far away from home in Dubrovnik as his homeland of Hungary is one of the neighbouring countries to Croatia. In fact, he considers Croatia one of his favourite foreign countries. He is a young digital nomad looking to explore the world and immortalize it in his photographs. One of the things that excited him the most about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program is meeting like-minded individuals and working with them on the common goal.

DNiR Program

The Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program is the work of Saltwater Nomads in partnership with Total Croatia News. The Dubrovnik Tourist Board and the City of Dubrovnik support the project and make it possible. The program is a co-creation effort looking to utilise the experiences of ten digital nomads combined with local community members. The goal is to create a strategic direction for the city through the use of design-thinking workshops. It represents a step towards re-thinking Dubrovnik's tourism sector.

The Interview

Zoltan is always upbeat and ready to help. We’ve taken advantage of this and asked him a few questions about his experiences in Dubrovnik. He is very happy with the life in the city and the people he met along the way.

“I love it so far! We’ve met quite a lot of local people here and they were just so nice. They showed us around, gave us some tips and tricks on where to eat, where to find nice photo spots. And of course, the Old Town is just amazing.”

So, what does a person with such a positive outlook on Croatia and Dubrovnik find to be the most challenging thing for digital nomads here?

“The only challenge I found here is the accommodation. So, as a digital nomad, I of course have a monthly budget I can spend on food and just living in a place, and I couldn’t find really good deals in terms of accommodation here…”

Check out the full video below.

Saltwater Nomads' Tanja Polegubic on Dubrovnik Digital Nomad-in-Residence Program

Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic on Digital Nomads, US Flights, 2021 Season

Winners announcement video:

Learn more about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program.

May 17, 2021 – Our interviews with digital nomads in Dubrovnik continue with Charlie Brown, a freelance writer and wine expert from the UK. 

Charlie Brown comes from the UK and she is a freelance writer covering themes of wine, food, finance, and entrepreneurship. Her skills are many and interests diverse. Together with her husband Sam she used to own a wine shop and bar outside of London until the couple decided to sell the business and their house to dive into the life of digital nomads. They are no strangers to Croatia nor Dubrovnik, but it was the Digital Nomads-in Residence program that enabled them to come and live in the “Pearl of the Adriatic”. Charlie is always keen on exploring new places and local culture. She is especially interested in the traditional food and wine scene. This is why Croatia was always high on her travel list.

It was through Facebook groups that Charlie and Sam found out about the possibility of joining the program in Dubrovnik. She applied and it didn’t take long for the people in charge to decide a person with an intimate knowledge of wine and food is always a welcomed group member.

DNiR Program

Saltwater Nomads created the Digital Nomads-in-Residence program in partnership with Total Croatia News. They found amazing partners in the Dubrovnik Tourist Board and the City of Dubrovnik which support the project wholeheartedly. The program gathers ten digital nomads of different profiles whose experiences of living and working in Dubrovnik will be used to craft a strategic direction for the city. Dubrovnik is moving towards a more sustainable future and digital nomads might be a contributing factor in those efforts.

The Interview

Charlie is always hard at work and it is not easy to get her time. So we’ve made sure to keep the interview short and sweet. Through our chat she revealed her insights into the city and being a digital nomad in Dubrovnik:

“It’s been great weather which really helps. There’s plenty to do here as well and it’s really nice to meet the digital nomads here as well. So, so far it’s been a really great experience.“

"It’s a new thing here, digital nomads in Dubrovnik. So, aside from us ten and our partners, it would be great to be able to meet more people – if there are people – doing this here as well. So, anything like meetups and that sort of thing would be good as well."

She also had plenty of chosen words about her colleagues in the program and the beautiful co-working space in Dubrovnik’s Lazareti complex. Make sure to watch the full interview below.

 Learn more about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program.

Saltwater Nomads' Tanja Polegubic on Dubrovnik Digital Nomad-in-Residence Program

Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic on Digital Nomads, US Flights, 2021 Season

For the latest digital nomad news from Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.

The winner announcement video:

May 17, 2021 – Our digital nomads are paving the way for their future colleagues in Dubrovnik as a part of the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program. We caught up with Kaisu Koskela to get her thoughts.

When it comes to being a digital nomad, Kaisu Koskela is the „real deal“. She has been embracing the life of a digital nomad since before the term existed. Originally from Finland, Kaisue feels at home anywhere she finds interesting. She holds a Ph.D. in social sciences from the University of Helsinki and an MSc in social anthropology from the Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies at the University of Amsterdam. Her Ph.D. research dealt with skilled migrants, their communities, and social identities. All this makes her outstandingly qualified to take part in a project dealing with digital nomads in Dubrovnik.

DNiR Program

The Digital Nomads-in-Residence program was created by Saltwater Nomads in partnership with Total Croatia News. With both the Dubrovnik Tourist Board and the City of Dubrovnik supporting it and collaborating on it, the aim of the program is to create a strategic direction for the city. Through design thinking workshops the potential future of digital nomads in Dubrovnik will be described.

Kaisu found out about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program through a friend. She applied intrigued by the prospect of contributing to such an interesting project. Today, she is one of the ten nomads in residence in Dubrovnik.

The Interview

She shared some of her thoughts with us during a short interview. It was interesting to hear her opinions on living and working in Dubrovnik as a digital nomad. Also, Kaisu was clear about her personal likes and dislikes about the experience.

„I think the challenges are to do with the tourist season being so intense and the prices hiking up in that period. Because, as a nomad, you have the whole world to choose from. You have so many locations you can go to at any one time. Personally, for me, what is most important is to have nice sunny weather, which we have here currently and through much of the year. You get to experience really nice weather here, so that's great.“

She is also happy with the colleagues in the Dubrovnik DNiR program as well as the participation of the city and the local tourist board.

„...the fact that the Dubrovnik city and tourism authorities are a part of this I think is a really encouraging sign for digital nomadism in general. So, I am very happy to be a part of the whole program.„

Check out the full interview with Kaisu Kaskela below.

Saltwater Nomads' Tanja Polegubic on Dubrovnik Digital Nomad-in-Residence Programme

Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic on Digital Nomads, US Flights, 2021 Season

Here is Kaisu's application video:

Learn more about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program.

January 27, 2021 - Dubrovnik anticipates 354 cruisers this year, which should carry over 600,000 passengers, according to the Dubrovnik Port Authority director. 

Tportal.hr reports that the Dubrovnik Port Authority director, Blaz Pezo, said on Tuesday that in 2021, 354 cruise ships with over 600 thousand passengers had announced their arrival in Dubrovnik.

As an HDZ city councilor, Pezo participated in the Dubrovnik City Council's discussion on Tuesday on the amount of tourist tax for cruise ships in international maritime traffic when the ship is moored at the port or anchored in the City of Dubrovnik area in 2022, which we reported on yesterday. 

"The cruiser market could recover from June 1. The announcements are excellent, and whether it will happen depends on the epidemiological situation," Pezo pointed out.

City councilors Maro Kristić (Most) and Rikard Rossetti (DUSTRA) pointed out that the decision on the amount of the tourist tax should be postponed. Still, Pezo replied that the shipowners were aware of the decision and that the fees had already been included in their arrangements so that no one would be burdened.

The Dubrovnik City Council confirmed, among other things, that work on a critical infrastructure project in Dubrovnik, the development of the Lapad coast, should begin in mid-February. The mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Franković, pointed out that an artificial problem is being created that does not exist.

"We have all the valid permits and consents of all competent ministries. The expropriation procedure has started and been completed, a tender has been announced, and it will be completed in a few days. If there are no complaints, the works will start in mid-February," said Franković, adding that the concessionaire of the port area Marina Frapa should solve the problem of overlapping the concession property with the Republic of Croatia concessionaire.

At the Dubrovnik City Council, it was decided that the City of Dubrovnik representatives in the Governing Board of the "Good Deeds" Foundation will be Terezina Orlić, Nada Medović, and Suzana Kosović.

The councilors also decided on the awards of the City of Dubrovnik for 2020. The winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award is former Dubrovnik Mayor Nikola Obuljen. Furthermore, the winners of the annual awards are Maja Nodari, Fr. Pijo Pejić, and the Society of Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. The awards will be presented to the winners at a solemn session of the City Council during Dubrovnik City Day and the St. Blaise celebration. 

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