October 6, 2021 - A week after announcing the first so-called Croatian digital nomad village,  Digital Nomad Valley Zadar, details about the number of applicants, age range, and nationalities has been published. 

Just four days before it is scheduled to open, the level of interest in the new concept of tourism has been made public. As we reported a week ago, Digital Nomad Valley Zadar is opening its doors at the Falkensteiner Borik resort in Zadar, catering to digital nomads through the winter and beeyond. You can learn more details from last week's announcement.

Co-founder of the project, Mario Mrksa, kindly gave TCN an interview the following day, in which he expressed his hope that at least 30 digital nomads would take part in the initial phase. 

So, is Mario going to be satisfied with the interest so far? From his LinkedIn update a few minutes ago, things seem to be going rather well. Here it is in full.

UPDATED NUMBERS

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone for giving such wonderful feedback for this initiative 

There are more and more #digitalnomads and #remoteworkers applying Digital Nomad Valley every day!

Within a week, we have received 89 applications from 30 different countries! As expected, United States and United Kingdom are taking the lead.

Top countries:
USA: 22
UK: 15
Germany: 6
Poland: 5
Canada: 4

Proud to say that we have applicants from all continents!

Some other interesting facts:

The youngest applicant is 22 and oldest 61 years old wow!

59% want to come alone, 18.5% with a love partner and others with family or group of friends.

20% have said that they need help with getting digital nomad staying permit and 40% said "maybe" Jan de Jong.

We already have digital nomads coming next week 

We are collecting even more stats, if there will be interest I can share some more 

https://lnkd.in/dU5qwk5X

Vedran Presecan
Matej Vukić
Paul Bradbury

#digitalnomadvalley
#digitalnomadcommunity

Great stuff. I spoke to Mario just now to get his reaction:

"The first reaction is amazing! The initial number of applicants within the first week and hundreds of praises from everyone around the world, it sure does feel like we're on the right track with our Work Remotely Croatia initiative!"

Follow the latest news and features from this project and the digital nomad scene in Croatia in the dedicated TCN section. 

October 5, 2021 - An important milestone in developing the regional digital nomad eco-system, as a strong Croatian contingent took part in Day 1 of the Budva Cross Border Coworking Conference (CBCC 2021) in Montenegro. 

"The Croatian digital nomad permit is a great thing," said Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador for September, Dean Kuchel, "but the next thing I want to see is a digital nomad passport for the region. I want to be able to travel around the Balkans with my digital nomad passort." 

That passport may not be here just yet, but Kuchel grabbed his usual one and headed to the airport after an action-packed month in Zagreb. Destination Montenegro and the inaugural CBCC 2021, which kicked off in glorious sunshine in Budva today. He was one of a sizable contingent from Croatia making the journey to Montenegro to share his expertise at the conference.

CBCC 2021, which is part of the EU-funded 2CODE project, an extension of the original CODE project, with 5 partners in 4 cities (Tuzla, Mostar, Budva and Zadar) and 3 countries, was introduced as follows on the official webite:

From Monday, 4th October, until Wednesday, 6th October 2021, regional and global experts will gather on the Montenegrin coast, and in a series of lectures and panel discussions will deal with current topics and with their experience contribute to a better understanding of this popular trend. Participants in the conference will discuss the concept and perspectives of digital nomads, the potential of the Western Balkans, the experience of digital nomads who have stayed in the region, as well as the packages the coworking spaces that make up the Code Hub network in Mostar, Nikšić, Tuzla, and Zadar will provide to this target group in the coming period. The two-day conference will also discuss the regional coworking scene, the impact of the global pandemic on the sector, the challenges faced by coworking managers over the past 18 months, but also the benefits of distance working, and the prospects for developing new coworking communities.

While I could not make the event personally due to work commitments, it was encouraging to see so many stakeholders and early movers from the Croatian digital nomad scene contributing to what sounded like a very absorbing day. Having been involved in three of the more prominent DN events in the last 12 months - the first-ever DN conference in Croatia (Dubrovnik for Digital Nomads), the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program, and Zagreb Digital Nomad Week & Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador program. 

No less than four of those Dubrovnik DNs in residence were there - they came for a month in April for the Dubrovnik programme, but is seems they can't keep away - or telling the wider DN community about how great Croatia is. 

Jan de Jong, the godfather of the Croatian digital nomad permit and co-founder of the Croatian Digital Nomad Association, was also present. Viewed as an inspirational leader in a DN region growing in strength, de Jong talked of the great interest in Croatia, as well the importance of collaboration within the region. De Jong is actively helping digital nomad initiatives - including visas - in neighbouring countries.  

Tanja Polegubic of Saltwater Nomads and architect of the Zagreb and Dubrovnik events (as well as also a co-founder of Digital Nomad Association Croatia, opened her presentation with this article from The Times a month ago. A photo of Dubrovnik chosen to lead on an article on digital nomad visas. This shows that this region is in the spotlight, with Dubrovnik only a short distance from all the other hubs. This creates an opportunity to make a 'nomad trail.'

Polegubic presented Zadar and thee coastal regions in general, on the issues and potential solutions, stressing the need to amplify. As the Croatian city taking part in 2CODE, Zadar has made some great progress and is leading the way with many initiatives. It was one of the early movers in the region, opening COIN in 2015. It has since gone on to deliver this know-how to these other hubs. All the coworking spaces are public. Plus there is more to come, including a fab lab.

It has hosted smart city conferences, hackathons and bootcamps. The hotel sector moving into this, with Falkensteiner part of Digital Nomad Valley Zadar, the first so-called digtal nomad village in Croatia. 

Recently, Croatia's first unicorn, infobip, moved its acquired SHIFT conference to Zadar. It is a rising star.

It has been fantastic to see how enthusiastically the city and tourist board of Dubrovnik have grasped and embraced the digital nomad opportunity, and how willing they were to contribute their knowledge and experiences to the region after the two projects with Saltwater Nomads and TCN. Deputy Mayor Jelka Tepsic and Dubrovnik Tourist Board director Ana Hrnic presented their journey so far, including thee roadmap and implementation phase, and a best practice example.

It was very encouraging to learn that some of the quick win recommendations have already been implemented, including three co-working spaces in different parts of the city -  Lazareti (Center), Red History Museum (Gruz) and Sunset Beach (Lapad).

No regional digital nomad event would be complete, it seems, without the presence of Zagreb-based Steve Tsentserenky. Mr. T. was the seventh recipient of the Croatian digital nomad permit, and has become one of its most effective ambassadors. His article about the digital nomad lifestyle in Split on CNBC News was the top story of the day, and the accompanying video above has racked up over 275,000 views.  

Not all the heroes making big contributions in the Croatian digital nomad story were in front of the camera. A big thank you also to Nick Hathaway, whose heroics at Zagreb Digital Nomad Week delivered live streaming in 7 locations all over the city in 7 days, despite several logistical challenges, was immense. Nick has already uploaded a vlog on Day 1, which you can see above. 

There is plenty in store on Day 2 - and you can see the full programme here. 

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

October 3, 2021 - A new month, a new Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador: meet Andrae Smith from South Africa, who will be resident for the month of October. 

The focus on developing the digital nomad story in Zagreb continues. After the success of the inaugural Zagreb Digital Nomad Week in June, the Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador project has been running since July 1, with the Croatian capital hosting one eexperienced digital nomad a month at Doma Zagreb Aparthotel to work with the city in increasing awareness of Zagreb as a quality destination for remote workers. 

The tenure of September's dynamic ambassador, Israeli Nimrod Dean Kuchel, came to an end with his final event on October 1. Dean hosted a Zagreb Meet-Up and Pitch night at Canopy by Hilton, with various speakers sharing travel and digital nomad experiences.   

Before leaving the following morning, Dean shared his thoughts on a month in Zagreb in the interview above. 

Among the 50 locals, expats and nomads who attended the event was Andrae Smith, who had just landed from flights from her native South Africa. 

Andrae is the Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador for October, and she and Dean had a good conversation and handover over a drink or three at Canopy, as well as breakfast the following morning. Andrae started her own company, Work Wanderers, which runs co-living and co-working retreats for digital nomads in locations around the world, including Bali, Cape Town and Portugal. 

And maybe now Croatia... Croatia has been on Andrae's radar for some time - here is her application video for the ambassador programme. 

She is enjoying her first few days in the city, and will be working with the programme organisers - Zagreb Tourist Board, Saltwater Nomads, and TCN, to get the most out of her month in Zagreb, with various events with the digital nomad community planned.  

We caught up wth Andrae for a quick introductory interview at the Canopy by Hilton event - see above. 

If you would like to connect with Andrae during her month in Zagreb, you can find her on LinkedIn.

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

October 2, 2021 - A bundle of positive energy flew from Zagreb to Podgorica, as Nimrod Dean Kuchel, the Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador for September, departed for his latest adventure. He caught up with TCN before he left to reflect on his month in the Croatian capital. 

It is hard not to be infected by the boundless enthusiasm of Israeli digital nomad Nimrod Dean Kuchel. Two of his main mantras are very simple, but sum up his lifestyle very well. Say yes! to everything. And while he travels solo, he never travels alone. 

Kuchel said yes firstly to being a keynote speaker at Zagreb Digital Nomad Week, an initiative of the Zagreb Tourist Board, Saltwater Nomads, and Total Croatia News. You can see his very entertaining presentation below.  

And then he said yes when asked if he would be applying to be a Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador for a month, the second component of the project. 

Arriving at the beginning of September and taking up residence at Doma Zagreb Aparthotel, Kuchel told me of his intention to work hard to build up the Zagreb community during his stay. 

He seems to have been everywhere in the city, and the events that he held during his time attracted good crowds and networking opportunities.  

Last night's farewell event, a Zagreb Meet-Up and Pitch night at Canopy by Hilton, a favourite co-working space during his stay, brought together around 50 locals, expats and digital nomads for a social evening with various speakers contributing their travel and digital nomad stories, before several of the audience also took the stand in the ensuing Open Mic session. 

Shortly before his departure, Kuchel posted the following farewell to his Zagreb friends, old and new.  

You are looking at a construction site - and together we are building a community.

On my last night here, I was honoured by a large group of locals, expats and digital nomads for a night of stories, and new friendships - with tears in my eyes I said my goodbyes, although I know - we will meet again.

More than countries and beautiful landscape - I travel for people, that's the agenda I came to Zagreb with, that's the legacy I hope I leave behind.

My stay in Zagreb is coming to an end today, but I will forever stay an ambassador and advocate of the city, country, and the people.

Thank you Tanja Polegubic Jan de Jong Paul Bradbury Zagreb Tourist Board Andrej Karić every person who made my stay here so special.

Andrae Smith - enjoy Croatia, you are in good hands!

South African Andrae Smith is the Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador for November, and she introduced herself last night. There will be a TCN interview with Andrae tomorrow. 

Dean kindly invited the project stakeholders for a thank you breakfast this morning, after which he found the time to share some of his parting thoughts on his month in Zagreb, which you can watch in the interview below.  

You can connect with Nimrod Dean Kuchel via LinkedIn. 

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

October 2, 2021 - Community,  events, co-living - how concepts for digital nomads can be utilised to improve Croatian winter tourism problem.

Let me start by explaining the background to my perspective on Croatian winter tourism.

Having lived full-time for 13 years on the island of Hvar, I have seen the realities of the seasonality of Croatian tourism closer than most. An idyllic island to live on for sure, but with locals too busy with the season to fully enjoy the summer months, only to then encounter the long and beautiful winter with everything closed and nowhere to go. With so much more to offer than just the sun, sea and the beach, it has always been a mystery to me why Croatia has not been able to develop year-round tourism. 

As a local resident in the winter with every restaurant in the town closed for 5 months of the year, the announcement of ANY event and chance to go and socialise was gratefully accepted by many locals. Something different to break up the daily routine of visits to the cafe, working in the field and walking along the coast. I used to watch the few tourists that did come in the winter months - a time when Hvar, for me at least, was even more beautiful than in the summer - and how lost they looked. With so few places open, it was hard to find a place to eat, things to do, people to meet. 

And it was not just Hvar. Dalmatian coastal towns in winter are a shadow of their summer selves in terms of life. It is the classic chicken and egg story. Lots of businesses want tourists all year, but they could not afford to stay open in the hope that they would show up. Lots of tourists would like to come in the offseason - Sandinavians escape a harsh winter, for example - but there were very poor air connections. And for those who did manage to visit, there was simply no focal point or events to attend, or ways to connect with other tourists. 

But if there was better connectivity, a decent programme with a selection of restaurants and other hospitality services available all year, as well as focal points to meet both locals and other travellers, could some of Croatia's coastal destinations extend their season, even function 12 months a year?

I believe that they could, and I think that various initiatives from the digital nomad community are giving some useful pointers as to how we can address this Croatian winter tourism problem.

In the winter of 2019, Split-based Saltwater Nomads, one of the first co-working spaces in the city, was having good business from nomads walking in to use their services. But nomads want not only a place to work but a social life as well. Saltwater Nomads teamed up with local restaurants Zinfandel and Brasserie on 7 to offer a weekly concept called Nomad Table. For a fixed price for a 3-course meal, Nomad Table was advertised through nomad and expat social media platforms. It was a total hit, fully booked each week and was becoming an established part of the Split offseason tourism scene, until a certain pandemic disrupted things.

Last night as the hotel Canopy by Hilton in Zagreb, September's Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador, Israeli Nimrod Dean Kuchel, held a Zagreb Meet-Up and Pitch night. it was a simple social evening, open to all and promoted via TCN and some nomad social media groups. A promise of 5 speakers talking about their travel/digital nomad experiences followed by a social evening of chat and networking. 

Around 50 people showed up, a mix of local, expat and nomad. The advertised 5 speakers soon turned into 10, as people in the audience also wanted to share their stories. New friendships were made, new events discovered, with several heading out to Ivanic-Grad today for the Bucijada pumpkin festival. A simple concept with a broad appeal. 

Earlier this week, TCN brought you the story of the first so-called Croatian digital nomad village, Digital Nomad Valley Zadar. This is the first creative use for digital nomad purposes of the plentiful tourism accommodation that is largely unused in the winter months. The concept is simple - offer people a spectacular location, with plenty of facilities including a community and good co-working space, and provide events and things to do. 

Launched three days ago, Digital Nomad Valley Zadar already has 25 nomads who have signed up to stay when it opens its doors in 8 days on October 10. 

A weekly nomad table in Split, a drinks night with travel stories in Zagreb, and a creative use of a campsite and hotel in the offseason. Nothing revolutionary, and nothing too complicated to organise or replicate. But all a hit, and with applications beyond just digital nomads. 

As I can vouch from my time on Hvar, the benefits of successful Croatian winter tourism would not just be for the tourism sector, but for the population as a whole. If some tourism traffic enabled a few more restaurants to be open, or for some other businesses to be open all year, and if those tourist arrivals meant the addition of events in the winter months, not only would money be coming into the economy, but the quality of life for local people would also improve. 

But how to deal with that chicken and the egg? 

I would try a pilot project in a destination that has the potential to be a year-round destination with plenty of content apart from the sun and the sea.

A destination like Split. 

Ten restaurants, 2-3 hotels, a couple of tour agencies for starters. Use the creative ideas above and adapt them to winter tourism. Perhaps a focus on active tourism or maybe gourmet tourism. Wine tours are not so dependent on the season, for example. Engaging some good winemakers and restaurateurs to come up with a gourmet extravaganza could be a real hit. 

The islands are fabulous to visit at any time of year. Organised tourism in Europe began on Hvar with a focus on its temperate winter climate with the founding of the Hvar Health Society. Get the winemakers, a couple of restaurants, and the activity tourism specialists onboard for each island to offer a limited but quality product that will bring the island to life for its visitors. 

Talk to the airlines. A longer season is in their interests, and if they can have first-mover advantage in making that happen, perhaps that is an additional incentive. With Ryanair now flying to multiple destinations through the winter from Zagreb, would it be too hard/expensive to see what can be done for Split?

A concerted effort and a focused strategy to provide a rich and targeted tourism offer for the pilot programme should not be hard to conceive for a country with over 20% of its GDP coming from tourism, and the rewards from a successful pilot could be substantial, both in terms of quality of life and revenue. If a few progressive entrepreneurs from the private sector can organise things on a small scale as in the examples above, what could be achieved from an official concerted campaign?

For more news and views on Croatian tourism, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

September 27, 2021 - Outgoing Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador Nimrod Dean Kuchel invites you to his final event, a Zagreb Meet-Up and Pitch Night at Canopy by Hilton. 

From the moment he landed at Zagreb Airport and even before he took up residence as the Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador for September, Israeli Nimrod Dean Kuchel has been working tirelessly to tell the remote work community about the joys of the Croatian capital. 

Accepting an invitation to speak at the inaugural Zagreb Digital Nomad Week back in June, Kuchel's engaging presentation on building community was one of the highlights of a thought-provoking week (you can see his presentation below). 

The conclusions of an experienced digital nomad who has travelled the world to over 100 countries in 7 years )and with an online DN community of 24,000 people) were encouraging indeed. In a brief interview at the end of that week, he declared that Zagreb ticked all the boxes for digital nomads, and that the only thing missing in Zagreb was more digital nomads. 

Just over two months later, Dean was back, this time as the official Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador for September. Over welcome drinks, he declared his intention to do as much as he could to unite and grow the community during his time in Zagreb. 

The Digital Nomads Croatia Facebook group hosted an Ask Me Anything (AMA) evening with Dean a couple of weeks, ago at Bustan, which was a well-attended event by locals and digital nomads in the city. Dean has been busy exploring all the co-working spaces in the city, as well as aspects of its social life I will never know about, and is now organising one last event before he hands over the ambassador baton to South African Andrae Smith, who takes up residence at Doma Zagreb Aparthotel on October 1.  

Dean is organising a Zagreb Meet-Up and Pitch Night from 18:00 on Friday, October 1, an opportunity to network and make new friends. The highlight of the evening will be 5 live speakers, sharing travel and digital nomad stories from around the world. 

The event will be held where part of Zagreb's digital nomad story began. Canopy by Hilton Zagreb hosted the opening day of Zagreb Digital Nomad Week, and it has since proved to be a hit with visiting nomads. The combination of excellent Internet, services within the hotel, nearby gym and various food options in the  Branimir Centre where it is located, has proved to be a winning combination. 

The Zagreb Meet-Up and Pitch Night will take place in the hotel's ReUnion restaurant on the ground floor. The Canopy by Hilton Zagreb team has kindly offered a welcome drink to people attending. Food and drink will be available throughout the evening, at your own cost. 

You can find more information on the Facebook event page. If you would like to attend, please inform Dean via the event page, so that he can have an idea of numbers. The invitation is open to all - here is Dean's message:

Hi friends,

It was super-awesome to meet you all on our last meet-up!

So a minute before I leave town onto my next adventure, let's meet once again, share a drink, meet new friends, and listen to 5 stories from around the world.

Our mini "Pitch-Night" will include 5 short stories of digital nomads and world travellers, followed by the usual networking event.

The location is the ReUnion restaurant in Canopy by Hilton (Branimir Centre), but please block your calendar - Friday, October 1st, happy-hour time, from 18:00.

Smash that "GOING" button, and I will see you Friday.

Love & WiFi,
Dean

*Want to share your story with the world? send me a message.

This meet-up is with the support of Digital Nomads Croatia Association, Saltwater Nomads, Total Croatia News, and the Zagreb Tourist Board - thank for all your efforts to make Zagreb feel like home to us, digital nomads.

For more news and features on digital numbers in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

September 29, 2021 - The first so-called Croatian digital nomad village, Digital Nomad Valley Zadar, will open its doors at th Falkensteiner Borik resort in Zadar next month. An interview with one of the co-founders, Mario Mrksa.

As TCN reported earlier today, a new offer for the digital nomad scene in Croatia will launch next month. We caught up with one of the co-founders of Digital Nomad Valley Zadar, Mario Mrksa, to get a little more detail behind the headlines. 

1. Many people in Croatia are just coming to terms with the term 'digital nomads' and now you are introducing the concept of a 'Croatian digital nomad village'. Can you firstly explain exactly what a digital nomad village is?

A digital nomad village is something that was first coined in Madeira, when Startup Madeira, alongside Goncalo Hall introduced a small town in the island called Ponta do Sol as the first official digital nomad village. It is a concept of a curated digital nomad community, where a specially created coworking space represents the base and the soul of the “village”. The idea is to gather digital nomads in a specific area in order to create a strong community, which will then get stronger on its own, as the members of the community will invite their friends and help make the community even better. We took a lot of inspiration from that project and we started thinking about how we could do something similar in Croatia. Somehow naturally, we saw a big opportunity to do the project in Premium Camping Zadar. We simply got attracted to everything that resort had to offer and knew that it would be a perfect place for the pilot project in Croatia and were extremely happy to hear that they are also very interested in participating in the project. As it is located in Borik, which is just an area in Zadar, we called the project Digital Nomad Valley Zadar.

2. How did you come up with the idea?

Our company is in the midterm accommodation rental business, and we have observed a steady increase in the popularity of Croatia as a destination for digital nomads - even before the pandemic. This trend was accelerated by Jan de Jong who publicly spoke on Linkedin about digital nomads and what Croatia should do to attract them. His initiative for a Croatian digital nomad visa has been a huge catalyst, as well as attracting global attention.

I have never been a digital nomad per se, but I lived a nomadic lifestyle when I moved to Southeast Asia for 5 months over 4 years ago. One thing I knew about this lifestyle is that nobody likes to be lonely, and that digital nomads depend a lot on community. Sometimes it happens naturally (like in Bali or Chiang Mai), but sometimes it takes a bit of effort to create a community for a certain destination (Ponta do Sol in Madeira).

We have noticed that Croatia is on top of many digital nomads’ lists of places to visit, but often when they go here, they don’t have any idea where to go or what to do. They often join the Digital Nomads Croatia Facebook group and ask for advice from other nomads. We wanted to create the first curated digital nomad community in Croatia, by giving them an opportunity to live right next to each other, and work together in a coworking office that is specially created for them.

3. This is the first time we have heard of a Croatian digital nomad village. Where is it, what is it, what is on offer, and what are the costs?

The village is located in Borik, Zadar. It consists of Falkensteiner Premium Camping Zadar and the Falkensteiner Funimation resort, which are 5 minutes apart on foot, and about 45 minutes' walk from Zadar Old Town.

Those who join the program will get accommodation, access to an exclusive coworking office as well as a local host who will manage events and activities for participants.

Premium Camping Zadar is where the nomads will stay. It consists of mobile homes with a range from 1-3 bedrooms. Nomads will be able to take the whole unit or just an individual bedroom. Each mobile home has WiFi with at least 32/32 speed, AC, an equipped kitchen, terrace, and each bedroom has a separate bathroom. Nomads will also have an option to rent a pitch if they decide to come with a campervan. There is also a grocery store within the resort to buy essentials and a bigger store nearby the resort. 

Hotel Funimation is where the coworking office will be. It's an area of around 90m2 which will be built into an exclusive co-working space for the participants of this program. There, they will also have WiFi available at the minimum speed of 32/32 mbps.

In addition to the resident nomads, a local host will live among them who will take care of them and manage the events that will be organized for the participants. Some of these events will also be open to the public. Firstly, we will organize events and activities, but as soon as the first nomads start joining, we expect that many of them would want to organize activities, so the list of daily activities should grow on its own. It's a concept we've seen in Madeira, and we believe that it's a great and sustainable model. The local host will also help nomads with any questions they might have. especially for those that are coming straight from another country. 

Although each unit is self-catering, nomads will also be able to choose from a variety of catering options from just breakfast to all three big meals included. This will be charged separately. Participants will also receive a 20% discount for the resort SPA facility, and we will also organise free entrance to some events and facilities. We will also partner with local bars and restaurants in Zadar who are willing to provide a discount for the participants of this project.

The minimum duration of stay will be 2 weeks and the prices depend on the type of mobile home and duration of stay, but it would range from €500 to €1300 per month. We believe that the prices are very DN-friendly as access to coworking space and local-host support is included in the price.

Both Premium Camping and Funimation operate within Covid19 health regulations.

4. Who is this village aimed at, and how many people are you hoping to attract? 

The village is aimed at digital nomads and remote workers who want to come to Croatia and connect with other people within the community. However, we don’t have any restrictions, and anyone that wants to participate in the community can apply. That means that freelancers and locals can also participate. We believe this project will attract many people, but our goal is to gather around 30 people with a nomadic lifestyle in the first month.

5. Madeira had the first DN village in Europe earlier this year. Are there many others? What lessons have you learned from the Madeira initiative?

Madeira is definitely the project which received the most media attention, and what they did there was amazing. I recently visited Madeira and Ponta do Sol, and the presence of the community is very strong. The project itself did not only bring many nomads to Ponta do Sol, but to the whole island of Madeira, which is, by the way, an amazing island to live in.

One of the key impacts it has brought is that there are now a couple of towns with actual communities around the island, and all of them have a different set of activities and events. For example, everyone knows about the digital nomad sunset party in Ponta do Sol, and even tourists have heard of it and now the whole island wants to go there every Friday to enjoy good music and great people. Goncalo Hall was the project manager of that project, and now he is doing similar projects in a couple of other places which is amazing. On the other hand, a small village in Bulgaria called Bansko has already done something similar 5 years ago already, and every true nomad has heard of that place, even though it’s just a small village next to a ski resort. But the place has become so popular that now there are a couple of coworking spaces for digital nomads in this small town, as well as an annual digital nomad festival.

6. Why Zadar? 

The vision is to have more places like this in Croatia, and we would like to see such initiatives happening in smaller cities and towns as digital nomads can greatly impact their economy. But for the pilot project, we wanted to focus on a bigger and more recognizable city. Zadar seemed to be the perfect option as it has a lot of access to the sun, is well connected with the rest of the country, is surrounded by islands and already distinguished businesses for foreigners. And we also have a strong and enthusiastic partner in Falkensteiner.

7. Who are the partners in this project?

This project is part of an initiative called Work Remotely Croatia by grabAhome. The partner for this project is Falkensteiner H&R, while the project is being supported by the Digital Nomad Association and Zadar Tourist Board. The core idea is to offer exclusive accommodation and co-working space for participants in this project, but we also plan to organize events and activities where we would like to involve more partners in the project.

8. When do you expect to launch?

We will be accepting the first participants on October 10.

9. There has been a lot of hype about digital nomads in Croatia, but still a low take-up of the actual permit, although there has been a significant increase in the number of DNs coming to Croatia for periods shorter than a year. How do you see Croatia's current position on the DN scene globally?

I believe that the specially regulated permit for digital nomads was a great way to show that the country is already thinking about digital nomads and it’s the reason why many are considering staying here for a year. By talking to many digital nomads, Croatia seems to be very high on the list for many nomads that want to travel around Europe. But the community is the number one priority for most nomads, and Croatia still has a long way to go in this respect. It takes time to form a strong community, which is why I started running (alongside 2 partners) the Digital Nomad Croatia Facebook group and why we started with this project.

10. How do you see the DN scene in Croatia 12 months from now? 

DNs currently represent a small niche in Croatian tourism, and I believe that a couple of individuals can create a big difference and have a large impact on this community. We can already see the impact that Total Croatia News and Jan de Jong have brought. So, the way I see it is that we will see many more great individuals in the next 12 months that will do the same, and the more of these individuals we have, the local community and government will see the impact and start focusing more on this niche. As we know, summer represents the majority of Croatian tourism, and with remote workers and slow travelers, we can create a much more sustainable tourism in Croatia. Consequently, I believe that Croatia will do many great things in the next 12 months and will be on top of the list to live in for DNs.

You can learn more about Digital Nomad Village Zadar on the official website.

For the latest news and features on digital nomads in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN 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 6, 2021 - Digital nomads give back to communities in various ways. The sixth in a new series on TCN, following the lens of Steve Tsentserensky, one of the early recipients of the Croatian digital nomad permit. Where better to continue than gorgeous Stari Grad on Hvar?

One of the discussions in Croatia these days surrounds digital nomads. What EXACTLY does Croatia get from digital nomads, especially if they do not have to pay income tax locally with the 12-month permit?

It is a classic Croatian tourism short-term mindset, which has become sadly familiar over the decade I have been writing about the subject. 

For me, there are three key wins for Croatia - and they all cost nothing.

1. Permit holders may not pay tax, but they are spending on rent, food, drink, entertainment once they leave their virtual office. Think of them as long-stay tourists if you will. I never heard of anyone here complaining about tourists spending here.

2. The mindset. This, to me, is one of the most exciting aspects of the digital nomad era. People with fresh ideas, different experiences, stimulating lifestyles. If they are moving to Croatia because it is so great, perhaps Croatia has something to offer, rather than the sad path of emigration. 

3. The fabulous free promo from digital nomads, clearly in love with this beautiful country. They decided to come, love what they find, and want to tell the world how amazing Croatia is - through blogs, Instagram posts and various other forms of social media. Kind of like the national tourist board's job if you like. Only better. 

This series will focus on the last point, the fantastic free promotion of Croatia by these longer term visitors. TCN is thoroughly enjoying our working partnership with one of the early recipients of the digital nomad permit. Steve Tsentserensky from Ohio. Steve first came to my attention with this fabulous video of Zagreb.

We are big fans of Steve's work, and we met recently over a beer or three in Zagreb. Steve will be travelling around the country over the next 12 months (actually, we think a little longer) documenting Croatia through his lens. We thought it would make a nice feature on the site, as well as showing how just one nomad with the permit is spreading the word about this beautiful country, so that others may see and come. 

And so continues our new series - Croatia through the lens of a Croatian digital nomad permit holder, this time in Stari Grad on Hvar.

You can follow Steve on Instagram, where he picked up over 2,000 new followers recently, after his CNBC News video about the Croatian digital nomad lifestyle went viral. Check it out above..

September 17, 2021 - A stimulating evening with current Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador Nimrod Dean Kuchel, as various initiatives converge to strengthen the Zagreb Digital Nomad community. 

It is a term which was almost completey unknown in Croatia about 18 months ago. But the pace of progress of the digital nomad concept taking root is unusually quick for a country famed for its relaxed and laid-back lifestyle. 

Having followed and written about the sector for over a couple of years now, it is interesting to follow the different perspectives of those involved on how they see things, as we as observing how various initiatives are converging to build a community. 

(credits Zoltan Nagy/Saltwater Nomads)

One of the most interesting observations in recent weeks - to me at least - was this comment from one of the recent Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence, currently living on Hvar. 'Digitalni Nomadi' is now a term ordinary people throughout Dalmatia now understand. 

There have been various initiatives in recent times to push the digital nomad scene in Croatia, some working in tandem, others independently. Last night, several converged in what was a significant night for the growing Zagreb digital nomad community.

A social evening, organised by the largest DN social media group, Digital Nomads Croatia, hosted its monthly gathering in the centre of the city, at Bustan Bar. The bar is part of a complex of a converted hostel, which also is home to the first 24/7 co-working space, Myspace. 

Special guest was Dean Kuchel, September's Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador, Nimrod Dean Kuchel, part of the Zagreb Digital Nomad Week project by Saltwater Nomads, the Zagreb Tourist Board, and TCN. 

And among those in the audience was Dutch entrepreneur Jan de Jong, whose initiative to introduce a Croatian digital nomad visa has brought global attention on Croatia as a DN hot spot. 

Kuchel was a very entertaining and enthusiastic keynote speaker during Zagreb Digital Nomad Week (you can see his presentation above), with a focus on building community. One of his mantras is that he travels solo, but never alone. On a mission to visit all the countries in the world (and currently on 101), the presence of an awaiting community is a big draw for him to visit a destination. When asked about his impressions of Zagreb in the short interview below, he answered that Zagreb ticked all the DN boxes, and the only thing missing for nomads in Zagreb was more digital nomads.

He has been very active in promoting Zagreb ever since. Firstly, through the 24,000-strong DN community he runs, and more recently by applying to be a Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador. When we met for a welcome drink shortly after his arrival at the beginning of the month, he stated that his aim was to work to develop the community during his stay. 

Last night's event, of which the centrepiece was Kuchel's AMA (Ask Me Anything) session about his DN lifestyle was both popular and lively. New friendships and networks were developed, ideas traded, and various actors in the digital nomad sector met for the first time. 

There is a growing momentum with the Zagreb digital nomad story, which seems to be surprising visiting nomads with the quality of the lifestyle, WiFi and spoken English, among many other positives. The growing of a cohesive community and support from international ambassadors such as Kuchel can only accelerate that process. 

An Israeli bar/co-work owner, an Israeli DN ambassador, and a Dutch entrepreneur - all invested in developing Zagreb and Croatia in this exciting new direction, in partnership with great local partners. It is encouraging to see. 

Kuchel posted his feelings about his Zagreb exprience on social media this week:

Two weeks into my Zagreb visit, I understand why Jan de Jong made Croatia his home.

I was invited to #zagreb by the board of tourism to experience the city as a digital nomad and remote professional.

What I found is a capital city, and a country, taking actions to welcome digital nomads.

Excellent connectivity and speeds everywhere, plenty of co-working spaces, and a one-of-a-kind Digital Nomad visa, so you know no-one is kicking you out after 90 days. Bliss!

Nice people, festive culture, perfect weather, and excellent cost-of-living to quality-of-life ratio - are also included.

Say YES! Go Explore Zagreb. I am there as well, and I'm loving it.Pro tip: bring your mom, she'll thank you.

#remotework #digitalnomads #sayyes #worldtravel

Read more - Zagreb, Split Attracting More Digital Nomads than Prague, Krakow, Budapest

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