October 24, 2021 - From the founder of the innovative Secret Zagreb, a fabulous new journey into the hidden gems of this amazing country - meet Croatia Underrated, a combination of podcast, games and quizzes.

One of the things I love about covering Croatian tourism is meeting so many inspiring and innovative individuals from the private tourism sector. The ideas, knowledge and delivery of these individuals promote the true jewels of authentic Croatia, and they are a refreshing breath of fresh air from the fairly predictable and one dimensional approach of the Kings of Accidental Tourism. 

One young lady whose mind is always ahead of the rest of us with her tourism ideas is Iva Silla, of the award-winning Secret Zagreb. Iva has already done much to develop tourism in the capital with truly unique tours such as the Badass Women of Zagreb, celebrating some of the amazing women who have put their stamp on Zagreb's development throughout history. 

Iva is back with a wonderful (and VERY educational) project called Croatia Underrated. Rather than me try and explain it, her she is in her words explaining the Croatia Underrated project:

In recent years, I stopped bothering with the must-sees during my travels. I still make obsessive plans, but I don’t feel like I missed out on something if I don’t do it all. I much rather take a detour and see something less attractive, but far more genuine. I dare you to try a different Croatia. To spice up your must-sees with the unseen. To go places that even the locals often miss. To find your perfect Croatian memory. Croatia Underrated podcast is here to help.

I started Croatia Underrated because there’s so much to do and see all around the country, so many hidden corners to be explored and curious tales to be told… I wanted to share at least some of them. On the other hand, the project started quite spontaneously, when I came upon many poor reviews of Croatian attractions over and over again. Of places that I personally found striking and very special. You can now enjoy my curated list of terrible reviews of Croatian heritage, together with the fun comments as a part of the blog. If you feel those are a bit unfair, you might like the way I see Croatia: as a place of never ending discoveries.

Oh, and when you visit Croatia, make sure to join me on one of my Secret Zagreb tours.

Iva Silla

To learn more about the Croatia you never knew, visit the Croatia Underrated website and podcast.

To learn more about the Croatian capital, check out the TC Zagreb in a Page guide.

April 23, 2020 - TCN is delighted to welcome the legendary Iva Silla from Secret Zagreb to the team. Iva starts with a lovely account on how she started the iconic and innovative agency, and where she is with plans at the moment. Welcome, Number 149! 

It is simply impossible to take Secret Zagreb out of the context of everything that’s going on around us. Just a few weeks ago, this article would probably have a very different note, light and inspiring. Even now, in the midst of the coronavirus craze, I am still irritatingly positive, and I still believe that Croatia needs even more creative products for our future guests. However, I also think that people should be more careful between the dream phase and the creation phase. I’ll admit it, when the revenue dropped to zero and the lock-downs started, for a blink of a second, even I thought of shutting it all down. For a blink of a second. But that blink passed and I’m back working on the new Secret Zagreb for the times after coronavirus. I will answer the title question, but I also wish to acknowledge that this story might have been a good example seven years ago. Today, just like everybody else in the tourism sector, I’m starting Secret Zagreb over again. Despite my previous experience, I simply can’t tell for sure whether it is going to succeed again. Hopefully, I was right all this time, and the key steps to success, no matter the circumstances, are as follow: dream – wake up – start working – dream some more. I’m back to this old recipe.

Just like all the birthday girls and boys these days, Secret Zagreb spent its birthday in isolation. I officially launched the city tours company in April 2013. Unofficially, it existed some years prior to that, in all of the books, sketches, maps, post-its all over my house. I made a sketch of a first ghost tour some 15 years ago but I truly accepted it as a project in 2010, when I started the  Secret Zagreb blog. Very early on, thanks to my blog, I was recognised as one of the “New Faces of Zagreb” in the article of the same in easyJet’s inflight magazine. That felt like a very big success and it still does. In that article, Secret Zagreb found itself in the distinguished company of Broken Relationships Museum, InMusic Festival and Esplanade Hotel. This proved to me that it wasn’t impossible to reach an audience and that Zagreb was on the rise as a tourist destination.

In 2013, I kicked off with two themed tours: Zagreb Ghost Tour (now Ghosts and Dragons Tour) and Sleeping Dragon. As you can imagine, I love myths, legends, mystery and dark tales so those two tours were a logical start. But when it comes to Zagreb, there’s plenty of other things to love. Little by little, I started developing all of my interests and all of the parts of Zagreb that enchant me, into tours. By now, there’s a tour about tragic love stories, steampunk-inspired Zagrebarium, Novi Zagreb tour, Zagreb Christmas Carol, and more. The creation of each and every tour has a lifespan of its own with two most important moments. One of them is when I discover something new that amazes me about my city and makes me feel like I want to share it. The other one is when I suddenly get the feeling a tour is indeed a complete product. It usually happens when it’s already bookable, but a special moment needs to appear out of nowhere to show me that I’m really on the right track.

For example, at the end of 2018, I started the Badass Women of Zagreb tour. It delights me to see that this tour attracts people from all over the globe. However, I didn’t have big expectations - I simply wanted to celebrate the female side of history through what I do well. When I felt the tour was ready, I published it on the Secret Zagreb website. I didn’t build the tour around spectacular stories and unprecedented cases. I simply wanted to show the invisibility of herstory in the streets of this city or any city, and at the same time, the number of amazing women right here in this small country. I wanted to make people think for a second, connect around similar thoughts and memories, identify with some of the heroines. I wanted the visitors to think about their home town and their local badass women. There’s no costume, even though that would be more touristically attractive. Since the whole theme is about special women being true to themselves, there was no point in dressing up another woman as one of them. It’s not designed to be superattractive. Instead, it was meant to be honest and thought-provoking.

People started calling in and arranging private Badass Women of Zagreb tours. It was already active when this special moment happened back in 2018. I talked about Diana Budisavljević, a woman who organised an incredible action to save thousands of children in WWII. She was still a rather unknown personality back in 2018. This injustice was corrected in the meantime, when a powerful movie about her “The Diary of Diana B.” came out. As we talked about her on the tour, a lady approached us and just stood there in awe. When I finished the story, she told us: “I personally knew Diana and every single word you said is more than true. I’ve lived here in Zagreb my whole life, but I have never heard anyone speaking of her. Thank you.”

Our whole group went teary-eyed. That was the exact moment that showed me that meaningful tours should be on the market and as available as can be. I took this as a sign to set the public dates so it could be easily accessible for travelers. And it worked. People started joining and enjoying the stories about incredible Croatian women. It’s not the bestselling tour with dozens of people, but a handful always gathers, and we have a great time together. For me, creating a tour with a strong message, such as the Badass Women, is slightly more fulfilling than creating an entertaining tour. I distinctively remember each and every guest and feel like we’ve shared special moments together.

Behind all of my tours lies the same drive – to show there’s something worth discovering in Zagreb. But let’s not be pathetic, I also love pure fun and games. That’s where Secret Zagreb Quests come into play. Wacky tours with riddles and challenges for visitors are a great choice for families or teams. Gamified activities make for another growing sector, especially in the city break destinations, and I’ve been offering them in Zagreb for 5 years now.

Inspiration for new tours lies where I least expect it and I feel it’s important not to let go. If I feel something would make for a good tour, I have to make time and work on it. As you can see, Secret Zagreb is a set of tours and activities that keeps growing and changing. It brought another unexpected benefit to my life. Ever since I started Secret Zagreb, I was blessed with so many cool collaborations that helped me discover a whole new world. Worlds of artists, creative entrepreneurs, enthusiasts that can bring any idea to life.

That was the short story of Secret Zagreb so far. I’m sure you’re going through this article waiting for another inevitable question to be answered: What’s next?

But you already know my answer: I just don’t know. By now, most of us in the tours and activities sector decided to stop trying to predict the future after coronavirus. When it comes to Secret Zagreb, I decided to focus on those predictions that work best for me and plan ahead according to that. I choose to believe that tourists will slowly start coming back. That micro businesses have the best chance to “hibernate” and survive. We still can’t predict the way travellers will behave once they start travelling again. I have to admit that I worry whether they might decide to limit the time spent with tour guides or any locals that are unnecessary. Only time will tell. As much as I hope that’s not going to happen in the long term, I’m currently developing an app that will enable a self-guided exploration of Secret Zagreb.

In Zagreb, we’re not just facing future consequences of coronavirus, but also of the recent earthquake that will definitely affect Secret Zagreb and other themed tours. Obviously, it will be harder and sometimes even insensitive to stick with the topic of a certain tour when there will be so many questions about the earthquake. I’m already redefining all of my tours and activities, because at the moment, only a few of them can stay as they were in terms of route and content. All of the Secret Zagreb tours will still have to make sense after the disaster. I had to completely erase three of my tours for safety reasons and prolonged construction works, including the Mirogoj – Whispers of Eternity cemetery tour. I’m rethinking the Sleeping Dragon tour and quest. It used to be fun and informative, even educational in terms of possible earthquakes. However, at the moment, it could be insensitive to build a product around the earthquake-related legends. I’m sure there will be new products at the market with the recent earthquake in mind. I’m also sure that our wounded cathedral will be the top attraction until they cover it up with scaffolding. However, I’m not so sure I can personally build stories around such a recent tragedy without guilt feelings. Overall, for this year, it will be very hard to promise a certain itinerary in the city center with the expected amount of renovations.

I’d like to share a few thoughts with anyone who is thinking about visiting Croatia: now that I mentioned the earthquake, don’t let this stop you from coming to Zagreb. Before the coronavirus and the earthquake, that is - just a few weeks ago, my city was an example of the diversity of cultural tourism offer and it was an inspiring example for other destinations.

Most of us, who are involved in creative tourism, are driven by a higher goal, such as the desire to show a lesser-known part of their destination or preserve some rare customs. This is why you will always find us collaborate with each other on various projects, and the more we work together, the more productive and creative each of us gets. As long as our visions and motives align. So many people in Zagreb found new opportunities in the rise of tourist numbers, and so many of us were interconnected through many joint projects. When I look back I can’t believe how much genius content do small businesses create. There’s a huge creative force, and I don’t know what are they all doing right now with this extra time. But I do know that, when we all show up back on the streets, we’re going to be better than ever. Zagreb has been through a lot, but it’s going to be more worth visiting it than ever.

And something to share with anyone who wanted to get involved in creative tourism: I honestly believe a deep change in travel is coming. I hope there will be more people who will choose slow travel over bucket lists. It sounds utopian, but if it happens, it’s worth developing new innovative products. If there’s even the slightest possibility that there will be more people who will prolong their stay in offbeat destinations, we should give them reasons to do that. Now is the time to redefine our offer. When tourists come back, let’s give them a chance to discover the true hearts of our hometowns.

Follow Iva's journey and the post-corona Secret Zagreb on the official website. 

For the latest news from Zagreb, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

March 31, 2020 - Tourism might be on hold right now, but there are still virtual ways to travel - meet the original Badass Women of Zagreb. 

Terrible times in the Croatian capital at the moment, as it battles the triple whammy of corona on the outside, earthquake aftermath on the inside, and economic downturn everywhere. 

But Zagreb and Croatia will survive, because Croatians are very resilient and full of character, and have been that way forever. 

To give you some historical perspective, meet the original Badass Women of Zagreb, a wonderfully unique tour designed by Iva Silla from the fabulous Secret Zagreb. 

Join this tour to hear stories about women who believed in themselves and their talents, who pursued their dreams, who exposed themselves to the criticism of public, about the boldest heroines…

Opera singers, car drivers, models, scientists, soldiers… Learn about uncompromising, tough, bold, gamechanging women of Croatia, who lived or worked in Zagreb during their lifetime.

And, as travel to the Croatian capital is not an option right now, we have decided to bring the Badass Women of Zagreb to you. 

Shortly before all this madness began, I gave a task to our three interns from Zagreb University - Paula Anic, Janja Sestak and Ana Samodol - meet up with Iva and take her badass tour. 

They did a great job, and you can see the results of their work in this video tour below, which was filmed by Paula. 

Tourism will be different in the future, but the quality will remain and thrive I believe, and agencies such as the pioneering Zagreb will once more soon be taking visitors to the unknown stories of the Croatian capital. 

You can learn more about what will await you from Iva's official website.

And here is a previous TCN article on the Secret Zagreb experience - never have I seen my kids so keen to abandon their gadgets. 

December 10, 2019 - No guided tour is the same, but there is one company in Croatia that guarantees quality, innovation, engagement and the personal touch each time - roadtesting the Secret Zagreb experience. 

As we approached the Zagreb funicular for our 19:30 late November appointment, I was a little nervous as to how this would go. It has been a long day, it was not warm, we still had a 75-minute drive home, and if the kids were grumpy, this could really backfire. But then I figured that there was not much point living close to Zagreb if we did not experience what it had to offer as a family. But still, it was cold, dark, the day and been long, and the kids' enthusiasm for one of Daddy's Great Ideas - a walking tour with some 'teta' - was lukewarm at best. 

And there she was, waiting, dressed in black, including her hooded head, holding a lantern which was not lit. 

"Good evening, I am the Black Queen, and I need your help."

There was no recognition that we had met before, that we were friends even, no 21st welcome, but straight into character from the character of the Black Queen, who had risen from a 100-year sleep with the dragons somewhere below Zagreb. 

I looked anxiously at the kids - how would they react?

They were hooked. 

And from that moment, for the next two hours, the artist formally known as Iva Silla, charismatic owner of Secret Zagreb, led my kids (and their parents and aunt) on a mesmerising tour of the upper town of Zagreb in her persona of the Black Queen. A modern version of the Pied Piper of Hamlin, pointing out fascinating things along the way, dropping in appropriate jokes, then moving on. 

We were all made aware from the start that, in addition to the tour, we would have to fulfil a task at the end to help the Black Queen. A list of clues would send us scampering all over the old town to retrace the steps of where we had been and the things we had learned to solve a clue which would provide the code to unlock the padlock of the lantern that the Black Queen held in her hand. Once unlocked, more clues would lead to the candle being lit, so that she could go back to where she had come from. 

The kids were mesmerised. Having resigned myself as a parent of two daughters attached to their gadgets, this was a revelation. Pens were found, notes taken on the palm of their hands, questions asked, suggestions made - in fact, they were far more engaged than the three adults. But the Black Queen did not break from character once, which made her mysterious, slightly intimidating, but totally transfixing. 

Some very simple techniques of storytelling were used to superb effect. As this was the first time the Black Queen had returned to Zagreb above ground in 100 years, she was easily able to reference the past and have us appreciate the changes. 

"Yes, this is the shortest funicular in the world," she told us as we made the short ascent to the upper town, "but standards have really gone down. Last time I was on it, 100 years ago, they had first, second AND third class."

The Black Queen was looking forward to showing us the view from the top. 

"You will love the endless cornfields you can see from the edge of the city. But wait, what's this? What has happened? The last time I was here, the last building in the city was that yellow one over there (the Croatian National Theatre). Where have all the cornfields gone?"

Simple techniques to allow tourists to appreciate how Zagreb has changed in 100 years. 

Sleeping Dragon Quest is inspired by interesting local legends. Before the game begins, our tour guide in a costume presents old tales about dragons and some mystical history. She gives them a book of instructions and tasks. The winner is the first team to solve all the riddles and finds the last required location.

HIGHLIGHTS:

storyline based on Zagreb legends

solve riddles and find the clues within the oldest part of town

stories about dragons brought back to life

And so we walked, following our Pied Piper, learning all about the dragons, the secret societies involving dragons, forgotten graveyards, earthquakes masked as stirring dragons. All expertly and engagingly told, but in a way that really brought the past to life and revealed knowledge of events and characters of the time. 

And the Black Queen somehow knew her audience. 

"But I hear you are from Varazdin, the Baroque town, yes?. Well, don't be angry, but they say that the very best Baroque building in Croatia is this one in front of you. Haha. Let's move on!"

With most people in the city centre the night before the opening of Advent in Zagreb, we more or less had the streets of the upper town to ourselves, and there was a certain magic being guided (or was it glided?) around by the Black Queen. It had been just over an hour and we had taken in SO many facts, stories and impressions. But how much had we retained?

Despite our reluctance, the Black Queen was quietly insistent in her assertion that the quest would work better if we split into groups of two. Realising that Aunt Tina was smarter than both parents combined, the girls took their clues from the Black Queen and headed off in the direction of the main cemetery, leaving my wife and I asking each other how much we had been listening. 

The clues were presented in lovely rhyming couplets, and off we went, retracing our steps. Five clues would yield a letter each, which in turn would produce the three-digit code to unlock the lantern. We saw our competing team racing eagerly through the dimly lit, but very romantic streets, and it was little surprise that they managed to get all the clues before us. Having unlocked the lantern, however, we were not yet there - there was one more step, to get the lantern lit. And in order to do that, another task had to be performed. One which was mastered by a beady-eyed 11-year-old who was so engrossed in the Black Queen's world that I doubted she would need a gadget for a week. 

An absolutely fantastic family activitiy, and the Black Queen kindly had time to join us for a hot chocolate after the tour, where she reverted to the lovely Iva we all know and love. 

And this, for me at least, was the best part of an excellent evening, as Iva was VERY interested to get our feedback on every aspect of the tour.  For what perhaps many people who take her tours do not realise is that she is the creative and pioneering author of all of them. Many of them, such as Badass Women of Zagreb, and the 19th century tour where you, the tourist, are accused of a crime and have to find clues to prove your innocence, are Iva's ideas alone. And not content with being just the creator, her expert delivery as such an engaging guide completes the perfect package. 

"Dad, that was the best tour we have ever been on. I really liked the way the Black Queen told us everything but then we had to go and solve clues. It was really great, and so was the Black Queen. You know some really cool people."

The aura of me being a cool Dad survives for another week. Thank you, Black Queen...  

Learn more about how Iva can inspire you as the Black Queen or her many other personas on the Secret Zagreb website. 

September 18, 2019 - Authentic, innovative experiences are plentiful in Croatia, but it takes the right person to bring them to life. One of the stars of fabulous tourism content,  Iva Silla from Secret Zagreb, tells us a little more.

Zagreb has really come alive, both as a city and a tourist destination in the last ten years. And while Advent in Zagreb has perhaps become the capital's most recognisable brand in recent years, there is plenty to see and do all year round. 

One of the pioneers of Zagreb tourism is Iva Silla, whose Secret Zagreb agency did things a little differently from the moment of its inception several years ago, and continues to evolve in new and innovative ways. Iva kindly found some time in her busy schedule to explain to TCN a little more.  

I have never told you but you have been a hero of mine for some time with your ability to constantly come up with new and very innovative tours. Tell us a little about Secret Zagreb and how you got started.

Secret Zagreb started as a little blog, and over the years, it has grown into a collection of tours that explore the different faces of Zagreb.

To tell you the truth, in the beginning, I didn’t really have a full picture or a true strategy. I just started off with an idea of a thematic tour and a certain determination. At that time, I wasn’t thinking of any possible obstacles or risks. Even if they occurred to me at times, I successfully ignored such thoughts. Today, I’m grateful for that blissful ignorance. When I look back, I don’t know what got into me, just holding on to a project, focusing on what I needed to make it work.

At first, I was observing how thematic tours work in other cities, and tried to figure our why no one really made a living out of thematic tours in Zagreb, even though some interesting tours already existed. At the same time, I wanted to prepare a basis, an online space that could later be used for the promotion and sales of the tours. That’s how I started writing the Secret Zagreb blog, and becoming active on some social media, especially Twitter, which was an amazing tool back then.

My first idea was to start a dark tour about a particular part of history. I still have some funny sketches from 10 years ago with the stories and the route all set up. While I believed I had the final product, I didn’t have a licence to work as a tour guide. So I went to get all the necessary licences and imagine my surprise when, during the course, I found that another company had just started a tour of that same topic! That tour doesn’t exist anymore, but it was a great lesson even before I started. The first thing I learnt is that I would regret it if I kept setting my creative projects aside. More importantly, that the situation at the market changes fast and unpredictably... and so must I.

The decision was already in my mind that I was going to start storytelling city tours. I just couldn’t start with something that wouldn’t be original. That’s when I realised that I already have so many stories collected, old legends and spooky tales, that there are patterns in my town, pieces of puzzles just waiting to be put together into a charming whole. So I waved farewell to my first project and started crafting two new magical tours – Sleeping Dragon and Zagreb Ghost Tour (now known as Mysterious Zagreb).

At first, I thought it was going to be a side-project. In the first months, while I was still working on the content for the blog, I realised that wasn’t possible. I needed to dedicate myself to it to make it work. So I did, I quit my job, opened a business and simply started the tours. The first tours were in the month of June. Till the end of that year, I earned around 20.000 kunas gross. This wasn’t really in tune with my original “business plan”, where I assumed it would be easy to have 7 tours a week, times 15 people, times 85 kunas a ticket, which was supposed to be more than 8.000 kn a week. Very realistic to start with, don’t you think? But when I realised that I managed to earn money out of something that’s been there all the time… the stories of my home town and a little spark within... that was so incredibly motivating and it still is. When the first ticket was sold to Barbara, I was out of my mind. It was so surreal.

Your tours are a little different to the normal agency. Give us a flavour of what is on offer?

Secret Zagreb started with the mysterious-themed tours, based on local lore, legends and the secretive side of the city. I soon realised that seasonal tours, just as any seasonal event, make a great promotional tool. In the very first year, I already had special Halloween tours and the Zagreb Christmas Carol. The latter was inspired by the Dickens' Christmas Carol and the fact that we just don’t have time to think of the real Christmas spirit. By remembering end-of-year customs, winter troubles and fun times of old, we’re giving a deeper meaning to the Christmas festivities that Zagreb has become famous for. There’s not much going on in Zagreb in February, so I had time to develop a Valentine’s special tour for locals, Dark Romance in Zagreb. Some tours are costumed, all of them are wrapped around a certain topic.

Since 2015, gamified tours came as an innovative addition to the Secret Zagreb offer. It was quite challenging and very fun to set up tours that would combine true history with riddles. They’re different from other gamified activities because they still have a human component – they rely on a guide, who makes the whole thing more entertaining and helps turning carefree fun into a learning experience.

My original intention was to show that Zagreb has so many hidden memories worth sharing. But, the stories that were “secret” when I first started, all of a sudden became part of many other tours. What used to be unexplored seven years ago, is now recommended in every other guide book or app. People started rediscovering the city with the rise of tourism, always searching for new perspectives and locations. Information about Zagreb and its little treasures became more accessible.

That’s when I started going even further off the beaten track. Not just in terms of stories, but by creating tours with a very unexpected route. The Real City tour or Into The Forest are examples of that. As you can imagine, these are not the most visited tours, but these are the ones where I can really see the transformational effect on the visitors. They find true a connection with the city after wandering in the woods of mount Medvednica, or between the grey buildings of Novi Zagreb.

The latest tour, Badass Women of Zagreb, is currently my favourite one. I wanted to create something meaningful and show that tourism doesn’t need to be all about pure entertainment, that each of us has the power to educate, inspire and to move hearts.

Now I realise that it wasn’t just about expanding the tourism routes, as I believed back then. It was about capturing the spirit of the city and help others appreciate it, not just putting it on sale.

Zagreb is perhaps one of the fastest changing destinations in Croatia, especially with the success of Advent in Zagreb. How would you assess the changes since you started Secret Zagreb/ Are you happy with the current direction of Zagreb tourism?

It has affected me and Secret Zagreb in many ways, yet it was easy to see it coming. Zagreb seems to be going in the exact same direction as many other European capitals and popular city-break destinations, so it hasn’t been very hard to predict what was going to happen.

The number of tourists here is growing, and so is the variety of the offer. Except for the months of January and February, there’s always something happening for us who work in tourism – conferences, school trips, international project meetings… And then Advent, which has become so popular. I’m especially thrilled to see people from other continents coming to Zagreb in December. Even though weekends are the craziest with all the day trips from nearby countries, there are people who travel from far away to enjoy Zagreb at that time of the year.

Another big change that I’ve noticed, is a rise in number of people that stay here for a week or so. I’m really eager to see the statistics for this year to see if what I’ve noticed is true, or just a coincidence. This year, I’ve met so many people who decided to stay in Zagreb for a whole week or more. And they always say they’re here for “only a week”, and they will have to come back.

It seems that the overall attitude still prevails, that the tourists are welcome and even that their increasing number is a great sign of the city’s development. However, local tour guides spend so much time with both tourists and the locals from historical parts of the city. We’re probably the first ones to notice when opinions start clashing. For a few years, I enjoyed hearing lovely comments by the locals. Everything was all roses – we witnessed people getting to know their own town again, being proud of the interest it aroused, enjoying the company of the tourists…. But last Christmas and this summer season, for the first time I started noticing increased annoyance amongst the locals. This is not serious yet, and I hope smart strategies will prevent true irritation from happening. It would be really sad if we weren’t able to turn the knowledge that is out there, from theories to examples of other destinations, into our tool to build a sustainable destination.

I personally believe that the locals have the right to claim their neighbourhoods and their cities. I once read an article about Amsterdam, and one simple thing really hit me: a local resident said that she just couldn’t stand seeing that same tour guide in front of her doorway with the same punchline each day anymore. Gosh, I thought, am I that tour guide? Is Zagreb slowly catching up on Amsterdam? It got me thinking and eventually, I limited the number of the tour participants even more, especially for the night tours that can feel really invasive for the quiet neighbourhoods.

You know that saying “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”. I think it literally describes tourism. Each of us is a little tile that makes the journey to the destination look inviting. Everyone wants to do something good, something valuable. But when you finally get there, you realise we’ve all turned the place into fabricated hell, and have lost its authenticity that used to make it heaven on Earth. Let’s hope this is not going to happen to Zagreb.

I think that’s what makes various urban civil initiatives that are “re-claiming” the city very important. And education of each and every person who is involved in tourism. Too many people are involved, without the awareness about the long-term effects. It’s important to put tourism in the service of heritage, and not the other way around.

Authenticity and experiences are words which are often used in tourism. Do you think Croatian tourism has enough authentic experiences, or is it still over-reliant on the sun and the sea?

I actually believe that the sun and the sea are pretty authentic:) Authenticity is often about the simple stuff with deep meaning. Our incapacity to preserve the simplicity is striking. All we need is to recognise the spirit of destinations and pass that feeling on to our guests. It’s a shame we often lose that feeling in the quick, “easy” and very temporary money.

This will sound really cheesy, but I believe that the authenticity is in our hearts. We can’t make people create authentic experiences if they’re driven by the desire for instant business success. What we could do, is give full support to the ones who keep the authenticity alive and carefully work on developing destinations. All the tourism bodies should work towards that.. I’ve seen what it looks like to have a passionate person with a vision as a head of a small tourism board. We will easily blame the destination management for various faults. However, you have to be a super-human to rise above all the mud that surrounds you, be able to ward off all the opinions that are not in tune with your destination’s strategy, and follow the goals. I don’t think that anyone can be prepared for what awaits for you as a head of a local tourism board, especially if you’re trying to preserve the authenticity. It’s difficult to set heritage and authenticity as a priority even if you’re one of the “rich tourism boards”, because who cares about that when money’s pouring in one way or the other. It’s even more difficult for a small tourism board when they believe that this could actually be the way of development.

With the tours you have put together, you obviously see the opportunities from creating original content tours. How have your clients reacted, and how much more potential is there here to offer authentic experiences?

All I offer is a little shift in perspective in the hope of revealing something that the guests wouldn’t realise themselves. There’s still a lot of potential, but there are also many lost opportunities. It’s hard to offer authenticity when we try to fabricate it. We’re reading about new designer shops, at the same time letting the old artisan shops shut down forever under the radar. We’re talking about the “new creative awakening” of Zagreb, completely ignoring the city’s history of creativity, serious art movements, not even noticing that we’re slowly losing the tradition of social engagement. It’s so hard to keep our focus even here in the capital, where there should be most opportunities. I’m the first one to fail here. I have the desire to promote some special pieces of the town’s memory, but I don’t always succeed in delivering it to the market as I’d love to.

Right now, on TripAdvisor, there are 190 tours listed for Zagreb. That’s a lot, and it’s hard to dig through all that and discover what’s truly authentic. However, I think there’s still space for new tales, it’s just the matter of finding your way to the market. Airbnb Experiences could be a good platform to offer something new. There are some very unexpected creative experiences offered there.

A few years ago at a Zagreb conference, you showed a wonderful video of a Belgian pig walking tour as an example of innovative tourism using the traditions of the location. Can you give us a few examples (not your own agency) of similar things that you have seen in Croatia?

Innoguide Experiential BE from Copper Views on Vimeo.

Haha, the pig tour was so revealing for me, too. The point is, not everyone will come to my village. But my village doesn’t have the capacity for everyone. People who do come, on the other hand, will be able to experience something very authentic. There are so many good examples throughout Croatia, I’m going to give a few that I’m personally familiar with.

Just a few weeks ago, an enthusiast Tihomir Želimorski organised an event called “Šetnja kroz naivu” with the support of Central Podravina tourism board in a village of Hlebine. Soon enough, the whole community joined - many households participated one way or another, helping the visitors understand that art is a part of who they are. This is a wonderful start of something that could turn into a true art destination in the future. I’m personally so enchanted with Podravina right now, that I can’t help it but mention at least one example from that region.

An amazing example of heritage, community and tourism, working together, is an event called Tunafest in Bakar, organised by the Bakar Tourism Board and Via Mea agency. So many locals – producers, performers, folk associations, business owners, get together to put up a very authentic event for big organised groups of tourists.

I really admire Jelena Holenko of Lynx and Fox, who is doing such an amazing job with her tours in the region of Gorski Kotar. Through her passionate work on social media, I feel she is the single force that’s directing the attention to her destination. We’ve met less than a year ago and we already had a chance to work together on some educational projects. But I remember first noticing her online, thinking “What is this? Self-destruction next level:)” It must be so difficult to reroute people to come to Gorski Kotar, and what an organisational task it must be to set up each of her tours. When anyone of us, who works to keep the local heritage alive, feels down and not sure about what we’re doing, just one click on Lynx and Fox, and we find Jelena, bursting with energy, creating connections throughout her region, her desire to make us come and visit every single incredible sight, and meet every single person who works hard to keep a part of heritage alive - that’s pure inspiration and a drive for all of us.

I also love Culsperience project that clearly points fingers to what’s really authentic. I appreciate that it’s focused on continental Croatia.

An Istrian town of Savičenta is an example of passion and focus growing big and community working together towards greatness. It took time, and it’s still an ongoing process, but for years, this small town has been developing around the identity they agreed on. If a place of a few hundred residents is becoming a sustainable destination, it wouldn’t hurt if every small city council meeting should start with presentation of that example.

These are just a few tiny examples, I deliberately picked different kinds to show the variety. I’ve had the privilege to meet so many inspiring people who care. I met passionate guides from Šibenik whose eyes literally start shining with pride when they speak about their home. Or warm heritage interpreters from Istria who keep the lost languages alive.

Artists, tour guides, reenactors, tourism board and local authorities employees, vendors, farmers, artisans, designers, promotors, journalists, food producers, taxi-drivers, captains, museum curators, park rangers, to name just a few…. there are so many beautiful dreamers eager to stay here in Croatia and make visitors feel at home, too. Most of them are desperately trying to build a life around that passion, but too often, after years of trying, they eventually have to wake up because the big majority and a big part of the system are not supportive enough and don’t have the same priorities. But there is a silent army of incredible people growing stronger, rising deep under the superficial layers of concrete and big tourist numbers, and when it bursts through, it’s bringing the heart of the country back to the surface, all the breath-taking treasures and heart-warming gems ready to explore.

Are the needs and wishes of tourists changing in recent years? What advice would you have for someone thinking of opening a tourism agency in Zagreb?

They are changing so fast. You just can’t stand still and have to keep moving and planning new things. I think, just like in any business, it’s important to have some kind of a higher personal goal. And your own Barbara – the person who bought your first ticket. Mark down those tiny moments of gratefulness so you can go back to them.

Otherwise, the energy level is going to drop eventually and you won’t be able to stay in touch with yourself. My little trick to keep myself going is to keep my sight clear. Is there anything I will regret if I don’t try it? If there is, you can be sure that I’m working on it right now. There is a book by the genius Nela Dunato – The Human Centered Brand – if you’re ever in doubt where you’re going, this piece of wisdom will take you back on track.

As for the ongoing projects – keep track on the market, in your town, country, and similar destinations and projects abroad; react to changes as soon as they start happening if you were not able to predict them earlier.

I like to simplify things in my head, so when I need to double-check what I’m doing, I think of it in terms of tattoos. Would I like to have my project logo tattooed on my skin, so I can explain to everyone what does it mean to me? If it feels more like a faded teenage tattoo ready to go under laser, it’s time to turn pages.

Tourists’ expectations keep changing, too. There is a rise of “experiences” all over the world, and many tourists simply expect to be entertained and ovewhelmed with fast experiences, they are not on a quest for a more profound connection. It happened to me that I needed to change who I was aiming at as clients. It used to be anyone, because anyone who came to Zagreb was already off the path and interested in deeper exploring. But with the rise in numbers, I have to start being more focused in marketing, at the same time “fighting” for my desired clients with the increased number of tours in the city. It’s an ongoing process.

People usually start with one idea and they have a feeling once it’s out there, the job will be done. But that’s just the start.

Since none of us is prepared for the market that changes so quickly, especially if we’re working in a creative field where your own product is an innovation so you can’t really predict anything, we all require more life-long education opportunities and some kinds of vanity-free hubs that will give us a chance to create collaborative atmosphere.

Collaboration is another important thing that I haven’t even mentioned yet. Working together, creating something in teams, learning from each other, exchanging experiences - even for great individualists, this can be truly transforming, and of course, very important for the community. I have to mention the association of tour guides Mihovil from Šibenik - some very strong and charismatic personalities put all their differences aside and got together to create a walking tour called “Mračna strana Šibenika” and many other projects that depended on their collaboration and mutual support. That’s other-wordly, an example that we should all strive to.

I have personally had the pleasure to collaborate with so many people through all these years. Sometimes it was successful, sometimes not. But, each and every one of them has left a mark and made a significant difference. We need to be ready to accept other people’s opinion, ready for failure, just as we are for success, take the best out of it all, keep moving and creating. Cherish the beautiful moments and just be true to ourselves and the destinations we’re breathing life into.

You can learn more about Iva's incredible tours on her Secret Zagreb website. 

National Geographic asks Ivana Sila from Secret Zagreb to create the perfect 2-day Zagreb itinerary