A combination of architecture, art, robotics and computer programming. That was the installation which until November last year was part of the Croatian pavilion at the 16th Venice Biennale. And now, for the first time in Croatia, it will be presented as part of the 3rd Festival of Light, reports Večernji List on March 17, 2019.

It will be located at the atrium of the Zagreb City Museum. The new installation will be developed by Dean Skira, one of the most prominent Croatian light designers, along with the designers of the original "Pergola Cloud", architects Bruno Juričić and Alisa Andrašek. He will illuminate this piece of art and do the same with the surrounding part of the museum.

This is just one of the twenty locations directly below and on the Upper Town, the historic part of Zagreb, making it an ideal environment for this event. “Pergola Cloud” is a joint collaboration between the Zagreb City Tourist Board and the Ministry of Culture.

Our project focuses on the experience of being under a pergola that allows playing with the environment, mobilising environmental, natural elements, and opening up space for the poetry of living. Pergola is saturated with innovative, computer-generated modules and resembles a three-dimensional lace, said Juričić.

Together with the Ministry of Culture and the City of Zagreb, the Zagreb City Tourist Board is working with many cultural institutions and public and city services to attract more visitors to the festival, which will this year run from 20 to 24 March. The City of Zagreb, HEP, the State Hydrometeorological Service, Croatian Forests, Zrinjevac, ZET, the Faculty of Law of the University of Zagreb, the August Cesarec Centre for Culture and Film, the Klovićevi Dvori Gallery and the Croatian History Institute also help realise the project.

The Archdiocese of Zagreb has allowed the St. Catherine church to be illuminated. The stained glass windows which are usually inside the church will be projected on its front, explained the director of the Zagreb Tourist Board Martina Bienenfeld, adding that they have the great support of the inhabitants of the Upper Town, who contribute with their patience to the successful realisation of the project.

Translated from Večernji List.

More Zagreb news can be found in the dedicated section.

ZAGREB, March 16, 2019 - About a thousand students from several secondary schools in Zagreb rallied in the city's centre on Friday afternoon to protest against climate change, chanting "We need change, we need it now" and "Let's save the planet."

They joined students in over 2,000 cities across the globe as part of the global movement "Fridays for the future."

"There is no planet B" and "What I stand for is what I stand on" were just some of the messages written on placards carried by the demonstrators.

"Those who do nothing have no right to complain, and we have a lot of things to complain about and that's why we are here," a student called Erika said, while her colleague Igor was filming the whole event to show it in his YouTube vlog.

"I think we will manage to change something. There are a lot of us and I think this will help in stopping climate change, at least to a small extent," Igor said.

During their march from Europe Square to St Mark's Square, the seat of the government, the demonstrators stopped tram traffic in the main square Trg Bana Jelačića.

"We are here to show our resistance to the system that acts as if climate change does not exist. As a member of the European Union, Croatia is among developed countries and should treat the problem of climate change seriously," one student, Ana Žerjav said.

Another student, Laura Skala, who launched the Facebook page "School Strike 4 Climate Croatia" and initiated today's protest, in her address asked politicians what have they done to stop climate change. "Have you banned single-use plastic, have you made any investments in solar and wind energy? You haven't!"

She recalled that people had 11 years left to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent to stop further temperature increases globally.

Skala told Hina she had coordinated the protest with students from other Zagreb schools and was pleased with the support of students and school heads.

Similar protests were also held in several cities across the country, including Split, Osijek, Križevci, Varaždin, Pula and on the southern island of Vis.

The protests were supported by the Ministry of Environment and Energy, Minister of Science and Education Blaženka Divjak, and Croatian scientists.

Protests in European cities were inspired by 15-year-old Swedish student Greta Thunberg, whose strike for climate held outside the Swedish parliament in Stockholm every Friday since August 2018 has triggered the global movement "Fridays for the future."

More news about climate change in Croatia can be found in the Lifestyle section.

March 15, 2019 - The 5th Annual Medical Tourism Conference in Zagreb brought together a rich collection of international experts, including Cleveland Clinic's Director of International Patient Experience, Joe Sweet. 

It has been another important week in the Croatian medical tourism story, as the 5th Annual Medical Tourism Conference in Zagreb, organised by Euro Events, brought a very international group of stakeholders to the Croatian capital for two days of conference followed by a B2B workshop today, as TCN reported earlier. 

Among the impressive list of speakers was Joe Sweet, Cleveland Clinic's Director of International Patient Experience, whose presentation was entitled Creating a Consistent Approach to a High-Quality Patient Experience. Sweet spoke eloquently about the Cleveland Clinic's patient experience journey, outlining successful methods to create a successful patient experience culture, as well as innovative and digital patient experience approaches. TCN caught up with Sweet before his flight to learn more about his visit to Croatia. 

The Cleveland Clinic in Croatia. This is a great thing for the Croatian medical tourism industry. How did it come about that you are in Zagreb?

Firstly, our CEO Tom Mihaljevic is Croatian. But actually the reason I am here is driven by Ognjen Bagatin of Bagatin Clinic who came to see us in Cleveland to learn about the patient experience and our Patients First initiative. I met with him almost a year ago now, and we really hit it off from that first lunch we had together. I learned more about his personality, his drive and what he is trying to achieve. That was very impressive. And then this opportunity came up with Euro Events to come over and share our story, and Ognjen really connected that, making it happen.

We are interested in spreading the news of who we are and what we do and forming those connections around the world. So we see this as an opportunity to do that, to get out there and build more of those relationships. 

Interesting. Tell us a little about Bagatin. Here the clinic is known for its excellence and being very proactive internationally in promoting Croatia as a health tourism destination. How does it rate on a global level?

I think its an up and comer. I know that Deloitte has ranked it as one of the fastest growing startup clinics. He has been at it since I think 1995, and we are keeping an eye out on Ognjen now, since he approached us, to see where he is going and where they are expanding to. And we're impressed. Impressed with him as a leader, his style, his team. We've seen his facilities and are impressed by the organisation, the cleanliness, the professionalism of his staff. So he is doing impressive things, and I think some great things are coming. 

How does Croatia rate as a medical tourism destination?

I have to be honest, I am not a medical tourism expert. I was here to broaden the Cleveland Clinic story and our patient experience, and how we handle and support our international patients coming in. 

But just from my limited experience of being here these last few days and seeing how it operates and what I have learned at this conference, I see Croatia as a hot spot for people to come and get their healthcare. But then also to enjoy their time here, so potentially to bring their family along, enjoying this wonderful city or visiting the coast. So there are real opportunities and the dual benefit of combining a vacation with medical treatment. I know that there are other beautiful destinations in the world, but Croatia really is a great place to come. 

From the Croatian perspective, the Cleveland Clinic has a Croatian CEO. Can you say a few words about Tom Mihaljevic and the impact he has made at Cleveland Clinic?

Yes, absolutely. He was our CEO for our Abu Dhabi facility for three years. He has been in his current role for just over a year, starting in January 2018. His style is very approachable, he is very relatable, he is extremely sharp and has a great communication style. He is an excellent listener. He listens and responds, but he listens more than he responds. He is very articulate, but he is a team player for sure. You can tell that the team aspect is built into him, and he is very family-oriented. You can feel his style and characteristics emanating across our clinic and how our team is responding. He also has a sense of humour which helps with connecting with people, so you feel comfortable right off from that initial reaction and making you feel like he is listening and respecting you. 

How realistic do you think it is for Americans to come to Croatia for their medical tourism needs?

I think it could be extremely realistic. I think especially with your soccer team and – sorry not yours (correspondent explanation – I am English, and Joe seemed to be referring to some football match between Croatia and Russia last year, and not the latest match between the two at Wembley...). Oh yes, they beat you. But that really put Croatia on the map.

But in my city, Cleveland, we have over 50,000 Croatians. They are a very tight community and that helps with connections as well. So I definitely think there is potential. There are rumblings in the States about Croatia, about how beautiful it is, the coastline, but I think people still think it's not Italy. It's not Greece. But I think if Croatia does more to get imagery of that crystal blue water along the coast, and get that out there into Americans' heads, then they will come. 

Now you also need to figure out how to work with the travel and make it easier. 

We have the first direct flights from Philadelphia to Dubrovnik starting this summer. 

Perfect. Well if you are asking me should Croatia advertise and market itself in the States, then yes. They just need to figure out the best way to do that.

Learn more about the Cleveland Clinic. 

For more on the Croatian medical tourism story, follow the dedicated TCN page. 

The excellent performance of Dinamo Zagreb in Europe this season has also filled the club's cash register and increased the value of the players. Thus, Dinamo has concluded their European campaign with around 14 million euro in the bank, reports HRT on March 15, 2019. 

Here’s how the money was collected. 

Just for participating in the qualifications of the Champions League, Dinamo will receive five million euro, and in the Europa league, more than eight million euro.

Dinamo will also receive 2.9 million euro for making it to the group stage. For each of the four wins in their group, the club earned 570,000 euro, and for each of the two draws, 190,000 euro.

For winning first place in the group, Dinamo received another 1 million euro bonus and half a million for making it to the round of 32. Advancing to the round of 16 made the club yet another 1.1 million euro richer. 

UEFA will distribute up to 2.55 billion euro to the clubs participating in the Champions League, Europa League and the Supercup this season. From that amount, clubs in the Champions League will see 2.04 billion euro and clubs from the Europa league 510 million euro.

Dinamo’s excellent European season has also increased the value of players themselves. Interestingly, the value of Dinamo's players has risen by 22 million euro after they won against Benfica in Zagreb. Before the match, Dinamo was worth 50 million euro, and today, 72 million.

The most expensive player is Dani Olmo, who is worth 15 million euro and is the only player worth more than 10 million euro at the club. Captain Arijan Ademi was assessed at 6 million euro, French player Kevin Theophile-Catherine at 5 million, Bosnia and Herzegovina representative Amer Gojak at 4.5 million euro, and Mislav Oršić at 3.5 million euro.

New Croatia national team player Bruno Petković was estimated at three million euro, just like Izet Hajrović and Mario Gavranović.

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

March 15, 2019 - The 5th Annual Medical Tourism Conference in Zagreb took place this week, with a rich and stimulating group of international speakers. And some notable absentees.

A very stimulating week for this correspondent so far, as Zagreb served up two high-quality conferences in IT and medical tourism. If the technological vision of the future from 24 Sata's Digital Takeover conference was not enough, the presentations and panel discussions from international speakers from 22 international speakers from 13 counties at the 5th Annual Medical Tourism Conference on the 17th floor of The Westin Hotel overloaded my brain. It was a fascinating three days.

It was certainly a conference with a view. Below, the city of Zagreb, which has recently branded itself as 'Zagreb - the center of medical excellence.' 

Because I am relatively new to the Croatian medical tourism world and live in Croatia, it is hard for me to gauge the global position of the Croatian health tourism industry. In addition to a chance to learn more about the industry from internationally respected experts, it is also an opportunity to find out what they think about Croatia's position and potential. 

"Croatia is the new heart of medical tourism in Europe," said facilitator Daniel Coulton-Shaw in his opening remarks. 

Coulton-Shaw is a man who knows the industry well, and who has built up a very successful dental tourism business from nothing in Slovakia, as well as being an international clinic mentor and the brains behind Global Clinic Ranking.  He kindly agreed to an interview with TCN, which we will publish shortly.

Among the many opportunities discussed over the two days, the potential of cross-border care seems to be one which Croatia and other countries could benefit from. It is not widely known that EU citizens can get their healthcare done in other member states (EU directive 2011/14, which came into force in 2013), which has the benefit of reduced waiting times and cheaper treatment. One example cited was in orthopaedics in the UK, where waiting times are three years and private treatment is among the most expensive in the world.

With its medical excellent, affordable prices and excellent reputation as a safe tourism country, Croatia is potentially the EU member state which could benefit the most. 

Among the many thought-provoking presentations, Elizabeth Ziemba looked at the opportunities and obstacles of buying and selling cross-border healthcare. It was fascinating to learn, for example, that companies in the UK have relationships with pharmacies in Mexico, where they fly employees to Mexico with generous per diem allowances - the savings on prescription costs make the saving tenfold. Or that Finland and (from memory) now have an e-prescription agreement to allow something similar. 

Once such cross-border initiatives develop fully, the potential for boosting the Croatian medical tourism industry and the economy as a whole is immense. 

If Croatia learns how to take advantage of the opportunity.  

Irving Stackpole gave a stimulating presentation on the function of technology in the patients' journey, and how telehealth and telemedicine are already transforming healthcare and the relationship between patient and clinic. Both Stackpole and Ziemba will be back in Zagreb on March 26 for a niche workshop at the Bagatin Education Centre, as previously reported on TCN. 

There was also local representation among the speakers, with Ognjen Bagatin, CEO of Bagatin Clinic in Zagreb (and now Split) talking on Facing the Problem of the Lack of a Suitably Skilled Workforce. It was the most high-tempo presentation of all, and one which I will dedicate another article to, for what is happening behind the scenes at Bagatin Clinic in terms of staff training is quite possibly unique in Croatia.

One of the biggest names in the world in patient care was also present, as Joe Sweet, Director of Cleveland Clinic's International Patient Experience, Joe Sweet, talked about Creating a Consistent Approach to High-Quality Patient Experience. With its 66,000 staff under new Croatian CEO Tom Mihaljevic, Cleveland Clinic was at the cutting edge of medical innovation. One new addition coming soon to enhance the patient experience, Sweet explained, will be the use of holograms to show and explain to the patient their individual situation. Sweet also did an interview with TCN before catching his flight back to the States, which we will publish soon.

The two-day conference, which was organised by Euro Events, continues today with a dedicated B2B workshop. A stimulating and educational two-days, as well as great chance to network and learn more how Croatia can develop its relatively untapped jewel.

Which is why it was surprising to see who was NOT at the conference. 

With various official bodies coming together with great fanfare a few weeks ago to launch Health Spot Croatia, Croatia's hub for developing medical tourism, one might reasonably expect to see those stakeholders at such a quality conference. 

I was certainly encouraged when I saw the programme. Both Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic and Minister of Health Advisor Mate Car were due to give the opening remarks of the conference. 

Neither appeared. 

In fact, as far as I could see, only the Zagreb Tourist Board from the five key stakeholders from Health Spot Croatia came to the conference. No representation from the ministries of health, national tourist board, or chamber of economy. 

Perhaps they have no need for such international expertise on their doorstep, and perhaps they have figured out Croatia's health tourism strategy all on their own. 

A very stimulating two days, which TCN will explore in more detail in the coming days with interviews and features on Coulton-Shaw, Bagatin and Sweet. 

To learn more about other conferences from Euro Events, visit the official website. 

For the latest news from the Croatian medical tourism story, follow our detailed coverage.

One successful Zagreb company has been exploring outside of the Croatian market and has found a plethora of opportunities and interest on foreign markets.

As Lucija Spiljak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 14th of March, 2019, thanks to its long tradition, identity, high quality, attractive design and practical accessories, the Zagreb-based company Mediaform has been positioning in Croatia for over twenty whole years as a market leader in the field of the production of top of the range diaries made from some of the highest quality materials.

The company was founded back in 1997 by Nedeljko Šukurma, who is currently working with numerous other companies and designers. They have been selling their company's products for years through retail stores such as Narodne novine, Školske knjige (School books), and others. However, Šukurma didn't want to just stop and stay on the Croatian market alone, but he, with a dose of success and an excellent idea, decided to dip his toes into foreign markets.

"Over the past few years, we've been trying to break into the European market in the segment of office and school materials with notebooks called Keyboard in two groups. The first group are premium notebooks - such as Moleskine, Lanybook and the like, while the other group are school notebooks. The Keyboard notebooks were successfully sold in the bookstores of the former Algoritam company, but even after its closure, customers were still asking after Mediaform's notebooks,'' explained Šukurma.

This was just another incentive for Šukurma and his Zagreb company to try out their products overseas where his company came across very positive reactions and a lot of praise.

"To be able to position yourself successfully on the global market in a segment that has long been covered by world-renowned brands, you need to do something innovative, something interesting and specific. With our new collection of Keyboard notebooks, we have been able to attract a great level of interest from foreign distributors and bookstores. On the front page, the notebooks are simple and minimalistic, but the design is impressive. The letters on the embossed, styled keyboard on the notebook's covers form an inspirational message - Handwriting beats a keyboard, which promotes handwriting as one of the timeless ways through which people can express their personalities,'' stated the founder of this successful Zagreb-based company which is clearly going from strength to strength.

Therefore, in addition to the business side of things, this Zagreb company's notebooks also feature an aesthetic function that will attract anyone who is used to using laptops and the like. For two consecutive years, Zagreb's Mediaform has been expanding its product group at the world-renowned and specialised Paperworld fair in Frankfurt, Germany. At the end of last year, they first exhibited their products at the Insights-X fair in Nuremberg for the German market and at the Big Buyer fair in Bologna for the Italian market.

"At the last Paperworld fair in Frankfurt, the organisers officially drew attention to our Keyboard notebooks. At this fair, there's also a separate space that acts as an exhibition gallery called Trends. When it comes to [exhibiting there] the fair organiser selects the most innovative and creative articles that should have particular emphasis drawn to them, with the focus being placed on excellence. Our Keyboard notebook found itself among this group of the world's top manufacturers,'' said Mediaform's owner.

Make sure to follow our dedicated business and Made in Croatia pages for more on Croatian products, services and inventions. If it's just Zagreb you're interested in, give Total Zagreb a follow.

Click here for the original article by Lucija Spiljak for Poslovni Dnevnik

March 14, 2019 - Dinamo Zagreb and Benfica met in Lisbon at the legendary Luz stadium for the second leg of the Europa League round of 16. Recall, in the first match, Dinamo won 1:0 at Maksimir. 

Around 1,500 Dinamo fans traveled to Lisbon for the Europa League spectacle, and allegedly, a Torcida group could also be spotted at the stadium, as they are known to have good relations with Benfica fan group "No Name Boys”.

Dinamo coach Nenad Bjelica could not count on four players for tonight’s game. Namely, captain Arijan Ademi and Izet Hajrović were out due to injuries, while Ivan Šunjić and Marin Leovac were suspended for yellow cards. 

Dinamo played smart and with patience in the first half, and even had a few decent chances to score. Though they were unable to capitalize, the talk of the first half is definitely the controversy of the 22nd minute - should Dinamo have received a penalty? You can see for yourself below. 

22' #SLBenfica 0 - 0 #GNKDinamo
Gabriel y Petković caen en el interior del área benfiquista. Aytekin señala infracción del delantero del Dinamo. Se la jugó el '8' encarnado. pic.twitter.com/UhMJE6Muey

— Fútbol Portugal © ?? (@FutbolPortugal) March 14, 2019

The first half ended without goals, and the start of the second didn’t see the pace of the game change much. However, it was only a matter of time before Benfica picked up their game and reinstilled hope of advancing to the quarterfinals. 

And there it was, in the 71st minute - Jonas scored a somewhat awkward volley for 1:0. With no other goals and at an aggregate of 1:1, the game was forced into extra time.

In the 94th minute, Benfica took the lead with a rocket by Francisco Ferriera. Benfica led 2:0.

Dinamo had a chance to come back just moments later, though Gojak missed in front of an open goal to everyone's disbelief. The Zagreb side was fizzling. 

And then things took a turn for the worse - Dinamo's Stojanović was given a double-yellow for insulting the referee and was ejected from the game. Just minutes later, Grimaldo scored for Benfica. The game was now 3:0. 

Dinamo had another incredible chance in the 110th minute, though Atiemwen went wide of the goal. The game ended 3:0 for Benfica, who will move onto the quarterfinals. 

Dinamo has thus completed what was otherwise a brilliant Europa League campaign. 

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

March 14, 2019 - Restaurant Week, one of Croatia’s most highly anticipated gastronomy events, returns this month for its 18th edition. Namely, from March 15 to 24, foodies, friends, family, and foes will come together throughout the country to visit some of Croatia’s best restaurants. 

Restaurant Week is the idea of Željka Marjanović and Ozren Drobnjak, who wanted to find a way to promote Croatia’s gastronomic scene in cooperation with its catering establishments. During the event, participating restaurants offer various three-course menus at promotional prices - and we usually get to enjoy it twice a year. 

But the best part? 

All three-course menu prices range from 100 to 125 kuna, depending on if you're eating for lunch or dinner! 

In Zagreb, for example, visitors can choose from over 40 different restaurants, including some hard hitters in Zagreb’s culinary scene like All Saints, Konoba Bracera, Konoba Didov San, and The Garden Bar and Kitchen. You can find the full list of participants in Zagreb here. 

In Split, on the other hand, visitors can choose from nine restaurants. While Restaurant Week veterans like Bajamonti and Bepa! are on the list again, this time around, guests can also enjoy newcomers Da’Mar, which is located at wellness hotel Marvie and ZOI, a fancy Riva favorite with the best seat to a Split sunset. 

If you’re looking to try something around Split, head to Podstrana, Omiš, Solin, or Baška Voda, who all boast participants this year. You can find everyone participating in Split-Dalmatia County here. 

This edition of Restaurant Week even has an added, cocktail perk! Namely, guests can visit the Mareo Bar at Hotel Marvie or L’Aroma Bar in Podstrana to enjoy a special cocktail menu ranging from 20-25 kuna. This offer is valid before dinner, from 6 pm to 7:40 pm (100 minutes). 

A great way to get out and support Croatia’s ever-growing gastronomy scene, don’t miss out on Restaurant Week starting tomorrow, March 15 to March 24. Booking ahead is highly encouraged, and if you’re still not convinced, you can find all of the participating restaurants and menus here. 

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

The preparations for the 54th edition of Floraart, the largest and the oldest flower exhibition in this part of Europe, have started at the Zrinjevac plant nursery the Kajzerica neighbourhood in Zagreb. Large greenhouses are already the home to plants which will spend the next two months there. Gardeners and workers taking care of the seedlings, landscape architects and everyone else involved in the project are creating a fairy-tale experience which is bringing in an ever-increasing number of tourists and flower fans to Zagreb. In order for the floral arrangement to be ready, the team from the Zrinjevac parks and gardening municipal company is already working hard, reports Večernji List on March 14, 2019.

“The preparations for this year's Floraart began as early as September when our landscape architects designed the exhibition area. Landscape architects decide which plants they want, of which colour and how much of them. Their job is to create a form in which the plants will create the most impressive possible effect with their colours and scents, which is a kind of art,” explains Vesna Čuljat from Zrinjevac, which organises the international exhibition. “We take care to select those plants which are in full bloom in early May when the exhibition takes place. We started planting in February, and we are continuing to plant them these days as well. At Floraart, we will enjoy over 200,000 flowers.

A team of 15 gardeners plants about 12,000 seedlings each day.

This year's Floraart will be held at the Bundek lake from 13 to 19 May. It will bring together Croatian and European flower artists, and prizes will be presented in 26 categories, including those for the exhibitors of the planting material and the most beautiful home garden.

“In floristry, there are trends, just like in fashion, and we try to keep track of them. Today, ecological concerns and ecological awareness are more important than ever. We want to bring more nature into the city. There is a tendency for creating natural gardens in our environment, with different kinds of flowers which attract insects and bees that create biodiversity, which is extremely important,” explained Čuljat.

Numerous accompanying events will make this year’s exhibition special and make Zagreb one of the European centres when it comes to flower exhibitions.

Translated from Večernji List (reported by Snježana Črnjević).

More news about the Floraart exhibition can be found in the Lifestyle section.

The third edition of the 3T conference took placeon March the 12th in the Kaptol Boutique Cinema with various topics related to tourism and technology.

This the confirmed connection of tourism as the most important industry in Croatia and technology as a great support to tourism. The conference's director, Oleg Maštruko, opened the conference and pointed out the high share of tourism in Croatia's BDP. He emphasised that this and the digitalisation of services shouldn't be self-serving, but act as a tool to increase the efficiency and profitability of tourism and other sectors.

He said the framework for this years' conference was partly developed from topics covered in the previous two conferences.

The keynote speaker, Miikka Rosendahl, from the leading VR studio in Europe - ZOAN, presented to the audience how Helsinki got to be the European Capital of Smart Tourism and how they built the virtual platform for Helsinki. This virtual platform plans to attract at least a million virtual tourists in 2019. This complex project was realised by using different technology solutions through 3D modelling. VR Helsinki is made to be the digital platform with which visitors can tour Helsinki not just in the actual surroundings, but experience the city from the beginning of the 20th century, buy designer Finnish products, or send them to friends.

It also allows users to meet other virtual tourists from all over the world and enables them to explore Helsinki together.

The company works closely with many tourism stakeholders in Finland such as Finnair, and the plan is to fully launch in 2019. The question for conference participants at the end of the lecture was which locations should be virtualised in Croatia, and what and where exactly would be the most attractive locations for virtual tourists to visit.

The second keynote speaker was Natalija Havidić from the Ministry of Tourism, and she presented the digitalisation project for public services in the tourism sector as part of e-Croatia 2020 project.

The plan is to develop public digital services by the end of 2020 and improve and connect services in the central tourist database, as well as improve the e-visitor system and the website Croatia.hr, as well as other e-services. All the data collected would be used for business intelligence in tourism and other related services.

Ilija Brajković from Kontra moderated the panel entitled “Smart marketing in tourism – what really generates bookings". The participants were Analytics Lead from Bruketa&Žinić&Grey, Robert Petković, Head of Digital Marketing for Maistra Petar Milevoj, Internet Marketing Manager of Hotel Dubrovnik, Tomislav Kosir and Martina Srnec, Head of Marketing Department from the Croatian tourist board (HTZ).

All of the present panellists agreed that most important thing in planning marketing activities in tourism is to choose a quality promotional ''mix'' which aims at all important markets, as well as the continuous need for research into the desires of potential guests in order to provide as much information as possible. They emphasised the importance of having a great website for a product or service in tourism. and the importance of choosing suitable social networks which act as a good support for such promotional mixes. They agreed that word of mouth always beats other promotional efforts, therefore a good product and excellent service will always pay off.

The second part of the conference was traditionally split into three areas with main topics – technology, marketing and experiences. Questions about digitalisation in tourism, various booking platforms and digital solutions for payments, virtual reality in services and different IT solutions were covered by experts from Hrvatski Telekom (Croatian Telecom), Combis, Auka, Ericsson Nikola Tesla, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Lemax, SedamIt, Spotsie and other such participating companies.

In the afternoon, there was another panel in which the topic "Croatian tourism in new technology surrounding – Growth limits" with moderator Željko Ivanković, from the Polazišta i perspektive think tank, was discussed.

The participants were Martina Nimac from the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Neven Ivandić, from the Institute of Tourism, and Petar Rimac from the Expedia Group. Neven Ivandić presented the results of the research on some of the key issues of the sustainability of Croatian tourism and pointed out problems that come with the growth of tourism. The panellists debated on trends in other tourism destinations, like the shift from small family businesses to resorts, and adapting to the needs of tourists with digital solutions.

This years' 3T conference brought about new topics, interesting lectures and offered suggestions on how to deal with constant changes in tourism. The 3T conference is slowly building its brand, and it may well be the one in Croatia that helps tourism businesses to find appropriate solutions for their business processes along with the use of technology.