One of the many exciting things about next week’s Zagreb Digital Nomad Week (ZDNW) is the sense of continuity from recent events in Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik for Digital Nomads last October was the first-ever digital nomad conference in Croatia, and it was followed by the world’s first Digital Nomad-in-Residence project in the Pearl of the Adriatic.
One of the ten winners was a Future of Work explorer (and published author on the subject), Albert Cañigueral from Barcelona, whose application video you can see above and initial interview here.
Albert’s contribution and insights throughout the month were magnifcent, and he was a popular member of the group, and he became known as the Dubrovnik Beach Bum after an exercise in stereotypes and reality on the digital nomad lifestyle.
It was only natural that we would try and enlist Albert’s expertise in ZDNW, and we are delighted that he has agreed to be a keynote speaker on Friday, June 25, on the subject of the Future of Work.
Albert had initially planned to come in person, but was recently approached to head the Catalan Government’s Open Data and Transparency division, and so his presentation will be done remotely. Albert kindly found some time to tell us more about his thoughts about Croatia as a DN destination, as well as the opportunities and challenges ahead.
Albert will not be the only contributor from the Dubrovnik programs, with fellow resident nomad-in-residence, Ron Tardiff, coming down from Budapest, and Dubrovnik Tourist Board director Ana Hrnic also a ZDNW panelist.
1. From Dubrovnik beach bum to leading the Catalan government’s Transparency and Open Government division. Your life has changed since we last met in Dubrovnik a few weeks ago. Congratulations on your new position. Tell us firstly a little about that.
Thank you! It was completely unexpected. I’ve been part of a project “Catalunya 2022” with 30 experts to deliver a post-pandemic set of ideas for Catalunya. One of the co-leaders of this project, Victoria Alsina, was appointed “Consellera d’Acció Exterior i Transparència” of the catalan government (Generalitat de Catalunya). When she started creating her team, I was asked to join, and I could not refuse. It’s an honor to serve from this position and I am sure I will learn a lot too.
2. As an expert and published author on the future of work, and someone who has just spent a month as one of Dubrovnik’s Digital Nomads-in-Residence, your perspective is very interesting. Tell us firstly about your Dubrovnik experience. You were obviously not expecting to find the perfect DN destination. How would you sum up your 4 weeks there?
The sentence “content is king, context is queen” is widely used in marketing. In the DN universe I would translate as people (community) is king and location is queen. Our experience was just mind-blowing because of the community of DNs that were selected to participate, the partners of some DNs who decided to be part of the adventure, the local people who joined the workshops and other moments, the professional team that ran the whole programme and also the support from the city hall (in the middle of local elections!).
Then the 4 weeks were a lot about exploration, discovery, going with the flow, collective learning, etc.
3. Barcelona is an established nomad hot spot. What lessons can cities like Zagreb learn to make themselves more attractive to potential digital nomads?
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” is a quote attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. For any destination that wants to attract DNs the simpler the better. I mean that in terms of where to find DN-related information, where to access services (lodging, work spaces, health, communication, etc.), bundled offers for mid and long term stays, reduced language barriers, where to find other DNs and locals, etc.
I would also encourage cities to break from the “competing for DNs” with a scarcity mentality and embrace a “network of DN destinations” with an abundance mentality and cooperation among cities. What about a network of DN friendly destinations?
4. From your recent experience in Croatia, what would you say are its competitive advantages in the DN niche?
The obvious ones are location, climate, living costs, widely spoken English, friendly locals, etc.
A unique asset that we discussed several times was that Croatia is not part of the Schengen area so that provides a number of unique benefits for short term DNs that are always juggling with visa limits. The pioneering and generous DN visa is also another important asset.
5. And what are the areas Croatia needs to focus on to improve its offer? Do you have 3 quick wins that Croatia and Zagreb could implement?
I won’t be very original as the recommendations we gave to Dubrovnik are largely applicable to Croatia in general and Zagreb in particular: 1) a “seal” that helps to identify DN friendly accommodations (including coliving) 2) as well as orchestrating an ecosystem of workspaces in the city (coworking, hotels, public libraries, etc.). 3) To think not only in terms of long term DNs but also in shorter experiences like ours in Dubrovnik (1 month) with the slightly different concept of “workations”. I see a lot of potential in this area, especially for European workers.
6. The future of work is a weighty topic. Without writing another excellent book on the subject, can you give us a snapshot of where this is all going, and how do cities like Zagreb prepare for the imminent huge change?
It’s impossible to predict where this is all going. Work (tasks), management of workforces and workplaces are being highly impacted by digital technologies. All at the same in all types of directions depending on each context. So the message is we are moving from a monolithic (quasi religious) perspective on what “work” is and means to a huge range of possibilities that we are only starting to experience and understand. Be flexible and eager to learn
In the project “Ciudad en Beta” (City in Beta), that we recently started, we are exploring how the new ways of working and living are creating a metamorphosis in the cities, metropolitan and rural areas. Check the twitter feed to get an idea of the topics at hand. My recommendation is to keep a truly systemic perspective. One must break functional, managerial and political silos while trying to prepare for these changes from a city perspective. Think about city services, economic development, real estate, tourism and citizens wellbeing at the same time. Keep an eye also on high tech developments that might have an impact on how we work in the next decade (telexistence, metaverse, etc.) while trying to anticipate sociological and cultural changes in the analysis. This last bit is the hardest to predict.
7. We are thrilled that you will be joining Zagreb Digital Nomad Week as a keynote speaker. Tell us a little about your involvement.
I wanted to travel back to Croatia but due to my new position that is, unfortunately, not possible. I will be part of the discussions around the future of work on friday explaining some of the topics mentioned in this interview and deep diving where people have more interest. I am really excited to “be back” to Croatia.
8. And lastly, if Croatia takes the correct steps to develop this niche, where do you see Croatia on the European stage for digital nomads in 3-5 years?
Clearly on the top 5 list of DN friendly destinations in the Mediterranean area. Hopefully with lots of links with other DN friendly destinations as part of, and maybe leading or co-leading, the network idea I hinted at before.
DNs growth in the next 3-5 years will create doubts and tensions in several areas of our work, life and social security systems which were designed and optimized for the traditional way of working. For it’s scale and dynamism I think Croatia can be at the forefront of the much needed experimentation.
You can register for free for Albert’s presentation (and all other presentations), both online and in person on the Saltwater Nomads website.
Want a free month of accommodation from July to December as a Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador?
For the latest news and features on digital nomads in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.
