18 months ago, few people in Croatia were aware of the term ‘digital nomad’. If the Croatian equivalent – digitalni nomadi – even existed is debatable, but if it did then it was used even less.
A lot has changed in the last 18 months regarding the digital nomad revolution. The introduction of a DN permit, conferences such as Zagreb Digital Nomad Week and Dubrovnik for Digital Nomads, the opening of the first co-living community in Zadar, the development of the community, and the expansion of the eco-system in the region, with significant Croatian input into the new digital nomad permit for Montenegro, as well as the Cross Border Coworking Conference.
And also something a lot more understated which shows the effect that the digital nomad initiative is having on the local population.
(Photo credit – Saltwater Nomads/Zoltan Nagy)
A very perceptive insight from one of the 10 Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence pointed out something quite significant. The term ‘digitalni nomadi’ was now a term that was understood by many people in Croatia. Indeed, the term ‘digitalni nomadi’ can be heard with increasing frequency in the cafes of Croatia.
Yesterday was a year since the first-ever digital nomad conference in Croatia, Dubrovnik for Digital Nomads, and it was marked by a workshop called ‘1 Year On Dubrovnik for Digital Nomads Workshop’, held at Lazareti.
It was quite a workshop, as Dubrovnik Tourist Board director announced no less than 3 co-working spaces, a co-living space, a DN info point, and what is believed to be the world’s first destination digital nomad card. You can learn more in Beyond the Walls: DN-i-R Presents Sustainable Dubrovnik Tourism Direction.
Last night, I was curious to see what coverage the event had generated, and so I googled ‘digitalni nomadi’ for an overview. And I smiled when I saw the results, another benchmark of the progress that has been made.
There was reasonable coverage of the Dubrovnik event, but that was not what made me smile. In recent days, there were as many as EIGHT news stories – all different – about digital nomad tourism, from the Istrian peninsula to the capital of Montenegro, via Bosnia and Hercegovina. What started in this region as a local Croatian initiative is already transcending borders. This is excellent news, as a collaborative region will attract more nomads, and for longer.
Here is an overview of the ‘digitalni nomadi’ stories which are making the local and regional news in recent days:
Digital nomads are increasingly attracted to Bosnia and Hercegovina (raport.ba)
Over 5,000 accommodation listings on the new DNA Stay (an initiative from the Digital Nomad Association Croatia) (poslovni.hr)
Istria is becoming a Mecca for digital nomads (glasistre.hr)
Zagreb in top 5 most-liked cities by nomads, according to NomadList (moja-domovina.hr)
1 Year On Dubrovnik for Digital Nomads Workshop report (dubrovnikdnevnik.hr)
Montenegro opens its doors to nomads with a visa in 2022 (pobjeda.me)
Cooperation agreement signed between the City of Mostar and INTERA-TP (bljesak.info)
Even the Kingdom of Accidental Tourism managed to get involved, with an HTZ-written article on Digital Nomad Valley Zadar, which opened almost 2 weeks ago, which is when the rest of the media reported on it (slobodnadalmacija.hr). The fact that the Croatian National Tourist Board authored the article is interesting, since normally they have a strict policy of not promoting private business initiatives. Perhaps the digital nomad movement is breaking down even more barriers than we realise.
An interview with Milovan Novakovic on YouTube, one of the pioneers of the Montenegrin visa, on the potential for Montenegro in this sector.
Great stuff, and there will be even more stories next month. Digitalni Nomadi are here to stay, at least until their restless souls move on to the next destination.
For more news and views on digital nomads in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.
