Hosting digital nomads and their mentors
November 9, 2023, A press conference was held in Pazin Castle yesterday where the continuation of the project dedicated to digital nomads: Living and working in Central Istria – “Gourmet Getaway – Workation & Workshops” was presented, reports Turizmoteka.
The mentioned conference was attended by the Prefect of the County of Istria – Boris Miletić, the Mayor of the City of Pazin – Suzana Jašić, the president of the association and director of marketing Digital Nomad Association Croatia – Jan de Jong and Tanja Polegubic, the director of the Development Agency Heart of Istria (RASI) – Petra Pekic and on behalf of the host and the organizer, the director of the Central Istrian Tourist Board – Sanja Kantaruti.
The Tourist Board of Central Istria (TZSI) is hosting digital nomads and their mentors as part of the aforementioned project from November 3 to December 3, 2023, who will participate in a series of workshops and gastronomic experiences during their stay in Central Istria. Digital nomads living in central Istria came from the United States of America, Germany, Croatia, the Netherlands, Australia and Canada. This year’s innovative project is the result of continued cooperation with the Digital Nomad Association of Croatia, the experts of Saltwater Nomads and the Development Agency of the Heart of Istria.
TZSI points out that for the third year in a row, it is implementing the Live and Work in Central Istria project, with the aim of attracting a larger number of new guests – digital nomads – to Central Istria in the period before and after the season. Central Istria, known for its beautiful landscape, charming towns and rich food and wine offer active throughout the year, is an ideal destination for digital nomads at any time of the year, offering them the opportunity to work and relax in a rural environment.
The director of the Tourist Board of Central Istria, Sanja Kantaruti, reminds that at the end of August, TZSI announced a public call for “Gourmet Getaway – Workation & Workshops” to which a large number of candidates applied, among whom seven winners were selected who will stay in central Istria, are Danielle Farage, Yuval Ackerman, Lizzy Komen, Paul Bradbury, Shaun Busuttil, Nilesh Pandey and Ali Greene. Along with the winners, four more digital nomads will be staying in central Istria: Kaisu Koskela, Nicki Frandsen, Kelsey Kay Love and Peter Rimkus, as well as more than eight guest mentors.
The winners of the public invitation will, in addition to free accommodation in a rural villa in central Istria, be awarded a travel scholarship of 250 euros, a weekly food budget and participation in a series of workshops and gastronomic experiences. Also, their task is to create content through their channels and promote Central Istria as the leading Croatian rural destination for digital nomads.
Tanja Polegubic, who is also a partner in the project, presented the program.
On weekdays, digital nomads will devote themselves to their projects and do their current affairs. Wednesday is scheduled as a day for workshops, so a workshop on local tourism is scheduled for today. Every Friday during their stay, starting at 6 p.m., the so-called “Nomad table”, i.e. dinners of digital nomads in local taverns and/or agritourism. On Saturdays, the so-called masterclasses, where digital nomads and other interested parties will have the opportunity to get to know local products and producers – winemakers, brandy producers, producers of traditional sweets, honey and dried meat products. Sundays, on the other hand, are scheduled as a day off and a day of rest, i.e. independent exploration of Central Istria for digital nomads.
Dinners, workshops and masterclasses are open to the public and anyone interested can join, with prior registration no later than 48 hours before the event by email: [email protected]. Those who have registered will receive a confirmation of registration to their email. It is important to note that all workshops are free, while dinners and masterclasses require an additional payment from participants.
Our guests, digital nomads, have already started their program. They used the first day of their stay in central Istria to get to know each other at the first “Nomad table” dinner at the Danijeli tavern in Kringa. On the second day, they visited the Anđelini agricultural trade, where a masterclass on the topic of honey was held, and on the same day, a masterclass on the topic of brandy was held with Krulčić Distillery and a welcome dinner with guest chef Geoff Bratton.
The prefect of the Istrian County, Boris Miletić, said: “Today, Istria is undoubtedly a world brand, and we are known far and wide as a tourist destination of excellent food and wine, natural beauty, and rich history and cultural heritage. If we want to continue to be competitors on the world market, we must follow trends and keep up with the changes that surround us. Marketing has certainly changed and today we are well aware of the power of social media, which have become the main channel of advertising and promotion.
Kudos to the Tourist Board of Central Istria, which recognized the aforementioned and launched this innovative project with the aim of attracting digital nomads to our region throughout the year, especially outside the main tourist season. This is precisely on the track of the future direction of tourism development promoted by the County of Istria, because we have reached the maximum capacity of guest arrivals and the number of overnight stays, and in order to preserve the peculiarities of our Istria, we must focus on sustainable development, year-round tourism and tourist products of exceptional quality.”
The Mayor of the City of Pazin, Suzana Jašić, welcomed the project participants to the city of Pazin and central Istria. She emphasized that central Istria is full of villas, apartments and other beautiful places where digital nomads can stay, work and enjoy. She also invited digital nomads to choose Central Istria as their place to live and work in the future.
Director of the Heart of Istria Development Agency – Petra Pekica, welcomed digital nomads and their mentors and pointed out that RASI, as an entrepreneurial support institution, offers a co-working space that anyone interested can use for their work, for a shorter or longer period.
The president of the Digital Nomad Association Croatia, Jan de Jong, expressed his satisfaction that the project “Live and Works in Central Istria” continues for the third year in a row, where digital nomads from all over the world have the opportunity to get to know Central Istria. He also thanked the organizers and participants for the good cooperation and expressed the hope that it will continue.
The project is co-financed by the Croatian Tourist Board through the Public tender for the allocation of funds for projects of joint tourist boards in 2023, the Tourist Board of Istria County and other sponsors, Hertz and Valfresco Direkt.
More information, a list of programs open to the public, as well as the entire program can be found at www.central-istria.com or at liveandwork.central-istria.com/workation.
