Central Istria hosts digital nomads with the aim of attracting a larger number of new guest profiles

The continuation of the project dedicated to digital nomads was presented in Pazin Castle: He lives and works in central Istria - "Gourmet Getaway - Workation & Workshops".

The media conference was attended by the prefect of Istria County - Boris Miletić, the mayor of Pazin – Suzana Jašić, president of the association and marketing director of Digital Nomad Association Croatia – John de Jong i Tanja Polegubic, director of the Heart of Istria Development Agency (RASI) – Petar Pekic and on behalf of the hosts and organizers, the director of the Central Istrian Trade Union - Sanja Kantaruti.

Tourist Board of Central Istria (TZSI) as part of the mentioned project, from November 03 to December 03, 2023, hosts digital nomads and their mentors, 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 continuation of cooperation with Croatian Association of Digital Nomads, the company's experts Saltwater Nomads te Development Agency Heart of Istria.

TZSI points out that it has been implementing the project for the third year in a row He lives and works in central Istria (Live and work in central Istria), with the aim of attracting a larger number of new guest profiles - digital nomads in 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.

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 reside in central Istria, namely 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 18 p.m., the so-called "Nomad table", i.e. dinners of digital nomads in local taverns and/or agritourisms. 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, medars and producers of 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: hello@saltwaternomads.com. 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" evening in the Danijeli tavern in Kringa. On the second day, they visited the Anđelini agricultural craft, where a masterclass was held on the topic of honey, and on the same day a masterclass on the topic of brandy was held with the Krulcić distillery and a welcome dinner with guest chef Geoff Bratton."

"Today, Istria is undoubtedly a world brand, and we are widely known as a tourist destination of top-quality enogastronomy, 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 for the arrival of guests 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.", said the prefect of Istria County, Boris Miletić.

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 Development Agency Heart of Istria – Petar Pekic, she welcomed the 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.

President of the Digital Nomad Association Croatia, John de Jong, expressed satisfaction that the project "Lives 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 Croatian tourist agency We of the public tender for the allocation of funds for the projects of the united tourist boards in 2023, Istria County Tourist Board and other sponsors, Hertz i Valfresco Direct.

You can find more information, a list of programs open to the public, and the entire program at www.central-istria.com or on www.liveandwork.central-istria.com/workation.

Photo source: Tourist Board of Central Istria