Collaboration with Day Translations. Croatia is a sought-after destination attracting many digital nomads and remote workers. The country has invested heavily to offer a range of services while also supporting the local economy.

Croatia’s International Appeal

Croatia has attracted much attention from the international press for its strong position favouring digital nomads, adopting the slogan “Croatia, your new office” with the support of the Ministry for Tourism. For example, France24 mentioned that the country is putting a lot of effort into boosting travel and the hospitality sector. Croatia has also created special visas for non-EU citizens who want to work remotely for a year, as long as they meet certain criteria.

Various commercial airlines operate from the international airport at Zagreb with flights from many destinations.

Croatia moved fast to ensure all the necessary infrastructure was in place to welcome digital nomads, of course paying particular attention to internet access. The country’s appeal is also rooted firmly in its quality of life and attractions, from historic monuments to the landscape and coastline. Added to all this is the availability of co-working spaces and of facilities for large conferences, as well as fairly affordable accommodation.

Boosting Tourism in Croatia

While Croatia is already a favourite for many travellers, digital nomad initiatives started as a way to support the tourism industry (Total Croatia News). The idea was to have international visitors who are willing to stay and work in Croatia all year round instead of spending just a few weeks in the country during the summer holidays. In fact, in the summer season most accommodation tends to be fully booked so it is a smart move to consider off-peak seasons to visit.

The project to raise the profile of Croatia to become a must-see place to work and travel has a wide scope, with the intention to boost the local economy in the long term, as well as to acquire outside expertise from an international community of workers. This factor in particular is very strategic as it involves a widening of the talent pool available in the country and is an important contribution to areas such as innovation and collaboration.

Dubrovnik, famous for its historic buildings, has already proved to be extremely popular with digital nomads, as the city hosted a digital nomad conference with plans for more to come.

Zagreb, the country’s capital, is another hot spot for digital nomads offering good infrastructure, public transport, a well-established technological sector and the availability of English speakers. Zagreb hosted a number of events dedicated to digital nomads supported by the Zagreb Tourist Board.

Croatia has invited digital nomads to stay for a month in one of its programmes asking them to describe the experience from the perspective of remote working to their audience of followers and contacts.

Languages

The main official language is Croatian or Serbo-Croatian; other languages spoken in Croatia include English, Italian, German and more.

Many locals speak English as a second language. However, occasionally, digital nomads and other remote workers may need to use technical or other specialised terminology in a document or during a conversation, for example in a meeting, that may not have a direct translation from English. This type of situations can benefit from having a professional translator or interpreter to assist. Remote translating and interpreting are available from Day Translations.