DT Croatia - Dubrovnik Travel DMC is one of the most famous and oldest Dubrovnik and Croatian DMC agencies. An expert and professional team offers services for the organization of meetings, incentives, exclusive groups and events from the earliest stages of planning to the final day of the event. We spoke with the founder and director of the DT Croatia agency, Daniel Marušić, about what Dubrovnik offers as a meeting-incentive destination, how they deal with the latest business challenges, and whether the incentive market is recovering.

Through 25 years of work in the MICE industry in the area of Dubrovnik and Croatia, Daniel Marušić has gained rich experience, but also built solid partnership relationships in the markets of Montenegro, Slovenia and Serbia. He is also the president of the Professional Group of Travel Agencies of the Dubrovnik County Chamber within the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, and in addition to his expertise and passion for work in the MICE industry, he is an active athlete. He is the president of the Dubrovnik Triathlon Club and a passionate triathlete who participates in world Ironman races and various other swimming and running marathons, and also organizes sports events in Dubrovnik.

• Behind us is a very challenging period and a crisis that particularly affected tourism and agencies. How did your agency overcome this challenging period, did you turn to any new business projects?

Three crises, each in its own way, are still present: the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and inflation. Dubrovnik Travel has taken a conservative approach to the maintenance of the company from the very beginning until today, when it is still felt that the market is somewhat stabilizing and, in part, returning to a "normal" flow. However, the consequences are still being felt, mostly in the prices of services, while safety is still one of the most important items in terms of tourism and travel. We used the last three years to reorganize and digitize our agency's operations. We started these processes back in 2019, but all the aforementioned crises slowed us down in our efforts. We are always considering new projects, even now, but when we successfully complete everything planned within the company itself, I believe that we will go further because we see that in the field of our industry it is necessary to constantly be one step ahead of others.

Investing in people is what makes DT Croatia a successful DMC agency in the region

• Last year's tourism results showed a recovery, and the congress industry is also coming back to life. How would you rate 2022 in terms of business?

Last year started modestly, the spring was not a fairy tale, especially in terms of large group events and gatherings because the epidemiological measures were still in force. However, when the measures were relaxed, most of what was planned was still done, and it was nice to feel the return of events. For DT Croatia, 2022 was a solid year to return to work. During the crisis, the number of employees decreased by almost 50 percent, but today, with new young forces, we are slowly strengthening our team again. We believe that by investing in people and taking care of our employees, our company is making the best investment in the future of the business, because it is precisely because of them that DT is still one of the most famous and business-oriented DMC agencies in the region.

• How much has the market and the role of PCO and DMC agencies changed during the crisis years?

The role of PCO and DMC agencies has certainly changed to some extent. There are many new challenges in business to deal with. A lot of suppliers have aggressively entered the market on their own, offering non-competitive terms even to us, in order to bypass us. As far as clients are concerned, there is a similar situation, but it depends on the markets. Some markets are loyal, and some have a nature to bypass, exploit and even cheat. But we are resistant to all scenarios. We've seen a lot over the years, but both suppliers and clients sooner or later come back to us for help and partnership. This is because we have been professional, transparent and simple from our beginnings until today. Clients and partners appreciate this and know that such cooperation pays off in the long run. As I mentioned, we have experienced a lot, so we can predict a lot in business, and when we fail to predict, it only makes us stronger, more experienced. Precautions are never enough, that's why we have a slightly more cautious way of doing business, which has paid off all these years.

• What is the current situation in the incentive travel industry, do you have any inquires about the organization of incentives in Dubrovnik?

We have a lot of inquiries about the organization of incentives, both for Dubrovnik, as well as for Zagreb, Istria, Split, Hvar, Zadar, etc. We work all over Croatia, and all our offices (in Dubrovnik, Zagreb and Split) are the busiest with incentive inquiries, which is our core business. This is where we profiled ourselves and are one of the most famous in Croatia. Namely, in the incentive business, the most important thing is patience, professionalism and reputation of the DMC management. DT has been successful since 1998, which is 25 years, with many crises behind us (Kosovo, global financial crisis, coronavirus, war in Ukraine and others).

Dubrovnik occupies a leading position in terms of reputation and results among Mediterranean destinations

• What would you highlight as the biggest advantages of Dubrovnik as a MICE destination? What type of clients does it attract the most and from which countries?

Dubrovnik is really very popular as a MICE destination globally. Simply recognizable, in demand from the 70s until today. Dubrovnik has that special "WOW effect", and justifies it with its beauty, tradition and tourist infrastructure. When you compare Dubrovnik with many competing world cities, Dubrovnik is a small destination, but it laid the foundations at the right time. Due to the large growth of global MICE demand, a large amount of work flows into Dubrovnik, and the events are the longest in terms of number of days held compared to the entire Croatian coast, even though it is primarily an aviation destination. If you compare Dubrovnik with any similar small city in the Mediterranean, it will occupy a very high position in terms of reputation and results. Clients come to Dubrovnik because it is really mega-popular, and it is visited by everyone - from world celebrities to business magnets - everyone wants to go to Dubrovnik. Even when we mention attractions such as the filming of Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Robin Hood and many others...

• This year, Dubrovnik once again shined as a Meeting Star and the best M meeting destination, and you are listed among the top 10 most influential representatives of event organization agencies according to Kongres magazine. What would you say is the recipe for that success? Why is Dubrovnik among the best year after year and what would you single out as reasons for positioning yourself on this ranking?

It's always nice to be in the company of the best. These are the results of one of the polls conducted by the media, but it is a good indicator of how strong Dubrovnik and DT Croatia are in Europe. There is no secret recipe for success. The best results can only be achieved through work and long-term investment. For me personally and the entire DT team, which stands behind this great result, this is the result of our experience, the adventure of life, the many situations of unimaginable proportions that we have gone through, and we will always remember our beginnings, sacrifices, a lot of work, effort and nurturing interpersonal relationships, that took us where we are today. It took time, but it was worth it.

An ideal destination for sports events and active vacations

• You yourself are the organizer of an event in Dubrovnik, namely the sports event - EARTH, SEA & FIRE Dubrovnik International Triathlon, which DT Croatia organizes in cooperation with Triathlon Club Dubrovnik. How did you decide to start this project and what makes Dubrovnik an ideal destination for sports events and how do they affect the destination itself?

I am an active triathlete, I often travel to races and multi-sport events around the world, and I bring only the best experiences to Dubrovnik. I founded the Triathlon Club with fellow local triathletes 7 years ago, and the idea of a big triathlon race, or event, came naturally from my side because triathlon is a growing sport, and also very popular in terms of tourism. Not only triathlon, but all kinds of outdoor sports are followed by tourism today, and my wish was that something of spectacular high quality should happen in Dubrovnik. That's why DT is here to make a quality connection between the destination and sports, tourists and local residents. There is a lot of work involved in a sports event, many different factors are important, such as knowing the culture of the destination, but also the sport itself - as a participant and organizer. What really works in Dubrovnik's favour is its location in the very south of Croatia, which makes the climate favourable, it has a very good off-season infrastructure and offer, a combination of the beautiful nature of the sea and other essential elements for this type of tourism. Many Europeans want to come in the winter to slightly warmer, yet close destinations and not only to race, but also some training camps or individually without interrupting their training processes on vacation. It is a big new market that is just starting to develop here, but if we take advantage of all the opportunities we have, I believe that Dubrovnik can offer only the best to those who want a good active vacation or event.