TURIZAM 385 Danijel Nekić

Guest Danijel NekićHosted by Goran RihtarićMay 3, 2026

Danijel Nekić

About this episode

What you'll hear in this conversation

The current tourism season is "very, very good," as Danijel Nekić, director of Crvena Luka d.d., observes for his resort in Biograd. Yet, beneath the surface of strong demand lies a landscape fundamentally reshaped by the pandemic. Booking dynamics are slower, last-minute decisions are the norm, and the challenge of securing labor is more acute than ever. Nekić's experience at Crvena Luka d.d. offers a clear view into how operators are navigating these new realities. He details a season where revenue is up from 2019, even if overnight stays aren't, and where the return of corporate MICE events offers a promising post-season despite a slow start. His team has directly confronted the labor crunch, turning to international recruitment from India to fill critical roles. This conversation reveals that success in today's tourism doesn't just mean attracting guests; it means building resilience into operations, adapting to new booking behaviors, and finding creative solutions to staffing. Listeners will come away considering how their own industries are grappling with similar shifts in customer patterns and workforce availability.

Insights from the conversation

What to take from this episode

Despite a "very, very good" season, Crvena Luka d.d. has experienced significantly slower booking dynamics and a surge in last-minute reservations. A strong demand signal no longer guarantees predictable planning; operators must now build agility into their revenue and staffing models to capture spontaneous bookings.

The pandemic permanently shifted guest behavior, with more direct online bookings and a reduced share from traditional tour operators. The old distribution channels are losing ground to direct digital engagement, requiring a reallocation of sales and marketing efforts towards real-time online responsiveness.

Crvena Luka d.d. is projecting 10% higher revenue than 2019, even though overnight stays are not yet at pre-pandemic levels. Growth in tourism is increasingly driven by yield management and pricing power, allowing operators to prioritize profitability per guest over sheer volume.

While pre-season group bookings lagged, Danijel Nekić sees strong interest and significant corporate investment in team-building for the post-season. The recovery of corporate travel is uneven, but a pent-up demand for in-person team building indicates a willingness to spend, making MICE a high-value segment for strategic targeting.

Crvena Luka d.d. plans to extend its season until October 31st, a deliberate effort to stabilize operations. Extending the operational calendar beyond peak summer months is no longer just about incremental revenue; it's a strategic imperative for providing stability to the workforce and improving overall business resilience.

To address the "chronic shortage of labor," Crvena Luka d.d. has started importing workers from India, specifically valuing their English language proficiency. When local labor pools are exhausted, global recruitment becomes a necessity, with practical skills like language proficiency often outweighing traditional hiring criteria.

Crvena Luka d.d. increased all employee wages by 10% this year, yet "astronomical" rises in other operating costs mean profitability remains a tight balance. Wage increases are a constant pressure in tourism, but they must be balanced against broader inflationary pressures on all other costs, making sustainable growth a multifaceted challenge.

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