TURIZAM 385 Nuša Korotaj i Igor Nekić

Guest Nuša Korotaj i Igor NekićHosted by Goran RihtarićMay 3, 2026

Nuša Korotaj i Igor Nekić

About this episode

What you'll hear in this conversation

Croatia's tourism sector is heading into summer with a paradox: strong early season numbers clash with persistent, structural staffing challenges. The Easter holidays, often a bellwether, showed robust performance, with some destinations already surpassing 2019 figures. Yet, behind these promising metrics lies a deeper struggle to find and retain workers, pushing operators to rethink recruitment, compensation, and even their long-term business models. Nuša Korotaj, director of the health destination Terme Sveti Martin, and Igor Nekić, business development director at Liburnia Riviera Hoteli, offer a rare dual perspective. They represent two distinct operating philosophies — one a year-round, locally-staffed resort, the other a large, seasonal hotel group. Their conversation reveals the operational realities of preparing for peak season, from navigating restrictive work permits to scouting for talent in entirely new global markets. This discussion peels back the layers of Croatia's tourism success, exposing the tensions between market demand and the human capital required to meet it.

Insights from the conversation

What to take from this episode

Opatija's first quarter and Easter results are already above 2019 levels, with five Liburnia Riviera Hoteli properties reaching 80-90% occupancy during the holiday. Strong early booking and high occupancy, even with unpredictable weather, suggests that the market is ready to perform, setting a high bar for the rest of the season.

The 90-day foreign worker permit is too short to be truly useful, Igor Nekić notes. Hire too early, and you risk running out of staff if the post-season extends; hire too late, and the best talent is already committed elsewhere. The rigid window makes it impossible to align with unpredictable booking patterns and extended season potential.

Terme Sveti Martin employs 90% local staff year-round, with only 10% seasonal rotation. This deep local integration insulates them from the worst of the labor crisis, unlike larger, seasonal operations that must scale up by 500-600 workers and face intense, annual recruitment pressure.

Terme Sveti Martin has already hired seven people from India, with more in the pipeline, Nuša Korotaj reveals. This shift to entirely new international source markets, beyond traditional regional pools, is becoming a necessity as the domestic and ex-Yugoslavia labor supply shrinks.

Even traditional labor source markets like North Macedonia, Serbia, and Bosnia are becoming "quite difficult to find staff" in, Igor Nekić observes. Many workers from these countries have already moved further west, forcing Croatian businesses to look to more distant and complex international recruitment channels.

Sourcing staff from Ukraine faces a specific challenge: male citizens are prohibited from leaving the country, Igor Nekić notes. This significantly limits the available pool, despite government efforts to employ Ukrainian refugees, adding another layer of complexity to an already strained labor market.

Rising costs for energy and food are "disrupting our plans," Nuša Korotaj explains, making it harder to significantly increase wages despite the need. The pressure to compete for talent clashes directly with unforeseen operational expenses, forcing a trade-off between employee compensation and overall profitability.

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