For the third year in a row, the major “Kvarner 2030 – Transformation and Investment Conference”, organised by the Novi List newspaper, was held at the Ambassador Hotel in Opatija.
In two key panel discussions, moderated by Mislav Togonal, experts and business leaders offered their opinions on what the near future of Kvarner region should be like. The topics included the development of Rijeka’s transport and logistics corridor and investment in tourism. One part of the conference featured one-on-one discussions and the launch of the premium business magazine titled Pogled u 2026. (A Look into 2026).
The conference opened with welcoming speeches by Renato Ivanuš, Management Board member of Novi List, and Tomislav Mihotić, State Secretary for Road Transport, Road Infrastructure and Inspection and Civil Aviation, the latter of whom stated: “The projects we are implementing are positioning Croatia as a logistics and transport hub for the Mediterranean and Central Europe, with the Rijeka transport hub playing a very important role in this.
In Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, the Ministry has secured €222 million from EU funds for road and infrastructure projects and for the modernisation of the vehicle fleet, while a further €650 million has been secured for the Port of Rijeka, including the Rijeka Gateway project. These investments are further strengthening Croatia’s position as an important logistics and transport hub.”
Thanks to ongoing projects, Rijeka is becoming an increasingly important logistics hub of the Northern Adriatic
In the first panel discussion “Croatia on the Move: Development of the Rijeka Transport and Logistics Corridor”, the topics included future infrastructure projects that will improve Rijeka’s position and speed up its development. The participants in the dynamic discussion were: Tomislav Rosandić, Management Board member of Rijeka Gateway, Christian Santalezza, technical director of BINA Istra, Denis Vukorepa, director of the Port Authority of Rijeka, Goran Pleše, operations director for the Ina Refinery and Marketing, Željko Ukić, president of the Management Board of Croatian Railway, Passenger Transport Division, Leon Dolušić, head of operations at ENNA Transport, and Darko Barišić, Management Board member of Croatian Railways, Infrastructure division.
The discussion highlighted that competing destinations such as Koper and Venice are carefully monitoring the progress of projects in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, where Rijeka, positioned on three key corridors, is establishing itself ever more firmly on the logistics map of the Northern Adriatic. The new terminal to be built within the Rijeka Gate project was mentioned as an outstanding example of cooperation between the EU, the CEF programme, the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, the Port Authority and the concessionaires, with the 350 new jobs that have been created so far attesting to its economic importance. The panellists emphasised that upcoming infrastructure projects, including the Istrian X – as a future corridor towards Krk, Cres and Lošinj – will further improve the traffic flow and strengthen links between the coastal region and the hinterland, giving Croatian ports a competitive edge over other Northern Adriatic ports.
In the one-on-one discussions, Novi List journalist Edi Prodan addressed current topics such as the state of the property market, sports and the Kantrida Stadium, as well as artificial intelligence. He talked to: Vedran Prica, owner of the Spatium nekretnine real estate agency, and Damir Mišković, president of the Croatian Football Club Rijeka, while Ivan Roje, founder and CEO of Aestus presented the Parra program.
Kvarner is strategically building its position as a high-value and sustainable destination
Kvarner, the cradle of Croatian tourism, is today developing rapidly into a high-quality destination, and will become the European Region of Gastronomy next year, hosting a number of major international events. All this confirms its transformation towards high-value and sustainable tourism. Participants in the second panel discussion, “Investment and Tourism Powered by ACI”, which addressed topics such as the future and challenges of the Kvarner tourism sector, were: Ivica Lukanović, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Prefect, Iva Rinčić, Mayor of the City of Rijeka Fernando Kirigin, Mayor of the City of Opatija, Irena Peršić Živadinov, director of the Kvarner Tourist Board, and Ivan Herak, PhD, ACI Management Board member for development and investment, legal affairs, human resources and EU funds.
Ivan Herak, PhD, stressed the importance of modernisation and the sustainable management of nautical infrastructure: “Today, tourism is developing within a completely new paradigm – from the financial to the ecological one to the ESG paradigm – and to adapt to these changes is no longer an option but a necessity. For a long time now, Croatia has been facing the same structural challenges: a short season, an unfavourable capacity structure, a lack of additional amenities and the ever-increasing workforce problem. Without addressing the economic preconditions for growth and redefining the state’s approach to tourism, it is hard to expect faster and sustainable development. This can especially be seen in the boating sector, where investments, due to seasonality and spatial constraints, take almost 30 years to pay back.” More
Photos: Dean Miculinić / NOVI LIST
