Skal Europe is pleased to share this exclusive interview, kindly provided by Skal Croatia, featuring Damjana Domanovac—director and owner of Croatia’s largest tourism fair, PLACE2GO, and a dedicated member of Skal Club Zagreb. In this conversation with Alan Racic, she discusses the evolution of PLACE2GO, its impact on the tourism industry, and her commitment to connecting travel professionals through Skal. As Skal Zagreb prepares for the Skal Zagreb Connect project at PLACE2GO 2025, this interview offers valuable insights into the power of collaboration and innovation in tourism.
Our guest today, Damjana Domanovac, has been the long-time director and owner of the largest tourism fair in Croatia and a travel magazine read both in Croatia and across the region—all united under the unique and recognizable PLACE2GO brand.
Damjana discovered that Skal International provides access to a vast network of over 12,000 travel professionals. As a result, she decided to participate in the Skal Zagreb Connect project from 28 to 30 March 2025 at the Zagreb Fair during PLACE2GO 2025. The project aims to connect Croatian Skalleagues with the international Skal network while also showcasing the organization’s potential to domestic travel professionals.
Damjana, what does PLACE2GO mean to you, and how would you describe the brand’s significance to travelers?
PLACE2GO as a brand was established in 2009, although we started using it in 2012 when we launched the first tourism fair in Croatia under this name. PLACE2GO says a lot—it represents a place we want to visit, dream about, and wish to learn more about. PLACE2GO is not just a fair or a magazine; it is also a movement, a lifestyle, a gathering place for like-minded individuals and travel enthusiasts, as well as a hub for sharing knowledge and experiences from the tourism industry.
Every year, you strive to bring exhibitors from a wide variety of destinations to the fair, and you are especially happy when you introduce those who have never had the opportunity to present themselves in the Croatian market. How do you find exhibitors, and which countries have been represented at your fair so far?
When we started organizing the fair in 2012, our first exhibitors were partners with whom we had already collaborated through our magazine. After all, you have to start somewhere, and they already knew us through our other project. Over the years, the number of exhibitors has grown, and we have found potential exhibitors at other fairs, tourism conferences, and events we attended. For years, we have invested significant resources in visiting and exhibiting at fairs and sponsoring various tourism events to make the PLACE2GO brand as recognizable as possible.
So far, exhibitors at our fair have come from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Thailand, the Seychelles, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iran, Israel, Turkey, Malta, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Hungary, Bulgaria, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Ukraine, Lithuania, Russia, and the USA. This year, for the first time, we will welcome exhibitors from Slovakia, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Ecuador, and several other destinations.
What makes your fair different from other tourism fairs?
We can say that we have successfully combined a conference, a workshop, a trade fair, and sales into one event. This combination appeals to our exhibitors because they can present themselves through multiple channels simultaneously. We also offer a mix of B2B and B2C formats—on the first day, exhibitors hold meetings with potential business partners, while on the weekend, they present themselves to the general public.
The fair is divided into several sectors: the B2B workshop, Travel Market, Kids Corner, and the main stage, where engaging professional and destination-focused presentations take place—all positioned among our exhibitors’ booths.
How can exhibitors network at your fair?
On the B2B day of the fair, which we popularly call B2B Friday, exhibitors can schedule meetings in advance using our fair’s app, which we provide to all participants of the business segment. All they need to do is download the PLACE2GO app on their phone, register, and see who will be attending the business day so they can arrange meetings. The number of scheduled meetings, as well as finalized business deals, grows every year, which makes us especially happy.
Who are the exhibitors at the fair?
Since we are a general tourism fair, our exhibitors come from a wide range of sectors: travel agencies, tourism boards, hotels, resorts, campsites, car rental companies, insurance companies, airlines, and many other tourism-related businesses. In addition to this general and largest tourism fair in Croatia, we also organize two smaller specialized fairs with niche audiences and exhibitors: PLACE2SKI, a ski fair held annually in October, and the Camping & Outdoor fair, which takes place in March alongside the PLACE2GO fair.
This year’s PLACE2GO fair is less than one month away and will take place from March 28-30. What new features have you prepared for this year’s edition?
In addition to the new exhibitors from destinations that have never participated in the fair before, we are introducing, for the first time, a large Kids Corner featuring a series of workshops for children in collaboration with Croatia’s national parks and nature parks.
On the main stage, we are preparing appearances by the most well-known Croatian influencers, travel writers, bloggers, journalists, and public figures who will share their travel experiences with us.
We are especially looking forward to continuing our lecture series dedicated to dog-friendly travel and destinations. In the business segment, we will present the latest projects and the future of Croatian and global tourism with real-world examples, paying special attention to travel for people with disabilities and the expectations of new generations of travelers.
We will also showcase some of Croatia’s most prominent architects and interior designers who have worked on noteworthy tourism projects.
So far, we have talked about the fairs, but what about the magazine? People say print media is in decline. How do you deal with this fact?
Yes, print media is generally in decline, but what allows us to survive is that we are a niche print publication. PLACE2GO is not just a travel magazine – it is positioned in the luxury tourism segment, which has the highest chances of long-term success. Through the magazine, we collaborate with many luxury hotels, destinations, airlines, and other tourism-related businesses.
Each issue features travel reports from all over the world, as well as reviews of newly opened hotels, museums, restaurants, and other places of interest to travelers. Interestingly, the term “tourists” is becoming less favored, as today’s travelers prefer to call themselves “travelers.” I believe this term is more fitting, as the expectations of tourists and travelers differ significantly.
Finally, we cannot ignore your membership in the Skal organization. Since when have you been a member, what is your current role, and how do you see your contribution to the organization?
I am proud to have been a member of Skal Club Zagreb since 2020. Together with my Skalleagues, I strive to live and promote tourism while contributing in the areas I know best, helping with overall progress.
I currently serve as the club’s Secretary, a position that allows me to propose and participate in various activities and help make our club more visible and recognized for new projects.
One of my personal challenges is attracting new young members, as I believe that a balance between generations is key to success in any business—including tourism.
The value I see in Skal lies in connecting with Skalleagues, who represent some of the finest professionals in the travel industry within my country. Equally important is the opportunity to engage with the vast Skal International network of professionals around the world to create new meaningful collaborations and projects.
