Davorin Štetner: Luxury guests come for the experience, not the 'Instagram villa'

At the end of August, this year too, travelers, travel writers, travel bloggers, influencers, but also numerous travel enthusiasts, have booked their calendars for the Croatian Travel Festival and a stay in Šibenik.

This year, the Croatian Travel Festival brings to Šibenik a distinctive entrepreneur and traveler who has gone from the voodoo flames of Benin to the red carpets of Formula 1. 

Back in 2006, he started traveling more intensively. Today, he has visited more than 90 countries, almost all continents and experiences that sound like the script for a documentary. He hitchhiked from Casablanca to Bamako, survived a near-fatal situation in Ivory Coast, slept in greenhouses with Indians in Darien, was at the heart of African voodoo rituals.

More than 90 countries later, it brings a story that goes beyond the classic framework of travelogues and enters the very core of tourism: authenticity, experience, encounter.

It is about Davorina Štetner, a passionate and successful entrepreneur, investor, visionary, and a great travel enthusiast who will be a guest 30. August na Croatian Travel Festival in Šibenik. Umoderated by the legendary Goran Milić, will take the audience on a journey that begins with a backpack in Africa and ends on the red carpet and luxury Formula 1 tourism.

Ahead of the festival, we talked about what it really means to travel, whether Croatia is ready for luxury tourism, why we are losing the most valuable thing - identity and vision, and what the world looks like when you look at it without a filter.

Davorin Štetner: Croatia still lacks infrastructure for luxury tourism

In his early days, back in 2006, when he started traveling more intensively, Davorin Štetner had real adventures, some of which he will tell at the festival. He says it is difficult to point out which trips were the "most interesting" because each one brings a new story.

But, for example, he hitchhiked alone from Casablanca in Morocco to Bamako in Mali, was in voodoo with flames in Benin, slept with Embera Indians in the remote Darien province of Panama where it was extremely dangerous, and almost died in the Ivory Coast. He has visited more than 90 countries in the world and has at least as many stories to tell.

When asked how he defines tourism after all his travels, he answers that its definition, or the very essence of tourism, is exactly authenticity and how we travel to get to know new cultures and ways of life. "For me, tourism is about discovering new authentic experiences. Of course, you visit some destinations for the nature and special locations, but the key is experiencing different cultures and ways of life. People open their horizons through travel. I changed my opinions a lot when I saw how things really are and look in some countries.."

Particularly highlighted Africa as a "planet of its own", in which he traveled to 20 countries. There he learned not to take things for granted, he learned to be grateful for what we have. He says that through all this he also softened some of his views on Croatia.We are not aware of what a beautiful country we have. For me, after all the countries I have visited, Croatia is still the most beautiful in the world.."

Travel, in addition to new perspectives, he says, also opens up new business opportunities.

"I have achieved a lot of business success precisely thanks to the acquaintances with people I have met all over the world. Especially in the last ten years, where I have transferred a lot of travel experiences into business, including Formula 1, which I have been in for 14 years. It is a truly fascinating circle of people and acquaintances. I have gone from one extreme to the other. From sleeping for one dollar in Bangladesh and Burkina Faso, to sleeping on planks or in huts in Panama. So, literally from the worst accommodations to the world's most expensive hotels and red carpets. What has always been interesting to me is that it has never been a problem for me. I can sleep on the floor or in a luxury apartment, it is all part of the experience and travel."

He speaks very specifically about luxury tourism in Croatia. He promotes the beauty of Croatia and the intelligence of its people, which he regularly does through contacts in Formula 1. He recently hosted in Croatia Axl Rose (frontman of the legendary band Guns N' Roses) ) to whom he himself explained why he should come. But he emphasizes that luxury is not just a five-star hotel. It is also the infrastructure, the experience, the quality of service, the destination...

 "I always promote our country, its beauty and the intelligence of our people. I recently hosted a Axl Rose precisely because I told him about Croatia and recommended that he come. And a lot of people from the world of Formula 1 contact me with the same question: where to go, what to see, what I recommend to them. What you concluded is right, luxury tourism is not just a luxury hotel or a Michelin-starred restaurant. It is a complete infrastructure. The guest comes for an experience and that experience begins the moment they land in Croatia.

These days I've been hearing about taxi driver scams again. I know, there's stuff like that everywhere, but this is our first impression, and the first impression is crucial. If a guest is immediately unpleasantly surprised, there's a good chance that their entire stay will remain in that tone. I support the development of luxury tourism, but realistically we still don't have the complete infrastructure for it. We have a few hotels at that level, but it's still too few. And as I said, that's where the story just begins. A luxury guest expects a high-level offer and content, excellent service and a top-notch experience, not just a room.

For example, it is incredible that we do not have a single company in Croatia that has a registered helicopter and offers a transportation service. This best shows you how far we are from true luxury tourism. A helicopter is the basic thing in that segment, and we do not have a single registered private helicopter in Croatia. All the helicopters that fly over the Adriatic during the summer come from outside. And that is just one concrete piece of information that clearly illustrates where we are at the moment when it comes to luxury tourism.. "

And when it comes to luxury, he reiterates the most important thing: even the wealthiest guests want authenticity, local food, experiences, and people.

"Dubrovnik is the only destination in Croatia that is globally recognizable. I would even say that at one time the Dubrovnik brand was stronger than the Croatia brand. It has happened to me so many times that people ask me: is Dubrovnik in Croatia? They know where Dubrovnik is, but they don't know where Croatia is. What is extremely important, and often overlooked, is the quality of service. That is crucial. And now, after prices have increased drastically, we see that a certain reset is happening. That reset had to come, because the Adriatic has started to turn into one big fryer. It simply leads to nothing: worse quality and service, and ever higher prices. We are already seeing the results of that, and I am afraid that we will see them for a few more seasons. But maybe that is a good thing, to purify the market a little, to profile those who are really worth it. People will always return to quality. I can guarantee you that."

He sees the import of foreign labor as an additional problem, because, as he says, quantity is imported, not quality. Tourism, he repeats, is about people because service is about people.

He does not avoid more serious structural issues either. He considers the low tax treatment of apartment rentals unfair and wonders why there are not more foreign chains and hotels, and clearly calls out the inflexibility of local governments, counties and the state.

"We need to ask ourselves why foreign hotel brands and investors are bypassing us. I see a lot of problems here on multiple levels; from local government, which is often not flexible when it comes to spatial plans, through counties and all the way to the state. These are strategic topics that need to be discussed seriously. We really should think a little and look at how other countries with good experiences do it. On the other hand, I often point out that Croatia has the best highways in the world, they are excellently maintained, at least in my experience from the 90 countries I have traveled to. In fact, the highway to Dubrovnik will soon be completed. Also, we all know how to criticize, but we need to travel a little and see what the conditions are like abroad. Then we will appreciate what is really good in Croatia a little more.". So, it's not all negative or black and white. We have an infrastructure that is really excellent when we look at the bigger picture, but we also have segments where we are lagging far behind."

One aspect that we definitely need to address and better regulate is to be stricter when it comes to protecting space, views and local architecture, emphasizes Štetner and criticizes the concreting of these new "modern villas" that disrupt the harmony of old places.

"But I must warn you about one thing that we are irrevocably doing and destroying ourselves. This summer I have been observing all this new construction a lot and honestly, I find it absurd. Permits are being issued for the construction of modern houses with flat roofs, which are literally a slap in the face in old, authentic places and villages. I was recently in one such place, a row of beautiful old stone houses, and then in the middle of it a couple of new 'villas' that stick out and completely disrupt the harmony. The same thing is happening in Dubrovnik, and all over our coast, unfortunately. We are irrevocably ruining our views, our landscape, our coast that we are concreted and disfigured. With that, we are losing the most valuable thing we have, which is authenticity. People do not come to see modernist buildings in old places. It is precisely that old historical ambience that is an advantage. They come precisely for that old touch, for the culture, history, for the feeling that they have experienced something different. I think we need to be much stricter here. Define the rules more clearly, respect the space and our own identity. Because if we lose that, we destroy what we live for.. "

Finally, when asked what the audience can expect in Šibenik, Štetner summarizes:

"I have the honor of having Goran Milić as the moderator. He needs no special introduction. I assume there will be questions about the most dangerous and absurd journeys, from Ivory Coast, Liberia and Congo to private planes and the most expensive hotels. I don't usually keep anything to myself. I think viewers will find this collage of stories that is still being built interesting."

To summarize: Davorin Štetner at the Croatian Travel Festival

Location: Lawn in front of the Azimut club, Šibenik
Time: Saturday, August 30, 2025 from 8:30 PM
Topic: From backpacking to the glamour of Formula 1

Find out more information about the Croatian Travel Festival, which started on the 27th and lasts until the 31st of August in Šibenik, at: Croatian Travel Festival