LEAP summit 2026: how AI is changing education, creative industries and the future of careers
The tenth edition of the international conference TOURISM 365 in Zagreb connected around 300 tourism leaders, experts, international buyers, media representatives and new generations. From artificial intelligence and new sales models to sports, experiences, wellbeing tourism and the fight for travellers’ attention – the shared message was clear: attracting more guests is not enough, as it is necessary to create greater value throughout the year.
The conference addressed some of the key questions that will shape tourism in the coming years: how to transition from volume to value, develop demand outside the main season, respond to changes brought by artificial intelligence, and create experiences that deliver greater benefits to guests, the economy, local communities and destinations.
"After ten years of TOURISM 365, we no longer discuss year-round tourism as an idea for the future. Today, it is a matter of competitiveness. Destinations can no longer merely think about how to attract more guests, but rather how to create a real reason for coming, at the right time, for the right guest – and greater value for the entire community. That is precisely why we want to connect strategy, knowledge, the market, technology, international partners and new generations in one place," emphasized Ivana Kolar, founder and organizer of TOURISM 365.
While the first day of the conference opened strategic topics of value, year-round tourism, international markets, wellbeing tourism and changing traveller expectations, the second day shifted focus to concrete tools, products, sales and the competition for the attention of modern guests.
From value and markets to the new traveller
The first conference day opened key questions that will define the next decade of tourism. Alessandra Priante spoke about the transition from volume to value and the need for destinations to manage tourism strategically at all levels.
Simon Calder, one of the most prominent and influential British travel journalists, brought the focus back to the core purpose of tourism in the talk No More Business as Usual – A Traveller Reality Check: the real traveller, the value of experience and human contact.
Ged Brown raised the issue of the low season as a new opportunity to create higher quality experiences and year-round value, while Peter E. Pincus, Chris Alestra and Leila Krešić-Jurić discussed the American market, the relationship between visibility and actual sellability of a destination, as well as the role of travel advisors and distribution channels.
A special focus was also placed on the new traveller, for whom health, wellbeing, prevention, recovery and personal purpose are increasingly becoming concrete motives for choosing a destination.
The joint message of the first day was clear: destinations can no longer compete solely through promotion and numbers – they must create a relevant product, real value and a reason to visit throughout the entire year.
From algorithms and attention to experience and sales
Evelina Hederer, representative of Expedia Group, addressed the end of travel planning as we know it and the growing role of platforms, data and artificial intelligence in the journey from inspiration to booking.
A particularly powerful message emerged from the discussion Brand vs. Algorithm: Who Wins the Customer in the Age of AI?, in which Raja Saggi and Davor Bruketa debated an issue that is becoming critical for destinations and tourism companies, concluding that AI will not replace destination branding, but it will change how travellers find, compare and choose it.
It is not enough to be famous – you must be worth paying attention to
What makes a destination interesting to international media was discussed by editors from Kronen Zeitung and The Independent during the panel Why Should Anyone Care About Your Destination?
The message was very concrete: a travel story is not interesting simply because a destination wants it published. It must contain something new, authentic, relevant and worth the audience's attention.
A similar conclusion was drawn in discussions on the new experience economy, social media and marketing: in a world overloaded with content, attention is becoming the new tourism currency – it is not crucial how much content we produce, but how relevant it is to the right audience.
Sport can become a serious destination strategy
Trail running, cycling and participatory sports events were presented not merely as manifestations, but as powerful drivers of year-round tourism. Boštjan Mikuž, Paco Wrolich, Jurica Barač and Vladimir Miholjević demonstrated how well-designed sports events can generate overnight stays, local spending, international visibility and completely new reasons to visit outside the traditional season. Primož Roglić, one of the world's top professional cyclists, also sent a special video message for TOURISM 365.
Sport is no longer just content on an event calendar – it can become a tourism product and part of a destination’s identity.
From inspiration to booking – every step matters
Myriam Younes from Rome2Rio demonstrated how accessibility and connectivity impact the final decision of travellers, while several discussions across both conference days confirmed the importance of bookability. A destination can be attractive, well-promoted and globally visible, but if it is difficult for travellers to understand how to reach it, what to book and how to assemble their itinerary, inspiration will not necessarily convert into sales.
Linking promotion directly with the market was one of the key elements of this year's TOURISM 365. An experience that a guest remembers, shares and returns for is worth more than yet another promotional campaign.
International buyers in Zagreb – a conference that must conclude with concrete business
Running parallel to the strategic program, the 4th T365 B2B Marketplace took place in cooperation with New Deal Europe, where international travel agencies and tour operators met with Croatian hoteliers, DMCs, tourist boards and tourism enterprises.
A strong focus was placed once again on opening new markets and creating business opportunities capable of generating arrivals outside the main summer season, with approximately 500 meetings held during the day. In recent years, TOURISM 365 and New Deal Europe have connected over 120 international buyers with the tourism sector of Croatia and the wider region through the Marketplace.
Young generations show their vision for the future of tourism
An important highlight of this milestone edition was the T365 Student Hackathon, where student teams developed their own solutions for year-round and sustainable tourism. Victory was claimed by the team from the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management in Opatija, confirming how essential it is for young people not to be passive spectators of the tourism industry, but active participants in shaping its future.
Their final pitch served as a symbolic message of the conference – changes in tourism should not merely be predicted, but must actively include the generations who will live and guide them.
The first T365 Excellence Awards: projects demonstrating what year-round tourism looks like
The milestone edition introduced the inaugural T365 Excellence Awards, recognizing projects and organizations making tangible contributions to innovative, sustainable, high-value and year-round tourism.
The awards were presented to:
Entries from 12 countries further proved that year-round tourism is no longer just a topic for destinations with pronounced seasonality, but an international matter of competitiveness, innovation and quality.
More than a conference: an international platform connecting knowledge, market and experience
TOURISM 365 showed once again that its scope extends far beyond a traditional conference format. The program commenced in Terme Tuhelj with a meeting of European health tourism leaders, bringing together around twenty experts from ten European countries and Saudi Arabia. The focus was on future international cooperation, the development of health tourism and opportunities for stronger integration through cross-border healthcare.
The conference was accompanied by two international familiarization trips. Hosted buyers explored four Croatian destinations developing year-round tourism – Zadar, Crikvenica, Hrvatsko Zagorje and Zagreb – while a dedicated health tourism delegation visited Zagreb clinics, leading Croatian thermal spas and specialized hospitals, before continuing their itinerary in Slovenia.
The event also launched the first T365 Experience Lab, a new format presenting destinations through real products and experiences rather than standard presentations. Zagreb effectively served as a living laboratory where international participants could see how local stories, creativity and content are transformed into market-ready experiences relevant to the guest.
With participants representing over 25 countries and five continents, TOURISM 365 has expanded beyond a regional industry event, positioning itself firmly as an international platform connecting strategy, knowledge, markets, business opportunities and new generations. "Pushing the boundaries of TOURISM 365 today means bringing together what is often separated at conferences – strategy, market, experience, new generations and concrete business," stated Ivana Kolar, organizer of the conference.
Ten years later: 365 is no longer just a question of season
The tenth edition of TOURISM 365 concluded with a message echoed across nearly every panel: the future of tourism will not belong to destinations that attract the highest volume of people, but to those that best understand whom they are addressing, why a guest should visit, what value their journey creates, and how to distribute that value throughout the entire year.
AI will alter how we select trips. Algorithms will transform visibility. Climate will redefine seasons. New generations will shift expectations. However, the reason why people travel in the first place must still be created by the destination itself.
The conference organizer is Julius Rose, a tourism consulting agency; co-organizers are New Deal Europe and S.T.A.R. Digital, realized in cooperation with and supported by a significant number of Croatian and European institutions and partners. Sponsors include the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Croatia, the Croatian Chamber of Economy, and Krapina-Zagorje County.
