More than 620 thousand euros to strengthen the workforce in tourism: 211 scholarship recipients and 27 school projects
Croatian tourism is entering a new phase of investment in people in 2025. The Minister of Tourism and Sport, Tonči Glavina, has adopted two decisions securing more than 620 thousand euros from the state budget to strengthen human resource capacities in tourism and hospitality. This is a continuation of the Scholarship Programme for tourism and hospitality occupations, as well as the financing of projects by secondary vocational, art and mixed schools focused on promoting and strengthening competencies for work in tourism. A total of 211 new scholarship recipients and 27 school projects will receive financial support as early as the 2025/2026 school year, through which the state wants to send young people a clear message that tourism is a sector in which they can build a stable and long-term career.
What the new decisions of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport bring
According to the adopted decisions, 392,460.00 euros have been allocated for the scholarship programme in tourism and hospitality in the 2025/2026 school and academic year. This amount will be directed toward scholarships for 211 new pupils and students who are being educated for occupations that are crucial for hotel companies, campsites, restaurants, bars, catering facilities, hostels and travel agencies. On a monthly basis, 39,246.00 euros will be allocated from the state budget, with scholarships paid during the teaching year, alongside additional investments by employers who participate in the programme in partnership with the ministry.
The second decision concerns the financing of projects by secondary vocational, art and mixed schools focused on promoting and strengthening occupational competencies in tourism. For 27 selected projects, 229,333.83 euros have been secured, and the amounts per individual project range, according to available information, from approximately 4,800 to around 11,000 euros. In total, more than 620,000 euros are thus being allocated from the state budget in 2025 to strengthen the workforce in tourism, continuing a multi-year trend of systematic investment in education and the promotion of tourism and hospitality occupations.
Minister Tonči Glavina emphasizes that the scholarship programme has been implemented since 2008, while the programme for promoting occupations has been implemented since 2009. During that period, almost 3,000 pupils and students have passed through the scholarship programme, with more than 6.7 million euros invested in co-financing their education, while more than 1.2 million euros have so far been allocated for projects promoting tourism occupations, for a total of 312 school projects across Croatia.
Scholarship programme: from the classroom to a job in tourism
The scholarship programme of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport is based on a model of close cooperation between the state, educational institutions and employers. In practice, this means that a tripartite agreement is signed for each scholarship recipient between the Ministry, the pupil or student, and the selected employer. In the 2025/2026 school year, 42 employers from the tourism and hospitality sector expressed interest in the programme, reporting a need for a total of 211 new scholarship recipients.
The scholarships are intended for young people training for occupations such as chefs, waiters, hoteliers, receptionists, tourism and hotel commercial specialists, tourism technicians and other profiles important for the functioning of hotel companies, campsites, restaurants and travel agencies. During their education, scholarship recipients are required to attend classes regularly and pass exams, while at the same time completing mandatory professional practice in the selected companies. In this way, pupils and students enter the real work process early, learn from concrete examples and get the opportunity to become familiar with the work environment in which they will be employed after completing their education.
According to public calls published earlier this year, the monthly scholarship amount for pupils and students in tourism and hospitality programmes is 266 euros, with the Ministry and the employer sharing the scholarship cost. Although this amount is not high compared with average living costs, for many families it represents significant financial relief, while sending young people a clear signal that their occupations are in demand and valued. At the same time, through the programme, employers gain the opportunity to identify, guide and retain motivated young staff early on.
When they complete their education, scholarship recipients undertake to be employed by the employer with whom they signed the agreement, for a period defined by the conditions of the public call. This reduces the risk that educated young people will leave the sector or go to work abroad after completing their education, while employers gain continuity in workforce planning.
School projects: bringing tourism closer to primary school pupils and strengthening pupils' competencies
The second decision of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport concerns the financing of projects by secondary vocational, art and mixed schools. These projects are focused on promoting tourism and hospitality occupations, strengthening pupils' professional and cross-curricular competencies, and bringing the tourism sector closer to primary school pupils who are only just deciding on their future occupation. The public call stipulated that schools may apply for projects independently or in partnership, with particular encouragement given to cooperation between at least two schools from different educational sectors, as well as the inclusion of associated partners from the public, private and civil sectors.
The 27 selected projects include a range of activities: from workshops for primary school pupils, open days and practical demonstrations of work in hotels, restaurants and travel agencies, to creative events in which pupils design their own tourism products, themed tours, gastronomic events or cultural-tourism programmes. Special emphasis is placed on teamwork, the development of entrepreneurial spirit and project-based thinking, so that pupils begin thinking about tourism while still at school as a multisectoral field in which hospitality, culture, sport, IT, creative industries and sustainable development intertwine.
The funds awarded per project vary, but according to available data they range from around 4,800 to approximately 11,000 euros. This enables schools to finance the costs of materials, travel, professional mentors, equipment procurement or event organization, through which they will show children and young people as vividly as possible what work in tourism looks like and what knowledge is truly needed in the labour market. In many communities, such projects also create added value for the local community, because schools cooperate with local hotels, campsites, family accommodation providers, tourist boards, cultural institutions and associations.
Tourism dependent on labour: why investment in staff is crucial
Croatian tourism has been recording record financial results for years, but at the same time it faces a chronic labour shortage. Data show that in 2024 more than 200 thousand residence and work permits for foreign workers were issued in Croatia, a significant part of which was linked precisely to tourism and hospitality. Estimates suggest that more than 50 thousand work permits were issued that year in tourism and hospitality activities, clearly showing how much the sector relies on workers from third countries.
At the same time, labour market analyses indicate that employers are looking for an increasing number of seasonal workers year after year, while the domestic labour force is insufficient, and some young people still perceive tourism primarily as seasonal, physically demanding and poorly paid work. In such a context, the scholarship programme and school projects represent an attempt to systematically change the image of the sector - from purely seasonal earnings toward the prospect of a stable career, advancement and lifelong learning.
Investment in the development of domestic staff is also important from the perspective of the long-term sustainability of tourism. Foreign workers have become a necessity, but without enough educated domestic professionals, it is difficult to ensure service quality, understanding of local culture, language and the specific needs of a destination. In this sense, scholarships and school projects can be viewed as an upgrade to a broader state policy that seeks to balance the need for additional labour with the strategic strengthening of domestic knowledge and skills.
Connection with the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the sustainable tourism strategy
The measures of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport related to scholarships and school projects fit into the broader framework of reforms and investments envisaged by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) and the process of developing the Sustainable Tourism Strategy until 2030. Croatia's NRRP recognizes tourism as one of the key sectors for long-term growth, with an emphasis on the green and digital transition and raising the quality of the offer.
Within the NRRP, the Ministry of Tourism and Sport is implementing a reform of the tourism sector and investments aimed at developing sustainable, innovative and resilient tourism, with part of the funds intended precisely for strengthening human potential. A total of around 2.2 billion kuna has been envisaged for tourism within the NRRP, and projects should contribute to reducing seasonality, decentralizing tourism, digitalizing processes and strengthening green infrastructure.
In this context, scholarships and school projects are not merely a social support measure for pupils, but also a long-term investment in competencies that will be needed for destination management, the development of sustainable products, the use of new technologies, energy-efficient operation of facilities, waste management or the creation of new forms of selective tourism. Young people who are today being educated for tourism and hospitality occupations should tomorrow be the carriers of the changes expected from the sector - from greater added value and less pressure on the environment to a better balance between the life of the local population and tourism demand.
How school projects are changing the perception of tourism occupations
One of the goals of the programme for promoting and strengthening occupational competencies in tourism is to change the perception that children and young people have of the sector. In numerous secondary school projects, emphasis is placed on creativity, teamwork and the possibility for pupils to shape tourism products themselves - from themed routes through historic city centres to gastronomic stories that connect local ingredients, tradition and contemporary culinary trends.
Through such activities, pupils learn how to design and present a tourism programme, how to calculate basic costs, how to communicate with guests, and also how to cooperate with local partners - family farms, cultural institutions, sports clubs or tourist boards. Tourism is thereby presented as a complex system in which the chef in the kitchen, the receptionist on the front line of guest contact, the marketing expert managing online campaigns and the tourist guide conveying stories about the destination are all equally important.
It is particularly important that primary school pupils are also actively involved in the projects - either as participants in workshops and presentations or as an audience at events organized by secondary school pupils. In this way, at the age of 13 or 14, young people are introduced to the real opportunities offered by tourism and hospitality occupations, instead of making their enrolment decisions solely on the basis of stereotypes and prejudices.
Scholarships as a motivational tool for retaining young people in Croatia
Alongside the promotion of occupations, the financial component of the programme has an important motivational role. In circumstances in which young people easily consider going abroad, scholarships that come with a clear employment perspective can be a decisive factor in the decision to build a career in Croatia. The monthly scholarship amount is not large, but in combination with practical experience, the possibility of advancement within hotel companies and the fact that these are in-demand occupations, it represents a strong incentive for many to choose precisely the tourism sector.
The fact that almost 3,000 scholarship recipients have already passed through the programme speaks to the continuity and recognizability of this measure. Over the years, a kind of alumni base of former scholarship recipients has been created, many of whom have remained in the sector and advanced to leading positions in hotels, travel agencies or destination management. Although there is no unified public statistic that precisely tracks their career paths, employers' experiences indicate that a large share of scholarship recipients remain in the profession, further confirming that the programme has a long-term effect.
Given that Croatia continues to face a large number of foreign workers in tourism and hospitality, but also a decline in the total number of issued work permits compared with the peak of previous years, investment in domestic staff gains additional importance. Looking ahead, increasing the number of scholarships and expanding the programme to new occupations - for example, specialized digital, IT or sustainable tourism occupations - could be one way to reduce the sector's dependence on imported labour.
How much is 620 thousand euros compared with the needs of the sector?
Although the amount of more than 620,000 euros is significant for pupils, students and schools that will directly benefit from the programme, it is relatively modest compared with total revenues and investments in tourism. Croatian tourism generates billions of euros in revenue annually, and issues of labour, working conditions, wages and accommodation for seasonal workers are among the main challenges that cannot be solved by scholarships and school projects alone.
Nevertheless, scholarships and school projects have specific value precisely because they target the beginning of the educational and professional path. They do not solve all structural issues in the labour market, but they can change the way young people are informed about the sector, how they perceive tourism and hospitality schools, and how early they begin preparing for concrete occupations. In combination with other measures - from tax incentives and investment in worker accommodation to strengthening vocational education and reforming the system of work permits for foreigners - such programmes can be an important link in creating a competitive and sustainable tourism system.
The Ministry of Tourism and Sport emphasizes that "quality and motivated people are the foundation of competitive and sustainable tourism" and that through scholarship and occupation-promotion programmes it wants to ensure that future generations have both knowledge and a clear employment perspective. The extent to which this goal will truly be achieved will depend on whether the programmes continue and are further expanded, whether working conditions in the sector are improved at the same time, and whether destinations will be able to offer young people not only seasonal work, but also a quality life throughout the year.
Sources:
- Ministry of Tourism and Sport - press release "More than 620,000 euros awarded to strengthen the workforce in tourism" (link)
- Ministry of Tourism and Sport - National Recovery and Resilience Plan - Development of sustainable, innovative and resilient tourism (link)
- Poslovni dnevnik - "The Ministry allocates more than 621 thousand euros for scholarships and projects in tourism" (link)
- Novi list / other media - articles on the public call for scholarships for tourism occupations and the scholarship amount of 266 euros per month (link)
- Regional development agencies and county institutions - announcements on the public call for secondary vocational and art schools for the promotion and strengthening of competencies in vocational and art occupations for tourism in 2025 (link)
- Specialized portals and analyses - data on the number of work permits for foreigners in tourism and hospitality in Croatia in 2024 and 2025 (link)