ŽELIMIR KRAMARIĆ

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, ZAGREB DEVELOPMENT AGENCY - Former Vice-President of the Croatian Chamber of Economy, Assistant Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Croatia, Ambassador – Director of the Protocol of the President of the Republic of Croatia.

Želimir Kramarić is the Director of Tourism Department in the Croatian Chamber of Economy (CCE). Prior to this he was an Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Croatia in charge of the International and EU Affairs and Quality Management in Tourism since 2004. His main responsibilities include regulatory framework development and policy making in the sector of tourism, primarily in regard to quality standards, international cooperation and the EU funds and affaires.

He has been pivotal in implementing tourism quality management system in the Republic of Croatia. His most successful deliveries comprise the incorporation of all tourism segments into the Croatian strategic documents preceding the EU accession as well as their continual elaboration, modification and implementation since Croatia became an EU Member State.

He holds a degree in economics from the Zagreb Faculty of Economics and Business. In 1994 he graduated with a high distinction MBA – International Post Graduate Study in Business Administration at the same University.

In 1996 he finalised one-year Diplomatic Academy Programme with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Croatia.

In 2010 he obtained a master degree in Business Management International Graduate Study Programme from the Zagreb Faculty of Economics and Business with the theses entitled “Small and Medium Family Hotels in Croatian Tourism”.

In 2011 he has enrolled in the Postgraduate Programme in Business Economy in Tourism and Hospitality at the Opatija Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Rijeka University.

He began his professional career in 1989 by specialising in business, taxation, accounting, audit and consultancy and by gaining experience in several Croatian enterprises.

From 1994 to 2000 he was appointed a Head of the State Protocol of the Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia and Ambassador at Large (1194-1996 Assistant Head; 1996 -1997 Deputy Head).

From 2000 to 2004 he acted as a President of the Management Board of the Opera Hotel (later InterContinental and currently Westin) in Zagreb.

Internationally, he is currently very active in the activities of the World Tourism Organization UNWTO and participating most of the activities of the European Commission in tourism.

In Croatia, he’s been working on the capacity building of the Croatian tourism sector for the absorption of the European Structural Funds for Croatia. The areas which are included are tourism innovations, SME in tourism, new IT and communication solutions for tourism marketing and promotion, green tourism, vocational and high education and lifelong learning for tourism, social tourism and other.