RIT Croatia students shine as future leaders at Global Tourism Seasonality Summit in Rimini
While most students were preparing for the end of the semester, Tita Butić (Hospitality and Tourism Management) and Amina Jusupović (Web and Mobile Computing) were in Rimini, Italy, representing RIT Croatia at the third annual Tourism Seasonality Summit, under mentorship of Dr. Marlena Ćukteraš. Held on May 17–18 as part of the prestigious Routes conference, the event gathered the world’s top experts from the aviation, cruise, and tourism sectors to solve one of the industry's biggest hurdles: seasonality.
From the classroom to the global stage
The RIT Croatia delegation didn’t just attend—they led. Tita Butić was a featured speaker on the high-profile panel, "Generation 365: Who Really Owns the Future of Tourism?" Moderated by Ivana Kolar, CEO of Julius Rose Business Consulting, the panel explored how the next generation views luxury, sustainability, and year-round travel.
Tita’s contributions, which drew on her innovative ideas from previous hackathons in Opatija and Zabok, Croatia, received overwhelming praise from international delegates. Her ability to bridge the gap between youthful vision and professional strategy became a highlight of the summit’s second day.
Interdisciplinary collaboration
The participation of Amina Jusupović highlighted the vital link between technology and tourism. Throughout the summit’s strategic workshops—including sessions on AI forecasting and "Destination Playbooks"—Amina and Tita worked alongside industry giants to develop concrete action plans for extending tourism seasons.
"Tourism works when it creates value, not pressure," was the summit’s guiding principle, and our students proved that they are ready to build those value-driven models.
A look toward 2027: Antalya, Turkey
The impact of the RIT Croatia team was so profound that the organizers have already secured their involvement for the 2027 Summit in Antalya, Turkey. In a rare honor for undergraduate students:
- Tita and Amina have been invited to design and lead a dedicated workshop for all global participants.
- Dr. Marlena Ćukteraš has been officially invited as a keynote speaker for the next summit.
This recognition by global leaders of the industry confirms that RIT Croatia students are not just observing the future of tourism—they are actively writing it.
