Manifesta does
what feels right,
true honest experiences
and connections that last
Manifesta's Manifests
There are three main pillars that hold the vision of Manifesta
Manifesta stands for a privately owned Croatian Incoming Agency and Destination Management Company (DMC).
The agency specializes in creating innovative experiential itineraries that promote authenticity, nature, tradition and offer fully personalized services for groups and FITs.
The main policy of the agency’s work is to undertake an active role in its own community and become a positive example in the industry.
We develop and shape tourism as it should be:
different, slower, interactive, more conscious, and more responsible
in regard to the local community and the environment.
At Manifesta, we wish to hold the manifest up high and show that all these values exist and that we practically live by them. By developing tourism that prospers collaboration and responsibility to our communities and the wonderful environment we were born into, we have just started a journey of change that we look forward to reshaping and reliving every time over again. Join us!
Connectivity & Community
Connectivity in today’s world mostly means that you have a reliable internet network at hand. We speak about a more profound connectivity, the one you establish through an experiential journey, meeting people face to face, learning about them and with them about their lives and their stories. These people open their hearts to you and invite you as a friend to show their inspiration manifested through art, craft, love for food, tradition and their beloved home. When you dedicate your time and attention to another person, a connection is born. You start to feel interest, empathy and understanding, something that slowly immerses you into this community you were so lucky to get invited to.
Get connected to the community of the place you visit, and long-life memory is about to be created. You can always get back to your memory to relive the precious moments you collected at the time, at that very place.
This is our first Manifest – to connection with community.
Slow &
Sustainable
Very often, travel itineraries focus on putting together as many destinations and sights to make your paid journey worthwhile. Being on the road, or following a highly structured itinerary sometimes dictates the amount of time you have available that strongly, that you actually miss the whole essence of the place. Being on the road, taking quick photos, continuing along… The “slow” travel fights this in a way that it lets you linger with people you meet, and take time to enjoy the food, the traditions, and the events you witness, all this without compromising the professional delivery of the services you contracted.
Slow(er) pace during trips is one of the ways to honestly be kind to yourself and provide you with the real holiday time that you deserve. Time is necessary to have a true reset, to open your mind to new discoveries and live through an inspirational transformation that can leave a positive mark on your mind, attitudes, and your own creativity. It is exciting not to know what a-ha moment might be waiting for you as a result of giving yourself enough time to feel, sense, learn and appreciate.
Join us on a trip, visit some stunning non-rushed places, and meet catchy people with whom you will not want the day to end.
This is our second Manifest – to slow and sustainable life.
Innovation &
Creativity
Innovation can mean a lot of things. Today it is highly referenced in terms of technological advances. We tend to keep it much simpler and much more attainable: simply by doing things in a different way, we can get into an innovative circle that results in having a completely new story, or experience at our hands. This is where a creative mind has enough space to play. Let’s not take all that seriously, let’s have a laugh, let’s be open, and as you are unique to us, as our guest, you get to shape your own experience.
Meet the local family in Kornati and grill your fish in their olive grove where you will all gather for lunch; taste the best prosciutto and savor organically grown tomatoes under the waterfalls, with your legs nicely soaked in the Krka River; sing klapa song with us, taste our mussels, just taken from the sea right in front of you… travel through time in the lost Mediterranean.
All these concepts have been developed with care and a sincere wish for you to live something unrepeatable.
This is our third Manifest – to being perpetually innovative and creative
Meet the Foundress
Meet Tina Vickov, the foundress of the marketing and tourism agency Manifesta.
Manifesta was founded in 2013. Up until 2019 it has manifested its work through another travel brand: Šibenik Plus, DMC for Šibenik-Knin County.
At that time a necessity for a broader service company rose and therefore, Tina envisioned a company that caters not only to the Šibenik area but the whole of Croatia.
Manifesta is to become a place of the industry’s business excellence, her own creative playground, and a leader in changing Croatian and regional comprehension of what tourism is and what it could actually become.
Tina Vickov has graduated from the Faculty of Business, Economics and Tourism, University of Split in 2001, with a specialization in marketing. In 2009 she officially becomes a spokeswoman in Šibenik. She is soon recognized by the city institutions for her work and is included in the prominent tourism development projects in Šibenik-Knin County.
She becomes the head of Diffused Hotels Association in Šibenik, vice-president of the Section of Family owned accommodation at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce for her county, and participates in numerous workshops, education seminars, and courses related to destination management and tourism in general.
In 2017 the Šibenik Plus travel agency becomes awarded with a recognition „Zlatna Boula“ for the best travel agency in Šibenik-Knin County for exceptional creativity and innovation of the travel arrangements realized by her agency.
In 2019 Tina is awarded as the best travel agent in Croatia, by the Croatian Tourism Board (award “The person, the key of success”).
The same year, Šibenik Plus travel agency gets another two recognitions for its specific eco-tour including National Park of Kornati and Nature Park of Lastovo. Even though many before have tried, Tina is the first to succeed to ensure Croatia can finally join the MEET network (Mediterranean Experience of Ecotourism) by the Destimed Organization in Rome.
Tina’s work strongly acclaims the benefits of slow and regenerative tourism. She believes in the real and meaningful connections we can establish with the place we visit, the people we meet and the culture, heritage, nature and food we are able to try and enjoy along the way. All this can happen without leaving harmful traces of our activities, but furthermore, by ensuring we leave a positive mark. This is an emotional journey that will reward us with an abundance of experiences, but only if we dedicate enough attention and respect.
Considering Tina’s prior experience in marketing and design, all of Manifesta’s projects are successfully branded, visually well-prepared and recognizable.
In this way, we try to capture the special moments we lived through during the trip, which can become a live reminder of the impressions we hope the traveler has also stored in his/her heart. These products intend to objectify these feelings and memories.
A word from the foundress
No matter how hard I tried to avoid tourism, it somehow always managed to find me. I fled the crowded beaches in the hot summer months, and sympathized with my friends whom I could not meet for weeks because they were so absorbed by their tourism-related jobs that were most intense in summer.
Finally, one day, tourism walked into my Šibenik office and we began to talk.
Gradually and consistently, we started changing each other. I started to realize that we had all that was necessary right here, in Šibenik: the real Croatia, untouched nature, the undisclosed jewel in the Dalmatian crown (I love metaphors so much, forgive me).
I started to realize that tourism was not what I always thought it to be. The people who work in it are the ones shaping tourism, and the way they do their job is crucial to its impact. I figured out how to make local people shine in a way they were never involved in before. The truth is very simple: only a happy host can have a truly happy guest. I felt like I discovered a secret formula, and I knew this was my way to go.
Therefore, my dear traveler, I invite you to travel slowly. There is so much we can offer you!
“Please be a traveler, not a tourist. Try new things, meet new people, and look beyond what’s right in front of you. Those are the keys to understanding this amazing world we live in.”
It's all about the people
For us, travel is not about creating the usual packages where it is only necessary to be present physically. Our tours require your presence of mind where you get surrounded by new impressions that will keep you awake and intrigued. This can happen in the atelier of the local painter or by the stove of an old fisherman. Spend time in conversation, savoring food and scents, trying out a new skill, or exploring gardens and groves. This is just to give you an idea.
People we include in our itineraries are the key to why we do this business in the first place. If it weren’t for them, we would not try to replace them or offer something fast and inauthentic. Therefore, trust us and board with us on this experiential journey!
Positive Impact
on the Community
Manifesta stands strongly for bringing about a positive impact on the local community. The motto is either a positive impact or no impact at all. Whatever you do or visit with us, it is guaranteed to be on the small scale, only improving the local living and not provoking any harmful effects. In this way, we ensure that the rich legacy of our country’s customs, tradition, and heritage is promoted in a sustainable and responsible way, so it thrives for the next generations and becomes a traveling word by the memories you carry home.
The Manifesta guides, the local artists, the musicians, local farmers… all these people come together in a big welcome to you as our guests, our friends.
The Manifest
to the Local Community
Every tour has a story to tell. Not just the story of the city, but the story of the people who call it their home. That’s why, on our tours, you will not only see the sites from behind a bus window, as a passive spectator. With us, you will step into the community and understand how we, as guests, can better connect with a place and its people. It is about tasting, touching, and sensing the scents of the city, island, the village, it is about hearing the tales straight from the locals that take care of their home and their land. It is about seeing the world in a whole new way.
On our tours, you’ll go to local restaurants, visit local shops, galleries and farms to explore the region with local guides, artists, craftsmen, and manufacturers. Simply by doing this, you are actively helping to bring more employment and business opportunities to locals in every community we visit.
Traveling with us means supporting the local economy.
For example, our food tours are designed to promote local dishes and local ingredients, with market-to-table experiences, cooking workshops, and discussions about food and culture. We will also take you to local estates, and to meet farmers, winemakers, their families and shop owners.
We select our local partners carefully and all our tours meet sustainability criteria.
Without these people, nothing would be possible. It is in fact all about them.
It’s all about people, people, people.
Invitation to Local People
Manifesta calls out those interested in collaboration, to get in contact.
If you are a local entrepreneur, a chef, a farmer, an artist, a craftsman, a performer, a manufacturer, a sustainability enthusiast… and wish to make part in the stories we create for our guests, feel free to get in touch. We love to meet those we still have not met!
When similar energy comes together, wonderful things can happen!
Interested in planning something with Manifesta?
Our Destination
Croatia has been at the top of the bucket list for many travelers for some time now.
Such popularity of the destination can create a feeling of inauthenticity once you finally arrive because it lacks distance from the commotion and consuming touristy services; and the exchange of destinations gets very busy and a dominant preoccupation of the trip.
However, no matter how long Croatia has been a famous tourism destination, it still holds hidden treasures, surprising locations, and unbelievable stories to be discovered by those who long for self-discovery, learning by experience, authenticity, and connection. Exactly these places are our agency’s highlights.
We invite you to dig deeper with us and discover the hidden treasures together.
Let us guide your way of discovery (and growth)!
Take it slowly Croatia
Croatia is often perceived by its coast only. Truly, the coast is breathtaking, so diverse, in small distances you can visit so much. Here exactly lies a misconception that some 5 to 7 days is enough to run through the main towns and sights.
And so, many people decide to dedicate to Croatia only a few days, as it is not a large country. Of course, this can be done if your travel plan relies upon the map only. However, this can make the trip quite exhausting, and you will most probably be at risk of missing true Croatia.
At Manifesta, we invite you to shorten your destination list, dedicate time, meet with others, and evolve within the community, even just for a day. We will not be in rush; we in fact fight fast tourism and work hard to work in slow tourism only, where less is more.
If you are not sure to which part of Croatia to dedicate your trip, let us inspire you. This depends on your season of travel, your group (family, teambuilding, congress…), and your aspirations.
Croatian best-kept secret — Šibenik-Knin County
It’s surprising how Croatia has managed to stay so quiet about Šibenik region for so long.
If you automatically think a trip to Croatia means a trip to, for example Dubrovnik, think again.
Sometimes, the easiest way to demonstrate the point is to present numerical data. So here are some facts about this region of Dalmatia, settled in its very heart:
2 listed UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites
2 National parks
14 medieval fortresses
230 cultural monuments
300 islands and
600 archaeological localities
Šibenik is the oldest Croatian native town, one of the 5 most beautiful rocky cities of the Mediterranean, but (fortunately) still a hidden gem, with preserved environment and true native Dalmatian spirit of the community.
Bloggers, journalists, and travelers’ saying for Šibenik: It’s Dubrovnik before tourists!
Dalmatian heart — The city of Split
When you get to know this fantastic city, it gets under your skin. It is big enough to keep surprising curious visitors, no matter how many times they return to the city. Split has a specific character, lively temperament, and captivating vibe. Yes, you are right, we are describing Split as a person because this is the relationship you start to develop when you are guided to Split in a slow and thoughtful way.
The Riva culture and its meaning, the hidden arty city corners, along with numerous unbelievable stories tied to some of the most fascinating historic and local figures are among the best-kept secrets we are ready to share with you.
Let us lead the way and we’ll shape your new friendship with Split together!
