Drazen Hochecker… A Man of Travel, Tourism and New Ideas
Born on 29th January 1944 he began a degree in Economics in 1963. One year later he left his studies to travel the world, and didn’t return to Zagreb until 1970. For most of those 6 years, he worked as a tour guide in England, Germany, Belgium and Greece and on his return, chose to build his professional career in tourism.
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His first steady job was for Generalturist, one of the biggest travel agencies in former Yugoslavia with 32 branch offices. He became branch office manager at Generalturist Zagreb, and later on, as tourism sector director he was involved in the organisation of the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo.
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In 1985 he joined INA Tours (a tour operator specialising in Yugoslavia) and between 1985 and 1992 he worked as the director in Copenhagen and Zurich. In 1992 he returned to Generalturist Zagreb, this time as an executive director. The last 14 years of his professional career belong to Zagreb Tourist Board & Convention Bureau where he was director of the Convention Bureau.
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The best moment of my professional career:
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Was the unforgettable experience working on the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo
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Why I will never forget the ECM meeting in:
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Dublin – because of an unforgettable evening with Frank Magee and him singing Irish songs from the bottom of his heart.
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ECM has brought me:
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A lot of friends, broadened my professional horizons, given me many new ideas and helped me to introduce those ideas in my city (like the walking informators- an idea taken from Helsinki and introduced in Zagreb).
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One cannot survive working in tourism without:
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Friendly contacts, other people’s experiences and above all always learning and introducing new ideas.
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Finally, I will have the time to:
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Spend more time in my garden and dedicate more time to educating new generations through my lectures at Zagreb University and various high schools or through my consulting activities.
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