Many authors have tried to explain the phenomenon of specialization in tourism and how it is created. The answer can be found through an overview of the history of tourism, looking at tourism from its beginnings to the period of modern tourism in Europe and the Republic of Croatia. Starting from the ancient migrations and the development of trade, we come to an industrial revolution, which was a turning point in tourism because it primarily facilitated greater traffic for people. When social and economic changes are included in the analysis and their contribution to the creation of new needs is taken into account, it is clear that they are a key factor that influenced the creation of specialization in tourism. With the growth and creation of new needs, all participants in tourism are trying to specialize in their activities and ways of working. Specialization in tourism is the result of many social and economic changes, but it is often referred to as a concept and phenomenon. Many people identify with the term specialization and diversification, not knowing that specialization is a much broader term. Specialization on the side of tourist demand is visible through changes in the behavior of the tourist consumer that dictate the tourist demand. A brand new tourist segment is emerging that is more demanding, has different motives and preferences, and is called a modern tourist. There are many ways in which the tourist supply can be specialized, but among the more important ones is the specialization through the offer of special products, where it is important to differentiate the tourist from the special product. Particular attention has been paid to defining tourism as a system and a social phenomenon. Tourism is a set of relationships and phenomena that result from the travel and stay of visitors to a place, if that residence is not based on permanent residence and if no economic activity is associated with that stay. In tourism, innovations are important, which are accompanied by the emergence of ICT, social and economic trends in tourism, as well as technology, so we tend to look at tourism specialization through technological advances and innovations. The pragmatic contribution of the paper is contained in the results of the interviews with the experts in the field of congress tourism, with whom the interview was conducted. Results of interviews with the president of the professional group of travel agencies ŽK Dubrovnik and the general manager of the travel agency Dubrovnnik Travel DT and the regional director of Valamar Riviera destination Dubrovnik, with the aim of examining the level of specialization and competencies and the way of specialization of Dubrovnik as a congress tourism destination.