Tea Batinić knows Dubrovnik like the back of her hand. The 75-year-old has lived in a house in the old town since she was born. She has been observing the changes in her homeland for decades. For them, the way they go on vacation has changed fundamentally: "Faster, cheaper, less time - there always has to be more, and if possible immediately. More, more, more." The crowds of tourists are like a tsunami, says Tea.
The mayor receives threats
Mayor Mato Franković welcomes the ARD team in the town hall. A meeting in the city was not possible. The politician is under police protection. According to his own statements, he repeatedly receives threats. Since taking office in 2017, Franković has pursued a policy that aims to place greater limits on tourism in the city. This has earned him opponents because many in the city make their living from tourism.
“Everything I do, I do for the city,” says the mayor. Some apparently believed that he would allow threats to dissuade him from his decisions. Franković suspects that interest groups from the real estate business with connections to Montenegro are behind the intimidation attempts. But what brings him threats at home is what sets the European Union apart. Dubrovnik is “European Green Pioneer of smart Tourism 2026”.
Less building land, more green spaces
A central component of the new strategy: several planned major projects are being abandoned. “We are eliminating six major tourism zones,” says Franković. Originally, more than 1,000 apartments were supposed to be built there.
In addition, numerous properties around the old town that were previously designated as building land are to be converted into green spaces in the future. “Dubrovnik no longer needs any more apartments or any more holiday or tourist accommodation,” says the mayor.
Living space becomes holiday apartments
Tea Batinić experiences directly in her own home how much tourism has changed the housing market. Several apartments have now been converted into Airbnb accommodation. This is already visible at the entrance: there are two key safes for holiday guests.
She remembers one encounter in particular. "One day I came home and met a British couple with huge suitcases in the hallway. They actually asked me what I was doing here," she says. "I answered: I've lived here for 75 years."
Upper limit for cruise passengers
The problem of so-called overtourism is particularly evident on cruise ships. On some days up to ten ships used to dock in Dubrovnik. Today, much stricter rules apply.
“We have stipulated that a maximum of 4,000 cruise passengers are allowed to stay in the city in the morning and a maximum of 4,000 in the afternoon,” says Jelka Tepšić from the Dubrovnik Port Authority. As a result, the number of cruise ships has fallen to a maximum of two per day. The time they spend anchoring on site has been extended to a minimum of eight hours.
Digital visitor guidance via app
In addition to upper limits, Dubrovnik also relies on digital control of visitor flows. With the help of the Dubrovnik Pass and a digital monitoring system, tourists are to be better distributed across the city. Julijana Antić Brautović, head of the city's Department of Culture and Heritage, shows the application. With the Dubrovnik Pass, tourists get discounted entry to numerous attractions, including the lesser-known ones.
Visitors can see in real time how busy individual attractions are. For example, if the Cultural History Museum reaches its maximum capacity, the app indicates waiting times and suggests alternative destinations, such as the Maritime Museum. “If all visitors crowd into one place at the same time, nothing is gained,” emphasizes Antić Brautović. The aim is to better distribute people across the entire old town. It’s the “flow” that matters.
Quality of life instead of records
For Mayor Franković, it is no longer just about tourism policy, but about the future of Dubrovnik. "If you notice that tourism is destroying the quality of life, then you have to pull the ripcord," he says.
Residents like Tea Batinić hope that the measures will have an impact so that Dubrovnik retains its character. She says she was repeatedly offered to sell her apartment. The sums are considerable. But she has no interest in that. "Even if someone offered me a million euros, I wouldn't sell," she says. "If the apartment is worth a million to someone who has never lived here, then to me it is worth at least ten times as much."
Dubrovnik is attempting a balancing act that concerns many European holiday destinations: How can tourism be maintained as an economic basis without losing the quality of life of the residents? The Croatian coastal city relies on clear boundaries instead of limitless growth. Whether the model is successful in the long term will also be followed closely far beyond the walls of the old town.
