Dubrovnik’s Old City will set its limit at 8,000 tourists per day with the help of technology.
After much talk and a lot of back and forth regarding the issue, surveillance cameras equipped with people counters have been installed at the five entrances to the Old City in order to keep track of the amount of people entering. The installation of cameras comes after several reports of a disgruntled UNESCO board unhappy with the increasingly high number of people inside the walled city at any one time.
A total of 116 surveillance cameras are expected to be placed at 37 locations around the city, even outside of the walls, in areas such as traffic junctions and potential danger zones with the aim of improving general safety measures for both people and traffic. The Mayor of Dubrovnik, Andro Vlahusic, presented the million kuna project on the 19th of January 2017 under the title ”Forget the crowds, respect the rules and information”. He went on to explain that more than 8,000 people at any one time inside the Old City is estimated to be too dangerous and that when that number of people is reached, measures will need to be taken in order to divert traffic and organised groups of tourists will not be permitted to enter.
He added that visitors who have announced their arrival in advance (by at least one day) and those who have purchased a Dubrovnik City Card would be granted unfettered access to the Old City, but that visitors, such as those who arrive with organised tourist groups who arrive unannounced would face being turned away until the cameras register that the number of people inside the walls has fallen below the recommended 8,000 mark.
It is important to add that the 8,000 people rule will not apply to residents.
The first results from the people counting cameras will allegedly be available in March but how the project will function in practice is as yet unknown.
