German public broadcasting institution WDR released a documentary about Croatia’s tourism, focusing on the ever-growing problems in tourism which Croatians are increasingly aware of.
Under the title ‘Croatia Without Limits – Tourist Fever on the Adriatic’, Susanna Zdrzalek focuses on four tourist locations where the growth of tourism and the absence of meaningful development strategies are creating ever greater problems. This is precisely Dubrovnik, Plitvice, Split and Hvar, reports 24 Sata on August 25, 2018.
Croatia is described as a ‘paradise for a holiday on the Adriatic’, but also as a country where tourism is the only remaining functional economic branch. The author also states that the constant increase of tourists ‘is not without consequences’ and questions how much longer tourism in Croatia can grow uncontrollably.
To begin with, Dubrovnik is mentioned as one of the most attractive locations in Croatia, and an increasing number of tourists are drawn to the fact that Game of Thrones and Star Wars were filmed in the city. By the end of the season in Dubrovnik, about one million tourists are expected. The city is overwhelmed, the center is expensive even for more prosperous guests, the noise level is all the more unbearable, and the people of Dubrovnik complain that their most basic daily tasks have become extremely complicated.
The author of the film talks about environmental destruction as a direct consequence of mass tourism. This is referred to as the ‘lake of sewage’ located within Plitvice Lakes because of the lack of an adequate sewage system. Ante Kovač, in front of the WDR camera, explains that Croatia is “all upside down” and that “the state regularly violates its own laws”.
The author also talked to many young Croatians in Split, most of whom are hoping to go abroad – and mostly to Germany. Some of them say that they no longer feel that Split is their city, that jobs are difficult to find, the wages are small, and contracts are hard to find.
“Croatia is a Third World country that is a member of the European Union,” said one young person from Split.
In the last part of the documentary, the focus is shifted to Croatia as a party destination. The author and her team visited Hvar, where there are exchanges of drunken tourists who say they have come to the island to drink and that Hvar is not bothered too much by them. The local population says their life has become unbearable over the summer, especially since Hvar has become a kind of mecca for partying.
The German reporter concludes, finally, that Croatia has no clear vision for tourism development and that it needs a new strategy for its development because errors and omissions are visible at every step.
You can see the full report here.
