August the 5th, 2024 – Are limits to the numbers of Croatian private accommodation units finally coming? It seems that “wild tourism” that has engulfed the coast might soon be being tamed.
As Morski writes, last year, there were a massive 444,000 apartments with 1.2 million beds on offer within the Croatian private accommodation sector in the country. This year, it’s been estimated that that number is five percent higher and is continuously growing.
The Ministry of Tourism and Sport has therefore decided to put an end to this, and an e-consultation with the interested public is underway on the draft of the proposed rulebook (pravilnik) on the methodology for calculating reception capacities. The draft of the proposed rulebook also includes the methodology of creating a destination management plan, as well as proper indicators for monitoring development and the sustainability of tourism.
limits to croatian private accommodation and an end to “wild tourism”
In other words, the government appears to finally want to regulate so-called “wild tourism”, introducing clearer rules for Croatian private accommodation being offered in apartments, as well as catering and hospitality facilities such as taverns, bars and restaurants.
It could be the case that a brand new era of Croatian private accommodation and as such tourism as a whole is ahead of us. It will be an era in which the focus is no longer obsessively placed solely on growth, but on proper management with the aim of finding the ideal balance between tourism and the quality of life of local people.
“With these new regulations, which are prescribed by the Law on Tourism, each city or municipality will be able to define and very clearly profile its destination. For example, they will be able to decide whether they want to be a four- or five-star destination or indeed something entirely different. They’ll also be able to manage the structure and number of their accommodation capacities,” said Minister of Tourism and Sport, Tonči Glavina.
“What’s very important to note is that at the same time, if they consider it necessary, they will also be able to limit the issuance of permits for certain types of Croatian private accommodation or catering and hospitality facilities. This will be the case if the calculation of reception capacities shows that this is necessary. They will be able to do this even on a micro-location basis, that is, at the level of a specific local self-government unit, or in one part of the destination, even in the case of a single street,” concluded Minister Glavina.
