September the 21st, 2026 – Landlords in Split have rebelled against more charges and higher costs, accusing the powers that be of choosing large hotels and resorts over local families.
The association Let’s Save Small Family Landlords (SMOi) has submitted an official statement to the City of Split on the proposal of the new Destination Management Plan. Morski reports that in the statement, they sharply criticise the expert basis prepared by the Institute for Tourism, claiming that without clear evidence and scientific arguments, it simply favours hotel chains and campsites, while private accommodation run by locals is unjustifiably pushed off the market by restrictions.
According to the disputed Plan proposal, an increase in the share of hotels and campsites of as much as 65 percent is envisaged, while private accommodation is presented in an extremely negative light – despite the fact that data from the document itself state that more than 85 percent of tourists are extremely satisfied with the quality of private accommodation.
the paradox of domestic demand
The Association points out an obvious paradox in the explanations of the public scientific institute. While the competent Ministry of Tourism and the Croatian Tourist Board emphasise the key importance of domestic tourists, the data of the Plan show that in Split in just one year arrivals of domestic guests in private accommodation grew by 30.5 percent, and their overnight stays by 20.9 percent. At the same time, overnight stays of domestic guests in hotels recorded a decline of 1.6 percent.
“What scientific criteria were used to conclude that the hotel segment should be strongly increased and private accommodation restricted? The Plan in no way proves a cause-and-effect link between private accommodation and problems in the city, nor does it analyse the consequences that these measures will have on the livelihood of citizens and the local economy,” stated Hana Matić, the vice-president of the SMOi association.
the income of local families is under threat
The association emphasises that these decisions do not only shape tourism statistics, but directly affect the standard of citizens. As many as 36.1 percent of respondents in the Plan stated that their families generate their main or additional income precisely from tourism. The restriction of family accommodation will also be felt by local craftsmen, caterers, shops and various service activities that indirectly live from small landlords. They particularly consider the thesis that private accommodation is to blame for the crisis of affordable housing to be contentious. They warn that the Plan itself mentions the potential for the construction of almost 15,000 new apartments, while on the other hand unused city and state properties are completely ignored.
“Institutional properties are being turned into hotels, student dormitories are being rented to tourists in summer, and private investments in hotels are being co-financed with public money. On the other hand, citizens’ private property is to be restricted. If one wants to manage the impact of tourism, the criteria must apply equally to everyone. A tourist bed cannot be a problem when it belongs to a citizen, and desirable when it belongs to a hotel,” emphasised Vedran Tomić, president of the SMOi association.
the mayor must now make the difficult choices
Small landlords emphasise that everything is now on Mayor Tomislav Šuta and the city authorities. Depending on whether they accept such a Plan, they will make a purely political decision – whether they will restrict the livelihood of their own citizens in order to open space for the growth of large hotel capital. Before any bans, the SMOi association demands from the Split city administration solid evidence, a detailed analysis of the economic consequences and equal treatment for all participants in tourism.
