The Croatian National Tourist Board President supports Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković’s initiative to lower the numbers of cruise ships in the city.
As Dubrovacki Dnevnik reports on the 23rd of August, 2017, Dubrovnik’s Mayor Mato Franković recently stated that his aim was to reduce the amount of cruise ships in the city, as well to drastically cut the numbers of people permitted entrance into the historical centre following a series of most serious warnings from UNESCO and the threat of the removal of the prestigious status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Franković’s statement saw the issues surrounding Dubrovnik and mass tourism thrust out of the realms of local and Croatian national media and directly into the international spotlight as respected publications from all over Europe and beyond reported on the growing dissatisfaction of the residents of tourist cities and towns across the continent.
The idea was met with relief and support by the citizens of Dubrovnik who responded positively to Franković’s wise decision.
“Dubrovnik is unique in its own right. We must respect what we’ve inherited and in that sense, we must think about the sustainable development of every destination, including Dubrovnik. I welcome the initiative of Mayor Franković. I think this is one of the solutions that will alleviate this turmoil in tourism, though we can never get enough [of the] tourists. This topic was also discussed at today’s session and we don’t have to run away from the challenges of solving the traffic jams in general, this is a problem that Dubrovnik also faces. I think a single system solution can solve that challenge in the foreseeable future.” stated Kristijan Staničić, the President of the Croatian National Tourist Board.
Excerpts taken and translated from Dubrovacki Dnevnik
