What effect is the sharp increase in tourism in Zadar having on the urban fabric of the town?
In just the last few days, in the Miho Klaić Street, which is probably the busiest street in Zadar, five shops have been closed. Notices on storefronts and empty interiors of spaces which just until recently had been souvenir shops, fast foods restaurants, pastry shops or hairdressers, are starting to show up at precisely the moment when Zadar is making excellent results in tourist postseason and is currently the fourth best tourist region in Croatia, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on November 8, 2015.
There are still many tourists in Zadar, but many shops are already closed – that is the image which is causing unease among many and raises the question: what will happen with the urban fabric of the city? If the busiest street in the city has already been closed for business, what will happen with the rest of the historic city centre? It is obvious that this year Zadar has turned into a seasonal tourist destination, and this marked seasonality endangers not only the extension of the tourist season, but also calls into question the survival of the citizens themselves who have started moving out of the Zadar Peninsula.
Can something be done to save the city? At the last public tender for the rental of a shop owned by the City of Zadar in the Miho Klaić Street, the starting price was 30 euros. Who would pay such a price if five shops have been closed in the very same street? Perhaps the city authorities should reduce rental rates for their premises, at least out of tourist season, and in this way try to stimulate the revival of the city centre? If nothing is done, the city centre will be in danger of converting into a seasonal supermarket.
“We are constantly fighting for the craftsmen and entrepreneurs who are open all year round to be in a better position than those who work only during the tourist season. The biggest problem are those shops which are not owned by the city. There is a possibility to condition the lease of street areas for cafes with an obligation to work throughout the year, but the question is how much would that accomplish. I fear that we are facing a major problem that has escalated this year in the worst possible way and that the city administration must deal with it. Many people just want to make money during the summer and then they leave, but those of us who keep working have to pay taxes for the whole year. To them, we probably look like fools. We are facing a disaster if something is not done”, Mladen Malta, president of the Zadar Association of Craftsmen, said.
