Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic strives to achieve a goal that will leave most locals eternally grateful...
As DuList reports on the 23rd of July, 2017, Newly elected Mayor Mato Franković has sent an official letter to Blaž Pezo, the Head of the Port Authority of Dubrovnik on the topic of ship arrivals on round trips during the summer seasons for next year and for 2019. If you'd like to know why this is of such importance, read our very own exclusive interview with Blaž Pezo here.
Additionally, the very same letter was sent to the Minister of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Croatia, Oleg Butković, and to the Minister of Tourism, Gari Cappelli.
Bearing in mind the fact that existing contracts with cruising companies expire only in 2019, Mayor Franković expresses the need to coordinate the state and local levels of government to ensure the better allocation of ships' arrivals in 2018, in order to achieve the highest quality of the overall total tourist offer of Dubrovnik, which is suffering terribly under the extremely negative ''wrath'' of cruise ship tourism, you can read about that here.
The Mayor points out that ''the present situation is, in the true sense of the word, unsustainable, and pressures on the historic core at peak traffic times, especially at the end of the week, when over just a few morning hours in the city, more than 7,000 people arrive, which does nothing good in terms of preserving Dubrovnik's monumental heritage, not in terms of security, nor in terms of the quality of the visitor experience''
The long-term goal of the City of Dubrovnik is to ensure that there are no more than 4,000 guests from cruise ships within the city walls at any one time. ''We believe that this is the optimal number [of people] that ensures a quality life for the citizens of Dubrovnik and the best possible experience of travelling and enjoying the beauty of Dubrovnik for our guests. I am convinced that this goal can be achieved by better planning and dispersion of the arrival time of the ships, for which, it is necessary to work together'' Franković stated optimistically.
''We are firmly committed to providing a comfortable stay to all our guests regardless of the way they arrive. At the same time, the management of tourism in the destination is aimed at a pleasant life for our citizens, the reduction of traffic jams and, in particular, the pressure on the historic core of Dubrovnik, which has been under the protection of UNESCO since 1979.'' added Mayor Franković.
Excerpts taken and translated from DuList
