According to the world's largest online cruise review portal and cruise travel planning portal, Cruise Critic, Dubrovnik is the best destination for cruise trips to the Eastern Mediterranean.
Another title for Dubrovnik is always nice, but, at the risk of sounding like a wet blanket, it isn't really very good news, in all honesty. I don't know how many more articles need to be written to express how Dubrovnik is suffering because of this type of tourism, if The Telegraph's piece on the ''death of Dubrovnik'' doesn't highlight it enough, I'm not sure what will.
As DuList reported on the 26th of July, 2017, this is the second time the Cruise Critic Cruisers' Choice Destination Awards have been organised. One of Dubrovnik's neighbours, Kotor (Montenegro) took second prize, followed by destinations in Greece (Mykonos and Rhodes) and ironically, Venice made the list too. Rather poetic for a destination with a local population who recently voted in favour of banning the entry of large cruise ships into Venice due to the catastrophic damage they were doing to the Italian gem.
''Analysing first-hand information from travellers around the world on cruise routes, lets us discover which destinations are the most popular, which is real proof of their attractiveness. By sharing this information, we hope to inspire and guide our passengers to a more easy-to-choose cruise line plan, with which they will be delighted'' said Adam Coulter, the UK Editor of Cruise Critic.
Otherwise, 760,000 passengers are expected on round trips on cruise ships this year in Dubrovnik alone. This eye-watering number is, in fact, still 9% less than last year. While the daily number of cruise visitors is limited to 8,000, it does very little to stop the damage these giants cause to the city, the infrastructure, the lives of not only residents but other tourists, and most important of all - the environment.
If you think this is an overreaction from a frustrated local, please give me a chance to alter that perception by offering you some light reading on the damage these monstrous ships cause. If you'd like to read TCN's exclusive interview with Dubrovnik's Port Authority Chief on just how much of a tricky subject this is, please find it here.
The Tourist Board of the City of Dubrovnik points out that cruise tourism leaves money in various different sectors in the city, from buses to taxis to shops and restaurants. Yes, all true, but to end with a small play on words if we're talking about money - at what cost is it left?
If you'd like to view the full list of destinations compiled by Cruise Critic, click here.
