February 25, 2023 - With the city being one of the main tourist hubs of Croatia, it is to be expected that Dubrovnik traffic might need some adjustment, especially around the old town area.

As Index writes, mayor Mato Frankovic presented a draft decision on traffic restrictions in the contact zone of Duborvnik's old town to reduce traffic jams in the heart of Dubrovnik and the negative impact on the monumental heritage. Frankovic emphasized that the draft is based on UNESCO guidelines and the Management Plan for the old town.

"Given that Dubrovnik is the first to issue such a document, I expect business entities and citizens to participate in the public consultation for the next 30 days so that the final decision is as high-quality and realistic as possible and so that we change it as little as possible in the future. This dialogue is extremely important to us," said Frankovic.

"We want to reduce crowds and give priority to the population of Dubrovnik"

He noted that the recent changes to the Road Traffic Safety Act were the prerequisite for drafting the decision. "We want to reduce crowds and give priority to the population of Dubrovnik, with a special emphasis on the residents of the old town," said Frankovic.

The draft defines five categories of vehicles with different rules. Citizens who have had a registered residence in the zone for more than one year, as well as public transport vehicles, mopeds, motorcycles, emergency services, armed forces, and HGSS, will be able to move freely in the zone of the special traffic regime.

Special category

The same will be possible for everyone with a PPK (privileged parking ticket), pre-paid parking, parking lot, or garage space outside the system of public parking lots.

A special category includes operations in transporting people and cargo, while the traffic of tourist buses, 7+1 and 8+1 passenger vehicles, and car sharing can continue under the current conditions. Access to the old town will be prohibited for campers, camper vans, tractors, and similar vehicles.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.

November 4, 2019 - The historic core of Dubrovnik will see fewer tables and chairs next year. 

HRTurizam reports that a public consultation is underway in the City of Dubrovnik regarding the Draft Decision on Amending the Decision on the Lease of Public Areas for 2020.

What is most significant is the proposal to reduce the public space available by 10% for tables and chairs at all catering facilities who use 25.00 m2 or more. Also, the lease time of the public space has increased from 3 to 5 years, which will certainly bring some security to the caterers.

The moratorium on setting up new tables and chairs continues for both existing and new catering establishments, which would open in the coming period.

Furthermore, in order to extend the tourist season, the City of Dubrovnik has proposed a measure that should stimulate owners of restaurants in the Old Town to work in the winter months.

In Article 6, a new paragraph on the rent exemption for caterers in the historic core is added if the caterers operate in the winter months.

The measure refers to a rent exemption for public caterers predominantly serving meals (restaurants, taverns, pizzerias) in the historic core, if they carry on their business from December 1, 2019, to February 29, 2020. The consultation is open until November 22, 2019. 

Recall, this winter, Dubrovnik will be connected to seven world capitals (Frankfurt, London, Istanbul, Warsaw, Rome, Barcelona, and Athens), and with the Croatian capital - Zagreb.

HRTurizam reported back in September that year-round direct flights between Frankfurt and Dubrovnik, co-organized by the Dubrovnik National Tourist Board, the Croatian national carrier Croatia Airlines and the Croatian National Tourist Board, was presented in Frankfurt to fifty German travel agents and travel journalists.

At the Croatian restaurant Damiro Westsite in downtown Frankfurt, director of the Representative Office of the Croatian National Tourist Board in Frankfurt, Romeo Draghicchio, emphasized that the promotion of Dubrovnik in the winter months fits into the strategic plans of Croatian tourism, which seeks to extend the season. Dubrovnik has made the most progress in this regard, and this direct connection in the winter is ideal for attracting additional guests from Frankfurt and its surroundings in the winter.

“The Frankfurt-Dubrovnik direct winter flight will operate for the third year within the strategic projects of the Croatian National Tourist Board, the Dubrovnik Tourist Board and Croatia Airlines. At the initiative of the Tourist Board and Croatia Airlines, all open hotels participate in the winter programs," said the director of the Tourist Board, Romana Vlasic.

The Dubrovnik Tourist Board also designed and printed leaflets on all events during the winter in Croatian, English, and German, which will be available to all visitors at the Tourist Information Offices.

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