February 2, 2022 - With film crews in Dubrovnik arriving for the Amazon series Jack Ryan this month, is the Adriatic Pearl ready?

At last week's City Council session, Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković reminded that filming of foreign productions would soon begin and that film crews have nowhere to go for food & drink because almost all restaurants are closed in winter, reports Dubrovacki Vjesnik.

Recall, the new season of the Jack Ryan series will film in Dubrovnik this month, with about 300 people participating in this project. The Amazon Prime series is based on Tom Clancy novels and features John Krasinski as Jack Ryan. 

The mayor told the councilors:

"If we observe the winter period, the city is empty when guests come. And that isn't good. Restaurants don't work for us. We have a big film production coming up in early February, and they have nowhere to eat. The first cruiser is coming to us on February 2, and almost everything in the historic core is closed. We must set clear rules that a certain number of tenants in urban areas cannot be closed; that is, not all can be closed simultaneously. Let them agree together. Or we will arrange an even-odd system," Franković threatened.

"I think that some people confused the situation a bit because with the end of socialism and communism and social ownership, the time of planned economy ended in the 1990s and we entered the period of free trade and free business, i.e., the market," said the president of the Dubrovnik Caterers Association Ante Vlašić commenting on Franković's statement during the recent session. 

In a further review of Franković's statements, the president of the Dubrovnik Caterers Association added:

"I am sorry that some people still do not understand that if they dictate business conditions, they must take full responsibility for the conditions and manner of business and the overall consequences, or all profits and losses resulting from these decisions. If the City needed something like that, it should not have rented the premises it owned, but set up a company and work 24 hours a day and be open 365 days a year. By the way, he bought UTD Ragusa anyway to continue with catering. But it is not possible to take a huge rent for the premises owned by the city company UTD Ragusa and run the business yourself! The city has enough of its own space in which it can open as many restaurants and cafes as it wants if it considers its role in society. But, then the question arises whether the City is the infrastructure and service of citizens or the City is the owner of all events and activities and everything that happens in this area? Do you think that none of the fellow caterers would work if they had financial justifications and opportunities to work?" Vlašić asked:

"Many times so far, when those who worked in the winter were not paid the rent for public areas, people worked. But that was at a time when we could work in the summer and “set aside” some of the money so we could take the risk during the winter. But now, after two years of restructuring, with huge debts from HBOR and HAMAG, we are not able to gamble with our own lives and businesses. If this great film crew needs a restaurant, believe me, they have already contacted some of the restaurants that will be 100 percent adapted to them, and therefore it is completely unnecessary to involve the city, especially those who do not understand how the market and business work," added Vlašić.

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November 23, 2019 - The Dubrovnik Tourist Board is working to keep the city alive this winter with new promotional activities for restaurants. 

HRTurizam writes that given the increasing number of international and domestic flights during the winter months and the interest and growth in visitors, the Dubrovnik Tourist Board is preparing promotional activities and printing a monthly "Winter restaurants" leaflet this winter, containing a list of open restaurants, pizzerias, and fast food spots during the month of December. The brochure will include special working hours, to ensure that guests staying in Dubrovnik are as informed as possible and that outdoor restaurants are better promoted during the offseason. 

During the 2019/2020 winter season, Dubrovnik will be connected to seven international destinations: Croatia Airlines-Frankfurt, British Airways-London, Vueling-Rome and Barcelona, LOT-Warsaw, Aegean Airlines-Athens, and Turkish Airlines-Istanbul.

Aiming for better cooperation with restaurants and better available information, the Dubrovnik Tourist Board has invited all owners of restaurants, pizzerias and fast food to email them by Tuesday, 26 November by 3:00 pm, with their opening dates and opening hours during December, especially on Christmas Day, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. They should also include their contact by phone, web, or Facebook page and if they have any special offers available. 

This year, the City of Dubrovnik decided to reduce the public area for restaurant tables and chairs by 10% for all facilities that use 25,00 m2 or more. Furthermore, the lease term of public areas has increased to 5 years, which will undoubtedly bring some security to catering businesses. 

Also, in an effort to prolong the tourist season, the City of Dubrovnik has proposed a measure that should encourage owners of restaurants in the historic core to work in the winter months.

In accordance with the new amendments to the Decision on the lease of public spaces in Article 6, a new paragraph on the rent exemption for caterers in the Old Town has been added if caterers operate in the winter months.

The measure refers to rent exemption for public areas of 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.

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