August 11, 2020 - The head of the National Civil Protection Headquarters and Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said that the Headquarters would probably agree to the request of Dubrovnik Mayor, Mato Frankovic, allowing cruisers to enter Dubrovnik.

Index.hr reports that the head of the National Civil Protection Headquarters and Interior Minister said that the Croatian curve was in a downward phase with a tendency to decline further.

Asked what the government is doing to control the damage, as more and more tourists claim to have been infected on holiday in Croatia, Bozinovic said: "There are such examples, but not all have been confirmed. There is a European system of early detection and action, and some of the cases that were in the media did not go through that system."

"We expect that the countries that put us on the yellow list will remove us from that list. We have 18 cases per 100,000 people, and now there are a million more people in Croatia," the minister said as a guest on Dnevnik NovaTV.

When asked what will happen to closed nightclubs in the fall, he replied:

"We are in contact with the representatives of that industry and our goal is for them to survive, but also to preserve people's health. They are also interested in people's health, and they have to live from something," he said, adding that all options are being considered. 

Asked by a journalist if he could imagine going out with a protective mask, he replied that he did not remember the last time he was at a nightclub in person, but that the measures should definitely be adhered to.

Bozinovic also said that the National Headquarters would probably agree to the request of the mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Frankovic, to allow the entry of cruisers.

"We are in contact with the mayor and I think we will allow this very soon. Some more technical details need to be resolved, such as what to do if people are infected on board, but I think we are close to deciding to allow it."

Recall, Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic asked the National Civil Protection Headquarters to change the rule banning the entry of ships with more than two hundred passengers into Croatian ports.

This is because the global cruise line MSC did not include Dubrovnik in its cruise program.

Namely, representatives of the company have previously expressed interest in including Dubrovnik in the travel program, but the limiting factor for the arrival of larger ships on cruises to Dubrovnik is the rule, according to which ships with more than 200 passengers cannot enter Croatian ports at the moment.

Frankovic briefed Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the National Civil Protection Headquarters Davor Bozinovic and Minister of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butkovic on this very topic.

Following Bozinovic's instructions, Frankovic submitted to the County Institute of Public Health detailed procedures introduced by the MSC for its ships, as well as procedures to be carried out by the Dubrovnik Port Authority and the City of Dubrovnik.

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August 10, 2020 - Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic has asked the National Civil Protection Headquarters to change the rule banning the entry of ships with more than two hundred passengers into Croatian ports.

Slobodna Dalmacija reports that this is because the global cruise line MSC did not include Dubrovnik in its cruise program.

Namely, representatives of the company have previously expressed interest in including Dubrovnik in the travel program, but the limiting factor for the arrival of larger ships on cruises to Dubrovnik is the rule, according to which ships with more than 200 passengers cannot enter Croatian ports at the moment.

Frankovic briefed Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the National Civil Protection Headquarters Davor Bozinovic and Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butkovic on this very topic.

Following Bozinovic's instructions, Frankovic submitted to the County Institute of Public Health detailed procedures introduced by the MSC for its ships, as well as procedures to be carried out by the Dubrovnik Port Authority and the City of Dubrovnik.

"In the coming days, we expect an official statement from the Institute to the Civil Protection Headquarters and we are convinced that with the approved procedures, ships on cruise trips will be allowed to enter Croatian ports," said Mayor Frankovic.

The prescribed procedures are a challenge for both companies and Port Authorities and the cities where cruise companies enter, but they provide the highest level of health care, and the possibility of spreading the COVID-19 infection is reduced to a minimum, the Dubrovnik City Administration said in a statement.

MSC is one of the world's largest cruise companies and a market leader in Europe.

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August 6, 2020 - Just a few days ago, headlines revealed that Dubrovnik is among the most affected tourist destinations in Croatia. Still, despite poor numbers, the Adriatic Pearl has reason to be optimistic.

HRTurizam reports that in August, we can finally see crowds of tourists on Stradun, which is best illustrated by the data that in Dubrovnik in the last two days, the number of visitors has risen to 6,000.

"It started…. The number on the counter reached 6,000 visitors. There were lines to enter the walls. We are recovering step by step," wrote Mayor Mate Frankovic on his Facebook profile.

Thus, 10,316 overnight stays were recorded yesterday, with a little more than 6,000 guests currently staying in the historic city.

While Dubrovnik is finally looking forward to receiving guests, the current numbers are still far from ideal. Currently, in August, the city is at 37% of overnight stays compared to last year. From January 1 to July 31, 113,912 arrivals were recorded in Dubrovnik, or only 14% of last year's tourist traffic and 347,848 overnight stays, also 14% of last year's tourist traffic in the same period, which best shows the difficult situation until early August.

As constructive criticism is often written about the tourist development of Dubrovnik, positive examples should be praised, as is the case now. Namely, Mayor Mate Frankovic is very active in promoting Dubrovnik as a safe destination that is open to tourists.

Recently, Frankovic wrote to the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson after announcing the potential of a two-week quarantine for Croatia, in which he stressed that Dubrovnik is one of the safest European travel destinations with detailed protocols in all situations, including the number of infected, which was reported by many British media outlets, such as The Telegraph.

It is certainly worth mentioning the proposal and lobbying of Mayor Frankovic that daily data on the pages of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control be divided by counties.

Also, many international media were in Dubrovnik for two weeks, from Bloomberg, Reuters, and the Associated Press to ABC News, which had three live reports from Dubrovnik.

In any case, this year, Dubrovnik is fighting for every guest. 

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August 1, 2020 - 154 planes landed in Dubrovnik on July 31, 2019 - and on Thursday, there were only 55, said the Dubrovnik mayor of the catastrophic tourist results in the Adriatic pearl. 

With the heat, Croatia and Europe are preparing for another summer weekend and a new shift of tourists. They come and go, but not to southern Croatia, reports Jutarnji List.

Mato Frankovic, the mayor of Dubrovnik, the city most affected by the corona crisis, told Dnevnik Nova TV on Friday evening that 8,800 guests were in the city at the end of July.

"That is 32 percent compared to last year. In order to show the drama of the situation - 154 planes landed in Dubrovnik last year, and today, only 55. Last year, 16,500 guests came on this day, and this year, only 2,400. Dubrovnik is recording catastrophic tourist results," Frankovic revealed.

When asked what it would mean if August is as bad as July, the mayor said that August could be good.

"We need airlines to stay and if it stays that way, if we are not introduced into the quarantine system by our priority markets, Dubrovnik will survive this year," he said.

He added that the Adriatic pearl is preparing for the worst-case scenario.

"We are in the process of obtaining a loan in the amount of 100 million kuna to help all those who are greatly suffering, and that is the Dubrovnik economy," he told Dnevnik Nova TV.

Frankovic concluded that Dubrovnik "must never again be a monocultural city that depends exclusively on tourism".

Recall, after British media announced that a two-week quarantine could be introduced for tourists returning from Croatia, Frankovic wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, asking him to look at Croatia by region, and not as a whole, when making a decision.

"I know that you are well acquainted with this part of Croatia, and that is one of the reasons why I am addressing you personally.

The total number of positive COVID-19 cases from the area of the city of Dubrovnik is three, and currently, over eight thousand tourists are in our city.

We are making every effort at all levels to maintain a favorable epidemiological picture and provide all our guests with a pleasant and safe stay," reads Frankovic's letter to Johnson.

Frankovic pointed out that Dubrovnik is one of the safest European destinations for travel with detailed protocols in all situations, including procedures if the number of infected people starts to grow.

"Taking all the above into account and respecting the fact that Dubrovnik tourism depends on the United Kingdom market, I ask you to look at Croatia and its regions when making decisions, and not just as a whole," concluded Frankovic.

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July 31, 2020 - After British media announced that a two-week quarantine could be introduced for tourists returning from Croatia, Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, asking him to look at Croatia by region, and not as a whole, when making a decision.

Index.hr reports that in a letter to the British Prime Minister, Mayor Frankovic reminded that the British are traditionally the most numerous guests in Dubrovnik and that a relationship based on friendship has been developed for decades.

"I know that you are well acquainted with this part of Croatia, and that is one of the reasons why I am addressing you personally.

The total number of positive COVID-19 cases from the area of the city of Dubrovnik is three, and currently, over eight thousand tourists are in our city.

We are making every effort at all levels to maintain a favorable epidemiological picture and provide all our guests with a pleasant and safe stay," reads Frankovic's letter to Johnson.

Franković pointed out that Dubrovnik is one of the safest European destinations for travel with detailed protocols in all situations, including procedures if the number of infected people starts to grow.

"Taking all the above into account and respecting the fact that Dubrovnik tourism depends on the United Kingdom market, I ask you to look at Croatia and its regions when making decisions, and not just as a whole," concluded Frankovic.

Frankovic also sent a letter to Prime Minister Johnson to the Croatian Embassy in the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom Embassy in Croatia.

According to British media reports, Croatia, along with Belgium and Luxembourg, could join Spain, for which a two-week quarantine was imposed last weekend.

British authorities are currently keeping a very close eye on the jump in the number of infected people in Belgium, Luxembourg and Croatia. This could deliver a major shock to the Croatian economy, which was hanging onto making up for as many losses as possible during August. The British market is among the most important in all of Europe.

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Dubrovnik tourism has always been able to rest on its laurels. The sheer beauty of the city and its incredible landscape have both always been more than enough to draw tourists in in their droves. Then the coronavirus pandemic struck and the city that was once a victim of its own success was flipped upside down.

As Morski writes on the 26th of July, 2020, the mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Frankovic, commented on the numbers being realised in Croatia's southernmost city during the tourist season at the end of July. Dubrovnik is one of the cities that have requested the division of the Republic of Croatia into four zones - the northern and southern coasts, and then central Croatia and the eastern part of the country to make it easier for tourists to follow which areas are ''coronavirus free''.

Frankovic says that they sent a request for such a division to the National Civil Protection Headquarters.

''It's very important that the statistical data, when sent to the European Centre for COVID Disease Control, is divided by region so that European countries and indeed other countries know exactly what is happening in Croatia,'' said the mayor of Dubrovnik. He believes that the Headquarters will accept this request.

Frankovic pointed out that Dubrovnik will report to the ambassadors of other countries on a weekly basis on the situation with the ongoing epidemic.

When asked when the strengthening of air traffic is expected, Frankovic said that by the middle of next week, Dubrovnik will be connected with 51 destinations, which will hopefully give Dubrovnik tourism a much needed boost.

''August will be much better, we have announcements for the whole of autumn. I believe we will manage to reach the target of traffic of 30 percent for the season,'' he says. He also explained why Dubrovnik is asking for state help.

''I wouldn't like it to turn out that Dubrovnik is a beggar city, but I'd like to mention that the records of Dubrovnik were the ones to have filled the state budget. Now Dubrovnik expects a small part  of that to keep us stable for the future,'' said Mato Frankovic, adding that the state is in some way indebted to Dubrovnik.

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November 9, 2019 -  A new measure could see Dubrovnik ban all new restaurants in the Old Town for five years. 

“It has so far fought overtourism by limiting the number of cruise ships that dock in its ports, banning four in five souvenir stalls, and cutting the number of tables and chairs outside restaurants by 20%. And now the Croatian port of Dubrovnik has suggested an even more stringent measure: an effective ban of all new restaurants,” wrote CNN on November 5th about the potential of a five-year ban for new restaurants in the city. The Dubrovnik Council will vote on the proposal next month. 

Mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Frankovic, told CNN that, “anyone wanting to open a restaurant in the Old Town cannot put down new tables and chairs for the next five years. They can open inside, but knowing the Old City, it's very hard to find a place where you can work inside. Ninety nine percent of restaurants work mainly with outside tables."

Frankovic added that if a restaurant chose to close down, it would remain ‘fully closed’, meaning no new business could enter. 

Since the city council owns all the public space in Dubrovnik, they get to decide whether or not a restaurant can be allocated space outside for tables, CNN explained. 

Slobodna Dalmacija reported that Dubrovnik caterers do not mind the five-year embargo announced by the mayor of Dubrovnik.

For starters, there are already too many restaurants in Dubrovnik’s historic center - and as many as 150 different types, from snack bars to taverns. The locals say they must protect themselves from the competition coming from the outside:

“We agreed that a five-year moratorium would be a good idea because it makes it easier for everyone to do business and plan. Under such a condition, we would have a normal business environment, so this arrangement seems very good to me.

There is also one problem, and I do not know how it will be solved. For example, if one outlet closes in those five years, another outlet cannot be opened in its place, and that public space ceases to exist,” notes Ante Vlasic, head of the Dubrovnik Caterers Association.

Vlasic highlights another drawback:

“We don't even know what will happen if, for example, the owners of a restaurant change and everything else remains the same. But, in principle, the idea is good, it would provide us with better and easier work,” added Vlasic. The proposal stems from the cooperation between the City and the caterers according to the famous "5x5x5" model, which goes into effect from January 1, 2020.

Mayor Frankovic offered restaurateurs a lease extension on urban spaces and the lease of public spaces to five years, with a five-year moratorium on changes in public spaces and the number of tables.

“All those who have leased space owned by the City of Dubrovnik know that after the contract expires, we are obliged to call for tenders, place the premises on the market, and get new tenants according to the criterion of the best offer. The law did not envisage the possibility of offering a good tenant lease priority. 

We thought for a long time how to protect existing caterers, hired legal experts, and came up with this solution. For all those who lease space in our property, the lease will be extended to five years, which is the maximum legal deadline. Any price adjustments are minimal,” the mayor explained.

“The second amendment relates to the lease of public lands, which has been ongoing year after year, and the new proposal is to conclude public lease agreements for the first time for five years, which is the legal maximum. This applies to caterers both in the city and in private areas. It means five years for everyone, and the price remains the same.

We want to guarantee everyone more business security. Now you know that you will have contracts for five years and you will not be too concerned with who is in power,” said Frankovic.

Finally, Frankovic explained the last "5" of this model, which refers to the moratorium on leasing new public spaces.

“When we sign new contracts on January 1, 2020, there will be no lease of new public spaces for the next five years. There will not be one more table or surface. That's it. I think this is correct and fair and limits the enormous boom of restaurants inside the historic core that we no longer really need. Catering facilities can still open, but in private facilities and outside a public area,” concluded Frankovic.

Caterers have agreed to the embargo proposal, but are somewhat less satisfied with reducing the number of tables and chairs in public spaces.

Namely, the tables and chairs of hospitality facilities within the historic core extend over 3795 square meters of public space. On the first day of 2020, the coverage will be reduced by about three hundred square meters, as all catering establishments that have leased more than 25 square meters of public space so far will be reduced by ten percent. That provision hits as many as 56 catering establishments.

The restaurant "Dalmatino" has so far occupied 29.5 square meters of space. Owner Robert Jasprica thinks the decision to cut this by 10 percent is not a good one.

“What matters is how the number of tables will be cut. If it's going to be linear, as I've heard, I'm not losing those three, four chairs, but actually more. There will be ten centimeters between these tables, who will want to sit there?” says Jasprica, one of the few caterers who keeps his restaurant open in the winter.

“It’ll cut ten percent of the tables now, which is ten percent less public space, ten percent less traffic. This reduction is crucial to me for 12 full-time employees and for working in the winter. It is easier for me to close the facility on November 1st,” says Jasprica.

Recall, in the flight against ovetourism, Dubrovnik mayor Mato Frankovic also announced last year that no more than two cruise ships per day could dock in the city, which has a 70% success rate for 2019. 

Frankovic also shut down 80% of souvenir stands and 20% of outdoor seating. This other 10% will be cut from January 1, 2020, CNN concluded. 

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As Morski.hr writes on the 11th of August, 2019, Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković received an official letter from the MSC Cruises executive chairman, Pierfrancesco Vago, apologising for a situation which occurred owing to the MSC Sinfonia vessel, which for the first time in two years caused a total halt in pedestrian traffic at Pile gate (western entrance to the Old City).

Pierfrancesco Vago's apology arrived to Mayor Franković after a letter of protest was sent by the mayor of Dubrovnik to CLIA Europe shortly after the unfortunate event.

The chairman of one of the world's largest cruise companies also apologised to the residents of the city for the inconvenience caused by the MSC Sinfonia mooring in the Port of Gruž earlier than envisioned.

This, as Vago says, is the result of unfortunate and unplanned circumstances. "The earlier arrival of the ship to was largely driven by adverse weather at sea, which caused Sinfonia to miss Mykonos (Greece) on the way from Venice and head directly to Dubrovnik," the memo reads.

The MSC chairman also states that, under these circumstances, the arrival of the ship was actually orally authorised by the Port Authority of Dubrovnik two hours before schedule, but that there were lapses in the MSC control mechanisms and that Sinfonia was not allowed to disembark until the regular time of arrival, thereby violating the rules of CLIA, as well as those put in place by the city itself.

"I would like to assure you personally that this event was an exception - caused by external factors and that we have introduced a new level of control without delay that will ensure that all of our arrivals are fully in line with the agreement of CLIA and the city," concludes MSC's chairman, along with the message that their commitment to their agreement with the CLIA and the wishes of the southern Croatian city remains solid.

The City of Dubrovnik recalls that on the 24th of July, 2019, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the City of Dubrovnik signed an Agreement on Cooperation for the Preservation and Protection of the Cultural Heritage of Dubrovnik through Responsible Tourism Management, in order to make the UNESCO city an example of sustainable tourism in the Adriatic sea and beyond.

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If there's one thing Dubrovnik is good at, other than walls, history, and all the rest of it, it's getting in arguments with itself.

The city that needs tourists but often doesn't really treat them how they should be treated, the city that wants cruise ship money but must also cap vessel numbers, the city full of residents who can barely breathe for being squeezed out of their homes during the summer months but with a local government unit who claims to want to tailor the city to their needs.

The Pearl of the Adriatic is a strange place and paradoxical in many ways and in a multitude of ways, its sheer beauty is only skin deep. 

The cable car, one of Dubrovnik's best attractions which rakes in eye-watering amounts of money per year, transporting hoards of view-hungry tourists up and down the majestic Srđ mountainside to the very top of the rugged mountain which towers over the city, after making them wait in the boiling hot sunshine in a long queue without any shade first, of course, has ceased its functions after much back and forth between the city and the company it belongs to.

As the stunning City of Dubrovnik appears on more and more humiliating ''avoid during summer'' lists published by major travel portals, it seems that its case of victimhood to its own popularity is becoming the least of its problems.

As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 25th of April, 2019, the decision to ban the carriage of passengers by cable car up to the top of Srđ was issued in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Concessions.

Inspectors from the Customs Administration of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Croatia issued a decision today on the ban on carrying out the activity of transporting passengers from Dubrovnik to Srđ by cable car, which is owned by the Excelsa Nektetnine (Real Estate) company, which belongs to the well known Lukšić family.

The decision to ban the carriage of passengers by cable car has been issued in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Concessions, and is based on the fact that the company doesn't have a concluded concession contract. The company claims that the City of Dubrovnik never delivered such a contract after that law was passed.

Otherwise, the aforementioned company claims to have been seeking a concession from the City of Dubrovnik since as far back as 2015.

"We're extremely disappointed that the Customs Administration closed the cable car on Srđ today, after nine years waiting for a concession from the Republic of Croatia and the City of Dubrovnik. This decision will jeopardise a significant number of jobs at Excelsa Nekretnine and its 343 business partners, of which 130 are from Dubrovnik. More than 1400 Excelsa Nekretnine shareholders will suffer, including more than 300 from Dubrovnik.

Damage will also be felt by the state, and by the city and its citizens. The state budget will remain without tax revenues, the City of Dubrovnik will not realise any revenue from the concession, and the citizens who use the cable car at preferential prices, as well as tourists, will remain without the use of the simplest access to Srđ. The Museum of Homeland War on Srđ, owned by the City of Dubrovnik, is expecting to see a decrease in the number of visitors it gets, and guests of the city will remain without the ability enjoy one of Dubrovnik's biggest attractions,'' said Anto Rusković, the director of Excelsa Nekretnine.

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Click here for the original article by Marija Crnjak for Poslovni Dnevnik

A brand new building is set to be built down in Dubrovnik as a mosque for the religious needs of almost 1,500 people who identify as Muslims (according to the 2011 census) will be constructed.

As Al Jazeera Balkans writes on the 16th of April, 2019, the Islamic centre which will be located in the Gruž area of the City of Dubrovnik should become a reality in just two years, according to a report from Dubrovacki dnevnik.

As soon as all of the required documentation is dealt with and settled, the construction of the mosque, complete with a minaret, is likely to begin, which is not expected to last for a particularly long time. For now, building permits are being waited on.

The future mosque's location will be at a space on the site of former GP Dubrovnik in Gruž, the project foresees the construction of a mosque complete with a minaret, which will be built in Mediterranean or Moroccan style.

"The project will go its way, it will not take long until we get the construction permit, so we're currently preparing the paperwork, and everything will be ready for construction in two years. We have to emphasise the fact that we in the Islamic community have great cooperation with the city authorities which have been coming to meet with us,'' said the Islamic Community's president, Fehim Vukotić.

The construction of an Islamic center is a long-term desire of Dubrovnik's resident Muslim population, of whom in Dubrovnik, at least according to the census of 2011, there are 1,499. That number has likely risen since then.

By building an Islamic center and a mosque with a minaret, there will finally be a place dedicated to numerous social content and events for the southern Dalmatian city's local Muslim community, as well as prayer rooms.

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