Andro Vlahušić, Mayor of the City of Dubrovnik
Five Stars Croatia Issue 5 — April 01, 2010.

Dubrovnik is certainly the most recognizable brand of excellence in Croatian tourism and the best brand in Croatian exports. It is a product based on the tradition, historical richness, knowledge and experience of its inhabitants, whose lifestyle is geared towards services and hospitality, where tourism is a chosen orientation.

More than a thousand years of history have made Dubrovnik a European cultural centre. History can be found in every corner of the city. It is both a city-museum and a live stage, and it is an ideal blend of history and contemporary living.

Dubrovnik was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979. Thanks to its rich history, geographical location, mild climate, traditional hospitality, knowledge and experience in tourism, Dubrovnik offers a good example of how common efforts and goodwill can ensure that a city can make a comeback to the tourist market in a very short time. Dubrovnik is a city with the largest number of organized business conferences, congresses and other events in Croatia, and with a track record of the best results in this segment. The city is shown as a cultural destination not only in terms of its monumental heritage, but also for the number of festivals held throughout the year, such as the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, Julian Rachlin & Friends Chamber Music Festival, Libertas Film Festival, Early Music Festival, and others. The city’s cultural supply is enriched with a number of shows, concerts, and events, which are meant to attract a greater number of tourists to a city whose motivation is based on culture. Dubrovnik is a holiday destination that is connected with all major European centers through 47 national and low fare air carriers. It is a city where tourists have been taking their holidays for over 20 continuous years. Dubrovnik’s well-connected global air routes have also turned it into a City Break destination for a number of years now. Dubrovnik is the top cruise destination in Croatia, the third in the Mediterranean and the fifth in the world according to the number of dockings and passengers passing through the port.

Dubrovnik has been aware of the importance of welcoming and accommodating travelers, diplomats, pilgrimers and travel writers, so that the first boarding house dates as far back as the 15th century. Based on such a tradition, the Grand Hotel Imperial was built in 1897, the first luxury hotel with modern facilities, bathrooms, heating, lighting and other modern standards common to the Europe of those times. The first international congress held in Dubrovnik was recorded during the opening of this hotel. The Grand Hotel Imperial was an incentive for the construction of hotels and boarding houses during the first half of the 20th century. The rapid ferry routes between Trieste and Rijeka turned it into one of the most important tourist destinations on the Adriatic even then. The phrase “Pearl of the Adriatic” originates from those times, which has not faded throughout two centuries, even though it experienced the greatest humility in its history during the 90s of the 20th century. The city’s UNESCO-protected monuments were engulfed in flames, together with the overall tourism infrastructure. The love, knowledge and perseverance of its inhabitants raised the city from its ashes and placed it back on global tourist markets. Therefore, it is no wonder that Dubrovnik is a tourism emporium today, which magically attracts modern pilgrimers and tourists from all over the world. The city, with its surrounding areas and islands, draws the attention of both traditional European visitors, as it does tourists from far away countries, such as North and South America, Japan and Australia.

All segments of the Dubrovnik tourist supply have been improved over recent years already. Self-employment is being encouraged through a variety of projects, particularly through incentives for small family-run businesses, so that a number of small, 3-star and 5-star family hotels have opened.

Dubrovnik has the most 5-star hotels in Croatia. Hotel renovations and investment in new facilities follow world trends according to the needs of modern tourists. Each newly-opened hotel introduces a Wellness program as a must, and there are many pop lounge bars on hotel beaches and terraces. The gastro supply in restaurants and hotels offers food as an art, prepared according to recipes from the past and presented as “nouvelle cuisine”. World renowned chef-lecturers are warmly welcomed. Employees are sent to renew their knowledge and skills in other hotels across Croatia and abroad. The knowledge and expertise of nutritionists – food experts are put to good use in order to achieve greater supply excellence.
In terms of infrastructure, city traffic regulations are being resolved, parking areas, and traffic regulations at the Pile Plateau, all for the purpose of achieving optimal sustainable living and tourism standards.

Recent development

Dubrovnik strives to achieve greater excellence for all types of services, in order to truly present the image of a high quality tourist destination. Major investments in the top hotel industries have greatly raised the quality of the congress supply. The city is expanding and developing, and waste and road systems are being renovated. Major investments are geared towards the reconstruction of the port in order to better regulate cruise passenger traffic, and to improve the ferry lines to the islands, and to Croatian and Italian ports. The Golf Project on Mount Srđ is about to be realized, and the restored funicular will be open to tourists this year.

Promotion

Dubrovnik is being promoted at all tourism fairs where Croatia is promoted through the Croatian Tourist Board network. Also, Dubrovnik appears independently at the world’s most important fairs for congresses and incentives. It is promoted jointly with other tourism agencies in reputable weekly and monthly magazines. Dubrovnik is visited daily by a number of foreign tourism journalists and TV stations, who are given assistance so as to ensure that the city and its supply are presented in the best manner possible.
Dubrovnik has already positioned itself on the market as an excellent destination that can meet the demands of all tourists.