In Dubrovnik, Croatia, the frenzy of tourist rentals is forcing many residents to flee the city and its increasingly high rents.
The pearl of the Adriatic wants to bring back its residents and dissuade others from leaving by presenting a plan next month that includes banning new Airbnb-style private rental permits, like other popular destinations across Europe.
Dubrovnik, famous for its Baroque churches and Renaissance palaces, is a stopover for holiday cruises and attracts millions of visitors from around the world who generate much-needed revenue for the national economy.
But the success of this UNESCO world heritage site comes at a price.
Tourists clog the narrow streets and drive up rents.
Locals occupy only 30% of housing in the old town.
Before the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s and Croatia's war of independence, some 5,000 residents lived there.
Today, there are 1,200 left. “
Young people will leave us, they will go to other places because it will be impossible to live in Dubrovnik
,” Mayor Mato Frankovic told Reuters.
Limited number of cruise passengers per day
The city council is expected to adopt a bylaw in April banning new rental permits in the Old Town and surrounding areas, Frankovic said.
The decision is part of the city's obligation to respect certain Unesco rules, he said.
The city has already started purchasing apartments that will be offered to young families under a 10-year lease and will ban short-term rentals of apartments in large buildings.
In 2018, it limited the number of cruise tourists to 4,000 at a time.
“
We will protect the historic foundations of the city and ensure that people can live and spend time there
,” Frankovic said.
Other European authorities are also seeking to reclaim cities for their residents.
Portugal, for example, has taken steps to lower property prices.
In Dubrovnik, not everyone agrees on the need for change.
Vedran Miovic, of the Hedera Estate agency which manages some 150 accommodations in Dubrovnik, believes that private accommodation is "
much better for the community
" than large hotels and resorts, which, according to him, only benefit the big money. foreigners.
Old Town resident Marija Trojenovic, however, welcomed the project.
“
Bring people back to the city because they are the people who make the city
,” she said.
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