Dubrovnik Considers Banning New Restaurants

Dubrovnik’s UNESCO-protected Old Town has been a tourist attraction for years, but only recently has seen an influx of visitors so large city authorities have had to implement capacity limits and other measures to control the crowds of tourists and cruise ship passengers that visit each day. Some of these measures included closing souvenir stalls, limiting the number of cruise ships that dock each day and decreasing the number of al-fresco dining tables and chairs by 20 percent. But another new move could ban new restaurants in Old Town Dubrovnik from even opening in the first place.

Because the majority of Old Town Dubrovnik restaurants are built within the city walls, they have little interior space to house diners, so most depend on patio seating areas for business. If enacted, this new mandate would prohibit new restaurants from placing tables and chairs outside their restaurants for diners who want to eat outside, as these only serve as obstacles to obstruct the flow of traffic through Old Town.

If an existing restaurant closes, a new restaurant will not be allowed to replace it for at least the next five years, if the bill passes.