How tourists visiting Dubrovnik’s City Walls are helping Croatia preserve its cultural heritage

Published on 22/08/2025 - 15:04 GMT+2

Dubrovnik has recovered an innovative measurement to usage surging tourer numbers to its advantage by utilizing nan gross earned from celebrated attractions for illustration nan City Walls and nan Walls of Ston to money wide practice conservation projects. 

Almost half a cardinal group person visited Dubrovnik’s City Walls truthful acold this year, pinch nan Walls of Ston experiencing grounds numbers of visitors successful July arsenic well. 

Revenue earned from nan summons entranceway income to these attractions costs nan Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiquities (DPDS), which is simply a non-profit organisation which preserves, protects and promotes nan taste practice of Dubrovnik, particularly its metropolis walls. 

This is either done nonstop summons income aliases done nan Dubrovnik Pass. While 60 per cent of each summons goes to nan City of Dubrovnik, 40 per cent stays pinch nan DPDS. 

Last year, nan DPDS earned astir €3.6 cardinal from nan Dubrovnik Pass and €4.8 cardinal from nonstop summons sales, making much than €8 cardinal overall. 

After taxes for illustration profit taxation and VAT, and different expenses for illustration worker salaries, nan nine invests each surplus income into preserving and restoring Croatia’s practice monuments.

One of nan biggest monuments being restored astatine nan infinitesimal is nan Koruna Fortress successful Ston, which is apt to unfastened by nan commencement of nan tourer play adjacent year. This is 1 of nan astir capital-intensive projects currently. Other projects see nan refurbishment of nan Mala Kuća connected Lopud Island, which will go portion of nan island’s iconic Rector’s Palace. 

The Rector’s Palace successful Janjina is besides being restored and is being prepared to get a usage licence and a method inspection, which is required for nan tract to beryllium opened to tourist visits. 

Funds are divided betwixt nan improvement of caller strategical projects and nan regular attraction of ongoing projects. 

Eco-taxes to money biology and humanities preservation

In places facing overtourism, schemes for illustration Dubrovnik’s tin spell a agelong measurement successful helping support sustainable tourism and trim strain connected vulnerable tourer attractions and ecosystems. 

Croatia is not unsocial successful this thinking. Back successful 2016, nan Balearic Islands implemented an eco-tax to antagonistic nan antagonistic effects of tourism connected vulnerable land ecosystems successful Menorca, Majorca, Formentera and Ibiza. 

The gross from this taxation helped money taste and humanities projects. Despite immoderate recreation companies and hoteliers being against this initiative, nan Balearic Islands are connected way to put almost €377m successful gross from nan eco-tax crossed 79 sustainability projects this year. 

Slovenia besides uses tourism gross to money ongoing tract revitalisation and preservation. This includes revitalisation of parks, renovating castle structures and processing caller tourism and taste products specified arsenic themed trails and virtual reality experiences.