The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the City of Dubrovnik have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on the conservation and protection of Dubrovnik's cultural heritage through responsible tourism management and to collaborate in establishing Dubrovnik as a model of sustainable tourism in the Adriatic region.
The agreement signed by CLIA, represented by Kelly Craighead, President and CEO, and by the city of Dubrovnik, represented by its mayor Mato Franković, focuses on investment, collaboration and best practices for the long-term management of the destination for the benefit of both residents and visitors.
The first actions contemplated in this Agreement are:
- Involve the main stakeholders, including the local community and international organizations, by setting up a working group;
- Collaborate in the development of a roadmap for the protection of the city based on the UN's sustainable tourism criteria;
- Communicate and implement the cruise ship berthing policy developed prior to 2020;
- Develop the "Respect the City" visitor education campaign .
In addition, Dubrovnik and CLIA are exploring the possibility of launching a Visitor Centre for Dubrovnik World Heritage and an Intermodal Transport Centre at the Port of Gruž.
“The agreement signed today validates the work carried out with the mayor and formalizes the cruise industry’s ongoing commitment to the city of Dubrovnik and its residents,” said Kelly Craighead, CEO of CLIA. “The signing of this agreement is a very important step in developing innovative practices for sustainable tourism management together with Mayor Franković and the city of Dubrovnik. We look forward to sharing the concrete action plan soon, as well as updates on the progress made as we collaborate with the city and our other industry partners to support responsible tourism in this great city.”.
Regarding this initiative, the city's mayor, Mato Franković, stated that “over the past two years, we have opened a channel of communication and a relationship of trust with CLIA and its members. The commitment we are making today is just the beginning of a joint, integrated, and participatory vision that will affect relevant tourism aspects at both the local and global levels.”.
In this regard, Mato Franković emphasized the importance for the city of Dubrovnik of the Respect the City, whose implementation, together with those measures agreed with CLIA, will greatly contribute to achieving the stated objectives.
“Dubrovnik is first and foremost our home. We want to welcome tourists and share our city while protecting and preserving it. We hope this pioneering partnership agreement will show other stakeholders, including other destinations, the way forward in working together towards the sustainability of our tourism model and our communities, and to ensure that both the residents of these cities and their visitors are more satisfied.”.
This agreement has been praised by experts in destination protection and management. Randy Durband, CEO of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), states that “tourism is best managed when authorities are able to engage all stakeholders involved in destination planning. GSTC applauds the City of Dubrovnik and CLIA for implementing collaborative processes aimed at better managing the experience of residents and visitors in Dubrovnik, applying GSTC standards for responsible destination management. Public-private collaboration in this regard is essential to ensure the level of commitment and resources necessary for destination protection.”.
