Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and Dubrovnik have signed a memorandum of understanding intended to preserve and protect the cultural heritage of the Croatian city through responsible tourism management.

Elements include establishing a dedicated working group of community and international organizations, collaboration on a destination stewardship roadmap for the city based on UN sustainable-tourism criteria, communicating and implementing the previously developed 2020 cruise ship berthing policy, and developing a visitor-education campaign.

CLIA previously engaged with Mato Frankovic, mayor of Dubrovnik to spread out cruise ship arrivals after Frankovic threatened to limit the daily number of cruise passengers. Commenting on the initiative, Frankovic stated: “We have developed an open and trustworthy relationship with CLIA and its members over the last two years. This commitment is just a beginning of a joint systematic, integrated and participative approach that will target some of the most important tourism issues locally and globally.”

The partners are exploring the possibility of a Dubrovnik World Heritage Visitor Centre and Intermodal Transportation Centre in Gruz Port, where cruise ships dock a mile or two outside Dubrovnik’s walled city centre.