CLIA works with City of Dubrovnik to Protect Cultural Heritage

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the City of Dubrovnik, Croatia, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together to preserve and protect the cultural heritage of Dubrovnik through responsible tourism management.

The initiative aims to help establish Dubrovnik as a model of sustainable tourism in the Adriatic region and beyond. The MOU signed by CLIA, President & CEO, Kelly Craighead, and City of Dubrovnik, Mayor Mato Frankovic, focuses on investment, collaboration and best practices for long-term destination management for the benefit of both residents and visitors.

Immediate actions to be taken under the agreement include:

•     Engaging key stakeholders including the local community and international organizations through establishing a dedicated working group;
•     Collaborating 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 Respect the City visitor education campaign.

The City and CLIA are also exploring the possibility of a Dubrovnik World Heritage Visitor Center and Intermodal Transportation Center in Gruž Port.

The agreement has been praised by destination stewardship experts including Randy Durband, CEO of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), “Tourism is managed best when public authorities engage all stakeholders in the community meaningfully in destination planning. GSTC applauds the City of Dubrovnik and CLIA for creating collaborative mechanisms to better manage the resident and visitor experience in Dubrovnik, applying GSTC's standard for responsible destination management. Public-private partnerships like this are essential to ensuring the commitments and resources necessary for destination stewardship.”

The city of Dubrovnik joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites in 1979.