Dubrovnik In Croatia To Ban Suitcases To Curb Noise Pollution

Residents in the city of Dubrovnik in Croatia have had enough of tourists dragging their wheeled suitcases through the cobblestoned streets at night. This has led to city authorities placing a ban on visitors lugging their bags around the city. Read on to find out more about what sounds like a bizarre ruling in this popular destination.

Residents of Dubrovnik, Croatia complain about tourists

Croatia is a popular destination for travelers with hundreds of thousands visiting each year. What with its beautiful coastline, historic cities, gorgeous nature, delicious food and friendly people, it is no surprise that people flock here. However, visiting Dubrovnik in Croatia might be a problem for visitors, as the city bans tourists from pulling their wheeled suitcases around. In fact, some of the residents aren’t as friendly as we thought.

When people go on vacation, they naturally take a suitcase filled with their clothing, toiletries and other necessities. Obviously, people need more than just a change of clothing and since wheeled suitcases were invented, they are just plain convenient.

However, recently, residents in the city complained to town management about the noise from tourists dragging suitcases around the streets at night. Calling it noise pollution, residents want to stop visitors dragging their baggage through the city’s famous cobblestoned streets, saying the noise keeps them up at night.

New rules will ban tourists from dragging wheeled suitcases in the Old Town

Due to the complaints by local residents, Dubrovnik’s mayor, Mato Frankovic, has introduced new rules. He aims to ban tourists from dragging their wheeled suitcases through the city’s Old Town. Under the new ruling, visitors will be subject to a fine of US$435 if they do drag their suitcases through the city. Instead, they must carry their bags like we did in the old days.

When the news hit online, one person commented, writing, “Sounds like a great idea, can we do the same at airports and stations, they are a menace.”

Dubrovnik intends to ban tourists from carrying any suitcases in the city

Meanwhile, the new rules are part of a wider plan to stop visitors from carrying any suitcases at all in Dubrovnik. According to local reports, from November, the city’s government plans to introduce a system where travelers will deposit their bags outside the city. From there, the baggage will be transported directly to the guests’ addresses by couriers.

‘Respect the City’ program

According to Schengenvisainfo News, the new measure forms part of the “Respect the City” program introduced by the Dubrovnik Tourist Office. As the city remains high on the bucket list for travelers, the Dubrovnik Times has reported that since the start of the year, the number of visitors is up by 32 percent from the same period in 2022.

Besides the wheeled suitcase ban, tourists have been told not to walk their pets without a leash. They have further been told not to climb on monuments, or walk around the city without a shirt. In fact, in general, tourists are urged to show “respect” to the city.

Until the transport of suitcases is put into place, anyone visiting Croatia is urged not to drag their wheeled suitcase around Dubrovnik and generally respect the locals.