Tackling tourism pressures: How Dubrovnik Became a Smart City Model

Only a decade ago, visitors were advised to avoid Dubrovnik during peak season due to near-continuous congestion in its narrow UNESCO-protected streets. Today, Dubrovnik stands as an emerging European model for sustainable, people-centred tourism. Its transformation demonstrates how cities can combine strategic governance, digital tools and community engagement to protect cultural heritage while ensuring a high quality of life for residents.

Transforming a Global Icon

After years of rapid growth in tourism, which saw the city emerge as a leading destination, the city reached a turning point in 2017, when the city’s leaders placed citizens’ well-being at the core of its development philosophy. The Respect the City programme was born – built on broad public consultation and transparent planning and marking a decisive shift toward long-term sustainability. The approach was reinforced with the adoption of Croatia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Management Plan, which established a long-term framework for protecting cultural integrity while maintaining a “living city” where residents retain central place in the urban ecosystem.

It has been a remarkable success – in 2026, Dubrovnik was named European Capital and Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism, and in 2023, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) awarded the city a sustainability score of 86.04%, an increase of 16 percentage points compared to the first assessment in 2019 (70%). A study by the University of Dubrovnik shows that the city has now achieved a balanced pattern of daily, weekly, and monthly arrivals. Their vulnerability index – measuring the susceptibility of the historic core to visitor pressures – has been almost halved between 2017 and 2022, a significant improvement in the resilience of the historic urban environment.

A Data-Driven Smart City Strategy

Dubrovnik’s success is rooted in the strategic deployment of smart city tools to manage visitor flows, transport, and public spaces. At the heart of this approach is the Dubrovnik Pass, a unified digital ticketing system for museums, galleries and city walls. The platform has recently been upgraded with real-time crowd prediction and capacity monitoring across 11 key cultural attractions. The system uses entry-exit sensors to track occupancy and provide live data through the Dubrovnik Pass website and attraction pages. Agencies will soon be required to reserve their time slots, capped at 50% of carrying capacity, reducing the risk of exceeding safe visitor limits.

The Pass has enabled:

• more sustainable use of heritage assets
• enhanced visitor safety
• more efficient workforce planning
• better alignment with the European Green Deal through digital optimisation

Smart transport tools complement the system. The Bus Web Shop, a mandatory reservation platform for day-trip operators, controls arrival and departure timing at the historic centre. Smart parking services further reduce unnecessary traffic in sensitive areas.

Cutting Congestion: Evidence from the Special Traffic Regulation Zone

Another of Dubrovnik’s most impactful interventions, introduced in June 2025, has been the Special Traffic Regulation Zone surrounding the UNESCO core. Implemented for the first time in Croatia, the zone limits vehicle access to permit holders only.

After the first full year of operation, the results were striking: 

• 291 587 fewer vehicle passes compared to the previous year 

• 2 128 fewer passes per day on average 

• 88 fewer vehicles per hour 

• 200 fewer vehicles during peak hours 

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The reduction in traffic congestion was clearly visible throughout the season. Emergency services reported uninterrupted access to the historic centre, contributing to improved quality of life and more efficient service delivery for both residents and visitors. The City will further strengthen the Zone in 2026 with full automation of the monitoring system, replacing the currently mixed model of digital control and physical supervision.

Investing in Sustainable Mobility

To ensure long-term, inclusive mobility, Dubrovnik is undertaking major infrastructure upgrades. A new Park ‘n’ Ride system is now underway, designed to reduce pressure on the city centre with 572 parking spaces connected to public transport. The Park ‘n’ Ride site will include landscaped areas, stormwater management systems and solar-powered lighting.

At the same time, the municipal operator Libertas Dubrovnik has modernised its fleet with 71 new buses over the past eight years, mostly financed through EU funds, and is now adding 14 new low-floor electric buses worth EUR 11.7 million. With 78% of users receiving free public transport, the system directly supports social inclusion alongside environmental goals.

A Model for Inclusive and Sustainable Tourism

Dubrovnik’s transformation shows how smart technologies can serve people-centred policymaking. Transparency, evidence-based planning and engaged citizens have been central to the success of the city’s sustainability agenda. Crucially, these initiatives have generated measurable impact: reduced congestion, improved emergency access, more equitable visitor distribution, and enhanced quality of life for residents.

They also provide lessons for other historic and tourism-intensive urban areas seeking to balance growth with liveability. First, the need to prioritise integrated heritage and mobility planning, supported by real-time data systems to monitor flows, manage capacity, and guide decision-making. Second, governance should be citizen-centred, treating resident satisfaction as a precondition for sustainable growth. Investment in inclusive public mobility, particularly clean and accessible transport options, can improve both quality of life and environmental outcomes. And third, policymakers should co-operate with the peers nationally and internationally to share knowledge and best practices.

By embracing these principles, cities can strengthen resilience, protect cultural identity, and ensure that the benefits of tourism and urban development are shared more equitably among all residents.

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To read more OECD work on this topic, check-out Workshop on tourism data sharing, governance and integration or Strengthening the tourism statistics and data system in Italy. Read more from Cogito: Tradition meets tech: How digital tools are transforming tourism in Italy.