Lately, the entire city has been going crazy over the filming of the latest Star Wars movie on our streets. Ever since the initial announcement, the wave of media hype has been building up and the peak of it is going over our heads just about now. I don't mind. I love Star Wars, and I love it when we're in the spotlight. Most of us locals do.

Of course, not everyone is happy with another foreign production making a film here. Ever since HBO's Game of Thrones became such a big deal and Dubrovnik's role in it so important, there has been an explosion of interest in the city from people who otherwise might not even have heard of it. While this is a positive thing for a city oriented towards tourism and hospitality, it has certainly generated plenty of themed attractions tied to the TV show, some people fear we might end up being known solely for the roles the city gets in big film productions.

I find those fears silly. To truly believe our fair city will be reduced to an extra in a Hollywood movie is nothing short of an insult. With all the centuries behind it and the repeated global recognition gained over and over again, who can upstage Dubrovnik? Dubrovnik IS the stage. It was a perfect stage to showcase what can be achieved by developing your own community instead of trying to take over others, all those years ago. It was a great stage for showing the world how through diplomacy, common sense, and positive business endeavours, a society can prosper more than through fighting and conquest. Today, it's a stage for showing the world how great achievements have a lasting appeal, and how all the technological advances of the world cannot compete with truly classic values of moderation and measure.

When the filming is completed, the sets will go down in just a day or two, leaving the exposed stone cobbled streets that have stood the test of time so well that people will travel the world just to see them. So, I say, let the actors in. We have nothing to fear.

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Bozidar Jukic is a Dubrovnik local with too many interests to name them all, with writing being at the very top of the list. He is a lover of good food, music and film, and a firm believer in the healing power of laughter. His professional orientation is towards tourism and travel so it comes as no surprise he spends most of his time alongside Mrs. Jukic running their own local tour company. Their goal is helping travellers from all over the world get a more intimate experience of Dubrovnik and what it has to offer. To find out more about their work, visit their website or Facebook page.
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The filming of Star Wars VIII is dominating the news in Dubrovnik and as filming has just begun, although mainly rehearsals, the pace of news is coming thick and fast. Today, the second day of filming, saw the crew moving out onto the Adriatic Sea as the Sea Star event boat was used as a filming platform.

The ship sailed out of the Old City harbour in the afternoon and sailed around the city walls. It is believed that the crew were gathering footage of the outside of the city and the walls were illuminated for the filming. Nothing was left to chance and the ship was escorted by maritime police as well as a team of divers.

It is rumoured that the main actors, as well as the producer, will arrive in Dubrovnik tomorrow.

Photos - Tonci Plazibat

For the first time since August last year the number of unemployed people in Croatia fell. At the end of February there 289,429 people out of work in Croatia, which is 3,807 less than January, and the first month of a fall in unemployment after five months of growth.

Compared to February 2015 the number of people unemployed in Croatia has decreased by a healthy 12.2 percent, or 40,322 people.
The fall in unemployment in February can in some terms be attributed to the beginning of the seasonal employment in tourism, especially considering that this year Easter holidays fall relatively early at the end of March. The pattern of a decrease in unemployment has also continued into the early stages of March.

The Croatian Bureau of Employment has stated that there are 285,416 people out of work, as of the 10th of March, and that there are currently 15,969 job vacancies on their records.

Star Wars VIII started filming in Dubrovnik last night! At around 6 o’clock in the afternoon the main street of the old city was closed to the public, large panels were placed to keep away prowling camera lenses and hundreds of security guards blocked all side streets to the set. Dubrovnik’s position, front and centre, in the latest episode of Star Wars had begun.

Filming for the VIII episode went on long into the early morning hours and crashes, bangs and high speed noises could be heard coming from the set. It is believed that last night and tonight will be a rehearsal for the main filming, the cast are rumoured to be arriving on set on the 12th of March.

Cars towing probable space ships were spotted on the main street earlier in the afternoon, and high performance car was photographed carrying a camera just before filming started.

Check out our gallery by Niksa Duper of the first night of Star Wars filming in Dubrovnik.

“When we see the movie we will feel part of it, we have been there, we have touched that set, we have been in Dubrovnik!” explained Charlene Kavanagh and Heather McCrimmon to The Dubrovnik Times.

Dubrovnik has been in the spotlight, or limelight, of international film productions for the past few years. There can be no doubt that the moment HBO said - that is a great location to film Game of Thrones - five years ago that the ears of the rest of the movie community pricked up. And the moment Dubrovnik was shown in the second series of Game of Thrones the world saw, it somewhat computer enhanced, the beauty of this unique city on the Adriatic.

Charlene Kavanagh on the Star Wars VIII set in Dubrovnik 

Game of Thrones not only brought with it the movie caravan it also brought a new type of tourism to the city. Far from the standard sun, sea and sand destination Dubrovnik, almost overnight, became a must see destination for movie fans. Last year the second most numerous tourists in Dubrovnik came from the US, even with the fact that there are no direct flights to the US from Dubrovnik or in fact to Croatia at all.
If the Game of Thrones effect is massive just how big will be the Star Wars effect? Dubrovnik is the eye of a storm at the moment; the historic Old City has been transformed into a galaxy far, far away as filming begins of Star Wars VIII in the city.

“This is my first time in Dubrovnik, I have always wanted to come so when my friend, who lives in Zagreb, said lets come to Dubrovnik and see the Star Wars set, I jumped at the chance,” explained Charlene Kavanagh to The Dubrovnik Times.

Kavanagh and her friend, Heather McCrimmon, are not only Star Wars fans, they are fans who have travelled half way across Europe just to visit Dubrovnik and see the Star Wars set. The two friends, both from Canada, live in different sides of Europe, Kavanagh in Lisbon and McCrimmon in Zagreb, but Dubrovnik brought them together for a few days again.

“I flew from Lisbon to Rome and then to Dubrovnik, it took me almost a day of travelling to get here, but it was more than worth it,” added Kavanagh.

Charlene Kavanagh and Heather McCrimmon get up close and perosnal with Star Wars in Dubrovnik 

Even before the eighth episode of Star Wars has hit the big screens the tourism effect has already kicked in. What will the effect be when Star Wars VIII is released and Dubrovnik is splashed across the cinema screens.

“I am not a big fan of Star Wars, but I do like the genre, but I am a huge Game of Thrones fan, so to be able to combine the two in one glorious destination is really attractive,” said Kavangh.

These very sentiments were echoed by McCrimmon, “When we saw the news and blogs we saw that there was a good chance of seeing something up close and personal. We thought that there might be high levels of security and we wouldn’t be able to see the sets, not only have we be able to see them, we have touched them, sat on them and had our photos taken.”

The chance of catching a glimpse of one of the stars in the movie, perhaps Mark Hamill or Benicio Del Toro, wasn’t that important to the pair, they just wanted to experience Star Wars in Dubrovnik. Neither had actually travelled to a movie set before, but the pull of Dubrovnik and Star Wars was too great to resist. “Star Wars was an iconic movie for our generation, we can both remember seeing the first movie as children, we feel connected to the movie,” added McCrimmon.

These two Canadian ladies were part of a small band of tourists, and a larger group of international media, who visited Dubrovnik whilst the scenes for the movie were being set up, however over the coming years a wave of movie fans will sweep over the city. Just over 68,000 American tourists visited Dubrovnik in 2015, a large proportion thanks to the Game of Thrones series, by what factor will this number be increased this year, or in coming years, with Star Wars fans only time, or maybe Yoda, will tell.

“There are so many reasons to come to Dubrovnik, our tour guide told us that Dubrovnik will represent the most beautiful planet in the galaxy in Star Wars, and we agree,” concluded the Canadians.

On the occasion of International Women's Day the Mayor of Dubrovnik, Andro Vlahusic, handed out flowers to ladies in the streets and shops of Dubrovnik yesterday.

Yellow flowers were handed out to locals and tourists, and even the ladies working on the set of the Star Wars VII, all received a flower from the mayor yesterday.

The first day of filming of Star Wars VIII in Dubrovnik has arrived. The Stradun, the main street through the Old City, is getting the final touches as the cast is expected to arrive in the next couple of days.

Even though filming is expected to begin today in Dubrovnik it was originally mentioned by the production company that the first day of filming with the actual cast would be on the 11th of March. Rumours are rife in the city on who the main stars will be, with names such as Mark Hamill and Benicio Del Toro mentioned. Filming in Dubrovnik is expected to continue until the 16th of March.

All residents of the city have received an announcement of the filming from the City of Dubrovnik where they have been informed that due to filming a few of the streets in the city will be closed. From the announcement it is clear that filming for Star Wars VIII will be made in the evening and at night, however it is still unclear as to whether the Stradun will be open in the day. According to information we have obtained cafes and shops be able to remain open until 2pm, however this has yet to be officially confirmed.

As the final alterations to the set in Dubrovnik are being made we bring you a video from the Digital Nomads of the set before filming begins.

With all the focus on the current filming of the eighth episode of Star Wars in Dubrovnik news of another production filmed in Dubrovnik has gone unnoticed. HBO have just released the official trailer for season six of the globally popular Game of Thrones and Dubrovnik features briefly.

Season six of Game of Thrones is set to be broadcast on the 24th of April 2016. Dubrovnik, which has been the location for King’s Landing since season two, features briefly in the trailer teaser. In fact Dubrovnik wasn’t very busy for season six with only a few scenes shot in the city. However The Dubrovnik Times has some exclusive photos from the last years filming which featured Lena Headley.