Is this the dawn of winter tourism in Dubrovnik, or another false dawn?

I have been banging on about the need for winter tourism for as long as I can remember. At first I thought it was a case of bad organisation, of the left hand not knowing what the right hand was doing. The problem was that the left was doing nothing and the right hand even less!

And then basically I came to the conclusion that we didn’t really want it. For if indeed we did want it and couldn’t succeed then that would make us incompetent.

But, and it is a big but, there could be some green shots of change.

I am not getting carried away just yet but there could appear to be some daylight through the fog. T

he first step is thanks to Ireland, well a certain low-cost airline from the emerald isle. Connecting Vienna, London and Brussels seems to be paying dividends. Tourists numbers through November have crept up, with a large proportion coming from the UK and Belgium. So offer flights and people will come.

I am living proof of this as soon I will travel on two of these routes. Stage two seems to have floated above the stormy winter seas this week. Starting in November 2025, Dubrovnik’s hospitality sector will be legally required to remain open for at least one month during the winter—December, January, or February.

So, is this the moment Dubrovnik finally transforms into a year-round destination? Or are we just heading toward another false start? The barricade to stop it happening this year was amongst other things the winter stands on Stradun.

Let’s face it the Stradun isn’t really a stage for these winter houses anyway. The whole concept lacks class and elegance, if indeed there is a concept at all. Sausages bought in Lidl doesn’t really scream Christmas to me!

Stradun should be a celebration of the best of the best all year round.

Zagreb on the other hand has absolutely nailed it and is rightly high on the lists of best Christmas markets in Europe. I’ve long been puzzled by the fact that this city has never fully embraced the concept of a winter season. In cities across Europe, winter tourism has long been a reality, but Dubrovnik has stubbornly remained a summer-only affair.

Will this new regulation change that? Or will it be yet another attempt that falls short?

I am keeping an open mind for now but with some quiet optimism.

The proposed “exclusive business zone” on Stradun, open 365 days a year, will keep the city’s heart beating throughout the year.

When Stradun is vibrant, the whole city feels vibrant.

It’s fair to say that Dubrovnik won’t become a “traditional” winter destination in the same way that some northern European cities have. There won’t be snow, skiing, or apres-ski. But we don’t have to compete in that way. And it doesn’t take a lot to change things.

Stage three will be to hope and pray that more hotels don’t hang “closed” signs on their doors. However, stages one and two should in principle lead to stage three. In January this year we had just over 15,000 passengers through the airport, compared to over 415,000 in August. To double those January figures should be the aim, and it isn’t that complicated, although we have for years make it seem ultra-complicated. How many tourists visit Venice in January, answer 100,000, Malta 170,000 and Zagreb 60,000.

Sure, we’re not talking about transforming Dubrovnik into a winter wonderland like Salzburg or Munich. But with a bit of strategic planning, a dash of creativity, and perhaps a sprinkle of festive magic, we can create a version of Dubrovnik that’s as charming in January as it is in July.

This isn’t just about numbers—it’s about changing the narrative. For too long, we’ve allowed the idea of a "winter Dubrovnik" to be dismissed as a pipe dream. Will it live up to the promise of a bustling, year-round destination? Or will it prove to be just another false dawn?

Time will tell—but for now, it’s exciting to think that Dubrovnik might finally become a city that offers something special all year long. As for me, I’m cautiously optimistic — but I’ve learned to be patient. After all, it’s Dubrovnik, and nothing ever moves quite as quickly as we’d like.

Read more Englishman in Dubrovnik…well, if you really want to

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About the author

Mark Thomas (aka Englez u Dubrovniku) is the editor of The Dubrovnik Times. He was born and educated in the UK and moved to live in Dubrovnik in 1998. He works across a whole range of media, from a daily radio show to TV and in print. Thomas is fluent in Croatian and this column is available in Croatia on the website – Dubrovnik Vjesnik