In a presentation nicknamed “Twice as Good” the results of the tourism season this year were highlighted at a press conference in the Dubrovnik Tourist Board offices. The Mayor of Dubrovnik, Andro Vlahusic, the Director of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, Romana Vlasic, and the councillor of Entrepreneurship, Tourism and Nautical matters, Vlaho Margaretic, all spoke at the event.

This year’s tourism figures in Dubrovnik are certainly impressive, with more flights, more overnight stays and more income than ever before. It is estimated that the city will reach the three million overnight stay mark on the 15th of September, a full two weeks ahead of last year and a month earlier than 2014 when the landmark was reached on the 21st of October.

“In 2008 Dubrovnik recorded just over 500,000 arrivals and 1.7 million overnights stays, this year we can expect 1 million arrivals and 3.6 million overnight stays,” commented Vlahusic, explaining the nickname “Twice as Good.”

One of the main bright points of this year has been the improvement in the city’s private accommodation offer, apartments, villas and rooms. From the beginning of this year until the 1st of September private accommodation in Dubrovnik achieved 1.07 million overnight stays, which is around 30,000 more than the same period from last year. And according to the Dubrovnik Tourist Board there are just over 19,000 beds in private accommodation.

“This is now a city that lives 24 hours a day and has long since ceased to be a boring destination without entertainment,” concluded the mayor. Adding that with the future opening of the Belvedere Hotel the standards of accommodation would be taken to a new level.

The increase in tourism numbers has also seen a drastic increase in the entrance tickets for many of the iconic attractions in Dubrovnik. In 2008 an adult ticket for the Dubrovnik City Walls was 50 Kuna, next year it will be 150 Kuna. An entrance ticket into the most visited museum in the city, the Rector’s Palace, in 2008 was 28 Kuna and the current price is 100 Kuna and that will rise to 120 Kuna next year. Whilst eight years ago a ticket to the island of Lokrum was 40 Kuna, and today it stands at 100 Kuna.

“We have seen an increase of 10 percent in the number of tourist arrivals so far this year and there are currently just over 16,000 tourists staying in Dubrovnik,” stated Vlasic.