"The ruthless, haughty Cersei Lannister was forced to walk naked down a majestic staircase in the finale of the fifth season of Game of Thrones. That scene, which was filmed in 2014, established Dubrovnik a city of just 41,500 inhabitants that is known as the gem of the Adriatic Sea into an eternal vacation destination. Today, traversing its Jesuit Stairs and surrounding streets in mid-August can be a desperate endeavor. Crowds fill every nook, and prices are exorbitant."
"Hrvoje Kresic, a reporter from channel N1 the largest news source in southeast Europe and a regional CNN affiliate was born in Dubrovnik, though he now lives in Zagreb. In a conversation that took place by videocall, he lamented how the city of his childhood has been transformed into an open-air museum. There are stores and restaurants, but it has lost that Mediterranean identity in its everyday life: the open windows, the people leaning out of them, gossiping, arguing about silly things, he says."
A Game of Thrones scene filmed in 2014 turned Dubrovnik into a major tourist magnet, overwhelming streets and landmarks during peak season. Tourism now accounts for 20% of Croatia’s GDP, a share far larger than in Italy or Spain, but the surge brings harmful side effects. The government plans measures to control short-term rentals and manage visitor flows to address rising rents, housing prices and loss of local daily life. A native reporter describes Dubrovnik as an open-air museum where cultural memory and Mediterranean everyday life have been diminished amid inflation and tourism pressures.
Read at english.elpais.com
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