Why is there no hearing in the wider population when talking about the problems of excessive tourism?

Why is there no hearing in the wider population when talking about the problems of excessive tourism?

The answer is simple, overtourism actually works very well and is lucrative.

When you are an attractive destination, the growth of accommodation capacity is logical. In the absence of other, or safer investments, it is even more logical that the money goes where the return is "safe". In addition, you are investing in what Croats (and more and more foreigners with us) love most, real estate, and their prices have been constantly increasing in recent years. In addition, "you and I" profit, not some big "profit-hungry" company.

How can it not be good then?

Well, it's good for those who deal with it.

However, there are limits to good that we don't think about.

Uncontrolled growth creates imbalances that inevitably lead to erosion of quality, and ultimately to lower profitability, and most certainly to a lower quality of life in destinations, but also with consequences for the entire Republic of Croatia.

First, the destination has limited space. When there are too many tourists, there are crowds that no one likes. And it is not difficult to get a bad name.

Second, restaurants and cafes are not growing nearly as fast as accommodation. Space for fast-food is opening up and shopping chains are profiting. OK. We don't have to be Nizza, although we could.

Third, capacity growth creates serious utility challenges. Waste, drainage... Even in Zagreb, we are not able to solve this apparently banal problem.

Fourth, there is a growing need for air conditioner repairmen, cleaning services, waiters, mainly for valuable lower-skilled labor, but they are already more difficult to get than surgeons, and few here want to do it. But we will find someone somewhere, just let him work. How it works is less important.

Fifth, nobody cares about those who do not want to do tourism, or were not lucky enough to be born into a "tourist family". If you don't have an inherited property as a young man, you are forced to leave your hometown because the prices are astronomical considering the standard. Let foreigners spend their 2 months there in their villa, or like tourists in someone's apartment, and the rest of the year in ghost towns, and our young people outside.

Sixth, I know it's a long post, we will have a rich South and Zagreb, and all those who have not jumped on that train - the only good business in Croatia - let them manage or leave. Everyone involved in tourism will be fine, tourism will not be at a certain level, but probably acceptable enough to function. We are very lucky to be "beautiful".

That many can no longer afford summer vacations in their own country, that we are becoming a short-term rental country for the rich that will depend more and more on importing labor from countries poorer than ours, instead of carefully using it to raise the standards of all of us, who gives af*** in a turbo-market economy like ours!

If the authorities had not relied on the God-given perpetuum mobile three-month tourism for decades, but had taken care of other sectors, maybe you and I could spend the summer in hotels on our Adriatic today.

Once quite normal, today a utopia for most.

Author: Prof. dr. sc. Josip Mikulić