A popular European city has signalled its plans to rebrand itself to attract families in a bid to break away from its party reputation.
Split, Croatia, is one of the country’s largest cities attracting nearly 1 million tourists each year. However, many of these visitors only go for one thing – to party.
With budget-friendly cocktails and seaside music festivals like Ultra Europe, it’s no wonder the metropolis is a hub for partygoers.
With this, an increase in antisocial behaviour has been seen on the city’s streets, as security and police have been increased to watch out for “public drinking, peeing or people with their shirts off”.
Local residents are left outraged with the scenes over the past few years as Split continues to cater for tourists.
“There used to be more restaurants, bars and cafes serving local food, but now they mostly have tourist food,” recent graduate Veronica, now working at a day trip company, tells Euronews.
A fellow tour operator adds: “Split has changed a lot in the last 10 years,
“The promenade had a lot more local cafes and restaurants. Now, it’s all Italian, burgers, etc, even though Croatians are best at Croatian food.
“The [Diocletian’s] Palace [area] had small independent shops, now it’s mostly apartments which are given out to tourists on rent, or for short stays.”
The increase in tourism has also seen an impact on rent prices in Split, pushing locals out of long-term accommodation. This has been a popular trend across Europe this year, with other countries such as Spain and Greece staging protests against mass tourism ruining their economies.
Speaking to Euronews, cruise company Employee Vana says: “Lots of younger people come… they’re not buyers, they’re only here for partying and alcohol, not islands or tours.”
“It’s becoming harder for younger people to find a flat, start their lives, or have a family,” she adds.
The average monthly rental has sharply increased to €800 (£673), which compared to the average monthly salary of €1,000 (£841), has put a huge strain on those living their full time.
However, Split relies heavily on the tourism industry to keep the local economy afloat. Many residents make the majority of their yearly income in the bust summer season which allows them to survive in the deserted winter period.
