Croatia enables alcohol sales ban to tackle drunk tourists

ZAGREB – Croatian lawmakers on May 29 approved a law enabling local governments to restrict night-time alcohol sales hours in shops, aimed at curbing heavy tourist drinking that causes public disorder in popular destinations.

In recent years, local media and social media have been flooded with images and videos of heavily drunk tourists drinking in the streets, urinating in public, making noise and disrupting residents’ lives, mostly overnight.

On May 29, all 117 lawmakers present in the 151-seat assembly unanimously backed the Trade Act amendments enabling cities and municipalities to restrict hours of alcohol sales in shops to “protect public health, public order, cultural heritage and the environment”.

The measure does not apply to bars or restaurants.

Croatian Tourism Minister Tonci Glavina said the aim was to improve the quality of life of locals “who want to live in a good symbiosis with tourism, and not have the entire city or destination exist only for tourism.

“That is not sustainable in the long term,” he said.

The mayor of Split, a popular summer tourist destination now notorious for drunk visitors, said the city would ban alcohol sales from 9pm to 6am.

The aim is to “curb drunkenness and disorderly behaviour” in the city’s public spaces, notably its historic centre, mayor Tomislav Suta said.

Split, around 400km south of the capital Zagreb, is built around the ancient palace of Roman emperor Diocletian.

Other well-known tourist destinations such as the party island of Hvar and the central coastal town of Zadar have also said they may introduce such a ban.

Zagreb mayor Tomislav Tomasevic said the capital was considering the option.

Tourism is the key driver of Croatia’s economy, making around 20 per cent of its gross domestic product.

In 2025, the country of 3.8 million people hosted nearly 22 million tourists.

The visitors flock mainly to its stunning Adriatic coast, dotted with more than 1,000 islands and islets. AFP