Croatian town bans night alcohol sales to curb rowdy tourists

A popular Croatian resort on Tuesday became the country's first town to ban overnight alcohol sales in shops to prevent rowdy public drinking that has sparked friction between tourists and locals.

In recent years, local media and social media have been flooded with images and videos of inebriated tourists in the streets urinating in public, making noise and creating a nuisance mostly at night.

In May, the parliament amended the trade act to allow cities and municipalities to restrict hours of alcohol sales to "protect public health, public order, cultural heritage and the environment".


The town council of Makarska, on the southern Adriatic coast, on Tuesday banned alcohol sales from 9:00 pm to 6:00 am.

The measure does not apply to bars or restaurants.

"Our goal is not to impose bans for the sake of banning, but to preserve order, peace and a pleasant atmosphere in our city, for both residents and guests," mayor Zoran Paunovic said quoted by the HINA news agency.

"I am pleased that we are taking the lead in Croatia over the issue".

Makarska, with the population of 13,000 people, hosted nearly 340,000 tourists last year.

The mayor of Split, a popular summer tourist destination now notorious for drunk visitors, also announced that it would ban alcohol sales.

Split, around 400 kilometres (248 miles) 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.

Tourism is the key driver of Croatia's economy, accounting for around 20 percent of gross domestic product.

Last year the country of 3.8 million people hosted nearly 22 million tourists.

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