Croatia’s parliament has approved a law allowing local governments to restrict the hours during which shops can sell alcohol, a move aimed at tackling the drunk tourists whose behaviour has fuelled public disorder in popular destinations.
All 117 lawmakers present in the 151-seat assembly backed the Trade Act amendments, which let cities and municipalities limit shop alcohol sales to “protect public health, public order, cultural heritage and the environment”. The rules do not apply to bars or restaurants.
The change follows years of complaints from residents. Local and social media have been filled with images of intoxicated visitors drinking in the streets, urinating in public and causing noise late into the night, much of it linked to cheap alcohol bought in shops and consumed outdoors.
Officials argue that the trade in cut-price drink has turned parts of historic city centres into open-air drinking spots. By closing off late-night shop sales, they hope to push consumption back into licensed bars and restaurants, where it can be more easily managed.
Croatian tourism minister Tonči Glavina said the aim was to improve the quality of life of locals “who want to live in a good symbiosis with tourism”, rather than have a destination “exist only for tourism”. He added: “That is not sustainable in the long term.”
Split, that has become notorious for drunken visitors, looks set to be among the first to act. Its mayor, Tomislav Šuta, said the city would ban shop alcohol sales from 9pm to 6am to “curb drunkenness and disorderly behaviour”, particularly in its historic centre.
Split, about 400 kilometres (248 miles) south of the capital Zagreb, is built around the ancient palace of Roman emperor Diocletian. The party island of Hvar and the central coastal town of Zadar have said they may bring in similar bans, and Zagreb mayor Tomislav Tomašević said the capital was considering the option.
Tourism is the main driver of the economy in Croatia, an EU member state, accounting for about 20 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). In 2025 the country of 3.8 million people welcomed nearly 22 million tourists, according to government data, most drawn to an Adriatic coastline dotted with more than 1,000 islands and islets.
The measure mirrors a wider European push against so-called overtourism, with cities such as Prague curbing organised night-time pub crawls and parts of Spain tightening rules on public drinking.
