It was, in every sense, a strange week. The kind of week that makes you wonder whether Dubrovnik is a city or a particularly ambitious theatre production where someone has accidentally mixed the scripts.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, I found myself working on the front line of what is probably the highest-level congress in Dubrovnik’s annual calendar. Serious people in serious suits discussing serious things. Energy security, geopolitics, infrastructure — the sort of conversations that shape continents and make journalists reach for words like “pivotal” and “strategic.”
By Thursday, I was helping to film a violin debut performance with the Symphony Orchestra. Less geopolitics, more goosebumps. And very impressive, I might add. The kind of cultural moment that reminds you this city is not just about selling ice cream at €5 a scoop to sunburnt tourists.
Somewhere in between, there were countless “coffee meetings.” Now, for those unfamiliar with Dubrovnik’s unique interpretation of productivity, a coffee meeting is not so much a meeting as it is a lifestyle. Nothing is decided quickly, everything is discussed at length, and yet somehow, miraculously, things get done. Eventually.
The Season That Arrived Before It Started
And hovering over all of this — like a particularly well-organised cloud — is the looming tourist season. Except, of course, it’s not looming. It’s already here.
We use the word “busy” out of habit, but the truth is we are already full. The season hasn’t started, and yet, somehow, it has finished. There is, quite simply, never a dull day.
What strikes me most is the contrast. On one side, a city hosting high-level international discussions about instability, conflict and global uncertainty. On the other, a city calmly preparing for another record-breaking summer, laying out sunbeds with the quiet confidence of someone who knows the guests are already on their way.
It shouldn’t work. In theory, it really shouldn’t work.
We are living in a time when headlines are dominated by wars, economic jitters, energy crises and political tension. The kind of global background noise that, historically speaking, tends to make people stay at home, clutch their wallets and cancel holidays.
And yet, here in Dubrovnik, the opposite seems to be happening.
Flights are full. Hotels are booked. Apartments have been reserved months in advance. The same conversations are happening again — “We might be too busy this year.” A sentence that, in most industries, would be considered a luxury problem. Here, it is practically a tradition.
The Quiet Resilience of Dubrovnik
There is a peculiar resilience to Dubrovnik’s tourism industry. Not loud, not boastful, just quietly, stubbornly consistent. Like an old fisherman who has seen every kind of storm and simply shrugs at the forecast.
Part of it, of course, is reputation. Dubrovnik has spent years carefully crafting its image — a place of beauty, safety and timeless appeal. But reputation alone doesn’t fill airplanes.
There is something deeper at play.
Perhaps it is geography. That irresistible meeting point of sea and stone. Or perhaps it is something more psychological — the idea that when the world feels uncertain, people are drawn even more strongly to places that feel stable, familiar and, above all, beautiful.
Dubrovnik, for all its crowds and occasional chaos, offers a kind of reassurance. The walls are still standing. The sea is still blue. The coffee is still strong. And yes, the prices are still slightly shocking.
Even the industry itself has learned to adapt. Years of boom-and-bust cycles, global crises and unexpected disruptions have created a sort of collective muscle memory.
Hotels adjust. Airlines shift capacity. Restaurants quietly extend terraces as if by magic. Everyone, in their own way, has become exceptionally good at riding the wave.
A City That Refuses to Stand Still
And so the city moves forward, almost casually, as if welcoming another million visitors is just another item on the to-do list.
Of course, it would be easy to be cynical about all of this. To point out the pressures, the overcrowding, the occasional feeling that the city is bursting at the seams.
And those concerns are real. They deserve attention.
But there is also something undeniably impressive about this quiet resilience. This ability to absorb global uncertainty and continue, almost unfazed.
Because if this week proved anything, it is this: Dubrovnik does not pause. It hosts the world’s decision-makers one day and welcomes the world’s holidaymakers the next.
About the author
Mark Thomas (aka Englez u Dubrovniku) is the editor of The Dubrovnik Times. He was born and educated in the UK and moved to live in Dubrovnik in 1998. He works across a whole range of media, from a daily radio show to TV and in print. Thomas is fluent in Croatian and this column is available in Croatia on the website – Dubrovnik Vjesnik
@dubrovnik_times Loving this summer vibe in Dubrovnik in early March. Is there a more glorious city in the world? ???? #croatia #traveltiktok #dubrovnik #adriatic @experiencedubrovnik @Banje Beach Dubrovnik ♬ Summer Vibes – Cool R＆B