Croatian tourist towns ban night‑time alcohol sales in stores

Municipalities in Croatia have been granted authority to prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages in shops and kiosks during night hours as a measure to curb public drunkenness among tourists. The restriction does not apply to bars, restaurants or hotels.

The town of Makarska already instituted a ban on sales from 21:00 to 06:00, citing concerns over noise, vandalism and public‑order incidents. Following a recent amendment to the Trade Law, the city of Split plans to enforce a similar ban starting 1 August, with the restriction active each tourist season from 1 June to 15 September. Split’s mayor noted that the measure targets alcohol purchased cheap in stores after hours, which often fuels disorderly behaviour.

Other coastal centres, including Zadar, the island of Hvar and the capital Zagreb, have announced they will adopt comparable night‑time bans. City officials point to more than 50 emergency‑service calls in June alone in the Split‑Dalmatia region linked to intoxicated tourists as evidence of the growing problem. Tourism accounts for roughly five percent of Croatia’s GDP, making the policy a notable step toward protecting both residents and visitors during the high‑season months.