Capping visitor numbers, turning away cruise money and even outlawing wheely suitcases: Dubrovnik's mayor Mato Franković is making radical moves to transform one of Europe's most overtouristed cities back into a place locals can live – and travellers can enjoy.

The Telegraph did not hold back on its assessment of Dubrovnik back in 2018: "Tourism has killed Dubrovnik," wrote reporter Greg Dickinson. The verdict followed Unesco's 2016 warning that the city's medieval stone walls could be delisted if the city did not manage its tourism better.

Known as the "Pearl of the Adriatic", Dubrovnik's postcard-perfect old town has long been a popular stop for cruise routes, package holidays and budget airlines, as well as a slew of film makers. For the tens of millions who watched Game of Thrones, it was King's Landing and the stage for Cersei Lannister's famous "walk of shame". But this popularity has come at a price. With visitors outnumbering locals at a rate of 27:1, Dubrovnik has become known as one of the most overtouristed cities in Europe.

In recent years overtourism has forced many of Europe's hotspots into damage control. Venice now charges daytrippers, Barcelona has capped hotel beds and Amsterdam is curbing Airbnbs. Yet none have gone so far as Dubrovnik, which has now set a hard upper limit on how many people can be inside its walls at once.

"Mass tourism is not a win-win for Dubrovnik," says Mato Franković, mayor of Dubrovnik. "At the beginning you feel like you are winning, but at the end, actually you are losing the quality of service and quality of life. It is just a losing game. So we overturned everything."

Since taking office in 2017, Franković has rolled out initiatives to control the flow of tourists into the city. Along with capping cruise ships at two per day (down from a peak of around eight), Frankovic has made it mandatory for ships to dock for at least eight hours, giving passengers time to explore at leisure and spend more money locally rather than rush through the sights. The city is also managing visitor flow with CCTV cameras installed during Covid. The Dubrovnik Pass is another key tool; as well as offering visitors a simple way to gain entry to all museums and the city walls, it provides the city with data for decision-making.

Most radically, a management plan created with the University of Dubrovnik has fixed the maximum number of people within the........

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