Since the opening of the Pelješki Most, Ston has been breaking tourist records

STON – How much good the construction of the Pelješki bridge has brought to the south of the country – is yet to be known. Dubrovnik is a strong air destination and most tourists arrive by plane. But when the access roads to the Pelješki Bridge are built, it will also become a destination for guests arriving by car. They also expect benefits in Ston – which achieved good tourism results this year.

There are about 16,000 tourists in Dubrovnik these days. Leading the way are the British and Americans – who arrive by plane.

– Wonderful country, we enjoyed it, we will tell everyone to visit Croatia – said Carol Pellegrino, a tourist from the USA.

– On the cycling tour in Pelješac, we saw a new bridge. It’s beautiful. We ended the trip in Ston with oysters. It was wonderful – said Don Pellegrino, a tourist from the USA.

Don and Carol prefer an adrenaline vacation, so they were also at the Ston Marathon. They are not the only tourists who discovered local gastronomy and cultural and historical sights this year. The number of visitors to the longest preserved European walls is growing.

– I have to highlight Ston in particular. Since the bridge was opened, Ston has seen significantly better results and there are significantly more tourists at all facilities. We are seeing an increase in the number of tourists compared to last year, we can be satisfied – said Vedran Kosović, president of the Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiquities.

The Municipality is also satisfied with the tourism results. Because of the unfinished access roads to the Pelješki bridge, they feared traffic difficulties during the summer months. However, there were no major congestions.

– When I take the data from Croatian Roads, how many cars passed through Ston, then multiply by the number of people, a million people, that’s huge for Ston, I think we successfully overcame the crowds, there were crowds, but there were no traffic jams, neither in Ston, and the restaurants also worked excellently – said Vedran Antunica, mayor of the municipality of Ston.

Although Dubrovnik is a very popular aviation destination, it is certain that the Pelješki Bridge opens up some new possibilities. Especially when the Ston bypass is completed.

– The fact is that people will arrive faster when the road is finished, it will be better, I think there are markets where we could profit – said Miro Drašković, director of TZ Dubrovnik.

Therefore, additional marketing activities will be invested in promotion in these markets, writes HRT.

source: morski.hr