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Dubrovnik, which stretches along the Dalmatian coast on the Adriatic Sea, has been a sought-after holiday destination since Croatia joined the European Union on 1 July 2013, as tourism accounts for almost a quarter of its gross domestic product. A study published in 2020 placed it at the top of European cities exposed to tourist pressure in 2019, with 36 visitors for every local resident, ahead of Venice, Bruges and Rhodes, all three tied for second place, with around 21 tourists per inhabitant. In an effort to respect the local population of these cities, driven by the demand for responsible tourism, wheeled suitcases have been banned from the cobblestones of the city centre since June 2023, in order to reduce noise pollution. Since the mid-2010s, part of the population has been showing its disapproval of mass tourism. In 2023, the mayor of Dubrovnik also closed the terrace of a bar on the Stradun because of the nuisance it caused to the neighborhood. The former Ragusa, which was a rival republic of Venice in the 15th century, renamed Dubrovnik in 1918 after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is today a museum city, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Between 1991 and 1993, two thirds of its buildings were destroyed or damaged, but they have been carefully restored, among other things, thanks to foreign funds. Visitors are not mistaken. In the summer months, on the Stradun, the city's main artery, the crowds are large. The city is also known for being one of the main settings for the series Game of Thrones. Since the second season, the scenes taking place in King's Landing have been filmed there.