The Pearl of the Adriatic is nothing short of a beacon of Croatia’s coastal tourism, a world renowned destination that made its name thanks to the richness of its historical heritage combined with mesmerizing beauty of the surrounding nature and divine aquatorium boasting with magical Elaphite Islands. The rise in popularity amongst travelers from all around the world caused the interest to set certain motion picture stories in the former capital of Ragusa to spike up as well, bringing many popular TV shows and movies to the area. The last on that list, also the most famous one with nearly four decades long legacy, is Star Wars Episode VIII.

In the wake of summer season preparations for one of the most-photographed tourist destination in the world, the city was taken over by the Jedi and the Sith. Having been lucky enough to visit the city at that particular time, I had a chance to walk through the old city streets, a perfect backdrop for the new episode of the iconic film series. It was a special honor knowing I was walking the streets where all the action soon to be shown on screens worldwide was taking place. Apart from certain futuristic props and set elements, which were visibly sticking out of the normally traditional old city core, nothing seemed to give away the idea something so big was happening in the gem of the Adriatic Coast. Until nighttime, that is. That is when the historical center was closed off for the general public and transformed into a galactic battleground for nearly half a century long stellar war.

The popularity of the divine Croatian city combined with the popularity of this movie franchise is bound to steer tourist flow into Dubrovnik’s direction even more than so far, attracting fans from a different base and creating a whole new group of Croatia enthusiasts, with a desire to explore every corner of a country that has so much to show off and offer to travelers with a wide variety of preferences and interests.

May the Force be in Croatia!