The Shore Should Belong to Everyone

The waterpolo court is one of few places in the Čikat bay not dedicated to tourism and used by the locals. (Photo: Antonia Dika, 2018)

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Gate to the hotel beach in front of Hotel Alhambra (Photo: Anamarija Batista, 2018)

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Newly rennovated shore in front of Hotel Bellevue (Photo: Anamarija Batista, 2018)

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Price list in front of the entrance to the gated beach of Hotel Bellevue. The promenade between the hotel and the beach is still public. (Photo: Anamarija Batista, 2018)

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To enter the beach zone in front of Hotel Bellevue you have to pay a day fee of 250 KN / 35 € (2018). (Photo: Anamarija Batista, 2018)

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Once there, you can order drinks from the hotel bar to your beach chair. (Photo: Anamarija Batista, 2018)

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Anamarija Batista and Goran Škofić in conversation with Irena Dlaka in Mali Lošinj in the summer of 2019. Goran has also videorecorded the interview. Irena Dlaka is an art historian from Mali Lošinj.

Excerpt from the interview
GŠ: I’d like to ask you about the tourism occupation here, in front of the hotel. Was it possible to bathe here before or not?

ID: No, no, it was all open. The new situation has caused quite a storm. They claim that they haven’t closed the beach, but, well, they charge “only” 250 kuna per day. They haven’t closed it – yeah, right. If someone wants an exclusive stay, there are pools filled with seawater, they can swim in the pools. The shore should belong to everyone. Moreover, I think people who come all the way from another part of the world to this little island actually want to be closer to the genuine environment and normal people. This is my experience as a tourist worker, and I am the third generation in tourism. People come here to feel the nature, to feel the spontaneity, to be themselves; you can be yourself here, whether you are the sheikh of Arabia or an ordinary worker driving a Mercedes.

AB: So, everyone is equal here at the sea...

ID: Yes. Everyone’s the same, the minute you put on your bathing suit and get to the beach, you're just an ordinary person... who, perhaps, may be afraid to look at the seaweed because it seems that the shark is coming out of them. I’ve heard all kinds of stories. The horrible seaweed... I say: "You know what seaweed is? Seaweed is the spawning ground for fish. You have little fish down there. There's no way sharks would come out of the seaweed." (laughs) But, you know, it’s dark down there in the sea, so...  Anyway, everyone is equal here. Thank God, summer is a democratic time, you don't even need a bathing suit. We also have nudism. We were among the first who had nudism in Croatia. Istria and Kvarner are known for naturist camps... You have the camp Baldarin in Punta Križa, the entire camp is a nudist camp. So... You don't actually need that little piece of cloth either, heh. But you can wear your Gucci (laughs) or, I don't know, Dolce Gabbana.