It has more overnight stays than some much better known Adriatic tourist traps such as Split, Zadar, Opatija or Umag, recording seven tourist arrivals per every single local, and it is the wealthiest local authority in Croatia with a municipal budget of 180 million kuna (€24.3 million).

The tiny seaside municipality of Medulin, located on the southern tip of the Istria peninsula in western Croatia, and home to some 6,500 people, is the second best developed municipality in the country, behind only the tiny posrt of Kostrena some 70 kilometres northwest.

But the tiny town’s economy is booming thanks to the tourist industry. In peak season, some 50,000 people stay in and around Medulin at any given time, with the municipality posting 85 million kuna (€11.5 million) in tourist revenue, Glas Istre daily reported on Monday.

As a result, the quality of life at Medulin is rising every year, with local authorities investing in everything from waste management and infrastructure to a local radio station, a top quality kindergarten, or expansion of tourist facilities on offer, with an upcoming €22 million project in the works to build a sports complex complete with a soccer stadium and Olympic-size swimming pools.

“On of the secrets of our success is having quality people (running the town), regardless of their political leanings, people who work towards a common interest, which is improving the quality of life for our locals. We avoid exhausting ourselves with talking about whether someone is left- or right-oriented, we don’t care about that at all. What we care about is building new kindergartens, schools, taking care of elders, developing agriculture and the overall economy, building sports facilities, public infrastructure, these are our priorities,” head of the Medulin municipality, Goran Buic, told Glas Istre.

(€1 = 7.41 kuna)

Follow N1 via mobile apps for Android | iPhone/iPad | Windows| and social media on Twitter | Facebook.