The process of the modern urbanization of the Croatian Adriatic coast is closely connected with tourism and characterized by the parallels between the construction of planned hotel complexes and the deregulated ‘wild’ construction that is the other side of the coin and an integral part of the tourism industry. Deregulated construction has been allowed by the unspoken consent of the two systems – socialism and capitalism – to approve the ‘right to tourist profit’ for small private initiatives too. Neither an appropriate planning nor economic framework has ever been found to direct and manage these processes.