Croatia hosting first intl. conference on security in tourism

The first two-day international conference on security in tourism began in Bol on the southern Adriatic island of Brac on Thursday, bringing together 130 participants.

Opening the event, the head of Croatia's State Protection and Rescue Administration said Croatia had been recognised as a safe tourist country but that this must not lull one into passivity.

We have to work on the development of prevention for possible security threats and be prepared to reduce their consequences, said Jadran Perinic.

The head of the European Forum for Urban Security, Elizabeth Johnston, said the Forum comprised the heads of 250 cities from 17 countries. In Croatia, only Solin is a member, so she called on other Croatian cities to join.

The security of cities is crucial for their promotion as tourist destinations, she said, adding that security would be a very important topic at the 2014 European Parliament election.

The importance of prevention in security protection is still not sufficiently understood in Europe, Johnston said, warning about extreme groups among young Europeans that could pose security threats.

She said the issue of security should not be left only to experts but include citizens and civil society representatives as well.
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he conference was organised by the Croatian Forum for Urban Security in cooperation with the European Forum, under the auspices of the Croatian interior and tourism ministries. (Hina)