Croatian and Slovenian ministers meet to discuss cooperation in tourism

Croatian Tourism Minister Veljko Ostojic met the Slovenian Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Radovan Zerjav, in the Slovenian town of Otocec Ob Krki on Friday to discuss bilateral cooperation in tourism, joint promotion of tourist services on third markets and expectations from this year's tourist season. Addressing a joint press conference, both ministers expressed their satisfaction with the present cooperation, hopeful that it would continue to develop successfully. Ostojic said that with 1.1 million tourist arrivals and 6.6 million bed/nights last year, Slovenians were the second largest group of foreign tourists visiting Croatia after Germans, adding that he hoped that that would continue this year as well. Citing unofficial figures for the first quarter of the year, Ostojic said that Croatia saw a 9% increase in the number of tourist arrivals and 13% more bed/nights than in the corresponding period of 2011, and that he believed that results later on in the year would be as good.

Croatian Tourism Minister Veljko Ostojic met the Slovenian Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Radovan Zerjav, in the Slovenian town of Otocec Ob Krki on Friday to discuss bilateral cooperation in tourism, joint promotion of tourist services on third markets and expectations from this year's tourist season. Addressing a joint press conference, both ministers expressed their satisfaction with the present cooperation, hopeful that it would continue to develop successfully.

Ostojic said that with 1.1 million tourist arrivals and 6.6 million bed/nights last year, Slovenians were the second largest group of foreign tourists visiting Croatia after Germans, adding that he hoped that that would continue this year as well. Citing unofficial figures for the first quarter of the year, Ostojic said that Croatia saw a 9% increase in the number of tourist arrivals and 13% more bed/nights than in the corresponding period of 2011, and that he believed that results later on in the year would be as good. Ostojic said that he and Zerjav discussed cooperation within IPA cross-border projects and the organisation of the national tourist boards, and exchanged views on the tourism development strategies.

Zerjav said that the results of the bilateral cooperation in IPA projects were excellent, and that he accepted Ostojic's initiative to try and include their neighbours -- Italy, Austria and possibly Hungary -- in their successful joint promotion of tourist services on third markets. The number of tourist arrivals in Slovenia in the first quarter of the year was 3-4% higher than last year, and the number of Croats who visited Slovenia increased by as much as 12%, Zerjav said. (Hina)

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