Seminar Held on Croatia in World Tourism Environment

Croatia is an example of how a country which survived a war and postwar period can develop tourism and contribute to regional security, the WTO’s regional representative for Europe, Luigi Cabrini, said in Cavtat on Thursday.

Since 1995 Croatia has been recording a constant growth in foreign arrivals and this trend will likely continue, he said at a seminar on Croatia in the world tourism environment held as part of Croatian Tourism Days, which the southern coastal town of Cavtat is hosting on October 25-27.

Cabrini commended Croatia's scenic beauty and environmental protection, but pointed to a lagging behind in terms of Internet bookings. He recommended more creativity and flexibility in marketing and administration, said that high prices did not necessarily mean quality service and pointed to high airport taxes.

Cabrini said that in the 2002-05 period Croatia had surpassed many other destinations in terms of tourist development, but that it must see to not becoming a victim of its own success.

Cultural tourism is growing fast and Manchester Metropolitan University professor Howard L. Hughes recommended that Croatia creates and presents a good product so as to become a cultural destination.

An ADAC survey showed that the sector which regressed is camping tourism, with a high discrepancy between price and service, the seminar heard.

A survey conducted between June and September this year showed that Italians were the most numerous tourists arriving on cruiser ships, followed by Americans and Spaniards.