With the completion of the last stage of construction of the Y-shaped highway system, the section from Vodnjan to Pula, this area will attract even more tourists, Sanader said at the opening ceremony which was attended by government ministers and members of the Croatian Parliament from Istria.
In this context, the prime minister announced that the highway linking the capital Zagreb to the southern coastal city of Split would be completed by the end of this month.
The Minister of Maritime Affairs, Tourism, Transport and Development, Bozidar Kalmeta, noted that the government had earmarked a billion kuna for the transport infrastructure in Istria until the end of its term in office.
Kalmeta said that the western branch of the highway was very important as one of the main routes used by tourists coming from Western Europe.
The head of Istria County, Ivan Jakovcic, said that the highway system would further boost the economic competitiveness of Croatia and Istria as its leading and most developed region.