CROATIAN NATIONAL PARKS ATTRACT INCREASING NUMBER OF VISITORS

ZAGREB, July 12 (Hina) - Croatian national and nature parks are attracting a growing number of visitors, with a majority of parks reporting an average increase in visits of 10 percent in the first six months compared to the same period last year, according to Paklenica National Park director Zoran Sikic. The largest increase in the number of visitors in the first half of this year was registered by the national park on the southern Adriatic island of Mljet, which was toured by 21.4 percent more people than in the same period last year. It was followed by Plitvice Lakes National Park, which reported a 12 percent increase in visitors and an 18 percent increase in accommodation facilities. Risnjak and Paklenica registered increases of seven and four percent respectively. Sikic said that the number of holidaymakers visiting Paklenica depended on their physical fitness because the park mainly attracts those interested in adventure activities such as alpine climbing, rafting on the Zrmanja river and hiking. Nature parks, particularly those close to or on the Adriatic coast, have also been drawing more and more people. Biokovo Nature Park has reported an increase in visitors of as much as 36 percent and Telascica on the Kornati archipelago 19 percent. Sikic said that higher visitor figures for national parks were due to intense advertising in cooperation with the National Tourist Board. He added that the figures also reflected a trend of an increasing number of visits to similar parks round the world. (hina) vm