BRIJUNI: TOURISM TO BE GIVEN EXPORTER STATUS

BRIJUNI, Oct 22 (Hina) - Valter Drandic, chairman of the parliamentary Committee on Tourism, said at a committee session on Brijuni on Monday this body would do its best to help tourism finally acquire exporter status by reducing the Value Added Tax rate to five-six percent. Such status would enable Croatia's tourism to compete with other Mediterranean tourist destinations, he said. Drandic announced that the Committee would work towards adjusting domestic legislation to tourist needs. A member of the Istria County government, Veljko Ostojic, estimated that tourism in Croatia was not market-oriented. Numerous studies warn that the quality of accommodation and services must be improved without delay. "The Croatian tourist product is out of date. Since it is impossible to raise the tourist turnover, one should adopt strategic decisions defining the development of tourism", Ostojic said. We are at a turning point - to chose the path of quality or the path of averageness and grayness, he added. Members of the Committee, who are on a visit to the country's main tourist resorts, said the Croatian tourism could profit from the current situation, with the world tourism being exposed to the threat of terrorism. Most tourists visiting Croatia travel by car rather than plane. (hina) np