TOURISM STATISTICAL DATA IN FIRST 4 MONTHS ANNOUNCE BETTER TOURIST SEASON

ZAGREB, June 12 (Hina) - Tourism statistical data in first four months of 2000 show that over 60 percent more tourist chose Croatia as their vacation destination than in the same period in 1999. The Croatian Bureau for Statistics registered a total of 634,523 tourist arrivals, namely 29 percent more than in the same period last year, and a total of 1.9 million overnight stays which is 30 percent more than in 1999. The number of domestic tourists was the same as in 1999, however the number of overnight stays dropped by 5 percent, while foreign tourists arrived in a greater number and stayed longer than in 1999. There were 372,446 arrivals of foreign tourists, namely 63 percent more than in the first four months in 1999 and 1.1 million overnight stays, namely 64 percent more. The majority of overnight stays was realised by German tourists (21.2 percent), followed by Slovenes (20 percent), Italians (18.7 percent), Austrians (15 percent) and tourists from Bosnia- Herzegovina (5.2 percent). In the first quarter of this year there were 20,586 arrivals in Croatian ports, namely 115 percent more than in 1999. There were 19,926 (116 percent more) foreign boaters and 660 domestic boaters, namely 85 percent more. (hina) it jn