CRO. COASTAL RESORTS CURRENTLY ACCOMMODATING 278,000 TOURISTS

ZAGREB, July 4 (Hina) - Croatia's tourist resorts along the Adriatic coast are currently accommodating more than 278,000 tourists, which is 39 percent more than last weekend and 51 percent more than at the same time last year. The highest number of tourists, over 105,000, has been recorded in the northern peninsula of Istria.#L# According to Croatian Tourist Board director Niko Bulic, the current tourist trends are a good indicator that, according to expectations, this year Croatia will accommodate some 6.3 million tourists, against last year's 4.75 million. Istria's tourist resorts are accommodating 102,672 foreigners, 49 percent more than at the same time last year, and 3,027 domestic tourists, a decrease of 11 percent. Recent data of local tourist boards in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, the northern Adriatic coast, show 60,631 foreign tourists, 38.4 percent more than last year, and 7,202 domestic tourists, a decrease of 12.2 percent. The most numerous are tourists from Germany, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Italy. According to data of the Zadar County Tourist Board, 20,468 foreign and 6,151 domestic tourists are currently staying here, an overall increase of 60 percent in comparison with last year. Split-Dalmatia County is currently accommodating 49 percent more tourists than last year, including 37,645 foreigners, an increase of 72 percent, and 3,690 domestic tourists, a 38-percent decrease. Early July has recorded 121 percent more tourists than last summer in Sibenik-Knin County, including 2,398 domestic and 14,667 foreign tourists, 30 and 150 percent more respectively. Dubrovnik-Neretva County in southern-most Croatia is accommodating 16,036 tourists, 157 more than last year. (hina) ha