CROATIAN TOURISM MINISTER SPEAKS AT LONDON TOURISM FAIR

LONDON, Nov 16 (Hina) - Croatian Tourism Minister Ivan Herak said in London on Tuesday his aim in the next three to five years was to win over about 450,000 British tourists, which is the pre-war number of British arrivals in Croatia. Speaking at a press conference at the London international tourism fair World Travel Markets, Herak said the low number of British arrivals in Croatia was one of the consequences of the Kosovo crisis, i.e., the belief that Kosovo was in Croatia's immediate neighbourhood. Despite this, about 43,300 British citizens visited Croatia in 1999, Herak said. Next year, the Croatian Tourism Board will invest 700,000 British pounds (about 8.2 million kuna) into promotional activities in the British national and regional media, which should result in a 20-25 per cent increase in arrivals in 2000. British tourist agencies which are present in Croatia for 16 or more consecutive weeks annually will be given bonuses. During the season, Croatia Airlines will establish a special flight service between Manchester and London and Split and Dubrovnik. Tourist agencies will be able to purchase air tickets at a discount - in the pre-season they will amount to 80 pounds and during the season 95 pounds, Herak said. Herak called on British investors to submit their offers in an international bidding procedure opened by the Croatian Government, which is aimed at selling shares in Croatian tourist companies owned by the Croatian Pension Fund and the Government Agency for the Financial Reorganisation of Banks. (hina) jn rml