3,000 TOURISTS DAILY EXPECTED AT PLITVICE LAKES NATIONAL PARK

( Editorial: --> 9206 ) PLITVICE LAKES, July 22 (Hina) - Some 110,000 tourists visited the Plitvice Lakes National Park by June's end and a five per cent increase was registered in the first ten days of July. In the following days, about 3,000 tourists are expected per day. The 16 lakes connected by waterfalls are located in a mountain area 120km south-west of Zagreb. Even though the reconstruction of local hotels damaged in the Serbian aggression on Croatia is still underway, tourist workers assess the recent visits are good, given that accommodation is reduced to 250 beds in two hotels - Plitvice and Bellevue. At 7,600, the highest number of visitors, especially foreigners, was registered last weekend. The recently opened Korana car camp with a parking capacity for 2,500 cars and 40 two-bed rooms in little houses has been registering up to 300 overnight stays. Around 400,000 tourists and more than 35,000 overnight stays are expected by year's end. Currently, the national park employs 700 people. (hina) ha jn 221448 MET jul 98