CRO TOURIST TRADE IN FIRST 8 MONTHS OF 1997 IS 15% HIGHER THAN TOTAL I

TOTAL I $ N 1996 ZAGREB, Sept 3 (Hina) - A poll the Croatian Tourism Ministry conducted among 30 hotel joint stock companies along Croatia's coastline shows that in August hotels registered close to 5.8 million overnight stays, which is 20.7 percent more than in the same period a year ago. The number of foreign visitors in August marked a 27 percent increase in relation to last year, and the Ministry of Tourism estimates that tourist business in the first eight months of this year will be 15 percent higher than overall tourist business achieved in 1996. In relation to last year, tourist trade in the northern peninsula of Istria rose by 19 percent, while in the southern region of Dalmatia it marked a 38 percent increase. According to the poll, tourist business along the coastline in August 1997 reached almost 86 percent of tourist business realized in 1990. The Ministry of Tourism estimates some 30 million overnight stays will be realized this year, which is 35-40 percent more than in 1996. (hina) ha mm 031436 MET sep 97