TOURISTS ARE RETURNING TO CROATIA

ZAGREB, August 26 (Hina) - 10.55 million tourists visited Croatia in the first seven months of 1996, which is 38 percent more than last year. According to data the Croatian Bureau of Statistics on Monday submitted to the Ministry of Tourism, the above figures show that this year achieved 37 per cent of the results from the same period in 1990. The first seven months of this year saw 2.09 million tourists visit the resorts on the Adriatic coast, which is 37 per cent more than last year. 1.37 million were foreigners, which is 60 per cent more than the year before. Tourist trade in the first 20 days of August was 87 per cent bigger than in the same period last year, while the number of foreign tourists marked a 119 per cent increase. Tourist trade was progressing according to expectations and projects of the Ministry of Tourism, Croatian Tourist Minister Niko Bulic said, adding that by the end of the season 22 million tourists would have visited the country, as expected. Bulic also expressed moderate satisfaction with the physical and financial results of this tourist season. (hina) ha jn 261630 MET aug 96