CROATIA TAKES OVER CHAIRMANSHIP OF ALPS-ADRIATIC WORKING GROUP

ZAGREB, Dec 16 (Hina) - Croatia's Ministry of Tourism on Monday replaced Austria's Styria province as chair of the Alps-Adriatic Union's Working Group for Tourism. A two-day meeting of the Working Group for Tourism, which opened in Zagreb on Monday, is being chaired by the director of the Styrian Tourism Office, Nikolaus Hermann. Styria has presided over the Group for ten years "during which great progress has been made in the development of tourist cooperation between the member states," Herman said. From now on the Group, which usually meets every three months, will be chaired by Croatian Deputy Tourism Minister Vinka Cetinski. The Alps-Adriatic Union was established in 1978 as an association of regions in the eastern Alps and the northern Adriatic and has expanded to include a part of the Danube river region. It has 19 members and observers with a total of 40 million inhabitants in seven countries covering the area of about 300,000 square kilometres. The organization gathers the following regions and countries: Burgenland, Carinthia, Upper Austria and Styria, and Salzburg as an observer (Austria); Croatia; Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto (Italy); Baranya, Gyor- Moson-Sopron, Somogyi, Vas and Zala (Hungary); Bavaria (Germany); Slovenia; and Ticino as an observer (Switzerland). (hina) vm mm 162046 MET dec 96