CEFTA Tourism Forum taking place in Dubrovnik

The Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) Tourism Forum was held on Wednesday in Dubrovnik ahead of Croatian Tourism Days under the auspices of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.

Deputy Tourism Minister Oleg Valjalo spoke about novelties that accession to the European Union (EU) will bring to Croatia.

He said that one of the advantages will be that Croatia will be eligible to draw funding from European funds with the aim of improving its competitiveness and extending its tourism activities to continue throughout the entire year. One negative aspect will be the introduction of a visa regime which will have to be regulated as soon as possible.

He stressed the importance of raising tourist potential in continental regions to add to Croatia's tourist offer on the coast.

Tourism should improve with the reduction of Value Added Tax to 10 percent, announced to be applied as of 1 January 2013, he said.

The senior administrator of the European Commission's Tourism Unit, Mathieu Hoeberigs, spoke about EU tourism policy, emphasising that it was important that Croatia develop its own specific qualities in tourism. (Hina)