Croatian tourism minister, new Chinese ambassador discuss cooperation

Tourism Minister Darko Lorencin and the new Chinese Ambassador to Croatia, Deng Ying, met in Zagreb on Monday to discuss possibility of improving cooperation between the two countries, in particular cooperation in tourism, and attracting more Chinese tourists to Croatia. Deng said that China regarded Croatia as a friendly and tourist country rich in natural resources, adding that she was pleased that Chinese tourists were coming to Croatia in growing numbers all year round. She said that Chinese tourists visited as many as four countries within a space of 10 to 12 days intended for travel. Lorencin said that given that Chinese tourists travelled outside the peak season Croatia was working on arrangements that would include several destinations in order to be more competitive on the Chinese market.

Tourism Minister Darko Lorencin and the new Chinese Ambassador to Croatia, Deng Ying, met in Zagreb on Monday to discuss possibility of improving cooperation between the two countries, in particular cooperation in tourism, and attracting more Chinese tourists to Croatia.

Deng said that China regarded Croatia as a friendly and tourist country rich in natural resources, adding that she was pleased that Chinese tourists were coming to Croatia in growing numbers all year round. She said that Chinese tourists visited as many as four countries within a space of 10 to 12 days intended for travel.

Lorencin said that given that Chinese tourists travelled outside the peak season Croatia was working on arrangements that would include several destinations in order to be more competitive on the Chinese market. He said that Croatia had so far attended travel shows in the Far East in cooperation with Slovenia and was currently in talks with the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia to create joint tourist products.

Speaking of unresolved issues, Deng mentioned the absence of direct flights and the lengthy visa issuance procedures, to which Lorencin said that one of the main tasks of the new concessionaires of Zagreb International Airport was to introduce intercontinental flights. As regards the visa regime, Lorencin said that with accession to the European Union last July Croatia had adopted the EU's visa regime, but that it was working on speeding up the visa issuance process because it was in Croatia's interest to be more easily accessible. (Hina)