Croatia to Host American Tourism Society Spring Conference in April

The American Tourism Society (ATS) has confirmed that its Spring Conference will be hosted by the Croatia National Tourist Board April 15-20, 2007.

Alex Harris, CTC, ATS Chairman and Chairman, General Tours, who was instrumental in the “Rebuild Dubrovnik” campaign, said “it is with extreme pleasure to see how quickly Dubrovnik has reestablished itself as the main focus of tourism to Croatia, affirming its status as the 'Pearl of the Adriatic'. The ATS tour operator members have come out in full force to support Dubrovnik and the entire country, as one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe.”

The ATS Conference will begin in Zagreb, Croatia’s Capital, at the luxurious five-star Hotel Regent Esplanade. In 1994, the city celebrated its 900th birthday. Zagreb is not only rich in cultural and historical monuments, museums and galleries, it also has a variety of modern shops, and offers world class restaurants as well as sports and recreational facilities. Zagreb plays host to many meetings and conferences, economic and business events and trade fairs. In the evening, the Hotel Regent Esplanade will host a welcome reception for the conference attendees, followed by a Welcome dinner hosted by the Zagreb Tourist Board. The opening sessions the following morning will take place at the City Museum of Zagreb, with VIP speakers including remarks by the American Ambassador to Croatia, H. E. Robert A. Bradike.

A tour operator panel, moderated by Robert Whitley, CTC, President of the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), will be followed by a “Business 2 Business” fast track, designed for one-on-one introductions for ATS delegates to meet their Croatian counterparts. An afternoon workshop for Croatian delegates on “How to Develop Special Interest and Cultural Travel; and How to Effectively Use the Internet to Reach These Markets” will be presented by David Parry, President Academic Travel Abroad and Michael Wargo, VP Partner Marketing, AARP Passport by Travelocity. The ATS delegates from the US will be hosted on a Zagreb City Tour and will visit the medieval castle “Trakscan” and Felikik Tabor, among the City's many interesting sites.

Split

The Following day, all ATS delegates will travel to Split, visiting one of Croatia’s UNESCO sites, Plitvice Lakes, 16 interlinked lakes between Mala Kapela Mountain and Pljesevica Mountain in the region of Lika. Arriving in Split, itself a UNESCO site, delegates will have a city tour and spend the night at the recently opened five-star Hotel Le Meridien Lav. Split, a modern city on the Mediterranean, is also a city with a 1700-year old tradition and a variety of archaeological, historical and cultural monuments, including the well-known Palace of Diocletian, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. That evening, ATS delegates will be hosted at a festive dinner by the Croatian National Tourist Board and Split -Dalmatian County Tourist Board.

Dubrovnik

The grand finale of the ATS conference will take place in the world famous city of Dubrovnik. En route to the city, delegates will visit Neretva County Valley, take a boat ride on the Neretva River, enjoy wine tasting and then visit the Narona Museum in Vid. Lunch will be hosted by Dubrovnik Neretva Connty Tourist Board. Delegates will stay at the Hotel Argosy.

The final day of the Conference will showcase the historic city of Dubrovnik. A city with a unique political and cultural history (the Dubrovnik Republic, the Statute from 1272), Dubrovnik is a world-famous UNESCO cultural heritage site and one of the most attractive and famous cities of the Mediterranean. The gala farewell dinner will be hosted by the Croatia National Tourist Board, the Dubrovnik Neretva County and the City of Dubrovnik Tourist Board.

Post tours will be available to ATS delegates who wish to explore more of Croatia. One will be through the Croatian countryside and the second will be to the Dalmatian Islands.

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