ZV: Sports and Nautical Fair officially opened

Today at the Zagreb Fair was opened this year's first Zagreb Fair - 19 International Fair of Sport and sailing on which to 28th February is the 400 exhibitors from 34 countries, and visitors and business partners will be able to see more than 150 different vessels and ancillary products and equipment for sports and sailing.

This year's fair, "Sport and sailing" was opened by Capt. MARIO BABIC, State Secretary in the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, and in the name of Bozidar Kalmeta, the Minister.

Capt. Babic said that sailing, as a part of the tourism and the economy, despite the crisis, last year recorded good results, as ti is expected in this year.

He recalled that last year was published 4% vignettes more for the foreign boats or a total of 57,000, and that the Croatian territorial waters visited by 4% or more foreign boaters, in tottal 300,000 of them.

Capt. Babic, the State Secretary also said that last year's profit of ACI marinas was 17.7 million HRK, or by 60% higher compared to the year 2008.

For these and other positive results of nautical sector, said that are the result of a hard work, and measures of the Ministry, which is its financial aid and changes to legislation enabled better business in the sector.

State Secretary Babic announced that during this year the Ministry will continue to support financially the construction of ships in the Croatian shipyards with the amount of 10% of the value of the ship, as the Ministry in cooperation with the Ministry of the Tourism is working on a development and implementation of the "e-nautika" project that should be operational till the end of this year's turist season.

He also announced the start of negotiations with the Montenegrin authorities to owners of excursion boats Croatian enable navigation in the port of Montenegro, because there is great interest from the tourists.

After the opening of the Fair there was held the promotion of the Croatian ship, length 9.84 m, which was built in Piculjan Marina Rab. The value of this ship is 250 thousand euros.

It is also the latest product of a small Croatian shipbuilding industry, which successfully presented at this year's boat show in Dueseldorf.

The fair will follow a number of expert meetings and events including for example 8th International Conference on the training speed, and it is expected that the session of the Association of small shipbuilding be discussed on the possibility of lending segment.