The theme of World Tourism Day 2010 is "Tourism & Biodiversity".

Croatian tourism relies a lot on nature and the rich biodiversity, Tourism Minister Damir Bajs said, adding there was no doubt that tourism can develop and be sustainable only in balance with nature.

Croatia has 454 protected areas covering about 11 per cent of its territory, including eight national parks, 80 special nature reserves, 11 nature parks, and 35 forest parks, all of which are fundamental for tourism excellence, it was said.

More than three million tourists have visited national and nature parks this year and every fourth tourist coming to Croatia visits a protected area, according to estimates by the Culture Ministry and its department for nature protection.

Since Croatia is among the most biodiverse countries in Europe, the meeting underlined the need to educate the local population and foreign tourists about the importance of nature preservation.