Despite the negative forecasts due to the global recession, Croatian tourism has held up relatively well so far this year, Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said on Tuesday.

The first eight months of this year saw 49 million tourist nights, up 0.2 per cent from the same time period in 2008, Kosor said at a session of a commission coordinating and monitoring activities in tourism this year, HINA news agency reports.

August saw 2.8 million arrivals, up three per cent year on year, and 19.2 million nights, up five per cent on the year.

The first eight months of the year saw a 0.2 per cent increase in nights, but a two per cent decline in arrivals to 8.1 million.

For 2010, Kosor announced that the school year would start later in line with requests from the tourist trade, and the cancellation of visa requirements for several countries, including India and China. She added the Croatian National Tourist Board was preparing to open an office in China.