American Tourism Society (ATS) revealed its Spring Conference will be hosted by the Croatia National Tourist Board April 15-20, 2007. Michael Stolowitzky, President & CEO, ATS, said this will be an extraordinary opportunity for ATS delegates to get a taste of the diversity of this historical destination which is now being called the ‘New Riviera’ by the NBC TV Today Show.

Alex Harris, CTC, ATS Chairman and Chairman, General Tours, who was instrumental in the “Rebuild Dubrovnik” campaign, added 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. In 1994, the City celebrated its 900th birthday.

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.