Eastern Europe Gussies Up for Tourists --- As 10 Countries Join the EU, Hotels and Services Upgrade; Krakow Gets a Sheraton

By Eleena de Lisser
31 March 2004
The Wall Street Journal

*Excerpted

A REGION THAT FOR MANY Americans still conjures up images of the Iron Curtain is trying to recast itself as a major tourist destination.

On May 1, the European Union will welcome 10 Central and Eastern European countries as new members. They include Poland, the Czech Republic and several other formerly Communist countries.

In the hopes of luring foreign tourists who have gotten their fill of Paris and London, many of the new EU member countries -- some of which spent decades in lockdown mode due to Communism -- are rapidly trying to upgrade their travel infrastructure. In addition to novelty, the Eastern European countries are marketing themselves as a bargain compared to Western Europe.

When the EU enlargement occurs in May, none of the new member countries will be using the European currency, the euro, yet.

In a move that will expand the geography of the European Union by a third and add roughly 100 million new residents, there are bound to be big differences in readiness for the influx of visitors. Here's how selected destinations stack up in terms of readiness -- as well as a few neighbors, including Croatia and Romania, which aren't part of the expansion but which are trying to ride the coattails.

Croatia

This small country, with a population of 4.5 million, is one of the rapidly emerging hot destinations in Eastern Europe for the jet set. Travel-book companies have taken notice: For the first time, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides has issued one of their glossy tomes on the little country.

While Croatia isn't among the 10 slated to join the European Union May 1, it is a destination that's attracting more notice from Western European and American tourists, despite its recent, violent history in the 1990s, when it was a stage for the war that split the former Yugoslavia.

In fact, 65,430 Americans visited Croatia in 2003, an almost 12% increase from the year before. Many are floating in on cruise ships, which have added Croatia to their itineraries.

Ellison Poe, a Little Rock, Ark., travel agent, recommends Croatia as an add-on to a vacation in Italy, noting that Croatia's Dalmatian Coast has spectacular scenery. Plus a vibe that can feel more Mediterranean than Eastern European.

(Poe Clients) Dawn and Jim Effron of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., vacationed in Croatia last fall and were surprised that Dubrovnik, scene of some of the most intense fighting during the war, was as well-restored as it is. Though driving in the countryside the damage was more evident, including the occasional shell casing.

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