Leave the edibles at home
June 3rd 2008 11:57 am
Just in time for the summer season in Croatia, Gordan Jerbic, head of the veterinary section at Croatia’s agriculture ministry has banned foreign tourists from bringing their own meat and dairy products into the country. The ban is effective immediately. Ostensibly implemented “in line with European objectives” in assuring food safety, it’s interesting that the ban only applies to foreign tourists. Croatians accustomed to loading up their shopping carts with cheaper Italian or Austrian products should have no problem.
Is the issue food safety or the influx of Eastern European tourists who come in caravans laden with their holiday food supply? In fact, Croatians have been grumbling for years about former Soviet bloc visitors who stream into the country and spend no money except for Autocamp fees. “If customs officers are consistent in checking people on borders, it could have some negative impact,” said Jan Papez, spokesman for the Association of Czech Travel Agents.
As Mr. Papez surely knows, this measure is aimed squarely at his clients who could not otherwise afford a Croatian holiday. See more on travel costs in Croatia.
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