CONFERENCE DATE AND VENUE

The conference will be held from 04th to 07th June 2009 in Neum, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Neum is the only seaside town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Around it there is about 21 km of coastline which is the only access of this country to the Adriatic Sea. It is located in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity.
Neum has steep hills, sandy beaches and several large tourist hotels. Prices tend to be lower here than in neighboring Croatia, making it popular with shoppers. Tourism, and the commerce it brings, is the leading contributor to the economy of the area. Border formalities with Croatia are relaxed at peak times.
Neum has around 5000 beds for tourists, 1810 in hotels with the remaining capacity in motels, villas and in private accommodation. Tourism in Neum is active only in the coastal region. The inland area behind Neum has a rich archaeological history and untouched wilderness and is starting to develop agricultural tourism.
The city hosts a yearly music festival called Etnofest Neum.

Neum is 60 km from Dubrovnik (80 km from the Dubrovnik airport), 70 km from Mostar and Međugorje and 30 km from Ploče and Metković, both of which have railway stations.
The Neum region cuts Croatia into two non-contiguous parts. This is a result of the Treaty of Karlowitz of 1699. In this treaty the Republic of Dubrovnik gave the Neum region to the Ottoman Empire to ensure that it would not border on the encroaching Venetian Republic.
The fact that the border into Bosnia and Herzegovina must be crossed to reach the southernmost region of Croatia has caused the Croatian Government to plan a bridge from Klek to Pelješac to circumvent the area.