Nicklaus to design his first course in Croatia, at Porto Mariccio Resort

NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Jack Nicklaus has signed on to design his first Jack Nicklaus Signature Course in the Republic of Croatia. The course will be built at the Porto Mariccio Resort, an upscale community on the country's western coast of the Istrian Peninsula.

The Porto Mariccio Resort, the first integrated resort in Croatia, will consist of a luxury hotel that will include a spa, wellness center and meeting facilities; a variety of residential offerings totaling more than 460 units; a 350-berth marina; and the 18-hole golf course.

The resort, which is being developed by the real estate-investment firm AB Maris, will be situated between the towns of Rovinj and Pula, and near the archipelago of the Brijuni Islands.

There are currently just three golf courses to serve Croatia's population of roughly 4.4 million, yet since 1993, Croatia has sported one of the highest growth rates of any transitional country of Central and Eastern Europe, and over the last decade, tourism continues to grow annually. In April, more than 413,000 tourists visited the Adriatic Coast, a 25 percent increase from the same month a year ago, and room nights are up 35 percent from a year ago.

Industry experts have pointed to Croatia as one of the most rapidly growing tourist destinations in Europe, and National Geographic labeled Croatia as the top destination for the 2006 season. Golf seems to be a perfect fit with the country's fast-growing tourism industry, especially with more than 3,600 miles of coastline and a prevailing Mediterranean climate on the Adriatic coast that includes dry, sunny summers and mild winters.

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