Serbia has invited Croatia to join in the creation of "Roads of the Roman Emperors" tour that would include visits to historically important places along the former empire's routes.

The tour would include Roman roads, acqueducts and amphitheaters in Constance, on the shore of Black sea and in other cities of former Dacia (today’s Romania and Bulgaria), Sirmium (Srijemska Mitrovica), Naissus (Nis) and Gamzigrad in Serbia, and the Croatian towns of Sisak, Zadar, Split with its Diocletian palace and Pula.

Croatian Ministry of Tourism has confirmed interest in the tour but said that the project remains in its initial stages.

The tourist agencies in Dubrovnik – which have been basing their offers on culture and history for decades – seem not to be too impressed with the idea, the daily Slobodna Dalmacija writes.

"Culture and history are the key parts of several tours that were created by us and which have been a standard part of our offer for a long time. I do not think that there should be a very narrow specialization in tourism and I do not see a reason why we should divide our offers in segments," says Boro Aleksic, the director of the tourist agency "Elite Travel."

Tourists are interested in everything: culture, history, natural beauty, gastronomy and everything else, Aleksic reminds. For those with a keen interest in any particular segment, special programs can also be made.

Manda Horvat, the head of the cultural tourism department at the Ministry of Tourism said that if Croatia joins the project, it would probably be another several years until it could be realized. She says that a project is an interesting initiative of a kind that are very popular in Europe.

An expert associate for tourism in the Dubrovnik County chamber, Marica Pulitka says that she understand tourist agencies' reaction, but that they would not be the ones bearing the costs of determining the routes. Tourist boards would be in charge of the new products, and their job would be to evaluate the level of interest in the new initiative.

Only after they do their part of the job, the programs would be taken over by tourist agencies, she said.

Greece has come to the idea of organizing a tour titled "the Return of Argonauts" also with Croatia’s participation. This tour would include Italy, Malta and some other countries. Both programs would seek funds from the European Union for their realization, the daily writes.