New EU Member States from 1st May 2004

If you ever wondered which European countries were joining the European Union this year, look no further, for here is a list:

Country Accession Date Population (mil) Area (km2)
Cyprus 2004 0,728 9’251
Czech Republic 2004 10,3 78’866
Estonia 2004 1,37 45’227
Hungary 2004 10 93’036
Latvia 2004 2,37 64’589
Lithuania 2004 3,7 65’300
Malta 2004 0,39 316
Poland 2004 38,65 312’685
Slovakia 2004 5,4 49’035
Slovenia 2004 1,99 20’253
Total 74,898 738’558

Travel industry experts say that small central European countries joining the European Union on May 1 are unlikely to lose their identity as visitors flood in. The concerns increased following an announcement by low-cost airline easyJet earlier in the year that it will start flights to the Slovenian capital Ljublijana. “It is a viable worry,” Frances Tuke, of the Association of British Travel Agents, told CNN. “There is always some concern over any new travel destination that is poorer than the origin of its tourists.” And Matthew Mavir, boss of lastnightoffreedom.com, a stag and hen weekend package supplier, warned that Ljublijana could easily lose its identity as the big tour operators move in. “It has happened with Prague and Dublin, so there is a definite danger,” Mavir said. “The more money you can save on a low-cost flight to these places, the more you have to spend on beer and going out.” easyJet’s spokeswoman refuted this saying: “That is unfair: easyJet carries a whole range of people from all walks of life, from students to lords and ladies.” A spokeswoman from the Slovenian Tourist Board in London said that Ljublijana attracted a sophisticated sector of the market that would appreciate its charms. “Hotels in the city are still expensive,” she said.