SLOVENIA: Melania Trump's Hometown A Tourist Destination,Travelers Pay $90 For 5-hour Walking Tour

Melania Trump‘s new status as First Lady has put the small nation of Slovenia and the even smaller town of Sevnica on the world map as well as a famous tourist destination attracting many visitors.

Demands for tours of the First Lady’s 5,000-person hometown have increased 30% since the beginning of the year, around the same time Donald Trump was inaugurated.

It’s not cheap, A five-hour-long walking tour of of the town cost $90 for two people, and includes all the must-see stops of Melania’s childhood like her elementary school and the Communist-era apartment building she once lived in and the home of her parents.

It also includes the old factory where her mother designed children’s clothes,now known as a cultural monument.

A lot of people are coming from Europe, Japan, China and the U.S., Mayor Srecko Ocvirk says.

From an anonymous little town, we are now on the world tourist map, the mayor sasys.

Melania is the second foreign-born First Lady behind Louisa Adams, the sixth First Lady of the U.S. who was born in London and married President John Quincy Adams.

Born as Melanija Knavs and raised in Sevinca, the First Lady discovered an interest in fashion and glamor through her mother before she started modeling in Slovenian capital’s Ljubljana, and eventually Europe.

Melania was raised here, she used to be our neighbor, Ocvirk said.

Yes, she’s President Trump’s wife, and that’s what she’s known for. But we want to focus only on her.

The walking tour isn’t the only way the town is celebrating or capitalizing on the First Lady.

A local bakery now makes the “Melanija Torte” and the “First Lady Apple Pie.”

They include American flags with “Prva dama” — translated as “First Lady” — on top of them.



Tourism Observer

SLOVENIA: First Lady Melania Trump Is An Asset For Tourism In Slovenia

Melania Trump smiles at passersby on a highway in Sevnica, Solvenia that reads “Welcome to the Hometown of First Lady” — a billboard that represents more than a celebration of its most famous citizen.

The number of tourists in Slovenia rose by 8 percent year-on-year in March, with tourists booking overnight stays jumping a whopping 30.6 percent and tourists visiting by 22.5 percent, the government’s statistics office say.

Overnight stays in Slovenia by tourists from the United States jumped 30.6 percent while the number of domestic tourists rose by 22.5 percent, the statistics office said on Thursday.

Analysts said domestic tourist figures reflected improved economic conditions in Slovenia, a country which narrowly avoided an international bailout for its banks in 2013 but expects economic growth of 3.6 percent this year versus 2.5 percent in 2016.

The unemployment rate also has improved although no direct connection to the first lady is implicated from 12 percent in March 2016 to 10.2 percent in March 2017.

In April the central European nation of Slovenia celebrated a milestone, at a time when one of its own will be living in the White House after First Son Barron Trump finishes the school year in New York.

Slovenian Ambassador to the United States Dr. Bozo Cerar commemorated the 25th anniversary of U.S. recognition of the European nation by planting a Linden tree in the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.

Slovenians are ‘very proud’ that Trump is first lady. She has helped the nation’s visibility considerably, he said, noting that Americans no longer mix his country up with Slovakia, a huge improvement.

Because of Melania,Americans are traveling to Slovenia like never before.

The First Lady was born Melanija Knavs, in the village of Novo Mesto, then part of Yugoslavia. She moved to New York in 1996.

In March 2017, Slovenia honored her by introducing "First Lady" wine, a red wine produced in the region near her hometown of Sevnica.

ISRAEL: Trump Arrives In Israel

In a visit fraught with symbolism, President Trump on Monday became the first sitting U.S. president to set foot in the Old City of Jerusalem.

The president and first lady Melania Trump visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditional site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial and resurrection, and the Western Wall, part of the Jewish temple complex destroyed by Rome in 70 C.E.

The walled Old City lies in East Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel from Jordan in the Six-Day War 50 years ago. Israel's subsequent annexation of East Jerusalem is not recognized internationally.

The White House said the visit was unofficial and private. The U.S. considers the status of Jerusalem unresolved and subject to negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not accompany the president to the Old City.

Nonetheless, Trump's visit and particularly his brief stop at the Western Wall, Judaism's most revered religious site carried profound significance.

Trump said in joint remarks with Netanyahu later Monday that he was "deeply moved" by the experience. It will leave an impression on me forever.

Netanyahu said the Israeli people "applaud" the U.S. president for making the trip.

According to the White House, the visit affirmed the theme of Trump's first overseas trip, promoting unity and peace among the three Abrahamic faiths.

The president stopped first in Saudi Arabia, home of Islam's most sacred sites. Wednesday he is scheduled to visit Pope Francis in Vatican City.

But when it comes to the Western Wall, real estate plays as large a role as religious faith.

Israelis celebrate the "reunification" of Jerusalem in 1967 as a national holiday. Its 50th anniversary, according to the Jewish calendar, begins on Tuesday night, just hours after Trump leaves Israel.

The Wall sits at the base of a plateau which Jews call the Temple Mount and Muslims call the Noble Sanctuary. Since the 7th century C.E. it has been the site of Islam's Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Trump did not visit the Muslim sites above the Western Wall.

Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who are observant Jews, joined the president and his wife. The chief rabbi of the Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinovich and his wife Yael, greeted them.

In accordance with traditional Jewish religious practice in which men and women sit separately during prayer — Trump's wife and daughter went to the women's section with the rabbi's wife.

On the men's side, Trump approached the Wall alone, rested the palm of his hand on it and stood silently for about 15 seconds. He placed a note between the massive stones, a centuries-old tradition of supplication.

Israeli security closed off much of the normally bustling Old City in advance of Trump's visit. A large temporary security screen blocked views of the Western Wall.

Many Israelis remarked that the president's visit implicitly affirmed Israel's claim to the site, though Trump has made no public statement to that effect.

In their press conference, Trump and Netanyahu reiterated their plans to work together. We understand each other, Netanyahu said, thanking Trump for the change in American policy on Iran and the reassertion of American leadership in the Middle East.

Referencing his earlier visit to Saudi Arabia, Trump said he believed a new level of partnership is possible in the Middle East.

This includes a renewed effort at peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. I've heard it's one of the toughest deals of all, but I have a feeling that we're going to get there eventually, he said. I hope.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will donate a combined $100 million to a World Bank fund for women entrepreneurs that was the brainchild of Ivanka Trump.

The announcement by World Bank President Jim Young Kim came during a visit to Saudi Arabia by President Trump, who was accompanied by his wife, Melania, daughter Ivanka and son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

We thought it was a fantastic idea, Kim said. But we had no idea how quickly this would build. This is really a stunning achievement. I've never seen anything come together so quickly, and I really have to say that Ivanka's leadership has been tremendous.

The money will help kick off a $1 billion women's empowerment fund that the World Bank will announce in July, he said.

The UAE's U.S. ambassador, Yousef Al Otaiba, said in a statement that the promised donation reflects our commitment to empowering women in our region and builds on the progress we have made in our country, where women play a role in every segment of society.

The donation raised some eyebrows, since candidate Trump regularly excoriated the Clinton Foundation for accepting donations from repressive Middle East regimes such as Saudi Arabia.

Facebook posting in which Trump said, Saudi Arabia and many of the countries that gave vast amounts of money to the Clinton Foundation want women as slaves and to kill gays. Hillary must return all money from such countries!

During an October debate, Trump also told Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Saudi Arabia giving $25 million, Qatar, all of these countries.

You talk about women and women's rights? So these are people that push gays off business off buildings. These are people that kill women and treat women horribly. And yet you take their money.

The World Bank fund, which provides technical help and investment funding for women business owners, differs from the Clinton Foundation in some significant ways.

While Ivanka Trump proposed the idea along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, she is not involved with its operation.

Norm Eisen, former ethics official for the Obama Administration and a regular critic of the Trump family's conflicts of interest, noted in an email to NPR, In my view foreign government donations to a fund run by a reputable international organization like the World Bank for a good cause are generally acceptable.

But Eisen said the donations need to be strictly vetted and must be transparent.

Based on what we know, there's no reason to believe that those two things did not happen. That said, the hypocrisy is concerning, and the general miasma of corruption that surrounds all things Trump suggests some extra scrutiny here, he added.

I don't see this fund as a big problem if she does not solicit donations and it is entirely World Bank run, said Richard Painter, former ethics adviser to the George W. Bush administration.

But the Saudis could try letting women drive cars too. That would be good for entrepreneurship, he said.

Earlier in the day, Ivanka Trump met with a group of elite Saudi women at Tuwaiq Palace in Riyadh, where she largely avoided sharp criticism of the country's treatment of women.

There's still a lot of work to be done to empower women in both Saudi Arabia and the United States, she said.

ISRAEL: Donald Trump Jets To Israel

US President Donald Trump arrived in Israel shortly after noon on Monday for a historic visit in the second leg of his whirlwind maiden foreign tour as president. Israel rolled out the red carpet for Trump at Ben-Gurion Airport, where the president is due to touch down on Air Force One after two days in Saudi Arabia.

After meeting in private for nearly an hour, US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been joined in the room by their senior advisers, including US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Special Envoy Jason Greenblatt, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner.

IDF spokesperson's office confirms that an Israeli drone has fallen in Lebanese territory, but says it was not shot down.

Arab media is reporting that an Israeli drone has fallen over Lebanese territory and that its debris was collected by the Lebanese military for inspection. According to the report, the drone was an Israeli skylark.

Whats on the menu for the Trumps and Netanyahus tonight?

Segev Moshe says there will be lots of "gold" touches at dinner tonight, but not a drop of alcohol.

Referencing the alleged intelligence leak, in which the US president is accused of revealing classified intelligence from an Israeli source to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week, Trump assures reporters that he "never mentioned the word Israel."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with US President Donald Trump in Jerusalem.
The two exchange pleasantries in front of the cameras, ahead of dinner and discussed Trump's progress on countering Iran during his visit over the weekend in Saudi Arabia.
"Iran will never have nuclear weapons, that I can tell you," Trump said in the meeting.

Trump on Iran deal: "We gave them wealth and prosperity and we also gave them an ability to continue with terror."

First ladies tour Jerusalem Medical facility.

US First Lady Melania Trump and Sara Netanyahu toured Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem on Monday afternoon.

The wives of the US president and the Israeli prime minister were received by Hadassah Women’s Zionist Organization of America national president Ellen Hershkin and Hadassah Medical Organization director-general Prof. Zeev Rotstein.

Palestinians are not impressed with Israel's good will gestures timed for Trump's visit.

President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and their wives immediately bonded on Monday over their disdain of the media.

Standing on the tarmac at Ben-Gurion Airport shortly after the Trumps' arrival in Israel from Saudi Arabia, the foursome were making small talk as a microphone picked up their banter.

The majority of people in Israel love us, unlike the media, Sara Netanyahu told the visiting couple. "So we tell them how you are great, and they love you," she said.

The president responded: "We have something very much in common."
Netanyahu added that it sounded familiar, before his wife said: "Very much in common, we will talk about it at dinner… the same media."

While The president and his entourage are resting at the King David Hotel. Now's the time to discuss Ivanka's fashion choices.

On this day of firsts, it wasn't the statements or the speeches that made top headlines; it was the antics of a single Likud MK who stole the show with a display of chutzpah on the red carpet.

US President Donald Trump and his entourage have departed from the Western Wall and are on their way to the King David Hotel, Jerusalem.

The President of the US, Donald Trump prays at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site. This is the first time a sitting American President has done so.

US President Donald Trump is walking into the Western Wall Prayer Plaza in Jerusalem's Old City.

While at a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, US president Donald Trump retweeted a post by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

An attempted stabbing attack took place in Abu Dis in east Jerusalem Monday afternoon, according to Channel 2. The attempted stabbing was thwarted after the attacker was "neutralized" by authorities.

According to former CIA and NSA Director Michael Hayden the classified intelligence information which US President Donald Trump recently leaked to Russia may have come from two countries the countries are Israel and Jordan.

US President Trump arrives at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where he is holding a private prayer before heading to the Western Wall. The president's tour to the holy sites created controversy in the lead up to the visit. You can read all about it in this story by Seth Frantzman

President Trump departs from the President's Residence en route to Jerusalem's Old City, first to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and then to the Western Wall.

US President Donald Trump puts Iran in the spotlight in Jerusalem address.
"Iran must never be allowed to possess nuclear weapon, never ever"

Trump talks about prospects of peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
US President Donald Trump: There is a growing realization among Arab neighbors that they have common cause with you."

Trump Calls Israel an "amazing country" in address after meeting with President Rivlin.
Trump speaks out against terrorist groups and Iran; "Together we can work to end the scourge of violence that has taken so many lives here in Israel and around the world."

President Rivlin and Trump Deliver statements after one-on-one meeting.

Rivlin begins by thanking Trump for his visit "Mr. President, we are happy to see that America is back in the area. America is back again."

He goes on to speak about the hope for peace: "I welcome your willingness to help us move forward. We want to move forward, and we must do it, together."

Trump talks peace at the President's Residence.

"Enough of the bloodshed and killing," US President Donald Trump said during the event at President Reuven Rivlin's official residence in Jerusalem.

He suggested that reigniting the peace process would be at the top of the trip's agenda: "Being in Israel is very special. We expect to have some very interesting talks."

Trump meets with Rivlin at the President's Residence

Trump is holding a bilateral meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin after arriving in Jerusalem. Trump's schedule for the day includes a visit at the Western Wall and a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before a festive dinner at the Prime Minister's Residence.

From plane to chopper to armed limo, President Trump goes to meet his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin in Jerusalem.

Marine One lands at the President's Residence in Jerusalem.

Another shot of the Trump helicopter.

In a move that is sure to go viral, Israeli MK Oren Hazan causes a national embarrassment at Trump's reception.

President Trump boards "Marine One" helicopter that will take him to Jerusalem.

Next Stop the President's Residence: The rest of Trump's delegation will drive in a convoy to the Israeli capital on the main highway that was shut down for the visit.

Trump and Netanyahu are now in chopper heading from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, where Trump will meet with Rivlin.

Bennett to Trump: We hope you'll be first president to recognize united Jerusalem

Education Minister Naftali Bennett greeted US President Donald Trump upon his arrival in Israel on Monday afternoon at an elaborate red carpet greeting ceremony at Ben-Gurion Airport. "Welcome to Israel Mr. President," he told the American leader.

"On the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem, we hope that you will be the first president to recognize a united Jerusalem."

POTUS shakes hands with Israeli ministers "forced" to attend ceremony.

Tillerson in Israel: Trump is ready to engage personally in Mideast peace.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Monday President Donald Trump was prepared to invest his personal efforts into Middle East peace if Israeli and Palestinian leaders were ready to be serious about engaging in the process.

Tillerson, speaking to reporters on Air Force One, said a three-way meeting between US, Israeli and Palestinian leaders was for a "later date" rather than on this trip.

Trump at Ben-Gurion Airport: 'We love Israel, we respect Israel'

US President Donald Trump reaffirmed the "unbreakable bond between the US and the State of Israel" on Monday upon arriving in Israel during his first foreign trip in office. "We love Israel, we respect Israel, and we send your people the warmest greeting from your friend and ally - all of the people of the United States."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomes Donald Trump to Israel

The world, the middle east, Israel need a strong US, the US needs a strong Israel.

President Trump reviews honor guard at Ben-Gurion Airport.

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump exit Air Force One

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner arrive at Ben-Gurion Airport for the welcome ceremony

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara ready to meet US President Donald Trump at the bottom of the Air Force One staircase.

Police wrap up security preparations

Israeli Police confirmed that they are now done with heightened security preparations for Trump's visit to the Western Wall this afternoon. All sites where Trump will be visiting have now been secured.

Air Force One lands in Ben-Gurion Airport, starting first official trip to Israel.

US President Donald Trump arrived in Israel on Monday shortly after noon as Air Force One touched down at Ben-Gurion Airport after departing earlier in the day from Saudi Arabia.

Members of the Harley Davidson club set out on a ride honoring US President Donald Trump as he arrives in Israel for the first time as sitting president.

They started the ride at 12:00 p.m. in Tel Aviv and finished it in front of the US Embassy, blocking traffic along HaYarkon Street in Tel Aviv as the ceremony welcoming Trump to Israel unfolded at Ben-Gurion Airport.

Police now saying suspected car ramming was a traffic accident, not terror related.

A car has rammed into pedestrians in central Tel Aviv. Injured people on location.

Trump's arrival in Israel delayed by half hour

US President Donald Trump is en route to Israel from Saudi Arabia, where he spent the first two days of his foreign trip. He is expected to arrive in the country at 12:45 p.m. and will be received in an official ceremony at the Ben-Gurion Airport. His landing has been postponed by thirty minutes, as he was initially expected to arrive at 12:15 p.m.

US President Donald Trump departed from Saudi Arabia directly en route to Israel on Monday morning as part of his first foreign tour in office.

On Tuesday, Trump is scheduled to meet Abbas in Bethlehem, and immediately thereafter the US president is slated to return to Jerusalem for a very brief visit to Israel's Holocaust Museum, Yad Vashem. From there Trump will head straight to the Israel Museum, where he is expected to make a speech with which his trip to the Middle East will conclude.

Trump arrives in the region amid repeated iterations of hope that he can help restart the frozen diplomatic process between Israel and the Palestinians. His arrival in the Holy Land also comes as all sides await to see if he will make any announcement on his campaign pledge to move the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Trump's nine-day trip through the Middle East and Europe ends on Saturday after visits to the Vatican, Brussels and Sicily.

SLOVENIA: Slovenia To Become Five-star Destination

After another record-breaking year in tourism, there is no time to rest on laurels, Slovenian Tourist Board (STO) boss Maja Pak believes.

Those working in the sector have to focus on further increasing revenue to catch up with the rise in both arrivals and overnight stays, she has told the STA.

Following the milestone year 2015, when Slovenian tourism workers recorded more than 10 million overnight stays for the first time since the country's independence, the growth continued last year.

In the first eleven months of 2016, the number of foreign tourist arrivals grew by 12% and the number of overnight stays by 10% year-on-year, according to the Statistics Office's data. The central bank meanwhile reported a 2.3% rise to EUR 1.8bn in January-September revenue generated by exporting travel.

The figures were above the EU average, which did not happen by chance, because last year Slovenia invested the most funds in tourism promotion in the history of the country, Pak has said.

A digital campaign to promote Slovenia as a tourism destination, dubbed Make New Memories, was carried out in 13 countries in 12 languages. It greatly exceeded its targets, achieving 217 million ad impressions, 86% more than originally planned, and reaching more than 42 million users, 68% above the target.

Also helping promote Slovenia abroad are top achievements of Slovenian athletes, the highly publicised birth of "baby dragons" in the Postojna Cave and the future US first lady, Slovenian-born Melania Trump, Pak added.

"Together, it all works to increase the interest in Slovenia and gives us the opportunity to promote Slovenia as green, active and healthy."

Despite the positive trend, there is no time to rest on laurels, as revenue growth has lagged behind the growth in the number of overnight stays.

"We have to take this as a challenge to develop products with a higher added value, so that we can address guests with a higher purchasing power," Pak has stressed.

Digital promotion will continue to dominate the STO's efforts, including with the overhauled www.slovenia.info portal.

"Foreign tourists...have been put in the focus and the portal adapted to it," Pak has said at the recent inauguration of the updated portal.

The Ministry of Economic Development and Technology has also joined the efforts, drafting a number of legislative changes to boost the sector's growth.

Among them is a proposal to raise the tourist fee from EUR 1.265 to up to EUR 2.5 based on the number of overnight stays in an individual municipality.

Of the fee, 50 cents would be earmarked for the promotion of Slovenian tourism abroad, which would add four million euros to the STO's annual marketing budget.

Another major change in the making is a legal framework for apartment rentals via websites, such as Airbnb.

A new strategy of sustainable development of tourism for 2017-2021 will be drafted in the first half of this year, with the ministry promising to make it "short, concise and goal-oriented".

The new strategy should help Slovenia reach the goal of three billion euros in travel export revenue: "It is our vision for Slovenia to become a five-star destination," the ministry has announced.

SLOVENIA: Slovenia Enjoying Tourism Growth Home Country Of United States First Lady Melania Trump

The Slovenian tourism industry has been boosted by the fact that it is the home country of new United States First Lady Melania Trump, preliminary figures of the national Statistics Office showed on Tuesday.

The number of overnight stays in Slovenia by American tourists jumped by 15.4 percent in December and 10.2 percent in the whole of 2016.

The total number of tourist overnight stays in Slovenia rose by 7.6 percent to some 11.1 million in 2016 versus a rise of 7.2 percent in 2015.

The overall number of foreign tourist stays was up by 10.3 percent in the whole year with most visitors coming from Italy, Austria, Croatia, Germany and Serbia.

Slovenia's government expects tourism to help towards a further boost to the country's economy which is seen expanding by 2.9 percent this year versus some 2.3 percent in 2016.