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: German Tour Operators In Slovenia Visit

A group of 60 tour operators from Germany is visiting Slovenia along with 15 journalists, which is the fourth major group of representatives of German tourism industry in Slovenia this year, the Slovenian Tourist Board (STO) said on Monday.

The topic of the visit is Slovenia between the Alps and the Mediterranean, with an emphasis on the Slovenian coast, including the towns of Izola and Piran and the Sečoveljske soline saltpans.

The programme of the study visit also includes a visit to the Postojna Cave, the near-by Predjamski grad castle, the capital of Ljubljana and the lakeside resort of Bled.

Majda Rozina Dolenc of the STO office in Germany told the STA that study visits by partners always included visits to "Slovenian tourism icons", adding that the country's biggest competitive advantage was diversity.

This is the fourth visit from Germany after the April visit by 15 tour operators of historical sites and religious centres in Slovenia. In May, 40 tour operators visited the north of Slovenia, with the visit focusing on spas.

In June, a group of representatives of German tourism agencies visited the country as part of the Slovenian Incoming Workshop (SIW), the biggest business event of Slovenian tourism.

In October, German partners of the STO will visit the Terme Maribor spa and hotels in Portorož, while the representation office is also preparing a campaign in specialised German media for the end of the year.

Germany is a major market for Slovenia, as German tourists generated 10.9% of total overnight stays by foreign guests in the first eight months of the year.

SLOVENIA: Ljubljana Fair, Attracts Tourism Providers From 15 Countries

Ljubljana, 1 February - A leading tourism and leisure fair for the Alpine-Adriatic region is opening at the Ljubljana fairgrounds on Wednesday, featuring 330 tourism providers from 15 countries in the region as well as Nepal, India, Jordan and Tunisia.

Running until Saturday, the Natour Alpe-Adria fair will also include a tourism exchange and a series of accompanying events.

In one of the highlights, the award for quality and excellence in the region will be presented to best providers of most innovative tourism packages for activity holidays in natural environments.

Such offerings will be showcased by the Slovenian fishing, mountaineering, kayaking and tourist farm associations, Forest Service, the Slovenian Tourist Board and local tourism associations, among others.

Activities will also be available at the fair, including a climbing rock, zip line and a miniature ski jumping hill for children.

The fair is expected to be launched officially by Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek.