SLOVENIA: Adria Airways Goes Bankrupt And Ceases Operations

The collapse of Adria Airways has cost Slovenia connections to dozens of international markets, a study has revealed.

The national airline filed for bankruptcy and cancelled all flights on Monday.

Adria had previously withdrawn virtually all its flights last week.

Bankruptcy proceedings were initiated by the management of the company because of the company’s insolvency, the carrier said in a statement.

A study by ForwardKeys, the travel analytics firm, revealed that the bankruptcy resulted in the loss of direct flight connections with two dozen countries, including Czech Republic, Spain and Switzerland, all important origin markets for the country.

Adria has accounted for 60 per cent of all international seat capacity to Slovenia.

Other key source markets such as Austria, Germany and France will also be impacted, as Adria Airways accounted for 99 per cent, 87 per cent and 51 per cent of seat capacity on flights from these countries.

The full list of countries, which had direct connections to Slovenia in the past 12 months and have now lost them, comprises: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Macedonia, Norway, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine.

However, the impact is less dramatic than the list suggests, because some of the routes, such as those from Estonia, Georgia and Greece are seasonal, and others, from Cyprus, Hungary, Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Romania and Ukraine are irregular.

Olivier Ponti, vice president, insights, ForwardKeys, said: Given the attractiveness of Slovenia as a destination, I expect other airlines to fill the gaps left by Adria Airways but how long it will take to get back to the previous level is anyone´s guess.

Slovenia, and its vibrant capital Ljubljana, remain accessible and well worth a visit; however, if you were counting on Adria Airways to get you there quickly, you must now allow more time.

So following the collapse of Adria Airways this week, Slovenia’s only airport in Ljubljana has lost almost half of all its air traffic.

Most flights by Adria Airways were feeder flights to Star Alliance hubs, so it is no great surprise that Lufthansa Group announced today it will launch an entire network out of Ljubljana Joze Pucnik Airport within a month.

Simple Flying first reported in June that an Adria Airways bankruptcy was increasingly likely. Adverse circumstances surrounding the Slovenian flag carrier kept growing over the summer and operations officially ceased in full earlier this week.

For years, Adria has been positioned as a feeder to Lufthansa Group hubs, serving Brussels, Frankfurt, Zurich, Vienna and Munich several times daily.

Adria Airways had such a strong relationship with Lufthansa Group that it also had feeder flights to Frankfurt and Munich from the capitals of Albania and Kosovo.

Thus, with the collapse of Adria, Lufthansa Group has been left with a loss of 216 weekly outbound and inbound flights to channel its connecting passengers.

These include 64 weekly flights to Frankfurt, which even for a giant like Lufthansa is not insignificant. 42 of these flights were from Ljubljana, 6 from Tirana and 16 from Pristina.

To fill the acute gap left by Adria in Ljubljana, several Lufthansa Group airlines are stepping in. An entire network is being formed in Ljubljana by Lufthansa’s airlines, despite the Group not having a single route to Slovenia at all at the moment.

Brussels Airlines is launching a six-times-a-week service in November. This will coincide with Wizz Air pulling out of Slovenia and no longer flying the Ljubljana to Brussels route after seven years.

Today, an announcement followed from Lufthansa Group too, that Lufthansa and Swiss will launch their own services.

Lufthansa CityLine will be flying double daily between Frankfurt and Ljubljana with its CRJ900 aircraft. Flights will depart Frankfurt every day at 09.15 am and 4.40 pm, arriving in Ljubljana at 10.30 am and 5.55 pm.

They will then depart Ljubljana at 11.05 am and 6.30 pm, returning to Frankfurt at 12.25 pm and 7.50 pm. Flights are already bookable, from Sunday 27 October, the first day of the winter schedule.

These are clearly timed to coincide with Lufthansa’s morning arrival wave into Frankfurt and evening departure wave out of it. The route is very clearly intended to be a feeder.

From Munich, the German airline will be flying daily starting Friday 1 November. Flights will depart Munich at 10.45 am to arrive at Ljubljana at 11.45 am. They will then depart Ljubljana again at 1.10 pm to return to Munich at 2.10 pm.

Swiss itself will be the first to begin flying, launching five weekly flights in just two weeks’ time. At the start of the winter schedule, on 27 October, the frequency will increase to daily.

Once the frequency increases to daily, the flights will be operated by Swiss’s A220 aircraft. Until then, presumably, because no spare aircraft are available, flights will run as five weekly with a Helvetic Airways E190.

What will be interesting to see is whether Lufthansa Group airlines expand their schedule to Ljubljana to match the capacity that Adria had on these routes.

Adria had three daily flights to Zurich all summer long, while Swiss has only scheduled a single daily rotation.

Austrian Airlines has been absent from this announcement. Adria’s two daily flights to Vienna remain nonexistent and all the feeder traffic to Austrian and Eurowings left unserved.

With Slovenia’s only airport now fully dominated by Lufthansa Group airlines, it will be interesting to see how they adapt their network over time.

It will also be interesting to see which competitors to Lufthansa Group step in to take some of the market share left vacant by Adria.

Meanwhile, bankruptcy proceedings have officially been initiated against Slovenia's Adria Airways following its cessation of operations.

Documentation issued by the district court in the city of Kranj gives creditors three months, until 3 January 2020, to declare claims against the operator.

It names Janez Pustaticnik as the manager.

Adria's latest operating licence, issued in 2011, has been revoked by the Slovenian civil aviation agency and the carrier banned from operating commercial air transport.

Star Alliance has also confirmed, as a matter of formality, that Adria Airways has left the airline group as a result of the bankruptcy.

Adria ceased to be a member of Star on 2 October, the alliance says. It says the situation is a regrettable development, given that Adria has been a member for 15 years.

But Star points out that its links with Slovenia are being maintained by new services from Lufthansa, Swiss and Brussels Airlines

Tourism Observer

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

AUSTRIA: Adria Airways And Austrian Airlines Sign Wet Lease Agreement

Austrian Airlines will start a wet lease agreement with its Star Alliance partner Adria Airways. The aim of the agreement is to have reserve aircraft available to enable greater flexibility in flight planning.

Austria’s flag carrier will lease the aircraft along with cockpit and cabin crew – one as of September 16, 2017, and the other as of October 1, 2017.

The Canadair CRJ 900 jets offer room for 86 passengers and thus have a larger seating capacity than the Bombardier Q400.

According to an announcement, the aircraft will be operated in the Austrian Airlines route network.

Planned destinations amongst others include Warsaw, Venice and Bucharest. Passengers on board will enjoy the customer service provided by DO&CO.

The hub of Adria Airways is at Ljubljana Airport, near the capital of Slovenia.

The Slovenian home carrier is a member of Star Alliance, and has thus been a reliable partner of Austrian Airlines for many years, Austrian Airlines said.

Adria Airways links Slovenia with numerous European cities, and offers flight connections to South East Europe.

The airline’s headquarters are located at Joze Pucnik Ljubljana Airport.

Adria Airways has sales offices in almost all European countries.



Tourism Observer

GERMANY: easyJet Flight Diverted To Germany After Pilot Was Informed Of Suspicious Talk By Three Passengers

An easyJet flight to London has made an unscheduled stop in Germany after the pilot became concerned about a suspicious conversation on board.

Three male passengers have been arrested, Cologne police said in a statement.

The EasyJet flight made an unscheduled stop in Germany after the pilot became concerned about a suspicious conversation on board.

The plane coming from the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana landed at Cologne-Bonn airport at about 6.30pm on Saturday, after passengers reported that the men were talking about "terrorist matters", Cologne police said.

Airport authorities said in a statement that the 151 passengers on board disembarked the plane using emergency slides and were taken to a transit gate where they were checked by police.

Federal police seized a backpack that belonged to one of the men, and exploded it outside of the aircraft, police said. They gave no information on the contents of the backpack and said officials continued to investigate the backpack.

The men continued to be questioned late Saturday evening. Other passengers were also being questioned, police said.

Take-offs and landings were suspended for three hours, causing 10 flights to be diverted to other airports and delays to over a dozen more.

A spokesman for the German federal police said the pilot decided to land the aircraft in Cologne after passengers told airline personnel they had heard the men using words including "bomb" and "explosive".

An EasyJet spokesperson said the captain took the decision to divert the plane as a precaution so additional security checks could be carried out.

In compliance with the local authorities guidance passengers disembarked to allow additional security checks to be performed,the spokesperson said.

We plan to operate the flight tomorrow morning and so are providing all passengers with hotel accommodation and refreshments along with regular updates.

We thank passengers for their understanding. The safety of easyJet's passengers and crew is our highest priority.

No comment was immediately available from federal police.

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.

SLOVENIA: Slovenia Is European Green Capital 2016

The green heart of Europe is inhabited by many people with green hearts. This was evident during a debate at the ITB Berlin Convention, where environmental activists and tourism decision-makers discussed ways in which the world’s first green destination could continue to develop in the future.

The debate began with a review of the current situation: with sixty per cent of the countryside protected and with a basic right to clean drinking water that is even stipulated by the country’s constitution, Slovenia is already showing the way.

The Netherlands-based organization “Green Destinations” has specified 100 criteria that should be met by such destinations, of which Slovenia satisfies 96, according to Zdravko Pocivalsek, the country’s Minister for Economic Development.

Last year Ljubljana, the Slovenian capital, was selected as European Green Capital by the EU Commission.

Factors contributing to this success include the city’s zero refuse strategy, its commitment to clean air and a ban on traffic in the city centre, explains Petra Stusek, Director of Ljubljana Tourism.

The foundations for the country’s transformation into a green destination have been provided by educational and information campaigns and a certification programme, which have already led to the recognition of eleven suppliers and 18 destinations, with a further 20 destinations currently undergoing the acceptance process.

Visitors to the country can experience green tourism at first hand, for example by staying in a tree house in the “Garden Village Bled”, where they can also help in harvesting organic vegetables, engage in various outdoor activities and enjoy the publicly accessible drinking water.

Our vision is for a 100 per cent green Slovenia, explained Maja Pak, Director of the Slovenian Tourism Office.

Pak added that Slovenia wants to set an example for the world, with its authentic and sustainable products.

The event GREEN NIGHT.FOR YOU. featuring the Perpetuum Jazzile group concluded the year-long project of Ljubljana – European Green Capital 2016, on 2 January 2017.

The title European Green Capital 2016 was marked by a year-long program divided into twelve thematic months. January was characterized by smart waste management, February focused on local self-sufficiency, March on responsible waste management, April on quality of the acoustic environment, May on green spaces, June on energy efficiency, July on biodiversity and bees, August on sustainable tourism, September on sustainable mobility and air-quality, October on wood, November on climate change adaptation and in December the programme wound up with eco-innovations, green jobs and sustainable local management.

The information office Point.For You., set up in front of the City Hall, offered a free-ofcharge program all year long to different focus groups. During the whole year over 600 events were held at the information point and almost 34,000 people attended.

All district communities were actively engaged in the program – each of them served as the European Green Capital 2016 Ambassador for three weeks and during that time they prepared diverse activities and events in their own district; over 220 in total.

In addition to district communities numerous partners, from public companies and institutes operating under the umbrella of the City of Ljubljana to schools and kindergartens as well as nongovernmental organizations, individuals and private companies, contributed to the preparation of the program.

Over 300 stakeholders were co creating the program. At the end of the program the information office was moved to Podutik to be used for the promotion of cycling.

In addition, 24 European Green Capital Ambassadors actively took part in the green year program.

Among our colleagues at the City of Ljubljana and its public institutes and companies, notable personalities and regular people living in Ljubljana we chose those who convinced us with their view of the green Ljubljana.

Deputy Mayor Tjasa Ficko indicated that the title European Green Capital 2016 has many positive effects on Ljubljana at home and abroad, and she expressed her delight that the overwhelming majority of Ljubljana’s residents know about the title and that many of them participated in diverse green activities which additionally increased our common environmental awareness.

Especially active were the youngest, namely, over 37,000 children from Ljubljana’s kindergartens and schools participated in the program, and they will most certainly be the best ambassadors of environmentally-friendly development in future.

One of the positive effects of the title is the increased recognizability of Ljubljana abroad; the eyes of the public were focused on us the whole year, we have reinforced the city’s trademark in Europe and beyond, we have received numerous recognitions and awards, the number of foreign visitors has risen and the interest of foreign investors has increased.

All these effects have a positive influence on the quality of life in our city, namely, we have carried out many new projects which have additionally improved the lives of our residents.

Ljubljana, the proud holder of the title European Green Capital 2016, will continue to follow its green path, »as this prestigious title binds us to the principles of sustainable development.

But we are also aware that in all activities we have to keep in mind the green component without which the implementation of planned projects will be impossible in future,concluded the Deputy Mayor Tjaša Ficko.

Ljubljana’s successor at the green throne of Europe is the German city Essen; the official transfer of the title is on 21 January 2017.

The title European Green Capital is the highest recognition the European Commission awards in the field of sustainable city development. Ljubljana, European Green Capital 2016, has in the opinion of the European Commission made the highest number of changes with regard to quality of life in the shortest period of time.

Already in 2007 with the creation of the Vision Ljubljana 2025 we have embarked on the path of sustainable city development and are pursuing set goals within its framework – ensuring quality of life for all residents of our clean, safe, green and orderly city.

The award is of great importance to Ljubljana as it puts us on the European and global map of sustainable cities, and we are the only city in Central and South-East Europe to receive this prestigious title.

SLOVENIA: Celebrating Christmass In Caves Underground

Once part of the former Yugoslavia, yet largely spared from the horrors of the Balkan wars of the 1990’s, this small country-only 7,827 square miles in area, or about the size of the American state of Massachusetts-offers a unique experience for those visitors willing to go out of their way to experience the truly unusual.

For Slovenia possesses an astonishing variety of culture, art, history, and, above all, a unique and wild natural beauty which has remained largely unchanged since the dawn of pre-European history.

And nowhere is this more true than the legendary Postojna Caves, where Nature itself has been the ultimate creative artist.

Located in the densely forested southwestern region of the country, between the Julian Alps and the Adriatic Sea, the caves, designated by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site, have seen millions of visitors-including kings, emperors, robber barons, smugglers, artists, prisoners of war, scientists, and the merely curious-since at least the 13th century.

Its underground network of caves and connecting tunnels extends for almost 24 kilometers (15 miles), and includes a subterranean watercourse.

According to scientific studies, the Postojna caves began forming more than two million years ago, when rain and river water started to penetrate the surface limestone and gradually seeped ever deeper through the porous crust.

Later, stalactites and stalagmites began to take shape. Originally white or light grey due to their original calcium carbonate content, the colors of some changed over time to ochre, red, or yellow whenever iron or magnesium were absorbed.

And then there are the shapes of Nature’s own sculptures themselves-some resembling fine lace curtains, others birds, yet others so bizarre that all you can do is to stare at them and try to use your imagination.

Even Picasso or Henry Moore would have been in awe.

The largest stalagmite, aptly named The Giant, soars to a height of 16 meters (almost fifty feet). There’s also an underground mountain, The Calvary, whose crest stands at 45 meters (about 135 feet).

The caves contain some unusual man-made creations as well: the Russian Bridge, named after the prisoners who built it during World War I, as well as the original railway tracks which were first installed in 1872, and which were used for two-seat carriages made to transport dignitaries, aristocrats and other wealthy visitors while being physically pushed along the tracks by a local guide.

Interestingly, electricity was installed as early as 1884; this meant that, with lamps situated at strategic locations, guides no longer needed to carry candles or lanterns in order to find their way.

Next came petrol powered trains, but these created serious problems because many visitors, understandably, objected to the smoke and fumes in such a confined area.

The “gas guzzlers” were finally discontinued in 1959, when modern electric coaches took their place.

These were also considerably larger and more sophisticated, not to mention comfortable.

Today, each rail convoy can accommodate up to 120 visitors, and many of the guides speak up to nine languages.

The tour itself consists of a combination of open-topped rail carriages, walkways, suspension bridges, and viewing platforms. There’s even a working underground post office.

For enthusiasts looking for something truly different, there are also kayaking tours along the underground river.

One of the tour’s most memorable (and for some, uncomfortable) events take place when all lights are extinguished for two minutes in order for visitors to experience the total darkness and sounds of their surroundings.

That’s usually when the chill finally sets in; the caves’ temperature, whether in winter or summer, is a permanent ten degrees Centigrade, or 50F.

But, as visitors soon learn, humans are not the only inhabitants of the Postojna Caves.

As examples, there are Cave Freshwater Shrimp; Cave Water Bugs; Cave Hoppers; even Cave Lice.

We’ll spare you their long Latin scientific names, but each creature is truly unique.

In all, it’s believed that at least 190 varieties of animal or insect life exist in these caves, including three types of fish.

But, by far, the most prominent and unusual of all is the so-called “Human Fish” (Proteus anguinus), a bizarre creature whose evolutionary presence has made Postojna famous not only in Slovenia, but throughout the global scientific community.

To begin with, Proteus has no eyes, as it exists in permanent total darkness.

Although it breathes through gills as fish do, it also possesses atrophied lungs.

Growing up to 33 centimeters in length, Proteus reproduces not only by eggs, but also through living young.

Even through late medieval times, the creature was widely feared by the few who had actually seen it, and, as rumors spread, even by locals who hadn’t.

Most believed the creature to be the progeny of an evil dragon which inhabited the secret darkness of Postojna’s underworld.

But, for now, let’s move on to the subject of Christmas.

Did you know that Postojna Caves hosts the world’s largest underground Nativity scene?

Or that a full classical orchestra-and an audience of up to ten thousand people all join together every year for a spectacular subterranean Christmas Eve concert?

One of the greatest operatic tenors of all time, Enrico Caruso, was once featured in the event?

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: The Great Museum Of Illusions,

A new museum in Ljubljana promises to be a mind-bending experience. The Museum of Illusions in the Slovenian capital aims to take travellers through a series of optical illusions, holograms and more.

According to its website, visitors will have to have their cameras ready for exhibits that make people look like their head is on a platter, a rotated room where they can walk on the ceiling, an “anti-gravity” room where balls rolls upwards and water flows uphill, and an Ames room that will make visitors shrink and grow like Alice in Wonderland.

There is also the Vortex Tunnel that “will drive you crazy and make you believe you’re heavily struggling just to make a step forward through a rotating cylinder – on a surface so stable and flat”.

But the tricks are intended to do more than just disorient, they are designed to teach visitors about vision, perceptions, the human brain and science. The museum is open every day from 9 am to 10 pm and it located at Congress Square, one of the city’s central squares.

While the museum is new in Ljubljana, it’s not the first of its kind in Europe.

Zadar, Croatia also has a Museum of Illusions, as does Barcelona, Moscow and St Petersburg.

CROATIA: Dubrovnik Tourism Growing Rapidly

With a lot of sunshine, stunning islands and beaches, Croatia has no problem in attracting large number of tourists over the summer months. But is its most recognisable destination – Dubrovnik – turning into an all year round destination?

According to the latest statistics it could well be. November saw a record number of tourists visit the famous stone-walled city in southern Dalmatia.

According to E-visitor 21,632 tourists visited Dubrovnik in November 2016, which is 32% more tourists than in the same month in 2015. Overnight stays, a key measure in tourism, were also up 27% with 50,842 recorded.

In November it was tourists from Croatia, Albania, USA, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Korea, Japan Taiwan, United Kingdom, Germany and Slovenia who made up the majority of 21,632 arrivals.

Dubrovnik is becoming an attractive destination outside the summer months, confirmed by the fact that all year direct flight connections from Frankfurt, Istanbul and London have been established and strengthened.

From 1 January to 30 November 2016 Dubrovnik recorded 1,017,756 arrivals (including nautical tourism numbers), which was 12% more than in the same period last year. Overnight stays (3.6 million) were up 13% from 2015.

The most tourists in 2016 in Dubrovnik came from the UK, followed by Germany, USA, France, Croatia, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Australia and Italy.

SLOVENIA: Ljubljana, Green Capital And Boutique Tourist Destination

Zoran Jankovic, Mayor of Ljubljana

With the arrival of spring, the Mayor of Ljubljana, Zoran Janković, received the Tourism for Tomorrow 2015 award, on behalf of the City of Ljubljana, from the World Travel and Tourism Council at the award ceremony held in Madrid, Spain.

The mayor highlighted that the main criteria for the award was the realisation of the sustainability principles in all areas of urban policy. Annually, Ljubljana generates one million overnight stays and has a long-term aim to increase the number to three million, the mayor also referred to the individual treatment of tourists, as well as the strengthening of congress tourism in the capital. In the spirit of European Green Capital 2016, which the European Commission granted to Ljubljana, there are a set of "green" measures such as restricting motor traffic in the city centre, measures to ensure minimal pollution from public transport and a strategy to implement the concept of reducing waste at its source.

The City of Ljubljana received the WTTC award as a tourist destination for implementing the principles of sustainable tourism. How does Ljubljana implement sustainable tourism and therefore encourage tourist operators?

During the eight years of my leadership of the capital we have moved to living sustainably in all areas, not only in tourism, dnjee. We always encourage our citizens to be even more sustainable, particularly in terms of our relationship to the environment in which we live. It also helps a lot if one citizen to another becomes the best neighbour. The ceremony for the WTTC Tourism award was held in Madrid and was attended by many leading people from large companies such as Ryanair, Turkish Airlines, Japan Airlines, Booking.com etc., who have more revenue than the entire Slovenian budget and, in such company, Ljubljana was rewarded as a tourist destination of the future. From the very beginning I believed in victory, since I am sure no one could be better just because of their origin. However, the truth is that Slovenia, as a young country, confronts the problem of recognition, which also applies to tourism. Such promotion therefore requires some time, however the media itself and the wider public in Slovenia are not aware of what we are actually capable of, what has already been done and what else we can do. Annually, Ljubljana has one million stays and the long-term goal is to have three million, which means a million visitors per year that stay in the city for up to three days. It is important to treat every tourist individually, since the worst thing that could happen is to arrive at a destination with higher expectations than what is on offer. For now, tourists in Ljubljana get more than they expect, but at the same time, the awards we receive also raise tourist expectations.

Do you intend to allocate funds for the promotion of Ljubljana as a tourist destination?

The biggest promotion is all the awards we have already received: the WTTC Award; the European Green Capital 2016; the European Mobility Week award which we received twice… We promote Ljubljana by participating in international exhibitions in Rome, Milan, Berlin, Moscow, London, Vienna and we have even received an invitation from Brazil to participate in promoting Ljubljana as a tourist destination. Ljubljana is becoming an important destination on the world tourist map, which brings many benefits for all the suppliers and workers in tourism.

What is the story of Ljubljana as a tourist town?

Ljubljana has an excellent geographical location in the centre of Europe, which is accessible to all. Unfortunately, we still lack optimal airline and railway infrastructure. What we have is that Ljubljana is a green city, with 75 percent green space, a clean city as we are the first European Capital undertaking the Project Zero Waste. Additionally, Ljubljana ranks among the 20 safest cities in the world and is a town of friendly people who speak foreign languages extremely well. There are challenges still ahead such as a higher category hotel in Ljubljana and strengthening the city for congress tourism. Otherwise, the best advertisement for the city continues to be the praise that is spread by word of mouth. I have always said that Ljubljana is the most beautiful city in the world and there are more and more people at home and abroad using this slogan.

As you have already said, the European Commission granted Ljubljana the title of European Green Capital 2016. What kind of commitment does that brings for a city, perhaps also in numbers?

I believe we received the title based on the Vision of Ljubljana 2025 strategy adopted nine years ago in which we committed to sustainable development and which we have now realised. As stated by the Commission, Ljubljana is a city that has achieved the greatest change in the quality of life in the shortest time. We have restricted motor traffic in the city centre, we are proud of our clean drinking water from the tap which must remain a public good accessible to all, we care for biodiversity, air quality and we introduced eco-innovation, etc.


Very important are also the future measures which we have promised will be realised: for example, newly planted trees - in April the employees of the City of Ljubljana administration have, together with our colleagues from public institutions and companies, planted 4,050 trees. By the end of next year, we will have planted a total of 12,089 trees - one for each employee. In addition, I would like to mention our environmentally friendly public transport and the urban bicycle system, Bicikelj, used by the citizens of Ljubljana. An even greater commitment is that we must spread our good practices to other European capitals. In the near future we plan to visit Ankara; we have already visited Paris, Sarajevo, Berlin and Madrid and attended the meeting of Mayors of Southeast Europe in Belgrade. Therefore, it is a commitment that must be fulfilled and then expanded elsewhere. In addition, rarely can any European capital ensure an equal quality of life for future generations. For the highest award that the city could ever get - the Green Capital of Europe - I am grateful to all my colleagues and the Project Manager, Deputy Mayor Tjaša Ficko.

In May, the renovation of Slovenska cesta, also known as one of the “green” measures in the city, was finished. What are the “green” characteristics of this street renovation and what was the investment in the project?

The investment into the renovation of Slovenska cesta, starting at Šubičeva and ending at Gosposvetska was EUR 3.8m. In addition, we will also renovate Cankarjeva cesta. With regard to the traffic regulation on this part of Slovenska, we had thorough, in-depth discussions regarding whether to have a common transport zone or not. After careful consideration, we decided for a limited speed zone (30 km/h), since it is important that the public transport go through the city centre if our long-term goal is to get the largest possible number of people using it. Overall, 63 small ash trees on the road are already green and after the change in traffic regime, we measured a 44 percent lower carbon footprint and I believe we will maintain the quality even when the zone will be opened for public transport, environmentally friendly taxis and the guests of Hotel Slon.

What is the planned structure of European funds for 2015 and what specific areas and projects have your support as mayor?

The majority of funds are allocated to the Regional Centre for Waste Management project, which we started to implement in 2008 and is worth EUR 144.5m. This year we must realise the rest of the funds amounting to EUR 77m. The centre will then start to function with the purpose of processing the waste generated by a third of the Slovenian population. The second largest project, amounting to EUR 70m, is the construction of a connecting channel in Ljubljana together with an upgrade of the discharge of urban waste water system in the municipalities of Medvode and Vodice and an increase in the Central Waste Water Treatment Plan for which we expect a decision from the European Commission. We also expect further European funding for the renovation of the Cukrarna and Rog buildings. We are hoping that Europe will contribute 85 percent as the main reasons for the renovation of the buildings are energy restructuring, regulation of the pedestrian zone and the preservation of cultural heritage.

This year a prominent sports facility in Ljubljana, Hala Tivoli, celebrates half a century. Over 50 years the hall has hosted over 30 million visitors and a number of events; from world championships to world-renowned musicians. Do you perhaps, at this point, think about renovating or upgrading the building?

Over 50 years there have been many tears in Hala Tivoli, both of happiness and sadness. Hala Tivoli has hosted world names in both sport and music. The renovation of the building is scheduled for 2018, to carry out energy sanitation, increase the ice hall to eight thousand seats and alter the basketball hall to host smaller matches. In the lower part there will be a room for curling established. The net financial value of the works is approximately EUR 8m, entirely funded by the municipality.

SLOVENIA: Slovenia And UAE Sign Economic Cooperation Agreement

Slovenia and the United Arab Emirates have signed an economic cooperation agreement which the two countries see as an opportunity to boost ties in industry, particularly food production, and in tourism.

The deal was signed in Ljubljana on Thursday by Slovenian Economic Development and Technology Minister Zdravko Počivalšek and Economy Minister of the United Arab Emirates Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri.

Počivalšek said on the occasion that volume of goods trade and investment between the two countries was solid, but that there was still lot of room for improvement. Slovenia and the UAE can upgrade their cooperation in construction, housing equipment, food and tourism, he added.

According to the minister, by signing the agreement the two countries have set up the foundation for even better cooperation.

Počivalšek and Al Mansouri also discussed the business environment in Slovenia and investment possibilities on both sides. "I believe that the foundation has been set for advanced cooperation in the fields of trade and foreign direct investment," Počivalšek said.

Al Mansouri agreed that Slovenia and the UAE have good relations. He sees opportunities for enhanced cooperation in environmental protection, innovation, renewable energy sources and food industry.

"Since we are a desert country, we depend on food imports, we import as much as 85% of our food, which is why we decided to cooperate with partner countries around the world in agriculture and food industry," he added.

According to Al Mansouri, the two countries could also cooperate in development of innovative products, which could be marketed also outside Europe.

"The United Arab Emirates can boast a strong investment fund, and in the past we made a lot of investments in the nearby countries, such as Serbia and Montenegro," he said.

Investments by the UAE in Slovenia have been modest so far because the country was little known, Al Mansouri admitted. "The country offers great potential which we could utilise," he added.

The two countries also signed an agreement on cooperation in civil aviation, which Al Mansouri believes will help boost bilateral cooperation. He noted that the UAE had four major airlines, including giants Emirates and Etihad.

Tags: Slovenia, UAE, economic cooperation agreement, Zdravko Počivalšek, Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri

TURKEY: Fastest Growing Airport In Europe - Sabiha Gokcen International Airport

Passenger traffic in Europe grew by an average +5.2% in 2015, according to Airports Council International Europe (ACI EUROPE).

Amongst Top 30 European Airports, Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) in Istanbul recorded the fastest growth in passenger numbers, with a 19.7% growth Y-o-Y.

At EU airports, the average increase in passenger traffic was +5.6% with airports in Ireland, Portugal, Greece, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and Lithuania achieving double-digit growth.

Meanwhile, non-EU airports reported diminished growth of +3.9%. This was mainly due to a significant decline in demand for air travel across Russian and Ukrainian airports, as well as almost flat growth in Norway – despite a stellar increase in passenger traffic in Iceland and sustained growth at most Turkish airports.

Freight traffic at Europe’s airports only grew by +0.7%, as international trade remained subdued. Aircraft movements saw an increase of +2.2%.

ACI EUROPE Director General Olivier Jankovec said:

“2015 has been a very good year in terms of passenger traffic, with European airports welcoming an estimated 1,95 billion passengers. 20% of them achieved a double-digit increase and many broke new traffic records – mostly fueled by the continued growth of low cost airlines and selected non-EU airlines.”

“EU airports generally performed extremely well, despite Germany and France being impacted by airline & ATC strikes and the Paris terror attacks.”

“Remarkably, Istanbul-Atatürk airport became the 3rd busiest European airport with 61,8 million passengers, after London-Heathrow (74,9 million) and Paris-Charles de Gaulle (65,7 million). It should be noted however that small regional airports* across the continent underperformed the European average, with their passenger volume only increasing by +3,8%.”

“This is indicative of traffic growth becoming more concentrated and less inclusive.”

Commenting on the air traffic recovery since the global financial crisis, Jankovec added:

“While the EU economy did not even grow by +3% between 2008 and 2015, passenger traffic at EU airports increased by +13,6% over the same period. Such a wide gap is pointing to a lasting discontinuity in the usual relationship between GDP growth and passenger traffic performance.”

“This is reflective of new market dynamics, changing consumer behaviours and the increased importance of air transport for the European economy.”

Over the full year, airports welcoming more than 25 million passengers per year (Group 1), airports welcoming between 10 and 25 million passengers (Group 2), airports welcoming between 5 and 10 million passengers (Group 3) and airports welcoming less than 5 million passengers per year (Group 4) reported an average adjustment +3.7%, +6.3%, +7.1% and +5.5%.

GROUP 1 Airports: Madrid-Barajas (+12.0%), Istanbul IST (+9.1%), Amsterdam (+6.0%), London LGW and Barcelona El-Prat (+5.7%) and Rome FCO (+5.0%)

GROUP 2 Airports: Istanbul SAW (19.7%), Athens (+19.1%), Dublin (+15.3%), London STN (+12.8%) and Izmir (+12.1%)

GROUP 3 Airports: Milan BGY (+18.6%), Gothenburg GOT (+18.1%), Berlin SXF (+16.9%), Porto (+16.7%) and Glasgow (+12.9%)

GROUP 4 Airports: Ohrid (+53.3%), Ponta Delgada (+29.5%), Astrakhan (+26.1%), Santorini/Thira (+87.6%), Cluj and Timisoara (+25.8%)

Among the airports in the Top 5, several airports will now move to a higher traffic category for 2016.

MACEDONIA: Migrants Go On Hunger Strike At Greek-Macedonian Border

Fears over who may be among the migrants soared after what appeared to be a Syrian passport was found by the body of a man who blew himself up during the Paris attacks; it is not clear if the passport is genuine, but it was carried by someone who arrived in the European Union through Greece and Balkan states in October.

Dariush Yazdani, 25, from Tehran, said he was determined to reach Germany and faced imprisonment were he to return to Iran.

The Macedonian government is reported to have received written notice from Croatia and been informed by telephone by Serbia that Zagreb and Belgrade will send back migrants who do not come from conflict zones.

Slovenia - the next country in the chain - also said it has been turning back economic migrants.

Cyprus Foreign Ministry official Homer Mavrommatis said that the 53 include those who intend to file an asylum claim as well as others who don't pose a security risk.

Serbian Labor Minister Aleksandar Vulin on Thursday blamed both Slovenia and Croatia for the ban on migrants fleeing poverty rather than war. Slovenia later Thursday said it will allow those migrants to proceed toward Austria.

President Gjorge Ivanov said on Friday that there is no cooperation between the Macedonian and the Greek services regarding the border situation, urging for a change. "UNHCR does not think that there is any nation that can be excluded from global protection based on their nationalities, but each case individually should be screened and processed based on the merits of the case".

Hundreds of protesting migrants whom Macedonia refuses to let in because it does not consider them legitimate asylum-seekers are blocking a railway line at the Greek-Macedonian border. A further 2,500 people are waiting in a camp set up nearby to provide shelter for those heading north through the Balkans.

A group of Iranians, blocked from entering Macedonia from Greece by barbed wire and rows of police, erected a banner on Sunday announcing a hunger strike. Migrants believe that Macedonia too should do the same and provide them with undisturbed passage to the country's northern border.

"We have to protect our country".

TURKEY: Another Drowned Kid Found On Turkish Beach

Refugees pray on a highway In Turkey

A four-year-old Syrian girl's body has washed up on a beach in western Turkey, state media says, just weeks after images of drowned Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi shook the world.

The yet-to-be identified girl was found lifeless on a beach in the Aegean town of Cesme in Izmir province after a boat carrying 15 Syrians to the Greek island of Chios sank.

It said the Turkish coast guard rescued the remaining 14 Syrians, including eight children, from the inflatable boat. The girl appeared to be the only casualty.

Harrowing pictures of three-year-old Syrian asylum seeker Aylan, whose body was found washed up on a Turkish beach after the boat carrying his family to the Greek island of Kos sank, caused an outpouring of emotion around the world.

The response pressured European leaders to step up their response to the migrant crisis.

But two weeks later EU members are still at odds over how to accommodate the tens of thousands of new arrivals.

Turkish deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Friday the Turkish coast guard had rescued over 53,000 asylum seekers from stricken boats since the beginning of the year.

He said around 274 asylum seekers had lost their lives in Turkish waters this year seeking to leave the country by sea for Greece.

In another recent tragedy, 22 people who had left Turkey drowned on Tuesday when their wooden boat sank off Kos.

Asylum seekers have in recent days turned to Turkey's land borders with Greece and Bulgaria to avoid the sea voyage that has cost over 2,600 people their lives in the Mediterranean this year.

Several hundred asylum seekers spent a third day camped in and around the Turkish border city of Edirne, which lies 10 kilometres from the Greek border and is being promoted on social media as a safer route out of Turkey than sea journey in overcrowded dinghies.

Under an "open-door" policy championed by president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has taken in 2.2 million Syrian asylum seekers since the conflict in Syria erupted in 2011.

Mr Kurtulmus said Turkey has so far spent almost $11 billion (6 billion euros) to provide for Syrian refugees.

International Organisation of Immigration says a record 473,887 asylum seekers crossed into Europe

A record 473,887 asylum seekers have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe so far this year, the International Organisation for Migration said on Friday, including at least 182,000 Syrians — almost 40 per cent of the total.

The total represents an increase of almost 9,000 from the total the Geneva-based agency gave on Tuesday. But the rate of increase has slowed.

On Tuesday, the IOM said the number of crossings had jumped by more than 32,000 since the previous Friday.

The EU's Eurostat statistics agency said the EU received 213,000 asylum applications from April to June this year, a jump of 85 per cent from the same period in 2014, with over one third coming from Syria or Afghanistan.

It said Germany had the highest number of new applicants, with more than a third of the total for the EU, while Hungary was the country that received the most asylum applications relative to its population size.

Applications from Kosovo, regarded as a "safe" country by most of the EU, dropped sharply in the period, from the top berth with 50,000 requests in the first quarter to just over 10,000 one quarter later.

Across the EU almost 600,000 applications were pending at the end of June, Eurostat said, with 52 per cent of those being processed in Germany.

The European Union must know that Croatia will not become a migrant 'hotspot'. We have hearts, but we also have head.Croatia's prime minister, Zoran Milanovi

Croatia said it cannot and would not accept the burden of thousands of asylum seekers any longer, nor register or accommodate them.

Faced with an influx of more than 13,000 migrants in just over two days, prime minister Zoran Milanovic said on Friday he had called a session of Croatia's National Security Council and that it was time to deal with the problem in a different way

"We cannot register and accommodate these people any longer," he told a news conference.

"They will get food, water and medical help, and then they can move on. The European Union must know that Croatia will not become a migrant 'hotspot'. We have hearts, but we also have heads."

In response, Slovenia accused Croatia on of breaking the rules of the EU and the Schengen zone of border-free travel.

Interior ministry state secretary Bostjan Sefic said Slovenia expected around 1,000 asylum seekers to cross from Croatia in the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Dutch prosecutors said on Friday they had arrested two Syrians suspected of operating a large people-smuggling ring that brought hundreds of Syrian refugees into Europe.

Following a year-long investigation, Dutch authorities arrested a 35-year-old Syrian man living in the southern city of Eindhoven as well as his 26-year-old cousin.

Europol, Europe's police agency, is tracking as many as 30,000 suspected people smugglers who are taking advantage of large flows into the continent of asylum seekers escaping conflict in the Middle East and Africa.
Vatican takes in first Syrian refugee family

Responding to a call from Pope Francis for every Church parish to house refugees, the Vatican City said on Friday it had taken in a family that had fled the war in Syria.

The family — a father, mother and their two children — came from Damascus and are Melkite Greek Catholics, a Christian church with close ties to the Roman Catholic Church.

The Vatican said in a statement the family, which was not named, arrived in Italy on September 6, the day Pope Francis made his appeal for European parishes to open their doors to refugees. The four Syrians have since asked for asylum.
Journey in search of a better life

In a special report, ABC correspondents Mary Gearin, Barbara Miller and Sophie McNeill follow some asylum seekers on their long path through Europe.

"According to the law, for the first six months following the request for asylum those seeking international protection cannot work," the Vatican said.

"During this time, they will be helped and accompanied by the Parish of Santa Anna."

The Vatican City, a micro state which sits in the heart of Rome, contains two parishes — Santa Anna and St. Peter's Basilica.

The Vatican said it could not yet provide any information about a second family that is expected to be housed by the St Peter's administration.

Some parishioners have been openly hostile to the idea of welcoming in Muslims.

Monks in a village in Slovakia had to withdraw an offer to house Christian Syrian refugees after locals baulked at the idea.

The vast majority of Syrians are Muslims, but its small Christian community is one of the oldest in the world, making up an estimated 10 per cent of the population before the outbreak of the Syrian unrest in 2011.

According to its website, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church had some 150,000 members in Damascus in 2010. It is not clear how many have stayed in the city.

SLOVENIA: Ljubljana Airport Passenger Growth Of 11% In 2015

Ljubljana Airport, owned by the Fraport Airport group, serves the capital of Slovenia. Located at the middle of an old trade route between the northern Adriatic Sea and the Danube region, it was the historical capital of Carniola, a Slovene-inhabited part of Austria/Hungary.

Now the city is home to 277,000 people, and in 2014 over one million on-night stays were had by international visitors, with Italy, Germany and the US being the three largest countries for tourists visiting Ljubljana according to the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia. So far this year, the city’s airport is reporting growth of 11% with July seeing passenger numbers surpass the 170,000 mark for the first time.

Ljubljana witnesses growth again
After seeing a period of traffic decline between 2009 and 2012, the airport recorded positive growth for 2013 and 2014 respectively. So far in 2015, the airport has witnessed growth in five of the seven months where data is available, with the months from April through to July recording double digit growth, most notably in May when passenger numbers were up 16% when compared to the same period last year. At this rate Ljubljana Airport might be able to reach 1.5 million by the end of the year. Nonetheless, this is still well below the 1.67 million achieved in 2008.


2015 growth much faster than in previous years
When comparing the same time periods of the past three years between the months of January and July, growth in 2015 has been much faster than that experienced in the previous two years. 2013 and 2014 both showed average growth results of 3.7% and 3.1% respectively. However 2015 has witnessed over double that of 2013 with an average monthly growth rate of 7.8%. The higher growth rates in the most recent summer months means that overall passenger numbers are up 11% in the first seven months of 2015.
SVID says “Good”

When analysing the passenger statistics of 2014 for Ljubljana, the result shows that the airport achieved a SVID score of 8.69 (“Good”). For a comparison, an analysis was also carried out for Zagreb and Belgrade airports. The reason that these two airports were chosen was because of them both also being capitals, and also due to the close proximity that both have to Slovenia in relation to other European capitals. Zagreb achieved a score of 6.46 (“Good”) and Belgrade achieved a score of 8.77, also (“Good”).

Adria Airways runs the show
After reporting a growth when compared to last September of nearly 14%, Adria Airways maintains the number one carrier position out of Ljubljana. One noticeable change from last summer is that Turkish Airlines has now overtaken easyJet to become the airport’s second largest carrier, helped in part by the Star Alliance member reporting a growth in seat capacity of over 25%, making it the third fastest growing carrier out of the Slovenian capital after Montenegro Airlines (+39%) and Air Serbia (+49%).

With SWISS also serving the airport, it means that Star is the major alliance at Ljubljana with three carriers present. SkyTeam and oneworld are also both present at the airport. However, each is only represented by one airline; Air France and Finnair respectively. One airline that is also climbing up the table is Wizz Air, after recording growth in seat capacity of 16% when compared to last summer, the LCC can expect to overtake easyJet (+7.6%) for third spot in 2016 if the rate of growth for both airlines continues at current levels.

LOT Polish Airlines to resume Warsaw
From 2 March next year, LOT Polish Airlines is to resume services to Ljubljana with an initial five times weekly service from Warsaw Chopin operated by E170s, meaning that the airline will help grow the Star presence in Ljubljana to four carriers. From 26 March, the service is expected to increase to six times weekly, with Q400s also being introduced onto the sector alongside the currently planned E-Jet operations.


Zurich now #1 route
After recording a growth of nearly 36%, the 470-kilometre sector to Zurich has become the number one route from Ljubljana, helped by Adria Airways increasing its capacity on the city pair by 9.8%, and SWISS introducing services on the sector in March, according to OAG Schedules Analyser. Although Frankfurt, also run by the Fraport group, witnessed an increase of 0.4% in seat capacity, Zurich’s larger expansion pushes the German hub down to become the second most popular destination in S15 in relation to capacity. What is interesting to note however is that the top four routes from the Slovenian capital are to the large Star Alliance hubs in Europe, with services to Stockholm Arlanda and Copenhagen (both SAS hubs) not appearing in the top 12 routes, but served by Adria Airways, with the former launching on 23 April. The fastest growing route in the top 12 is Belgrade (highlighted in light green), which is new to the list after witnessing a growth of 49%, helped by the increase in services by Air Serbia. Another new route to the list is London Luton (also highlighted in light green), after seeing a seat capacity increase of nearly 24% by operating carrier Wizz Air. As a result of growth witnessed on these two routes, it means that Moscow Sheremetyevo and Skopje both leave the top 12.