January 24, 2018
The STA reports January 24, 2018, that Conventa, the 10th exhibition for conventions, business meetings and events in SE Europe, kicked off in Ljubljana on Wednesday with almost 4,000 business meetings scheduled. A total of 119 exhibitors from 16 countries are expected at the two-day event.
Congress tourism has been on the rise in Slovenia and the outlook for the future is good, as both the number of events as well as number of participants of events is expected to rise.
According to the head of the Slovenian Tourism Board, Maja Pak, this segment of tourism brings high added value, because congresses participants are the biggest spenders.
Global estimates show that attendants of major events spend some 500 euro a day, Pak said at today's press conference at the start of Conventa.
The UK estimates that business meetings generate some 2.9% of GDP.
Business tourism is also crucial for expanding the tourism season, which is an important goal of the Slovenian tourism, so it is listed among the three main products in the new strategy of sustainable growth of the Slovenian tourism.
Conventa is organised in close partnership with the STO and Ljubljana, which thus gets a chance to present itself as a destination.
According to the head of Turizem Ljubljana, Petra Stušek, business guests represent more than a fifth of total guests in the capital.
This year is expected to be record-breaking for business tourism in Ljubljana, as more than 30 events by international associations have already been confirmed, seven of which will have more than 1,000 participants.
Stušek pinpointed flight connections as a big challenge for Slovenian tourism and in particular business tourism, which is why she welcomed this year's six new flight routes to Ljubljana - from Hamburg, Geneva, Bucharest, Dubrovnik, Sofia and the Croatian island of Brač.
At least 1,000 tourist stays are generated in the capital because of Conventa in January every year, which is otherwise a quiet month for tourism.
Conventa has so far hosted 2,286 guests from 48 countries and 1,992 exhibitors from 17 countries, said the event's co-organiser and the editor-in-chief of the Kongres magazine, Gorazd Čad.
