STA, 19 February 2020 - Representatives of tourism companies and of tourism and hospitality trade unions signed on Wednesday an agreement involving a two-stage increase of the lowest basic wages by a total of 10.25%.

The annexe to the collective bargaining agreement for the sector envisages a 5% increase as of 1 March and 5.25% more as of 1 July, as well as a EUR 100 increase in the holiday allowance compared to 2019 to EUR 1,150.

Commenting on the rise, the Tourism Chamber pointed out social partners in the sector had already agreed on a 4% pay increase in 2019.

Also, the minimum wage increased across the board in Slovenia from EUR 886.63 to EUR 940.58 gross, while bonuses have also been excluded from the minimum wage, which is the wage of a large share of tourism and hospitality workers.

According to the chamber, representatives of Slovenian tourism companies have thus shown they are aware of the need to additionally motivate workers in the sector, since they are the key to increasing quality.

The trade unions have for some time been warning about continuing issues, including a lack of staff, chaotic working time, poor working conditions and low pay.

They argue these reasons contributed to the lack of interest for the profession and its increasing dependence on foreign workers and students. This is however at odds with the strategy for the development of Slovenian tourism, which aims to increase quality and prices.

Want a world record for the most countries visited in a short period of time? Then add Slovenia to the list. Andrej Roza Rozman has a comic poem that calls Slovenia the nation with the best location, and while that could be argued pro and con from a variety of angles, it’s an undeniable truth that Slovenia is easy to traverse and neighbours four countries. It’s even got the Tromeje (Triple Border), where it meets Italy and Austria, giving the rare opportunity to be in three countries at once.

Tromeje, or Tri confini in Italian, where can visit three countries in no time

What follows are thus the nine records in the current Guinness Book of World Records that make use of Slovenia’s strategic location to achieve feats of considerable planning and ultimate success.

In 2011 Greg Parmley, from the UK, lived his dream and became the current world record for the most music festivals visited in 30 days. Parmley went to shows in Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Switzerland and the UK. I’m not sure, but it looks like the one in Slovenia was Metal Days, then known as Metal Camp.

2013 is the year that will stay in the minds of Kasper De Wulf and Alexander Hautekiet (two Belgians) as the one in which they entered the record books with the distinction of playing the most full 18-hole rounds of golf in different countries in 24 hours. History was made when the duo teed off in Slovenia (at the Bled Golf & Country Club, which saw the lowest round of the day, 80), Austria, Germany, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

Skiing isn’t a sport associated with the UK, but that in March 2014 that didn’t stop Jamie Stevenson from enjoying the slopes in a powdery fresh 17 countries in a single month. He set out on his journey from Scotland, and then visited Spain, Andorra, France, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, and Norway.

If I told you that in 2014 Leo Tergujeff, a Finn, made history’s longest journey on a telescopic handler would you know what I was talking about? Here’s a telescopic handler:

Wikimedia: Alf van Beem, CC-by-1.0

It on one of these that Mr Tergujeff brought honour to his community by travelling 4,296 km. He started in Italy and spent a few days over the month of May to travel back to his homeland, like a salmon returning to spawn. In total he drove through Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden and Finland, seven countries overall.

Back in the heady days of 2015, when Britain’s continued engagement in the remarkable and highly beneficial EU was not in serious question, two natives of that land, Andrew Frankel and Rebecca Jackson, managed to visit the most countries on a single tank of fuel. The couple took advantage of the Schengen agreement and enjoyed freedom of movement through a total of 14 sovereign states. Starting in the Netherlands, the couple – whose automatic right to live, work and retire in many of these nations has just been lost – drove on to Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia then Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Hungary.

In 2016 a Belgian with the wonderful name of Frederik Van Overloop fully charged a Tesla Model S and set out on a 16-hour, 585.7 km journey that took in seven countries: Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia.

2016 also saw the record set for the most countries visited by bicycle in 24 hours by a team, in this case two guys, James van der Hoorn and Thomas Reynolds, both British. The pair cycled through Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, before finishing in Poland, with six countries covered

Much the same records, most countries by bicycle in 24 hours – were set for the men by the Hungarian David Kovari in 2017, peddling into Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, and Croatia, for a total of seven. The female record was set the same year, and by another Hungarian, Maja Tóth, who powered herself into five nations, namely Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia.

STA, 6 February 2020 - The outgoing government on Thursday approved Slovenian Sovereign Holding's (SSH) asset management plan for 2020, which also contains a long-awaited plan to consolidate, manage and restructure state-owned tourism companies.

The tourism consolidation plan has been months in the making, but the government did not provide any details about it after today's session.

Similarly, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, the initiator of the changes, did not reveal any details when leaving the session, saying only that the plan had been discussed.

His ministry told the STA earlier this week that the tourism consolidation plan pursued goals from the 2017-2021 strategy on sustainable tourism growth.

The strategy governs the consolidation of state-owned tourism companies in terms of ownership and management under the roof of a special state holding.

The state's tourism assets would be consolidated within a holding which would stem from a special company the bad bank has set up after seizing Istrabenz Turizem shares.

Transfer of the shares of tourism companies Istrabenz Turizem and Thermana is pending, awaiting government approval of the tourism consolidation plan.

The new holding is also expected to feature the state's stakes in Sava Turizem (including Hoteli Bernardin), Hit Alpinea, Terme Olimia, Adria Ankaran and Unitur.

Počivalšek believes the consolidation should help the companies improve their performance and increase value, which would be a good basis for a "well thought-out" privatisation.

The newspaper Delo reported that the goal was to increase the value of the companies by EUR 400 million in eight years.

To buy the remaining stakes the state does not yet hold in these companies, for instance the York fund's over 40% stake in Sava or Unitur, the business daily Finance said EUR 40-60 million could be needed.

Delo said that investments of the tourism companies pooled by the new holding, some of which are still quite indebted, are planned to over EUR 200 million.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is reportedly interested in recapitalising the holding, which would give more leverage for investment.

In today's press release, SSH said the consolidation and restructuring of the state's tourism portfolio would be carried out in several stages.

The key goals will be increasing the portfolio's value and improving its profitability as well as further development of the tourist industry in line with the strategy.

It also said the state's tourism portfolio represented a significant part of the Slovenian industry, so its consolidation would have a positive impact on the entire industry.

Meanwhile, SSH's annual asset management plan, which specifies management of individual sectors and of specific investments, sets the target return on equity for 2020 at 5.9%.

This is 0.3 of a percentage point less than in 2019, but SSH boss Gabrijel Škof has recently said this is due to lower anticipated economic growth, one-off events in 2019 and regulatory requirements.

The custodian of state assets plans dividends at EUR 142.4 million, of which EUR 102.9 million would go directly to the state and EUR 39.5 million to SSH.

Last year's dividends amounted to EUR 250.4 million as a result of the sale of banks NLB and Abanka, while no major sales of state assets are planned for this year.

In the release SSH said that following the privatisation of the two banks, the share of financial companies in its portfolio had significantly dropped as had the share of important and portfolio investments, whereas the holding continues to manage many strategic investments, the return on equity of which is usually lower.

The annual asset management plan consists of a general public part and a special part which details each individual asset, SSH explained.

It said that the government had also adopted criteria to assess the performance of companies with a state stake.

Leaving the government session, Infrastructure Minister Alenka Bratušek told the press her proposal to put quality services before profit in companies carrying out public service, such as the national railway and postal companies, had not been included in the SSH's annual plan.

STA, 31 January 2020 - Some 6.2 million tourists visited Slovenia last year, a 5% increase compared to 2018. The number of overnight stays grew 0.6% to roughly 15.8 million, shows Statistics Office data released on Friday.

The number of Slovenian tourists increased by 1.3% to 1.5 million, while the number of foreign tourists grew by 6.3% to 4.7 million.

The bulk of the foreign tourists came from Italy, Germany and Austria, but while Austrians opted more often for holidays in Slovenia (up 10.7%), Italians were less likely to visit the country (down 8.5%).

Meanwhile, the number of tourists in December 2019 was on par with the year before. On the other hand, the number of overnight stays decreased by almost 9%.

The Christmas holiday season attracted foreign tourists mostly from Italy (26% of the foreign tourists), Austria (11%), Croatia (10%), Germany (6%) and Serbia (5%). Spas, the Slovenian Alps, the capital and the seaside were top destinations at the end of 2019.

Related: Where Did the Visitors to Slovenia Come from in August 2019?

This week is Chinese New Year, so what better time to read about the growth of Chinese tourism in Southeastern Europe? Dragon Trail has an interesting article titled “The Southeastern Europe Chinese Tourism Boom”, by Sienna Parulis-Cook. It looks at recent trends in travel from the Middle Kingdom to this part of the world, and the states of the former Yugoslavia in particular.

"My Green Travel" -Slovenia has a Chinese website

It notes that the region has seen some of the world’s highest growth rates for Chinese tourism in recent years, with Montenegro more than doubling its tourism numbers in the first nine months of 2019, while in the first half of the year Slovenia saw 46,032 arrivals and 71,571 overnight stays by Chinese tourists, up by 22.5% and 37.6%, respectively. To put those numbers in context, the entire Chinese outbound tourism market grew by just 12% in 2019.

Two of the most viewed Chinese language videos on Slovenia on YouTube

Why such growth? One reason is the ease of visa-free entry in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the fact that both Croatia and Montenegro allow entry to anyone holding a Schengen visa, while Slovenia is already within the free movement zone. Another is the growing business connections between the region and China, most notably via the Belt & Road Initiative to link Eurasia and Africa, with Southeastern Europe being a key route to Northern Europe.

Related: Where Did the Visitors to Slovenia Come from in August 2019?Where Did the Visitors to Slovenia Come from in August 2019?

A third is the growing sophistication of Chinese travellers. While those coming to Slovenia are likely still travelling in groups, they’ve probably already been to the AAA must-see sights and cities in Europe – with Paris now receiving some one million Chinese tourists a year. Lesser known destination are thus the new frontier, and with such travellers are said to be less interested in shopping for top brands in luxury stores than in having experiences in terms of culture and outdoors. And as Ana Špik, who works for the Slovenian Tourist Board, notes, Slovenia is increasingly popular for Chinese pre- and post-wedding photography, so it’s also attracting more couples.

The whole article contains a lot more of interest, on Slovenia and the wider region, and can be read here.

STA, 22 January 2020 - Conventa, a two-day business-to-business event for conference tourism, got under way in Ljubljana on Wednesday, featuring 146 exhibitors from 16 countries, including a record 30 new exhibitors.

"Conventa is the only such trade show in the world where 85% of the invited guests are new," Miha Kovačič, director of the Slovenian Convention Bureau organising the event, told reporters.

He said that they turn away more than 60% of the registered invited guests in order to make the organisation of the event as high-quality as possible.

Focusing on New Europe, the event is intended for B2B meetings, conferences and motivational travels.

The exhibitors will be able to showcase their offerings to 253 international event organisers from 39 countries, 43 among them from the region and about 60 Slovenian event organisers.

The invited guests and providers agreed 4,000 meetings, which Kovačič described as an excellent result.

Coventa's development was also hailed by the Slovenian Tourist Board (STO), which aspires to best position Slovenia on the global map of convention tourism.

This type of tourism generates a high value added and multiplier effects. It is also seen as important in the efforts to spread tourism more evenly throughout the year and decentralise it.

Nevertheless, Tatjana Radovič from the Ljubljana Tourism Board, noted that convention tourism was centred on Ljubljana with results showing a high level of satisfaction among the convention guests.

On average this type of visitors spend three times the money spent by those who travel for leisure. Many conference guests extend their stay in Slovenia by combining it with their holiday, said STO official Karmen Novarlič.

Apart from the trade show, the Conventa 2020 platform also features Conventa Crossover, a festival of events and experience marketing, Conventa Trend Bar, a series of educational events, Conventa Tech & More for new ideas and Conventa Young Talents, said Gorazd Čad from Toleranca Marketing.

STA, 16 January 2020 - Slovenian NBA star Luka Dončić has become an ambassador of Slovenia's tourism. Apart from popularising basketball moves, he will now promote the country's unique attractions and investment opportunities. Slovenia also plans to put an ad in the special All-star Weekend magazine.

The 20-year-old will promote his country on social media, sharing photos, videos, links and information.

Meanwhile, the launch of the country's special All-Star mid-February issue ad will coincide with the highly-publicized event where Dončić is expected to be one of the main draws.

?Slovenian NBA star Luka Dončić (@dallasmavs) has become an ambassador of Slovenia's tourism?
?He will promote the country's unique attractions and investment opportunities.
?Slovenia will also be included in the @NBAAllstar game!#ifeelsLOVEnia #TexasFeelSlovenia pic.twitter.com/tgCAS7t15a

— Feel Slovenia (@SloveniaInfo) January 16, 2020

The business promotion project between Slovenia and the Dallas Mavericks club is a result of his extraordinary NBA record and ensuing popularity.

The project aims to raise awareness about Slovenia and its national tourism brand "I feel Slovenia", showcasing the country's investment, business and tourism opportunities.

Apart from the NBA club and the Slovenian Tourism Board (STO), the partnership includes the Government Communication Office (UKOM), the SPIRIT business and tourism promotion agency, and Ljubljana Tourism.

The Mavericks have authorised the communication company Sport Media Focus to manage promotional activities, including a business event titled Texas Feels Slovenia on 12 March following the Mavericks' game with the Denver Nuggets.

Some 15 Slovenian companies will be showcased at the event, held under the slogan I Feel Slovenia Night. The partnership's price tag amounts to some EUR 100,000.

Slovenia's tourism is to be promoted at a minimum of 20 Mavericks' home games, including ten games in this season and another ten in the 2020-2021 season.

"Dončić's arrival to Dallas, Texas, has provided a rare opportunity for Slovenia to promote itself in a place where it is already a rather familiar name compared to the rest of the US," said Sport Media Focus CEO Tomaž Ambrožič.

He believes the country will capitalise on that and forge long-term ties.

STO head Maja Pak said that Slovenia would be promoted as a sustainable, green country boasting 5-star experiences in the US market, known for its big spenders.

Slovenia is seeing a growing number of tourists, but where do they come from, and how long do they stay? You might be surprised at the answers.

Using SURS data for August 2019, the peak month, a total of 879,291 tourist arrivals were recorded. The top two countries, by far, were Germany and Italy. With regard to the number of overnight stays, the shortest trips to the sunny side of the Alps were made by visitors from South Korea – just 1.22 nights, on average – with the average overall being 2.48. An outlier here is Malta, with an average of 5.01 nights, and visitors from Iceland (3.94), Russia (3.80), and Israel (3.66) also seeming to adopt a more leisurely pace to enjoying the country.

The full list, from most tourist arrivals to least, can be seen below, with more data to explore on SURS. Note that the figures are based on hotel, hostel and other accomodation registrations, which may explain the relatrively low numbers from next door Croatia

STA, 24 December 2019 - For years, Slovenia had been focussing on pushing tourism figures up, boasting new records year after year. Now, its main tourist destinations are slowly starting to take a step back. Acknowledging the grievances of local population and the environmental impact of mass tourism, their goals for the future are starting to change.

Ljubljana, where new hotels are popping up and old buildings in the city centre are being repurposed into accommodation facilities for rental on platforms such as Booking.com and AirBnB, has heard many complains from locals about the negative effects of tourism.

Bothered by the crowd and high prices, people have even started moving out of the city centre.

Ljubljana Tourism, the local tourism office, has taken notice and its vision for the future no longer speaks only of the city as a tourist destination but also of a city "with a high quality of living and a pleasant atmosphere for all its inhabitants, visitors and tourists".

It has also included questions about the negative effects of tourism in its regular surveys among the city's residents "because we believe visitors can only be happy here if the residents are happy."

Ljubljana will now be striving to "increase the added value of tourism, grow sustainably and offer high quality innovative products" to attract tourists in search of "green boutique destinations".

Even more far-reaching impacts of excessive tourism have also started to affect the lakeside resorts of Bled and Bohinj.

This summer, a press conference was called by the Environment Agency, the Triglav National Park, Turizem Bled and Turizem Bohinj to warn of excessive mass tourism and its effect on the quality of water in the lakes.

Since the 2016 tourism boom, the ecological status of Lake Bled - the status of water plants and animals - has deteriorated from good to moderate, the officials said. In Lake Bohinj too, analyses of microorganisms revealed a serious impact of swimmers on water quality.

Andrej Arih from the Triglav National Park said mountain lakes where swimming is not allowed were also affected by parking and camping in the area, while wild animals were being disturbed.

"We the tourism officials are aware of the value of our natural assets and we are becoming environmentalists ourselves," said Klemen Langus from Turizem Bohinj.

Both Bled and Bohinj are now restricting access to the lakes by car and introducing measures to improve the sewage system and waste collection.

Faced with the reality of a rapid tourism development, many other towns in Slovenia are staring to embrace the green concept of tourism as well, and are adjusting their services to attract high-end guests to slowly turn away from mass tourism.

As things stand, Slovenian tourism is in for another record year in terms of arrivals and nights by foreign tourists, although the pace is slowing down. Last year saw almost 6 million tourist arrivals and more than 15 million overnight stays.

A total of 5.2 million tourists were recorded in Slovenia in the first nine months, generating 13.2 million overnight stays, with the numbers going up 5.7% and 1.9%, respectively over the year before.

The number of foreign tourists was up by 7.1% and the number of overnight stays they generated by 3.5%.

STA, 17 December 2019 - A foreign tourist spent on average EUR 97 per day in Slovenia during this year's summer season. Those staying in hotels spent more - EUR 138 daily, while those on camping holidays spent considerably less - EUR 58 per day, shows the Statistics Office data released on Tuesday.

Visitors from non-European countries were the most generous among all tourists, spending the most on accommodation, food, drinks, transport, leisure activities and shopping in July and August - as much as EUR 153 per day.

German tourists, who generated the most overnight stays in Slovenia, spent on average EUR 64 per day. Almost 60% of all overnight stays were spent in campsites.

Foreign tourists staying in hotels spent more than half of their daily budgets on accommodation, while those staying in campsites spent the majority of their budgets on food and drinks.

Almost 90% of foreign tourists travelled to Slovenia in the peak summer season for private reasons, 5% were on a business trip, mostly visiting Ljubljana, while 6% were only passing through.

Mostly they picked Slovenia as a holiday destination (73%), while some also came to visit cultural and natural attractions (8%) or to get involved in sports activities (7%).

A total of 35% booked their holidays through accommodation establishments, some 30% made reservations on booking sites, while over 10% used travel agencies.

Some 15% arrived in Slovenia spontaneously, without booking accommodation in advance - they were mostly from Europe. Non-European tourists were more cautious, with over 40% using travel agencies.

Most of them visited Slovenia with a partner (44%), followed by those travelling with families (31%), co-workers or business partners (22%), friends (11%), alone (9%) or with other family members (2%).

More on this data can be found at SURS