According to the latest data from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS), Slovenia recorded 2.2 million tourist arrivals and 6.3 million overnight stays in July and August, with both figures up by around 7% year-on-year.
The strong summer performance confirms Slovenia’s continued appeal while underscoring the importance of managing tourism growth in a balanced way – by spreading visitor flows across regions and seasons and creating greater value for the economy, local communities and the environment. The results were presented at a press conference in Bled, held on the sidelines of the Tourism Panel at the 21st Bled Strategic Forum.
Dubravka Kalin, Director-General of the Tourism Directorate at the Ministry of the Economy, Labour and Sport, said: “This year’s successful summer tourism season confirms that Slovenia remains an attractive and competitive tourism destination, further strengthening its position on the global tourism map. Visitor figures are encouraging, and we are particularly pleased that the growth in tourism is being accompanied by improvements in quality and a more balanced geographical distribution of visitors across Slovenia. This also reflects the measures and activities implemented by our ministry in recent years, some of which are still ongoing. In recent years, Slovenia has undertaken its largest investment cycle in tourism to date, contributing to higher added value, with the effects expected to remain visible in the years ahead. The ministry has co-financed investments in public and shared tourism infrastructure, the construction and reconstruction of accommodation facilities, as well as the acquisition of sustainability and environmental certifications. Considerable effort has also been devoted to the legislative framework. All these measures, together with many others, contribute to increasing added value in tourism, an important economic sector in both Slovenia and Europe. However, strong tourism statistics are not the result of investment and excellent promotion alone. Behind every satisfied guest are the people who make that experience possible, which is why, at the end of the main tourism season, special thanks go to everyone working in tourism and hospitality. This year’s season also demonstrates that Slovenian tourism is the result of joint efforts by tourism businesses, destinations, local communities, the Slovenian Tourist Board and our ministry, and above all by all those who help shape tourism every day. A successful tourism season brings greater economic activity, more jobs, higher revenues for businesses and increased tax revenues, while also generating positive effects across many other sectors. In the period ahead, we will work even more systematically to create the conditions for Slovenian tourism to remain competitive, high-quality and resilient.”
MSc Maja Pak Olaj, Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board, emphasised: “This summer’s results confirm that Slovenia remains a highly attractive tourism destination. However, we do not assess tourism performance solely on the basis of arrivals and overnight stays. We look at a broader set of indicators, including added value generated, visitor spending, the seasonal and geographical distribution of demand, the quality of the tourism offer, and satisfaction among both visitors and local residents. Tourism demand in Slovenia is not evenly distributed. Some destinations still have room for growth and would welcome more visitors, while the most visited areas, particularly in the Julian Alps, already experience significant pressure during peak periods as a result of concentrated demand. Our activities therefore need to become increasingly targeted and adapted to the circumstances of individual destinations. In areas with high visitor concentrations, the focus is on spreading demand across different times and locations, while elsewhere the priority is also to stimulate demand and increase the visibility of destinations with untapped potential.”
The initial assessment of this year’s summer tourism season was presented at a press conference, held on the sidelines of the Tourism Panel at the 21st Bled Strategic Forum. Entitled When Destinations Grow Up: Strategic Choices for Mature Destinations, the panel explored how tourism should be managed when a destination’s success can no longer be measured simply by visitor growth, and how to maintain a balance between economic opportunity, quality of life and the long-term resilience of destinations.