Introduction
Travellers who are looking for an alternative to Europe's crowded and high-priced destinations can still consider Slovenia, the country on the "sunny side of the Alps", their little secret because it is not very well-known yet. For example, in tourist offices you might hear people ask for information about "Slovakia" or "Slavonia" when in fact they are determined to travel to Slovenia.
History
Until 1918 Slovenia was ruled by the Austrian Habsburg Empire. After that it was included in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and after WWII it was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia for several decades. Unlike the other Yugoslavian states it became a favourite destination of Western European tourists, especially from Germany. After dictator Tito died in 1980 the conflict among the states and ethnic groups of Yugoslavia began to intensify and led to a movement of independence in Slovenia. In December 1990 the electorate voted overwhelmingly (96 %) in favour of independence. So they declared their own Republic on the 25th of June 1991. As a consequence the Yugoslavian federal army attempted to take control of Slovenia's border crossing points to Austria and Italy, but Slovenian militia resisted and as no territorial claims or minority issues were involved the armed conflict was over after 10 days. The country and its tourism industry has been flourishing since then. Now Slovenia is seeking to make contacts with Central Europe and the European Union.
Landscape and main attractions
Although the country is only about the size of Wales or Saxony the countryside can be divided into four main parts: the 46 kilometre long Riviera with its Italian character, the Karst region, the mountain area including the famous Julian Alps around Mount Triglav and the lowlands, which are, except for some spas, not that important for tourism. Bled is considered to be one of the most beautiful alpine holiday resorts and health spas because of its position at the edge on the Julian Alps, the mild climate and the thermal water springs. Lake Bohinj, 30 kilometres south-west of Bled, is still relatively untouched compared with Lake Bled, with the peaks of the Julian Alps around it. Active holidays in the Slovene Alps are becoming increasingly popular because they are well covered with a network of maintained trails and they are especially suitable for different kinds of sport activities. Besides this, Slovenia's alpine rivers and lakes offer a variety of water sports activities. The most important destination of Slovenia is probably the Adriatic Coast. Portoroz is an internationally known holiday centre and climatic health seaside resort with the largest and most modern Slovenian marina, an international sport airport, a casino with a more than 80-year-old tradition and capacity for congresses. Apart from Portoroz there are five other modern congress centres. In the Karst region tourists can visit 25 caves, among them the best known - Postojna and Skocjan Cave. Postojna Cave is one of the largest and most easily accessible caves in the world. Skocjan Cave is part of UNESCO's list of World Natural and Cultural Heritage sites. Another major attraction of the Karst region is Lipica stud farm, the home of the white Lipizzaner horses. Present-day Lipica is a well-equipped tourist resort with hotels, a golf course, tennis courts and facilities for learning or improving riding skills. The capital Ljubljana is the largest and most populous city of the country with 300,000 inhabitants. Along the banks of the Ljubljanica River visitors can find various cultural offers in highly respected theatres and concert halls or in unusual galleries and museums.
Special types of holiday
Winter sports, especially skiing, have a long tradition in Slovenia and have given rise to numerous, well-equipped ski resorts. From December to March there is high-time for skiers and important winter sports events like the World Cup races which also attract lots of tourists. The slopes of the Julian Alps offer skiing late into the season for all fans of winter sports. If there is not enough snow to satisfy skiers, snow canons are used in order to prepare the courses and slopes. The largest winter sports centre of Slovenia is Kranjska Gora with approximately 4,500 beds in different categories. In Slovenia there are 15 natural health resorts with different recreation and relaxation facilities for all age groups. They all profit from their natural surroundings and healthy microclimate. Some also have thermal springs or mineral waters at their disposal. Using modern methods and well-trained professionals, the health resorts have developed into tourist recreation centres to improve the health and all physical and mental conditions of their guests.
Getting there and travelling around
Slovenia's national airline Adria Airways as well as many other major European Airlines offer non-stop flights from all major European cities to Ljubljana Brnik Airport. Here some agencies rent cars at reasonable prices or make complete Fly & Drive offers. International rental agencies can be found in larger towns. Buses travel between Germany and Slovenia several times a week. Other companies connect neighbouring countries with Ljubljana or Maribor. From Germany and Austria Slovenia is reached by direct trains several times a day, also by InterCity and EuroCity trains. Further routes come from Milan, Venice and Trieste. By car Slovenia is easily reached via major expressways. During the summer it is also possible to go from Venice to Portoroz by catamaran. Inside the country all sights are well-served by cheap buses and some by trains.
Accommodation
The variety of accommodation ranges from small family run pensions, farmhouses, small but well equipped campgrounds, alpine lodges, private accommodation and hotels to castles and manors. The standard of hotels is comparable to those in Western Europe. A hotel price list is published every year and is obtainable in Slovene tourist agencies and the Slovenian Tourist Board. Although prices for accommodation and offers for tourists have been increasing in the last few years because of the growing demand, Slovenia is still much cheaper than neighbouring Italy or Austria. Reservations for all kinds of accommodation can be made at tourist offices, tourist agencies or directly.
Statistical facts and figures
As regards the number of overnight stays, the internal tourism is in the majority in the country with about 55% of all tourists (that corresponds to 3.3 million overnight stays) at the moment. This part has grown by 22% from 1990 up to now. This might be due to a falling number of foreign tourists but at the same time domestic tourism has expanded. As before the crisis in former Yugoslavia, most of the foreign tourists are Germans now and their numbers have even increased from 14% in 1990 (that corresponds to 752,000 overnight stays) to 22% (607,000) in 1999. The Germans are followed by the Italians with 18% in 1999 and 13% in 1990. The third big group are the Austrians with 16%. They took over the place of the Croatians who are now ranked fourth.
The total number of tourists decreased from 2,537,000 in 1990 to 1,750,000 in 1999 but there was a recovery from the early 1990s, when Europe was shocked and alarmed by the events in former Yugoslavia, up to now. As well as the number of tourists, the accommodation capacity shrank from 1990 by 14% to about 79,000 bed places in 1999, especially in the private sector. Others, like camping sites, could increase slightly.
Tour operators and distribution channels
There are many tourist agencies in Slovenia but only a few handle foreign tourists as incoming tourist agencies. They offer services in transportation, accommodation, sightseeing, transfers, special interest programmes and travel tickets. Meanwhile there are also a lot of foreign tour operators that include Slovenia in their programs. The most important ones especially for Germany are for example: ADAC-Reisen, Alpetour, DER-Tour, ITS, Neckermann Reisen and TUI. All in all Slovenia is featured by nearly 50 tour operators.
Conclusion
In conclusion it could be said that the tourism industry plays an important economic role and accounts for nearly 6% of the Gross Domestic Product. Tourism is considered to be the economic field of the future for the country. In my opinion Slovenia can expect an excellent development into a pleasant and interesting destination if it avoids common mistakes in its further planning and arrangement like mass tourism connected with a boom of building on the coast or in the mountain area like in other European destinations. This would destroy its resources like its unspoiled nature and typical forms of architecture and as a result lead to a loss of identity. Nevertheless there are still opportunities to improve the conditions for tourism, for example in the field of infrastructure. At the moment the road over the Vrsic pass in the Julian Alps is too small for Central European coaches, only the Slovenian ones can pass it. A widening of the street could open up the regions along the Vrsic pass with accommodation facilities, restaurants and interesting sites. The situation of car-parks in Ljubljana, Planica and the Bohinj Valley is equally difficult. Solutions with free shuttle buses from the car-parks to the city centres or attractions like on the coast in Piran are exemplary and should be extended. Also the number of traffic signs and other visual hints that lead to interesting sites could be increased in order to help the tourists find them. Last but not least I would like to mention that I have been there several times – as a tourist guide on a coach with German tourists and for my private holidays. I have enjoyed staying there every time, because people are very friendly and hospitable, there is no mass tourism yet and you can experience a natural, pleasant country.
Copyright Carola Schmidt 2001, www.business-english-world.de
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