Slovenian Tourism Maintains Steady Growth in Arrivals and Overnight Stays

In July 2024, Slovenia experienced a 1.3% decline in tourist arrivals and a 0.9% decrease in overnight stays compared to the record levels of July 2023. The post-COVID-19 trend shows a continuing increase in foreign tourists, while the proportion of domestic tourists has slightly decreased.

Germany, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Belgium and Hungary remained Slovenia's most significant markets in July. Among the top 15 markets, Denmark (+20%), the USA (+19%), Spain (+17%), the UK (+13%), Slovakia (+9%), Switzerland (+8%) and Poland (+6%) saw substantial growth in overnight stays compared to July 2023. Distant markets also showed strong performance, with notable increases from Canada (+27%), Brazil (+24%), New Zealand (+16%), China (+11%) and Japan (+10%).

The return of tourists from distant markets contributed to Ljubljana seeing the largest increase in overnight stays among tourist municipalities, with a 6% rise in July. Mountain municipalities also recorded a slight uptick in overnight stays (+0.4%). Other municipalities experienced declines, with urban areas seeing the steepest drop (-20.3%), followed by spa municipalities (-1.9%), seaside municipalities (-1.2%), and other municipalities (-0.7%).

Moderate Growth in Line with Strategic Objectives Over Seven Months

From January to July 2024, Slovenia saw a 2.8% increase in tourist arrivals and a 1.2% rise in overnight stays. This growth is largely driven by an increase in foreign tourists, while domestic tourist arrivals and overnight stays have slightly declined. These figures align with the moderate growth goals set by The 2022-2028 Strategy of Slovenian Tourism.

The highest number of overnight stays by foreign tourists during this period came from Germany, Austria, Italy, Croatia, the Czech Republic and Hungary. Notable growth was seen in the Croatian market (+6%), as well as in the Austrian and Hungarian markets (both +0.5%). Significant increases were also seen in markets such as China (+59%), Canada (+24%), the USA and Spain (both +17%), the UK and Denmark (both +16%), Switzerland (+11%), Poland (+10%) and France (+7%). This growth indicates that Slovenia is gaining recognition as a valued destination, with a diversified tourism market that enhances the long-term stability and resilience of the sector.

Out of the 18 key foreign markets, which account for 84% of all overnight stays in Slovenia, only five recorded a decline in the first seven months of 2024 compared to the same period last year: Germany and Italy (both -4%), the Czech Republic and the Netherlands (both -2%), and Belgium (-1.5%). The decrease in German tourists, Slovenia's most important market, can be attributed to several factors, including the economic slowdown in Germany and the European Football Championships, which kept many Germans at home. This trend was also seen in other countries, such as Croatia, where German tourist numbers dropped by 8%. However, compared to pre-pandemic levels, overnight stays by German tourists are still 28% higher than in the first seven months of 2019.

Italian tourist arrivals also fell by 4%, reflecting greater caution. Meanwhile, the Austrian market saw a modest increase of 0.5%.

Data from the Bank of Slovenia indicates that the value of travel exports rose by 4.3% in June 2024 compared to June 2023. For the period from January to June 2024, travel exports totaled EUR 1.37 billion, up 4.1% compared to the same period in 2023.

Effective Management of Tourism Flows Is Crucial

Strategic priorities in Slovenian tourism emphasize generating additional tourist traffic, particularly outside the peak summer season. This approach has led to notable increases in overnight stays during off-peak months, with March seeing a 17.6% rise and May a 14.7% increase. These gains were largely driven by the different timing of holidays in key foreign markets compared to the previous year. Conversely, this same factor contributed to declines in April (-10.5%) and June (-3.5%). Weather also played a role, with poor winter conditions leading to a 4.1% drop in January, followed by a 4.5% increase in February overnight stays.

Geographical dispersion of tourist flows is also vital to prevent overcrowding in popular destinations. For example, municipalities such as Bistrica ob Sotli (+30%), Ivančna Gorica (+37%), Kostanjevica na Krki (+29%), Kozje (+24%), Lendava (+40%), Loška Dolina (+24%), Novo Mesto (+14%), Žirovnica (+2%) and Žužemberk (+12%) all saw significant growth in overnight stays in the first seven months of the year.

Slovenian tourism nearly fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic by 2023, and while growth has moderated this year, it remains aligned with strategic goals. However, the 2022-2028 Strategy of Slovenian Tourism highlights the urgent need to enhance the quality of offer to attract responsible, high-value visitors.

Addressing the challenges of managing tourism flows and increasing added value is essential to meet the needs of both the tourism industry and local communities.

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