Luka Dončić, the Lakers and a New Direct New York Flight

For several days in August, Slovenia found itself at the centre of a global basketball conversation.

At the invitation of Slovenian superstar Luka Dončić, the Los Angeles Lakers travelled to Slovenia for a five-day team trip that mixed training and team bonding with some very Slovenian experiences: rowing on Lake Bled with former Olympians, playing golf beneath the Alps, cruising through Ljubljana, dining across the capital and visiting the basketball court where Dončić first started playing as a seven-year-old.

But what began as a personal trip quickly became something much bigger for Slovenia.

Step inside Luka Dončić’s five-day Slovenia itinerary

From Lake Bled to millions of screens

Posts from Slovenia spread through the official channels of the NBA, Los Angeles Lakers, Luka Dončić and other players, creating a multi-day wave of organic global exposure.

By 28 August, social media content connected with the visit had generated an estimated combined reach of more than 45 million, while more than 750 pieces of international media coverage had been recorded. Among the outlets reporting on the story were MARCA, the New York Post, Bleacher Report, Yahoo Sports, The Guardian, ESPN LA, BasketNews, The Times of India and AS.

One NBA video of Bronny James jumping into Lake Bled alone surpassed 5.6 million views, while Lakers golf posts filmed in Slovenia attracted several million views each. Meanwhile, two Feel Slovenia videos featuring Dončić – This or That and Luka Dončić’s Favourite Places in Slovenia – have together passed 11 million views.

The power of the story was its informality. Rather than appearing in a conventional destination campaign, Slovenia emerged through the players’ own experiences: Alpine scenery, Ljubljana’s riverside streets, golf, food, basketball and moments shared as a team.

Explore the global impact of the Lakers’ Slovenia visit

Slovenia’s destinations join the Lakers moment

The Lakers’ visit quickly grew beyond Ljubljana and Bled, with destinations across Slovenia creating their own content and adding a local perspective to the wider story.

At least 26 Slovenian tourism destinations took part, linked by specially designed purple I feel Slovenia T-shirts featuring a gold basketball motif. The common visual thread allowed each destination to build on the momentum surrounding the visit while highlighting its own experiences, character and local stories.

Tourism businesses, attractions, hotels, restaurants and sports providers also joined in with spontaneous posts of their own. Together, this content extended the story well beyond the places visited by the players, turning a high-profile team trip into a shared tourism story across Slovenia.

See how destinations across Slovenia turned the Lakers’ visit into a shared national story

And then came the flight announcement

Just as Slovenia’s exposure in the US was reaching a new peak, another piece of news significantly changed the travel story.

From 12 May 2027, United Airlines will operate a non-stop service between Newark (EWR) and Ljubljana (LJU) four times a week, using a Boeing 767-400ER. Ljubljana is one of ten new international destinations being added as part of United’s major international expansion.

For Slovenia, the timing is particularly significant. The United States is already one of the country’s fastest-growing long-haul markets. More than 200,000 US visitors travelled to Slovenia in 2025, generating almost 449,000 overnight stays. In the first seven months of 2026, US arrivals rose another 23% year on year, with overnight stays up 21%.

Until now, one of the practical barriers for American travellers has been the need to connect through another European airport. The new Newark–Ljubljana route removes that hurdle and makes Slovenia considerably easier to combine with a wider European journey – or to visit as a destination in its own right.

Read more about the new flight connection

Why this matters beyond basketball

The Lakers’ visit and the new flight are separate developments, but together they tell a broader story about Slovenia’s changing visibility in the United States.

Luka Dončić, one of Slovenia’s most internationally recognisable figures and an ambassador of Slovenian tourism, has given millions of American sports fans a highly personal introduction to his country. At the same time, improved air access is making it easier for that awareness to translate into actual travel. The result is an intriguing new angle on a small European country: Slovenia is suddenly much more visible in America – and from next spring, much easier to reach.

That makes 2027 an interesting year to watch.

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