Slovenia Strengthens Its Visibility in Japan in Partnership with Croatia

Activities on the Japanese market continue this week with the presentation of Slovenian tourism at a business conference in Osaka on Thursday, followed by the celebration of Slovenia’s National Day at the Expo World Fair on Friday.

Slovenian tourism is being presented at the Expo World Fair in Osaka this year under the auspices of the STB. On the sidelines of this presentation, today’s event in Tokyo also took place, with Turkish Airlines as the partner. On behalf of the STB, Ana Savšek, Head of the Digital Content Marketing Sector, addressed the participants.

Before the event, STB Director MSc. Maja Pak Olaj highlighted the importance of long-term cooperation with the Croatian Tourist Board and joint appearances in distant markets: “In partnership with Croatia, we can address Asian guests even more effectively. Japanese tourists value authentic experiences, contact with pristine nature, high quality of service and a sense of security – and Slovenia, as a green and sustainable destination, successfully brings all of this together.”

She emphasized that the event in Tokyo is the first in a series of activities promoting Slovenian tourism in Japan this week: “In the coming days, we will participate in a business conference in Osaka in partnership with the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, SPIRIT Slovenia and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, and on September 26 we will celebrate Slovenian National Day at the Expo World Fair. The STB is constantly present at the Expo with an information desk, distributes promotional materials, organizes business events and presents our destinations and partners. This is an exceptional opportunity to showcase Slovenia as a green, active, healthy and safe destination to numerous international visitors.”

Between January and July this year, Slovenia recorded almost 10 percent more overnight stays and 19 percent more arrivals of Japanese tourists compared to the same period last year. Japanese visitors travel to Slovenia year-round, with the highest numbers between May and October. Almost half of their overnight stays are in Ljubljana, followed by mountain destinations, which account for just under one-third.

On this occasion, the Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, Kristjan Staničić, said: “When presenting our tourism offer in distant markets, we often join forces with our neighbours, especially since guests from Japan, China, or South Korea frequently visit several European countries in one trip. We have presented the best of Croatia and I would like to thank the Slovenian Tourist Board for its trust and long-standing cooperation, which strengthen the recognition and competitiveness of both destinations on a global level. Japanese guests are most motivated to travel to Croatia throughout the year by authentic experiences, natural beauty, cultural and historical wealth and diverse gastronomy, which we are extremely proud of. We consider this event an important step in strengthening relations with Japan and expect it to contribute to further positive trends in tourist visits from this distant market, particularly in the pre- and post-season.”

In Croatia, Japanese tourists generated 5 percent more arrivals and 4 percent more overnight stays in the first eight months of this year compared to the same period last year.

Representing Slovenian tourism, the following also participated in the B2B workshop in Tokyo: Ljubljana Tourism, Bled Tourism, Sava Hotels, Ljubljana Castle, Palma Travel Agency Palma, Intours DMC, Ekorna Travel, Promet T&T, Happy Tours and KNMtravel DMC.

On the Croatian side, in addition to the HTZ, nine companies and organizations took part. The event was also attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to Japan, Dražen Hrastić.

You can read more about Slovenia’s presentation at the Expo Osaka World Fair and the event for foreign media organized by the STB in May on World Bee Day here.

Cover photo: Ana Savšek, Head of the Digital Content Marketing Sector at the STB, and Kristjan Staničić, Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board.

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