Upgrades in Mountain and Nordic Resorts Strengthen Slovenia’s Winter Offer and Push Slovenia Toward Year-Round Tourism

The Slovenia Outdoor Association highlighted the progress of the Unified Cross-Country Ski Pass project, which connects the leading Nordic resorts and strengthens Slovenia’s sustainability-focused winter offer. The updates presented by the Association of Slovenian Ropeway Operators underscore the development of ski resorts, the importance of recent investments and the improved operational stability expected in the coming season. The STB continues its intensive promotional activities at home and in foreign markets, shaping the entire winter offer into a unified story that inspires lovers of active winter experiences.

The press conference presenting the partners’ joint efforts for a successful winter season took place at the Grmovškov dom lodge in Kope.

Dubravka Kalin, Director-General of the Tourism Directorate at the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, spoke about the importance of investing in the future of Slovenian tourism and emphasised: “In 2022 and 2023, the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport implemented four calls for applications, creating one of the largest investment cycles in the history of Slovenian tourism. With 121.3 million euros of European and public funds, we stimulated as much as 278 million euros of investment in accommodation, mountain resorts and public tourism infrastructure. We are especially proud of the transformation of Slovenia’s mountain resorts, which have taken a major step towards becoming modern, year-round destinations thanks to 76.5 million euros in investments and 55.4 million euros in support from the ministry. We are pleased that the projects at nine mountain resorts are already showing results – improved services, greater appeal both in winter and summer, and a successful de-seasonalisation of Slovenian tourism.”

Unified Cross-Country Ski Pass – a unifying story of Slovenian Nordic tourism

The Unified Cross-Country Ski Pass has become one of the leading national products of Slovenian Nordic tourism. Developed as a joint project of the Slovenia Outdoor Association, the country’s leading cross-country ski resorts and the Ski Association of Slovenia, its purpose is to offer skiers a streamlined, transparent and high-quality experience.

With a single annual pass, skiers can access groomed trails in more than ten destinations across Slovenia – without separate tickets, different systems or additional administrative steps. This makes Slovenia an even more attractive, diverse and sustainable Nordic destination.

Valerija Pučko, Director of Slovenia Outdoor, emphasised: “This season brings an important innovation – the instant online purchase of the Unified Cross-Country Ski Pass. Users can buy it anytime, even just before departure and start using it the same day with a digital confirmation. The physical shoulder strap and ID card are delivered by post, which is a major advantage for those who decide on a skiing experience spontaneously. The pre-sale began in mid-November and will run until 30 November 2025. The pre-sale price is 129 euros for holders of the strap and card, while others pay an additional 10 euros for a new set.”

She added that the 2025/26 pass connects a network of resorts with more than 200 kilometres of groomed trails – including Pokljuka, Jezersko, Rogla, Soriška planina, Areh, Logar Valley, Bloke, Medvode, Planica, Bonovec, Stanežiče and Velenje. The pass offers access to a variety of terrains, from high-altitude circuits to family-friendly tracks.

Pučko also highlighted this season’s updates: “Cross-country ski resorts are introducing numerous upgrades: Planica is expanding its artificial-snow capacity and opening a 900 m² ice rink, Pokljuka continues with its snow depot, Rogla is strengthening its offer with expanded sports, recreational, wellness and culinary programmes and completing a new slopeside programme, Areh is opening the new Pohorc Centre, Jezersko is expanding its ski school, Logar Valley is updating its machinery, Črna na Koroškem is building a regional centre and Bloke is improving track preparation. All resorts are investing in more reliable conditions during milder winters – advanced snowmaking, optimised snow management and digitalised updates.”

A special added value for skiers is the snow traffic light, available on the Slovenia Outdoor website and the websites of the cross-country ski resorts. The traffic light shows daily conditions, groomed-trail lengths and their status, helping skiers plan their trips in real time.

The Unified Cross-Country Ski Pass is designed for all types of skiers – from beginners and recreational athletes to top-level competitors. Connectivity, diverse terrains and accessibility are the key strengths shaping Slovenia as an attractive Nordic destination.

“The message of this season is clear: Slovenia is a Nordic, diverse and well-connected destination. Cross-country skiing here offers a clean, safe, healthy and affordable winter experience. The Unified Cross-Country Ski Pass invites skiers to explore more, experience more and choose active, wintery Slovenia,” she added.

STB inspires domestic and foreign guests to discover wintertime Slovenia 2024/2025 through a range of activities

In winter 2025/2026, the STB is carrying out a series of promotional and communication activities to familiarise winter-holiday lovers with the experiences and offers prepared by destinations and providers.

Livija Kovač Kostantinovič, Head of Domestic PR at the STB, emphasised: “This winter, the Slovenian Tourist Board is once again implementing a wide range of promotional activities, presenting Slovenia as an exceptional winter destination. We encourage domestic and foreign guests to enjoy a holiday in Slovenia, which offers a wide variety of experiences: from snow activities to thermal relaxation, gastronomy, cultural events and numerous festive markets in towns. Our largest STB initiative, a global digital campaign, highlights winter experiences from November through February in 20 markets. Abroad, we further promote Slovenia as an excellent winter destination through advertising and editorial content in specialised print media and online platforms, on radio, at fairs, trade exchanges and other events, and via press trips and famtrips.”

She added that, in Slovenia, the “My Slovenia” campaign, social-media posts on STB channels and a special general-public newsletter encourage winter discoveries. Particular attention is given to communicating the new offer of destinations and providers for winter 2025/26 and promoting current winter content and stories on the official tourism portal slovenia.info – especially Slovenia’s winter offer and the reasons why Slovenia is the right choice for a winter holiday. Users can also explore the offer through Alma, the AI-powered virtual assistant. Through the Feel Slovenia social-media channels, the STB regularly shares content about ski resorts, thermal and wellness offers and festive cities; winter experiences are also presented in an innovative way through the “Sounds like Slovenia” Spotify profile (winter-hiking audio story, skiing audio story, mountain-sounds audio story). Winter experiences also inspire presentations at fairs, exchanges, workshops and other events in key source markets. Slovenia is also promoted as a destination for top winter experiences and as a host of major sporting events at around 80 sports events annually, including many winter championships.

Slovenia’s winter appeal is also highlighted by athlete ambassadors working with the STB: Tadej Pogačar, Primož Roglič, Luka Dončić and Janja Garnbret.

A special focus is placed on mountain safety, with the STB emphasising guidelines and recommendations for a responsible, safe winter visit to the mountains, as outlined in the “Safe in the Mountains” content on slovenia.info.

Compared with other types of municipalities, mountain municipalities have ranked first in arrivals and overnight stays over the past five years. Encouraging growth in arrivals and overnight stays outside the main winter season has also been recorded. In April this year, Slovenia saw a 37% increase in overnight stays, in June a 28% increase and in September an 18% increase, while July and August saw moderate growth of around 1.5%. In summer, mountain municipalities account for more than half of all overnight stays. In 2024, the average length of stay in mountain municipalities was 2.5 nights. Among overnight stays in mountain municipalities, foreign guests dominate; Germans rank first, followed by domestic guests, then visitors from the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the UK, Poland, Croatia, Italy and France (January–September 2025). In the first nine months of this year, foreign guests accounted for more than 86% of all overnight stays in mountain municipalities, while domestic guests accounted for almost 14%.

Updates from Slovenian ski resorts 2025/2026

Boštjan Paradiž, Chair of the Association of Slovenian Ropeway Operators and Director of Vabo, emphasised that the winter offer of Slovenia’s ski resorts is a key part of domestic tourism. Lift-ticket prices have been adjusted only minimally to reflect cost increases and remain significantly lower than abroad, where prices are often a third higher. Slovenia offers strong potential in skiing and skiing at home also means a smaller carbon footprint. Paradiž hopes foreign guests will recognise the quality of Slovenian ski resorts, while domestic visitors will continue to nurture their connection to the skiing tradition, which has somewhat declined in recent years.

He highlighted the development of comprehensive ski-resort experiences – from quality gastronomy to a rich array of accompanying activities that elevate the skiing offer. Among the most important projects are the Unified Ski Pass and the “Šolar na smuči” (Pupils on Skis) programme, which, in cooperation with the Ski Association of Slovenia and the ministry, enables 10,000 children to ski free of charge. Investments in mountain resorts increase competitiveness, enable year-round operation, strengthen human-resource structures, support technological development and increase the share of foreign guests. Summer results, with 1.3 million rides – the highest in the past eight years – confirm the success of year-round mountain-tourism development.

Kope is an example of a destination that is becoming one of the leading mountain tourism resorts through numerous investments. In recent years, more than 25 million euros have been invested in new accommodation, wellness, a campsite and an apartment village, with non-refundable funds and support from the SIB Bank. The season will begin on 28 November with an enhanced accompanying programme. Meanwhile, in Črna na Koroškem, a cross-country ski centre and a new ski school are being developed. Paradiž also noted the important role of small ski resorts in introducing the youngest to skiing.

He stressed that tourism cannot be developed without good stories. Slovenia has all the conditions and expertise needed to remain a recognisable skiing destination. “Ski at home, ski in Slovenia,” Paradiž concluded.

Šolar na smuči 2026 (Pupils on Skis)

Mitja Urbanc, representative of the Ski Association of Slovenia, presented the project “Šolar na smuči 2026”: a safe and unforgettable snow experience for Slovenian schoolchildren. The campaign remains a key nationwide winter-sports awareness project in the 2025/26 season. It offers second- and third-grade pupils a free, professionally guided snow experience, including equipment, lift passes and ski instructors – schools only need to arrange transport.

The project is carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Slovenia, the Sports Institute Planica and the Police, who together ensure safe implementation and promote physical activity and healthy habits among children. The Ski Association of Slovenia emphasises that early exposure to winter sports has a major impact on the future development of the sport and on healthy, active lifestyles. This year, we are expanding the project to urban areas. With the help of Urban Snow Playgrounds, we will bring winter to Maribor, Celje, Velenje, Ravne na Koroškem, Ljubljana, Kranj, Škofja Loka and Koper, where children will experience real snow in their local environment,” he said. He added that the project is once again supported by ambassadors Petra Majdič, Jure Košir and Cene Prevc, who inspire children with their example and strengthen the visibility of the initiative. The “Šolar na smuči” project thus remains an investment in knowledge, safety and the sporting culture of young people.

Slovenian mountain and Nordic resorts are proving, through investment, cooperation and the development of new products, that they are ready for a modern, sustainable and increasingly year-round tourism future. From unified ski and cross-country passes to projects such as “Šolar na smuči” and intensified STB promotional activities — Slovenia enters the 2025/26 season as a diverse, connected and competitive winter destination. Current information about ski resorts is available at www.skislovenia.net, while details on cross-country ski resorts and all other winter experiences can be found on the Slovenia Outdoor website.

The moderated discussion was hosted by Marjana Grčman, President of the Slovenian Travel Journalists Association.

Photo: Borna Miljavac Purgar

Cover photo from left to right: Marjana Grčman, President of the Slovenian Travel Journalists Association; Dr. Franci Petek, Director of the Planita Sports Institute; Valerija Pučko, Director of Slovenia Outdoor; Matjaž Šarabon, Head of Alpine Disciplines at the Ski Association of Slovenia; Dubravka Kalin, Director-General of the Tourism Directorate at MGTŠ; Mitja Urbanc, representative of the Ski Association of Slovenia; Livija Kovač Kostantinovič, Head of Domestic PR at the STB; and Boštjan Paradiž, President of the Association of Slovenian Ropeway Operators.

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