Tourism Panel at the Bled Strategic Forum Focuses on Strategic Choices for Mature Destinations

The Tourism Panel, entitled “When Destinations Grow Up: Strategic Choices for Mature Destinations”, was organised by the Slovenian Tourist Board (STB) together with the Ministry of the Economy, Labour and Sport. The discussion formed part of this year’s main theme of the Bled Strategic Forum, The Power to Shape the Future, which emphasises that the future is not simply something we wait for, but something we actively shape through informed and deliberate choices.

The participants were welcomed by MSc Leon Korošec, State Secretary at the Ministry of the Economy, Labour and Sport, and MSc Maja Pak Olaj, Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board.

MSc Leon Korošec, State Secretary at the Ministry of the Economy, Labour and Sport, said: “We want Slovenian tourism to develop towards higher added value, greater quality and stronger resilience. Growth in arrivals and overnight stays remains important, but it cannot be the only measure of success. Our goal is tourism that creates greater value for the economy and local communities, provides high-quality and attractive jobs, and preserves the natural and social foundations of Slovenia’s tourism offer. Through its long-standing commitment to sustainable tourism, Slovenia has demonstrated that competitiveness and sustainability are not opposing objectives, but two sides of the same development path. We want visitors who stay longer, explore different destinations and experience Slovenia throughout the year. This creates the conditions for more balanced tourism development and greater benefits for local economies. At the same time, the quality of life of people living in tourism destinations must remain an important measure of success. Good tourism begins with a good place to live. In the long term, successful tourism is therefore tourism that strikes a balance between economic performance, visitor satisfaction, environmental protection and residents’ quality of life.”

MSc Maja Pak Olaj, Director of the STB, stressed that strong tourism demand confirms Slovenia’s attractiveness and competitiveness, but at the same time requires increasingly thoughtful management of tourism development. The future of tourism therefore cannot be based solely on increasing visitor numbers, but on creating greater value, spreading demand throughout the year and across a broader range of destinations, and preserving the quality of both the environment and the visitor experience.

“Slovenia is experiencing strong tourism demand, but its scale and impact vary considerably between destinations. Some areas still have room for development and the potential to attract more visitors, while the most visited destinations are already under greater pressure during certain periods. The maturity of a destination lies precisely in its ability to adapt development to its own circumstances, opportunities and limitations, rather than following a single model of growth. This means recognising where it makes sense to further stimulate supply and demand, where visitor flows need to be better distributed across time and space, and where infrastructure, spatial constraints or quality-of-life considerations call for more carefully considered management measures. We see the future of Slovenian tourism in creating higher added value, improving the quality of the offer, making data-driven decisions and managing destinations responsibly. Our goal remains clear: to preserve Slovenia as a green and boutique destination and to guide tourism development in a way that creates long-term value for people, the economy and the environment,” Pak Olaj emphasised.

From visitor growth to managing value

Tourism has many well-established approaches for encouraging destination growth – from increasing visibility and accessibility to developing new products and markets. There are far fewer clear answers for destinations entering a mature stage of development: tourism remains successful and often continues to grow, while limitations related to space, infrastructure, labour and social acceptance become increasingly pronounced.

The panel therefore explored how mature destinations can move from stimulating volume to actively managing development, visitors and the value tourism creates. Key topics included carrying capacity, the geographical and seasonal distribution of visitor flows, data-driven decision-making, the involvement of local communities and the alignment of interests between destinations, residents and the tourism industry.

In the opening part of the panel, Cordula Wohlmuther, Regional Director for Europe at UN Tourism, outlined international development trends and the challenges facing mature European destinations.“In destinations that have already reached a high level of tourism development, visitor numbers no longer tell us what we really need to know. What matters is what tourism brings to the people who live there: to their jobs and local environment, as well as to the nature and culture that made the destination worth visiting in the first place. At UN Tourism, we strongly believe that, amid growing climate pressures and accelerating technological change, active destination management means measuring these impacts, ensuring that residents have a genuine voice in decision-making, and adjusting the direction of development in time – before growth begins to place an excessive burden on the destination,” Wohlmuther said.

Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, also addressed participants via video, saying: “Tourism is a strategic pillar of Europe’s economy, culture and identity, but climate change, geopolitical uncertainty, global competition and labour shortages require a smarter, more balanced and more resilient development model. The first European tourism strategy, which we will present this autumn, will aim to maintain Europe’s leading position while strengthening its competitiveness, sustainability and resilience. At its heart will be more efficient use of resources and data, emissions reduction, climate adaptation, balanced regional development and a fairer distribution of tourism benefits among local communities.”

Mature destinations as an indicator of tourism’s future 

The panel discussion brought together Cordula Wohlmuther, Regional Director for Europe at UN Tourism; Olivier Henry-Biabaud, Partner and Managing Director at MMGY TCI Research; Max Hillmeier, Director of Bad Hindelang Tourism in Germany; Ana Praprotnik, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Sava Turizem; and Blaž Veber, Director of Bled Tourism.

The discussion connected international perspectives, data insights and practical experience from tourism destinations and the industry. Participants highlighted mature destinations as early indicators of tourism’s future, as this is where challenges related to limited space, pressure on infrastructure, mobility, housing affordability, the protection of nature and cultural heritage, labour availability and local attitudes towards tourism tend to emerge first and most clearly.

Cordula Wohlmuther highlighted: “There is a wealth of knowledge and experience available, and the European Travel Commission (ETC) is also very active in this field. We want to strengthen this work further, as we see that building resilience is more important today than ever before. It is also significant that the United Nations has declared 2027 the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism. All our Member States are invited to take part in implementing initiatives and activities within the framework of this international year.”

Olivier Henry-Biabaud highlighted the importance of reliable data in understanding the responses of both residents and visitors, and in supporting development decisions that go beyond monitoring basic tourism indicators: “A destination’s maturity is reflected in its ability to assess its capacity and monitor how residents and visitors perceive tourism. Other important indicators include brand awareness, repeat visitation, and the alignment between a destination’s media image and the reality on the ground. In Slovenia, as many as 83% of residents have a positive attitude towards tourism and are proud to welcome visitors, while the country also enjoys a very strong reputation among guests. Above all, maturity means giving a destination the ability to decide what kind of development it wants and how it wishes to manage its future growth.”

Max Hillmeier said:“Bad Hindelang is a successful tourism destination characterised by sustainable and socially responsible tourism. Our mission is to preserve and co-create the Bad Hindelang community for both residents and visitors. The key lies in close and strong cooperation between agriculture, Alpine farming, crafts and tourism. This is what strengthens the sense of community – and that sense of community is not a concept or a strategy, but an attitude.”

Ana Praprotnik presented the perspective of Slovenia’s tourism industry, particularly the experience of Bled: “Bled does not need greater visibility; above all, it needs to become a destination that creates greater value while also managing the pressures its visibility already generates. The next stage of development for mature destinations such as Bled is therefore not simply further tourism growth, but a shared ambition and effort to shape higher-value demand – through stronger brand positioning, higher-quality products and experiences, carefully considered investments, a better seasonal distribution of visitors and effective destination management,” she emphasised.

Blaž Veber shared the experience of Bled as one of Slovenia’s best-known and most visited destinations: "The success of mature destinations can no longer be measured primarily by visitor numbers, but by the value tourism creates for local communities, visitors and the environment. This requires a shift in the tourism model – away from efforts to increase visitor volume and towards active tourism management that protects public space and natural assets, improves residents’ quality of life, and encourages visitors to stay longer and enjoy richer, more meaningful experiences. For Bled, a clear and authentic identity is essential to this transformation. It is not a newly created marketing story, but something embedded in Bled’s DNA – in the lake, nature, Alpine climate, tranquillity and its long tradition of healing and wellbeing. This identity must guide tourism development so that Bled becomes not only a more attractive place to visit, but also a better place to live."

The panel discussion was moderated by Prof. Ljubica Knežević Cvelbar, PhD, from the School of Economics and Business at the University of Ljubljana, an internationally recognised expert in tourism economics and sustainable tourism development.

The future of tourism requires clear choices and cooperation

The panel placed the maturity of tourism destinations within the broader context of the changes reshaping tourism today: climate and demographic change, geopolitical uncertainty, technological development and the increasing concentration of demand. The central question was no longer how destinations generate growth, but how they respond when growth itself begins to create new pressures. A key challenge for mature destinations is therefore the ability to recognise in time the point at which success begins to turn into excessive pressure, and to steer tourism development before restrictive measures become the main response.

A major theme of the discussion was the shift from volume to value. Higher value does not simply mean higher prices or more selective access to a destination. Above all, it means better-quality experiences, greater local added value, longer stays, a more balanced distribution of visitors and stronger links between tourism and the identity of the place. A clear destination identity was highlighted as one of the key foundations for development and investment decisions. A destination needs to understand what it wants to preserve, what kind of development it supports and which changes could undermine the very qualities that have made it successful.

The discussion also showed that managing a mature destination goes far beyond the traditional role of tourism organisations. Promotion remains important, but it must increasingly be linked with demand management, mobility, spatial planning, agriculture, nature protection, investment and residents’ quality of life.This requires a clearer division of responsibilities, high-quality data and, above all, the ability of national and local authorities, businesses and residents to make decisions together. The maturity of a destination is therefore reflected not only in its ability to attract visitors, but also in its ability to make choices, coordinate interests and turn decisions into action.

Particular attention was given to Slovenia and the question of which development choices it needs to make today in order to remain competitive over the next decade. Slovenia is well positioned thanks to its green orientation, relatively small scale and distinctive identity, but its most heavily visited destinations will need to link tourism development more decisively with carrying capacity, visitor dispersal and the creation of greater value. The central question for future development is therefore not only where tourism can continue to grow, but also where growth needs to take a different form.

Looking ahead, the discussion also explored the role of artificial intelligence and technological development. As trip planning, personalisation and access to services become increasingly seamless, physical space and the most attractive places remain finite. Technology can help destinations better understand visitor flows, anticipate pressure and influence demand, but it cannot decide on their behalf what they want to protect or which trade-offs they are prepared to accept. This may be one of the defining challenges for the future of tourism: managing not only demand, but also the scarcity of space, nature, authenticity and a high-quality local environment.

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Watch the recording of the 2026 Tourism Panel here.

A press conference was also held alongside the Tourism Panel. Read more about the press conference here.

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