SLOVENIAN TOURISM DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (2012-2016)

Identified Obstacles  

1. Means for Development and Marketing of Slovenian Tourism

• Limited amount of financial means intended for tourism in light of the significance it has on the Slovenian economy (in the fields of investments, development and promotion).

 2. Accessibility of Slovenia

• A small number of direct flight connection with the key markets of Slovenian tourism,
• Poor and outdated railway infrastructure,
• Poor road connections from motorways to some most important tourist centres,
• Vignette system unfriendly to visitors and tourists,
• Unorganised visa policy on promising markets of Slovenian tourism.

 3. Promotion

• Inconsistent use of the national brand “I FEEL SLOVENIA” within the frame of promotional activities on foreign markets (primarily by other sectors and economy aiming to achieve the synergy effects of Slovenia’s standing-out),
• Low level of recognition of Slovenia on target markets.

 4. Tourist Offer

• Lacking competitive tourist products,
• Lacking added value or attained price of tourist products,
• Non-cooperation of tourist providers and unconnected tourist offer,
• Unsatisfactory situation and insufficient action in the field of green or sustainable development in tourist and other sectors,
• Gaming poorly integrated in the tourist offer.

 5. Human Resources in Tourism

• Lack of quality, qualified and motivated human resources in catering and tourism,
• Rigid labour legislation.

 6. Business Environment

• Discouraging investment environment for capital,
• Inadequate business environment that fails to facilitate innovations and competitiveness properly,
• Inefficient inter-ministerial coordination for the needs of faster development of tourism.

 7. Legislation

• Inconsistent implementation of the Gaming Act in terms of ensuring the earmarked use of funds from special games of chance concession fees, ministerial regulations important for tourism that do not follow the interests and needs of this area adequately.

Measures for Competitive and Sustainable Slovenian Tourism

To facilitate the increase of competitiveness: 

• The strategy proposes that all stakeholders in Slovenian tourism activity facilitate further the development of tourist destinations (regional tourist boards, local tourist organisations, tourist societies)
• The strategy facilitates research and development, both in the public and private sectors, and provides appropriate bases for adopting business decisions.
• In cooperation with educational institutions, raise the qualifications of employees in catering and tourism and encourage innovations in the up-scaling and development of high value-added tourist products.
• Those responsible for relations at the international level will monitor and represent the interests of Slovenia in the creation of development policies at the level of the EU, UNWTO, OECD and in other international organisations.
• The State promotes investments in green tourist infrastructure in broader terms and supports the development and establishment of appropriate flight, rail and traffic connections in order to make Slovenia more accessible.
• Slovenia is developing a tourist offer that will also be interesting for tourists outside the main tourist season, thus affecting deseasonalization and providing ongoing visits of tourist destinations.

Provision of a favourable business environment:

• Slovenian tourism requires efficient cooperation at an inter-ministerial level aimed at exploiting all policies and financial instruments of the Republic of Slovenia and EU for the development of sustainable tourism as well as possible.
• The Government has to provide a favourable business and normative environment for the faster development and increase of tourism competitiveness in Slovenia.
• The organisation of Slovenian tourism has to enable efficient implementation of functions on the national, regional and local levels, facilitate entrepreneurial development and raise competitiveness as well as provide adequate financial frames for the development of sustainable tourism at the national level.
• It is essential that the system multi-term winter school holidays be established again.
• To ensure the key role of tourism in the management of unique selling propositions (USP) of Slovenian tourism.

 Efficient marketing and promotion of Slovenia:

• Slovenia has to become a recognisable and highly positioned destination at targeted segments. In order to raise recognition and achieved the desired positioning of Slovenia as a tourist destination on selected outgoing markets of Slovenian tourism and among the selected target groups, a consistent use of the brand of Slovenia is to be provided in the entire tourism industry and, at the same time, cooperation with the other implementation fields of the brand Slovenia, is to be intensified.
• It is essential that adequate means for better promotion and internationalisation of tourism be provided.
• Tourist products need to be clearly positioned and intensely and efficiently marketed on individual markets within the frame of marketing activities.
• Slovenia is to be innovatively and efficiently marketed in the virtual world as well, using modern marketing tools and the integration of e-marketing and classical marketing.
• It is essential that partnerships of all public, private and civil entities of tourism be established and activities be coordinated and implemented with the aim to attain synergy effects at all levels of operation.