After a week the Bled pletna boats are still ashore. There's no end in sight to the dispute between pletna boatmen, and the situation is already influencing the Bled tourism as a whole.

The main cause of the dispute is, as it seems, the struggle for passengers, tourist, or to make the long story short – for money. The Bled parish priest Janez Ferkolj wants to take tourists to the island by his own boat, at eight euros per person, as reported by TV Slovenia journalist Jan Novak. Pletna boatmen charge 14 euros per person.

As explained to STA by the director of the Bled municipal administration Matjaž Berčon, there are already three electric boats on the lake, in compliance with the existing directive on navigation regime, but they are owned by the pletna boatmen. Also the new directive will allow three such electric boats, but one will be intended exclusively for supplies for provisioning the island, and transport of persons to the island, and the boats will be owned by the owner of the island, at this time the Bled parish.

Berčon claims that after the regime is adopted, the situation will be equal for all: "Just as the priest has recently usurped the right to transport people on the lake, the pletna boatmen have been doing the same for decades. From now on the conditions will be equal for everybody, they will all pay the tax, and be in order."

"We consider this a planned and unethical attempt to take over our work which is based on long-term tradition and cultural heritage bequeathed to us by our forebears. An electric boat cannot be compared to a traditional Bled pletna boat, or be sold under the same name," pletna boatmen claim. They reproach the priest with unsuitable entrepreneurial initiative, and disloyal competition.

"We should be aware that such situation is unendurable, and should be resolved as soon as possible. Therefore we are appealing to all the involved parties. The situation is already influencing the tourism," warns the director of Turizem Bled Jaka Ažman.