Many insiders believe that Slovenia is on course to welcome a record number of visitors in 2018, surpassing even last year’s record-breaking figures.

Last year, 350,000 Austrian tourists made around 860,000 overnight stays in Slovenia. According to Jan Ciglenečki of the Slovenian Tourist Office in Vienna, early projections for 2018 are optimistic, and this year’s primary focus is on cultural tourism. “That’s the reason why we’re promoting old historic cities like Ptuj,” said Ciglenečki. The International Carnival in Ptuj is one of those events that has piqued the interest of many a fair visitor.

Slovenia’s tourism industry is booming, not least because the country is considered to be safe. However, that’s not the only reason, said Iztok Prevolšek of Terme Olimia: “Slovenia is a paradise, but Slovenians often don’t appreciate that fact. Fortunately, there are many people in the tourism industry who do.”