Tourism In Slovenia Research Articles

Geographical characteristics of second home tourism in Slovenia – a regional overview

Residing in second homes is one of the most popular forms of recreation in Slovenia’s wide range of leisure activities. The first geographical studies on the topic of second homes were conducted in the late 1960s, with many published also in the 1980s and over the last decade, making this phenomenon one of the longest continuing research fields within geography in Slovenia. Despite the fact that the locations of second homes are generally dispersed, as they can be found in every municipality in the country, there are notable differences between the Alpine, Dinaric, Pannonian and Mediterranean regions of Slovenia. The paper examines the geographical characteristics of second home tourism in Slovenia and observes this phenomenon according to the mentioned regional types.

Recovery of Slovenian Tourism After Covid-19 and Ukraine Crisis

Abstract The profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis 2022 on tourism has rendered forecasts of tourism demand obsolete. Accordingly, scholars have begun to look for the best methods to predict the recovery of tourism. In this study, econometric and judgmental methods were combined in order to to forecast the possible ways to tourism recovery in Slovenia. The goals of this paper are to show and assess the current offerings and potential for the development of tourism in Slovenia, and to point out the advantages and challenges in the development of tourism in this type of destination. Statistical methods were used for benchmark analysis, while Box and Jenkins approach and ARIMA modeling were used for forecasting Slovenian tourism until 2030. The datasets are analyzed using Tableau 2022.1. Our findings show that Slovenian tourism will be slower on the uptake and is not likely to fully recover until 2026, due to COVID-19 related uncertainty. A steep jump in daily COVID-19 infections in China and the Ukraine crisis which is affecting political and economic stability in the world is also slowing down the speed of recovery. In 2019, Chinese, Russian and Ukrainian tourists generated 5% of all tourist arrivals and overnight stays. In particular Russian tourists were well-known for their high consumer expenditure and thus desirable to the destination places. To mitigate the drop in tourist arrivals, Slovenia should do two things, namely concentrate on traditional markets, i.e. Austria, Italy, and Germany, which altogether represent 1/3 of all tourist arrivals and overnight stays, and secondly, it should target new markets, bringing new, innovative products, services, and experiences.

Role of Tourism in Promoting Geothermal Energy: Public Interest and Motivation for Geothermal Energy Tourism in Slovenia

From household geothermal heat pumps to industrial geothermal heating and electricity production, geothermal energy is one of the most promising future climate change mitigation areas. This paper aims to analyse the potential role that the tourism industry has in the promotion of geothermal energy. Although general knowledge and understanding of geothermal energy is often relatively low, geothermal energy tourism has the potential to encourage the public to use and learn about geothermal energy and its applications. The paper first provides a theoretical conceptualisation of geothermal energy tourism at the energy production level and energy usage level. Empirical results from an online survey amongst a sample of the Slovenian population show that there is a reasonably strong interest in geothermal energy tourism, correlating with the public image of geothermal energy. The study furthermore identified three main motivational factors for energy tourism: the first is “Knowledge,” followed by “Having fun,” with the lowest level on the motivational factor being “Self-recognition.” The paper finally provides future recommendations on geothermal energy tourism as a tool for wider public acceptance but also knowledge on the potential risks of geothermal energy as a sustainable energy source.

Congress Destination Attractiveness: The Case of Supply-Side of Business Tourism in Slovenia

The purpose of the article is to research which attractiveness attributes of a congress destination are those that are important for visiting the congress destination and association meeting, namely from the point of view of the supply-side of business tourism, meaning meeting planners (buyers), suppliers, intermediaries and special agencies. The article redefines the dimensions of visiting a congress destination and the research concept of the supply-side of business tourism. On this basis, we developed a new multidimensional construct (model) of congress destination visit, which takes into consideration three aspects: the destination, venue and business event aspects as the foundation of the supply-side of congress tourism. Based on previous research, we developed a model of attractiveness attributes for each individual aspect which contributes to the visiting of the congress destination. The aim of the research is to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the supply-side of congress tourism in a multidimensional analysis of attractiveness attributes of a congress destination which constitute important factors for visiting. Keywords: congress destination attractiveness, business tourism, conference attributes, congress destination attributes, venue attributes, congress destination visit

The economic impact of Covid-19 pandemic on tourism in Slovenia

The economic impact of Covid-19 pandemic on tourism in Slovenia

Can the Quality of Hospitality Services Play a Role in Sustainable Equestrian Tourism in Slovenia? Mediations, Effects, and Implications

This study investigates the relationship between the quality of hospitality services and sustainable equestrian tourism development in Slovenia. The focus will be on the relations between equestrian tourism motivations, hospitality services quality, overall service quality, equestrian tourists’ satisfaction, and behavioral intentions. The target population was equestrian tourists who stayed in one of 30 tourism farms in Slovenia and used both accommodation and food and beverage services. Face-to-face surveys with convenience sampling were used for the data collection. The results show that equestrian tourism motivations are positively associated with both hospitality services quality and the overall service quality in equestrian tourism. Moreover, the overall service quality in equestrian tourism is positively related to equestrian tourists’ satisfaction, while equestrian tourists’ satisfaction is positively related to behavioral intentions. In addition, accommodation service quality and food and beverage service quality both mediate the association between equestrian tourism motivation and overall satisfaction. The study provides both theoretical and practical implications. For one thing, it fills the research gaps present in the literature. In addition, it gives practical guidelines to farmers and tourism practitioners regarding equestrian tourism development as one of the popular areas of sustainable tourism development in rural settings.

Some changes in the spatial characteristics of tourism in Slovenia since its independence

The paper discusses the processes and changes in Slovenian tourism in the last three decades, after the disintegration of Yugoslavia. They have been related to the influence of factors both within the field of tourism and outside of it (external factors, such as geopolitical events, economic changes and shocks, etc.). Empirical analysis is focused particularly on the spatial characteristics of tourism, with the emphasis on the geographical origin of tourist flows and, on the other hand, stability/variability of geographical distribution of tourism within Slovenia. In regard to the latter, especially a very intense growth of tourist numbers in Slovenian capital (Ljubljana) is worth mentioning. The most evident change regarding inbound tourist flows is a strongly increased number of non-European tourists. The observed changes point out the fact that Slovenian tourism is increasingly embedded into globalization processes. Despite the growth in non-European tourist arrivals, the relatively short-distance tourist flows still prevail in the majority of Slovenian tourist destinations. They are also less sensitive to economic and political shocks and they will most probably remain crucial for Slovenian tourism.

The regulation of professions in tourism The case of Slovenia

A regulated profession means that the entry conditions for the pursuit of that profession or the practice of that profession (after entering it) is regulated by an obligatory legislative act. In Slovenia there are five regulated professions in the field of tourism: tourist guide, accompanying assistant, mountain guide, caving guide (potholio guide) and canyoning guide. The legislation in this field is rather complex, as the named professions are regulated in four different legislative acts. In this paper, we analyse the conditions and the procedure to obtain a licence for regulated professions in the field of tourism in Slovenia. We conclude with remarks on the future possible development in this field.

Into the dark – dark stories in the cities of Brežice and Krško in Slovenia as a basis for the future dark tourism products

PurposeDark tourism has a very long heritage. Compared to the rest of the world, dark tourism in Slovenia is very poorly developed. The theme is therefore a novelty in Slovenia as well as in the Slovenian professional and scientific literature. The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe dark stories of two small cities – Brežice and Krško – in Slovenia.Design/methodology/approachThe paper brings ethnographical approach based on the in-depth literature analysis, existing documentation in museums (old newspapers articles, photographs) and fieldwork in Brežice and Krško which contained the method of unstructured interviews with four curators in The Posavje Museum Brežice, The City Museum of Krško and The National Museum of Contemporary History – Brestanica Branch as well as the method of observation with participation in a guided tour of Posavje “witches” in The City Museum of Krško and The Brežice Cemetery. The information for the research was also obtained by conducting ten unstructured interviews with the residents who live nearby “dark places” or are still connected to them.FindingsThe paper provides practical results as 14 dark stories related to the castles, wars, accidents, murders, paranormal activities and witchcraft were found. These stories could be incorporated into dark tourism.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalizability. The results refer to a particular area of research.Practical implicationsThe paper includes implications for the development of a new dark tourism product on a basis of dark stories found in the research area.Originality/valueThe paper fulfills need to identify and study dark stories that can be integrated in dark tourism in Slovenia.

,,Central Literary Museum as an Accelerator of Literary Tourism in Slovenia

,,Central Literary Museum as an Accelerator of Literary Tourism in Slovenia

Employment Experience of Immigrant Workers in Tourism

This research explores the experience of immigrants employed in tourism in Slovenia. Four main areas were studied: (1) formal regulation of working and living, (2) health and social care, (3) job satisfaction, and (4) integration into the Slovenian environment. The causes for this research were recent stories in various media regarding foreign workers in Slovenian economy and little to no research studies in the field of tourism. The idea of the article was to demonstrate the employment of labour migrants’ experiences in tourism and to make proposals to improve the employment experience in the future. We started out by studying the existing theory, and then performed qualitative research, in which the employment experiences of four immigrants was studied in the previously mentioned four identified areas. Interviews were carried out with immigrants from different countries and of different professions, and were later evaluated with content analysis. The results of the study show that the employment experience of immigrants employed in tourism in Slovenia is both positive and negative, as there were positive and negative factors of experience identified in all areas of research. We do not want to give a generalised assessment of the experience, but rather show certain views and experiences; based on that, we can learn. The results do not apply to the entire population, but with them we present the diversity of the subject. The greatest limitation while researching was finding participants. Initially, proposals for improvement are given on three levels; government, employer, and society. The main improvement should be the better flow of information, for which we suggest transferring more information online. Slovene society should be striving for tolerance so that foreigners would feel more welcomed.

Assessing impact of cruising tourism in Slovenia

This paper aims at presenting cruise tourism in Slovenia. Slovenia has a small coastal strip (46 km), which is the reason why there are only a limited number of ports. The only passenger terminal for large cruise ships is located in the Port of Koper. Cruise tourism started in Slovenia in 2015. Since the beginning, the number of cruise ships has grown substantially. The aim of the study is to investigate the impacts of cruise tourism in the city of Koper, as perceived by local tourism stakeholders. The results have shown that there is still a strong support to develop this sector of tourism.

An Analysis of Nautical and Cruise Tourism in Slovenia (2005-2015) and its Position among other Mediterranean countries

This article is dedicated to presenting nautical tourism in Slovenia. The basic purpose is to evaluate the extent of nautical tourism, since data on this type of tourism in Slovenia are lacking. Slovenia has three marinas, a few moorings and a passenger terminal. Despite its small coastal strip (46 km), all forms of nautical tourism are represented. This article consists of theoretical and analytical work. The theoretical part presents a number of basic definitions relating to nautical tourism and cruises. This work will also present the development of this form of tourism in Slovenia to date. Slovenia’s first marina was built in 1979 in Portorož, while cruise tourism in Slovenia began later, in 2005. Due to its diversity in a small area, Slovenia is an ideal starting point for (maritime) excursions. In the analytical part, numerical traffic data for the period 2005 to 2015 from marinas and the Port of Koper have been collated and analysed. This work is based on data collected by the marinas themselves, since the official nautical traffic statistics are not recorded. The main results of our analysis indicate that nautical tourism in Slovenia has experienced a large decline since 2005. The exception is cruise tourism, which has shown strong growth.

Differences and similarities among rural tourism in Slovenia and Serbia: Perceptions of the local tourism workers

This paper deals with the development of rural areas in Slovenia and Serbia and gives some differences/similarities among these two countries based on perception of 492 tourism workers. The article making a series of proposals to guide the future research agenda. The main aim of the paper is to point out the benefts of rural tourism development and it’s similarities and differences in Slovenia and Serbia. The data for this study were collected using Dwyer and Kim’s (2003) Integrated Model of Destination Competitiveness to observe Slovenia’s and Serbia’s rural tourism differences/similarities. Determinants were assessed using a survey evaluating 24 indicators (demand and supporting factors), based upon a Likert Scale.

Trends and Characteristics of Tourism Development in Slovenia

The paper discusses geographical characteristics of Slovenia from the perspective of tourism development and presents main processes that have marked it in the last decades. Tourism has significantly affected the appearance as well as economic and social structure of many Slovenian regions. The paper focuses on the role of various factors, which influenced tourist attraction of Slovenia and its regions, as well as on changes in tourism supply and demand in the last decades and their relation to some of the political and economic events. Recently, Slovenia has experienced an above-average rate of tourism growth. Several of the nation-state’s geopolitical decisions impacted the growth of the tourism economy: Slovenia became a member of the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) (2004), introduced the Euro as the national currency (2007) and became a full member of the Schengen Space (2009). However, impacts of these changes were not comparable to the impacts of political and economic disruptions, related to the disintegration of Yugoslavia, which caused drastic decline in foreign tourists’ numbers at the beginning of the 1990s. Despite long-term growth trends, tourism in Slovenia is already facing many challenges (e.g., unreliable snow cover in the winter season in Alpine resorts as a result of the climate change impacts). Moreover, the growth of tourism has caused some environmental and social problems (or at least contributed to them) in those areas where tourism development has been the most intensive. Nevertheless, impacts of tourism have been rather limited. One of the important reasons why, so far, tourism has not caused any large-scale environmental or social problems is the fact that Slovenia has not developed real mass tourism. In the European context, Slovenia remains an only moderately developed tourist destination. Due to the growing competition on the global tourism market a continuous adaptation to the changing tourism demand is of crucial importance, taking into account not just short-term gains, but especially tourism sector’s long-term viability. From this perspective, also sustainable tourism principles should be considered more relevant.

A comparative study of tourist attitudes towards culinary tourism in Spain and Slovenia

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to determine the role of gastronomy as a destination attraction, tourists’ perception of culinary tourism, its influence on satisfaction with the trip, and the economic value tourist’s attach to the opportunity to try traditional cuisine. The paper also examines possible sociocultural differences between different tourist segments according to how they rate gastronomy in their motivations for travel.Design/methodology/approach– Data were collected by means of 392 questionnaires distributed in Ljubjlana (Slovenia) and Cordoba (Spain). Various bivariate and multivariate statistical techniques are used to perform a comprehensive econometric study.Findings– Tourists exhibit greater interest in gastronomy as a travel motivation in the Spanish city, where they value aspects related to this activity more positively. However, the willingness to pay more to try traditional food is similar in both cities. No sociodemographic differences were found between the segments regarding the importance of gastronomy as a travel motivation.Research limitations/implications– Restaurateurs, hospitality associations, and other public or private stakeholders engaged in culinary tourism can benefit from this type of analysis. The study reveals the need to improve language skills, human capital formation, and the innovation of traditional dishes in the Spanish sample. It also shows that the future of culinary tourism in Slovenia will depend on enhancing the international visibility of this emerging tourism sector.Originality/value– Successful strategies to promote culinary tourism must take into account the views of its main target group, tourists. Many studies analyzing tourist profiles are mainly qualitative, with few providing a cross-country comparison. This analysis provides a comprehensive, quantitative econometric approach to tourists’ opinions, and compares two different countries that differ in terms of their international visibility regarding this type of activity; specifically, Spain, which is a consolidated and world-renowned culinary tourism destination, and Slovenia, which is in the process of developing a culinary tourism project. Segmenting tourists based on their interest in culinary tourism also allows designing promotional strategies specifically tailored to each segment.

Forest selfness as a new branch of tourism in Slovenia

Apart from the forest management, National Forest Programme in the Republic of Slovenia (NFP) entails the environmental and social functions, but in practice the policy evaluation of these features has not been implemented, aside from the very rare exceptions. One such exception is the city of Celje, which partially meets the objectives set, owing to the fourteen kilometer well-maintained trails through the so-called City Forest, i.e. the urban forest in the context of the Learning Route in the tourist region of Celjska Koča. In this paper, we tackled an example of good practice, launched this year (2014) and conducted by the LTO Laufar Cerkno. The idea to do marketing of anti-stress therapies in the Slovenian forests is quite appropriate, since almost 60% of Slovenia is covered by forests. Based on the beneficial effects of certain forest types, there are at least three of them, suitable for implementing the so-called Forest Selfness Therapies owing to the great spread and representation of tree species since they, along with the therapeutic effects, promote strategic sustainable development, based on the development strategy of Slovenia tourism, as stated in Slovenian Tourism Development Strategy 2012- 2016. Given the fact that over the last decade, we have had highly positive trends, both in the growing number of tourists and overnights as well as in tourism receipts, it is logical to define a marketing concept for exploiting the social functions of the forest which are presented in this paper. The latter covers the definition of anti-stress therapies, service positioning in the market, exemplifying individual selfness products, segmentation of target customers as well as implementation of an effective marketing mix. Forest exploitation in Slovenia in terms of marketing the anti-stress therapies is definitely a niche market where Slovenia can significantly increase tourism receipts in the context of sustainable development.

Active Sports Tourism in Slovenia: Preliminary Research

Researches from last years in the Alpine space and countries that develop active tourism, shows that tourist, that are interested into active holidays targeting sport oriented or relaxing holidays with elements of sports, are better consumers, higher on the social scale and live in bigger cities. At the same time this consumers spend their holidays several times a year, on a shorter base. Sport is also starting to be one of the main decision-making factors for majority of tourist in this region. This is proved by constant increase of Active sport holidays or Sport related holidays in development of successful tourist destinations in Europe. Goal of this work is to present preliminary research of potentials for active holidays in part of Slovenian mountain region. The research is made in the sample of tourists that are based in hotels and apartments of Slovenian tourist destination Kranjska Gora in the facilities of Hit Alpinea (HA) company. The habits, plans, consumption and type of accommodation related to active holidays were examined.

Using authentic materials for students of tourism in Slovenia: English language acquisition for students of the Faculty of Tourism of the University of Maribor

Abstract The article examines the process of teaching English for specific purposes at the Faculty of Tourism of the University of Maribor, Slovenia using coursebooks and authentic supplementary materials. The survey has shown that the students of the Faculty of Tourism prefer supplementary authentic materials to coursebooks because they find them sufficiently interesting or challenging. Specially designed classroom materials that are put into the Moodle by the teacher also offer opportunities for various activities in lesson planning for teaching, listening, speaking, reading and writing. Another important aspect of supplementary materials is that they facilitate the teacher’s creativity. However, there are advantages and disadvantages to using only coursebooks or only specially prepared classroom materials, and both - coursebooks and supplementary materials - should be used only after careful consideration. Although authentic materials may contain complex grammatical structures and difficult vocabulary, they bring real-life situations into classrooms, and students therefore find them very motivating, the survey has shown.

The systems approach to the improvement of innovation in Slovenian tourism

Purpose – This paper aims to analyse whether and how the Development Plan and Policies of Slovenian Tourism (SiPlan) could be improved systematically and systemically, enabling more comprehensive management of innovation. Design/methodology/approach – The data were obtained within a comprehensive national innovation study. Data analysis was performed in four phases. In the initial phase, a link between the innovation project and SiPlan was established. In the next phase, which of the innovation factors are significantly correlated with the tourism destination development concept was identified. In the third phase, further policy potential for improving the innovation factors was identified. In the last phase, a systems approach was applied to develop a qualitative systems model, a causal loop diagram, taking into consideration the empirically identified strengths and weaknesses of the current SiPlan and other pertinent factors. Findings – The results of empirical research indicate that SiPlan represents a valuable, but not optimum development model of Slovene tourism development. Therefore, the authors propose a qualitative tourism development model based on the research results and a systems dynamics methodology. Originality/value – The work is important from the scientific point of view, i.e. as a methodology and research results that could be applied in further research activities. In addition, the results could be usefully used by policy makers by way of focusing on the most influential factors: policies that have a potential for the systems (holistic) and socially responsible development of tourism in Slovenia.