Professional Documents
Culture Documents
(summary)
Introduction
Pursuant to Article 5 of the Promotion of Tourism Development Act (Official Gazette of the Republic of
Slovenia, No. 2/04), the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology has been charged with the drafting
of the proposal for the Slovene Tourism Strategy. To this end, the Ministry of Economic Development and
Technology prepared a draft of the 2012-2016 Slovenian Tourism Development Strategy.
The objective pursued by the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology in drafting the document for
the period 2012-2016 was to design an efficient development model of Slovene tourism for the defined period
that would provide an optimum method for evaluating all key attributes and potentials of Slovene tourism.
In drafting the Tourism Strategy, all principal stakeholders and the relevant interested public in Slovenia are
included in the process. In its final phase, this document should represent a harmonised text from all
participants of tourist interests in the country, i.e. from the public, private and civil sector.
The proposed development strategy of tourism in the envisaged period from 2012 until 2016 is based on a
detailed analysis of the internal and external environment, and on the consideration of the latest trends in the
development of tourism. From this analysis, the vision, fundamental objectives, corporate and business
strategies, as well as policies with the envisaged measures and activities for the achievement of the basic
strategic objectives were derived. For the purpose of continuously monitoring the implementation of basic
strategic objectives, this document also anticipates the establishment of an efficient evaluation and
implementation supervision system covering the Slovenian Tourism Development Strategy.
The 2012-2016 Slovenian Tourism Development Strategy is the key strategic document in the field of tourism
development and sets out the role and the importance of individual stakeholders in this field, defining them
as true bearers or participating parties in the implementation of particular tasks.
MISSION
Slovenian sustainable tourism creates an important part of economic and socio-cultural well-being, revenues
and jobs and is an important contributor
to Slovenias international reputation;
it is based on intensive marketing of tourist products of
internationally recognised brands and high added value.
OBJECTIVES
The objective of the Development Strategy for Slovenian Tourism in the period from 2012 to 2016 is:
to increase the volume of tourist activity (tourist traffic: revenues and profits from catering
and tourist activities, number of tourists, number of overnight stays):
As expressed, it is sustainable development that is the strategic basis dictating the steps and projects to be
taken next and which will allow the international expert and wider community to identify us as an excellent,
green, pleasurable, active and healthy destination to visit and do business with.
Therefore, tourism is indeed a stimulator of the quality of life and welfare in Slovenia.
Basic strategy
The objectives set in this period will be achieved by continuing or following the policies from the previous
strategic period, i.e. enhancement of connecting and cooperating in joint planning, shaping and marketing
Slovenian tourism at all levels, from the local and regional to the national level, and enhancement of
excellence in all areas and at all levels of Slovenian tourism.
In this strategic period, greater attention will be paid to efficient marketing and promotion of Slovenia as a
tourist destination and creating an improved business environment for
the development of tourism,
with a stress on raising the quality of tourist products and services.
In the previous strategic period, there were plenty of funds, both EU funds as well as national, intended for the
renovation, construction or modernisation of tourist infrastructure. The majority of funds were intended to
stimulate private sector investments, which had a major contribution to the rise in the level of tourist
capabilities, both in light of quantity as well as quality. Incentives were primarily aimed at tourist infrastructure
in the narrow sense and succeeded in lessening the bottlenecks in the field of accommodation capabilities,
skiing capacities and the wellness and congress offer. Aided investments will directly create 1.6 million new
overnight stays annually and a total of 1,200 new jobs. Considering the multiplicative factor of tourism on other
activities, positive effects will naturally be much greater.
In the field of investment policy, this strategic period will place more emphasis on
public tourist infrastructure that will generate an additional tourist offer and enable
a faster development of individual tourist destinations.
Business strategy
In light of the situation in Slovenian tourism, it is most appropriate that we continue to pursue the business
strategy from the previous strategic period. The basic reason for the above-average long-term success of
tourism lies in its competitive edge, which will be possible in Slovenia through the development strategy of a
market niche or market void.
The point of this strategy is to focus on a smaller segment with our tourist offer. It makes sense to continue
performing a detailed segmentation of markets, mostly regarding the criterion of value our tourist offer has (or
is supposed to have) on a target tourist, regarding specialisation and market dispersal. The main advantages of
selecting this strategy for Slovenian tourism are:
o the strategy requires small-scale investments in sources (mostly promotion) compared to strategies
that are aimed at the entire market,
o the strategy allows a specialisation and greater understanding and knowledge of the target tourist.
In order to implement this strategy successfully, several activities need to be carried out that are stated in
areas of development. These activities include:
o further development of destinations (also through the active and efficient role of regional destination
boards),
o continuous collection of information on tourists and application of this information in further business
operations,
o concern for quality,
o concern for employees.
Levels of organisation, tourist destinations and basic guidelines of the tourist offer
In forming or creating tourist destinations, we borrow from the objectives already set in the previous strategic
period, i.e. to develop recognisable destinations with stories. Deriving from the fact that there are 13 regional
destination boards established at present, with the fourteenth being established, we wish to distance ourselves
from the debate regarding whether there are too many regional destination boards at present or not. We
definitely wish that tourist destinations would connect in order to form top-quality and interesting tourist
products and act jointly on foreign markets (both in the field of promotion and marketing as well as forming
integral tourist products).
National level
The Slovenian Tourist Board takes care of the marketing and promotion of Slovenia as a tourist destination and
to this end it performs the function of promotion, distribution and development. The Slovenian Tourist Board
as the leading strategic partner of Slovenian tourism links the existing and facilitates the development of new
products and destinations and projects of national importance, and establishes an integral tourist information
structure, while also carrying out the research and development.
If the Slovenian Tourist Board is to carry out all of the planned above-mentioned activities (including the
facilitation of destination development), the conditions for this need to be provided (including financial and
human resources).
Regional level
All regional destination boards were (or will be) established on the grounds of their eligibility to be allocated a
financial incentive by the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology.
Regional destination boards perform the function of promotion, distribution, development and operations, not
disregarding their vital connective role between all stakeholders at a regional level.
Regional destination boards link the tourist offer at a regional level into interesting and attractive integral
tourist products.
It is important that activities of all regional destination boards be coordinated with programme objectives of
the Slovenian Tourism Board, because, based on following the programme of the Slovenian Tourist Board,
cooperation with the STB on the programme level will be possible after 2013.
Local level
Local tourist organisations or organisations on the local level perform all four functions (the same as regional
destination boards, but on a local level). Since regional destination boards have been established, we propose
that cooperation and relations with development actors on a regional level be intensified, as this is the only
way to form quality and interesting integral tourist products.
The strategy proposes that all stakeholders in Slovenian tourism actively facilitate further
development of tourist destinations (regional tourism 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, we will 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.
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.
Slovenia has to become a recognisable and highly positioned destination at targeted segments. In
order to raise recognition and achieve 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 of 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 intensively 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.
Development of
tourist destinations
Suitability of human
resources structure in
light of the economy's
needs
Provide a favourable
business environment
General
objective
Efficient marketing
and promotion of
Slovenia
Inter-ministerial
collaboration and
favourable normative
environment
Increase recognisability,
reputation and
positioning
Organisational
structure of Slovenian
tourism
Competitive tourist
products
Measures
Increase of quality
Market segmentation
Innovative and
efficient marketing via
the virtual world
Promoting innovations
Partnership marketing
Better accessibility of
Slovenia
Cooperation in the EU
and internationally
Investments in tourist
infrastructure
Deseasonalization
Areas/activities
of development
The document describes each measure in detail and breaks it down by activities that are to lead to the
realisation of the strategys objectives:
-
Strategy evaluation
Evaluation and control of implementation of the strategy is a process of supervising activities and results of the
branch and the comparison of actual results against the desired ones. The information thus helped with
adopting corrective actions and resolving problems.
The introduction of a system for effective evaluation and control of strategy implementation is conditional on
the availability and accessibility of the necessary data in a certain time interval, and
an adequate organisational structure for its implementation.
In this strategic period, it is necessary
1. to elaborate the methodology of monitoring the implementation of the Slovene Tourism Strategy,
2. to establish an adequate organisational structure for carrying out evaluation and control of
implementation of the development plan and for proposing corrective measures, and
3. to ensure a system of regularly informing all tourist entities of the results of the implementation of the
development plan and the proposed corrective measures by organising annual strategic development
conferences.