Foreign tourists and their expenditures, Slovenia, April–May 2019

80% of all foreign tourists who arrived to Slovenia and stayed in hotels in April or May 2019 came to Slovenia for private reasons, 18% for business reasons, and 2% stayed overnight on their way to another country. Three quarters of those who came to Slovenia for private reasons came to Slovenia for the purpose of holidays and leisure. The share of foreign tourists who visited Slovenia for business reasons was the highest in Ljubljana (30%).

Nine out of ten foreign tourists who stayed in hotels in mountain or seaside municipalities declared that they visited Slovenia for private reasons.

31% of foreign tourists who visited Slovenia in spring (April–May) and stayed in hotels booked their accommodation directly at the accommodation establishment, 26% used web reservation systems or intermediaries, and 25% booked their accommodation with the help of travel agency. For 16% of foreign tourists accommodation was arranged by other organizers (e.g. organizer of the event, employer, school, etc.).

There are differences among municipalities compared to the Slovenian average in how foreign tourists booked their accommodation. The share of foreign tourists who booked their accommodation directly at the hotel was the highest in health (spa) municipalities (49%); web reservation systems or intermediaries were used by 37% of foreign tourists who stayed in mountain or seaside municipalities and by 22% of foreign tourists in the municipality of Ljubljana.

Most foreign tourists who visited Slovenia and stayed in hotels in spring 2019 travelled with a spouse or partner (45%); 22% of them were travelling alone, 11% with their family, 11% with friends, 8% with colleagues or business partners, and 3% with relatives.

Of all tourists who travelled around Slovenia in April–May 2019 and were staying in one of the hotels, 81% came from foreign countries. Most of them came from Italy (15%), followed by Austria (12%) and Germany (8%). The majority of Italian tourists came to Slovenia for private reasons (93% – four fifths of those for the reason of holidays or leisure) and 6% for business and professional reasons. Also for four out of five Austrian and German tourists the reason for visiting Slovenia was private (mainly for holidays and leisure). The share of Austrian and German tourists visiting Slovenia for business or professional reasons was higher than the share of Italian tourists (among German tourists 19% came to Slovenia due to business or professional reasons and among Austrian tourists 16%).

In April–May 2019 foreign tourists spent for accommodation, food and drinks, transportation in Slovenia, free time activities and for other shopping and services on average EUR 178 per person per day; the amount was the highest in Ljubljana (around EUR 249) and the lowest in the mountain municipalities (EUR 129).

On average the highest daily expenditure was recorded by tourists from non-European countries (around EUR 264). Average daily expenditure of tourists from European countries was substantially lower: tourists from Austria spent on average per day EUR 135, tourists from Italy EUR 126 and tourists from Germany EUR 124, while tourists from other European countries spent on average EUR 151 per day.