Tourism in Slovenia: A Look at the August 2023 Statistics

Tourism in Slovenia: A Look at the August 2023 Statistics

The Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia has recently unveiled the tourism statistics for August 2023, which shows a slight dip in tourist visits compared to the previous year. Although the report does not mention any specific causes for the decrease, it coincides with the flooding events that took place in parts of Slovenia during early August.

Domestic and Foreign Tourist Turnout

In August, domestic tourists accounted for 162,000 arrivals and about 594,000 overnight stays, marking a decrease of 15% from the previous year and 7% less than the same period in 2019. On the other hand, foreign tourists continued to constitute the majority of visits in August, registering 839,000 arrivals and nearly 2.3 million overnight stays. This represents a 3% decrease compared to last year, but roughly the same number as in August 2019.

Popular Destinations Among Tourists

Among domestic tourists, the municipality of Piran was the most popular, while foreign visitors favoured Ljubljana. Both groups made 15% of their overnight stays in these municipalities. The majority of August tourists hailed from Germany, accounting for nearly a fifth or 440,600 of all foreign overnight stays. Italian and Dutch tourists each contributed a tenth of foreign overnight stays. Interestingly, there was a 21% surge in overnight stays by French tourists compared to last August. However, the number of overnight stays by tourists from all other mentioned countries saw a decline, with German tourists witnessing the largest drop of 15%.

Tourism Distribution Across Municipalities

Mountain municipalities attracted 37% of all overnight stays, with Bled being the most popular. This was followed by coastal (22%) and spa municipalities (14%), and then Ljubljana (11%). Compared to last August, the number of overnight stays decreased in nearly all types of tourist municipalities, except for Ljubljana, where a 1% growth was observed.

While domestic tourists contributed to fewer overnight stays in all mentioned types of tourist municipalities, foreign tourists made 3% more overnight stays in coastal municipalities this year. Compared to 2019, the number of overnight stays by foreign tourists in coastal municipalities increased by 6%. Meanwhile, domestic tourists made 23% more overnight stays in Ljubljana compared to the same period in 2019.

Accommodation Preferences Among Tourists

Hotels remained the most popular accommodation type among both domestic and foreign tourists, accounting for 885,900 overnight stays or 31% of all stays. This was followed by private rooms, apartments, and houses (29%), and then campsites (21%). However, compared to last August, the statistical office noted the largest decrease in overnight stays at campsites (19%), while the number of stays in hotels also decreased by 4%.

Year-to-Date Tourist Arrivals and Overnight Stays

Over the first eight months of the year, Slovenia was visited by over 4.5 million tourists, who made over 12 million overnight stays, a 3% increase from last year. Domestic tourists accounted for over 3.2 million overnight stays or 27% of all stays, while foreign tourists made about 8.8 million or 73%. This is 23% fewer domestic tourists and 17% more foreign tourists compared to the same period last year.