LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), September 25 (SeeNews) – Residents of Slovenia generated most of the tourist traffic in the country for a fourth month in a row in August, after the government eased some coronavirus restrictions on part of tourist activities in May, the national statistical office said on Friday.
In August, domestic tourists generated more than 512,000 arrivals at accommodation establishments, up 172% on the year, and some 1.7 million overnight stays, up 164% compared to August 2019, the statistical office said in a statement.
There were 292,000 foreign tourist arrivals in August, down 67% on the year, and some 819,000 overnight stays registered by international visitors, down 64%.
Total tourist visits fell 25% on the year to over 804,000 in August, while total overnight stays decreased 14% to 2.5 million.
In August, most of the foreign tourists arrived from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Hungary and France.
In the January-August period, tourist arrivals at accommodation facilities in Slovenia decreased by an annual 47% to some 2.38 million, while overnight stays dropped 40% to some 7.1 million. Foreign tourists accounted for 1.04 million of all arrivals, down 70% on the year, and for nearly 2.8 million of all overnight stays, down 67%.
In April, the coronavirus pandemic brought the Slovenian tourism industry to a halt, with the sector registering no new tourist arrivals.
In 2019, tourist arrivals to accommodation establishments in Slovenia increased 6.3% to 4.7 million, while overnight stays rose 1.8% to 11.4 million.