The EUR 5m investment is the biggest new real estate project in Slovenian tourism this year and is aimed to attract more Austrian visitors.

The Mond gaming centre was opened in 2007 and has since been visited by almost 1.7 million people from 127 countries.

The new project will extend over 3,000 square metres and include 35 rooms and five apartments accommodating 80 guests.

HIT boss Dimitrij Piciga said that the new hotel will allow close cooperation among the chain's locations and decrease dependence on the Italian market.

He assessed the new hotel, "which is expected to open in mid-December, will secure an additional 18,000 visitors and an extra EUR 2.5 million in annual revenue".

The launch, which involved the planting of a Slovenian-Austrian vine, was also attended by Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, who stressed the importance of the project for the local community as well Slovenian tourism in general.