The number of Ljubljana-Istanbul flights will be increased to two per day during the summer months.

"The number of weekly flights increased from three in 2006 to 14 in 2016, which shows that business is going well," said Turkish Airlines senior vice president Ziya Taskent at a press conference on Friday in Ljubljana.

He said that Slovenia and Turkey owed much of their successful business cooperation to the Ljubljana-Istanbul route, which is marking the 10th anniversary this year.

Head of the carrier's office in Slovenia Nesih Gümüs said that Turkish Airlines strived to promote Slovenia in foreign markets so that they would fly with them to Slovenia.

The office's opening was also attended by Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković, who said that Slovenia had good relations with Istanbul and Ankara. He hopes that the EU's visa regime for Turkish citizens will be lifted by autumn this year.

According to Karmen Novarlič from the Slovenian Tourist Board (STO), lifting the visa regime would increase Turkish tourist visits in Slovenia by 20-30%.

The STO had seen potential in the Turkish flag carrier years ago when it chose it as a strategic partner to promote Slovenia in foreign markets, she added.