The fact that 70% of foreign participants will be attending the event for the first time proves that foreign holiday providers are very interested in Slovenia, Maja Pak, the head of Slovenia Tourism Board (STO) has told the STA ahead of the event.

More than 160 Slovenian companies will take part and the STO believes that more than 3,500 meetings will take place. A majority of foreign companies come from Italy, Germany and France, but there will also be several from the US, China and South Korea.

Honouring Slovenia's mission to become a green boutique destination providing personalised experiences, the SIW will feature a number of informal meetings and adventurous activities, according to Pak.

The SIW, which has been organised by the STO for over two decades, has been growing more popular by the year. At the same time, Slovenia's tourism sector has been having one record year after another.

The most recent data for the first quarter of 2019 show further growth, as the number of tourists increased by 3.5% year-on-year to 925,000. Last year, Slovenia recorded a total of 5.9 million tourists.