"We are unusual because we do not complicate matters!"
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The break-up of the former Yugoslavia had a huge effect on Izola. The town's big industrial factories suddenly lost the Yugoslav market and unemployment in Izola rose to 25% in 1992. As a result, more than 600 small and medium-sized companies were established in the 1990's in Izola. Some of them are now among the top European companies in their field, with skilled workers and high added value. The majority of the town's GDP still comes from the big industrial factories such as Droga Kolinska, Mehano and Delamaris, but SME's are employing more and more workers. As a small town between Koper (the largest town on the Slovenian coast) and the well-known tourist destinations of Portoroz and Piran, Izola needed something to define itself. After Slovenia's independence, Izola's municipality, hotels, tourist agencies and other tourist experts realized that it was up to them to improve Izola's future prospects. They established one of the first business associations in Slovenia - Turisticno gospodarsko zdruzenje Izola - and got to work. "It is obvious that sun and sea are no longer enough to attract tourists. We have to give them more than that," says Mr Alojz Pecan, director of Turisticno gospodarsko zdruzenje Izola. Premises for 1 Tolar Therefore, the municipality decided to give 18 public buildings in the old town to artists, for the rent of 1 SIT per year. (The artists have to pay additional expenses on their own.) "It's a good idea to sell "as is" (sama po sebi). We don't have a lot of money to spend on marketing. CNN, RAI, ORF and several Slovenian media outlets reported on our offer of 1 tolar premises in Izola. We have calculated that the space offered was worth more than EUR 80,000. We are inventive and don't like to complicate things," says Mr Pecan. Izola also now hosts a film festival. The festival's organizer, well-known Slovenian film director Vlado Skafar, is currently negotiating to open a film academy there in association with Primorska University. The Slovenian Open Dance Competition used to be held in the Festivalna dvorana in Ljubljana, now it is held in Izola. Next year the youth dance world championship may take place in Izola. Izola does not have enough space for one big museum, so they have decided to open numerous small museums scattered through the town's streets. Old-fashioned crafts such as shoe-making and boat-building are demonstrated using authentic tools and models. The old Parenzana railway (closed down in 1936), which once connected Trieste in Italy with Porec in Croatia, also has a museum. Every Saturday from the end of May to the middle of September, there are brass band promenade concerts in Izola. The town's sporting events also attract tourists. The traditional handball festival for youth brings people from all over the world, including Taiwan and the Sudan, and from the whole of Europe from Sweden to Romania and from Belgium to Serbia, where handball is very popular. Youth handball players are accompanied by their parents. Many of them made friends here in the past and now return to Izola every year. There is also a great sailing tradition in Izola. Vasilij Zbogar is ranked among the three best sailors in Laser class in the world, and Vesna Dekleva came fourth in class 470 in the Athens Olympic Games. Last but not least - we must mention two regattas. One is the Diplomatic Regatta in September, organized by the Jadralni klub (Sailing club); the other is the Spring Cup in April, organized by the sailing club Burja. Both events are also sponsored by the Marina Izola. An Izola spa on the way? In Izola the focus is on small plans and ideas, but the doors are not closed to big ones. Izola had a spa in the 19th century. There is still thermal water there, so plans for a spa with thermal pools and a hotel with 1,000 beds are in the works. This will be an investment worth more than EUR 100m. Such development ideas are helped by the fact that there is a special area in Izola set aside for the building of new tourist facilities rather than new residential buildings. "We want to have sustainable tourism development in Izola. If we will like our surroundings, so will tourists. We will expand our tourist facilities until we reach our goal, which is 5,000 to 6,000 tourists per day; which equals one-third of our population, and will contribute an estimated 20-25% of our GDP," says Mr Pecan. Mayor Breda Pecan: The people of Izola enjoy having guests among us. We like to share experiences, to learn about other people's customs and culture, and to make our guests feel so comfortable that they wish to return to Izola again and again. We say: Izola is our one home. We want to make it the best home in the world. And if we enjoy it here, we are sure our guests shall feel the same way.