Business as usual or at least some kind of normalcy next year hinges on the coronavirus situation stabilising to a certain extent at the start of 2021, open borders and air links being resumed, said Jamnik as quoted by the Tourism and Hospitality Chamber of Slovenia (TGZS).

Numerous tourist destinations in Slovenia, including Bled, where the conference was held, Maribor and Ljubljana, depend on foreign tourists, he added.

The conference focussed on government stimulus measures aimed to boost tourism in the wake of the corona crisis.

Jamnik, the director of the Ljubljana Slon hotel, warned about the disparities regarding using the government holiday vouchers, saying that the measure was of great help only for the destinations popular among domestic guests.

The occupancy rates among hotels in Slovenia in summer vary according to the regions. On the coast, the rates are high and so are in spa resorts and certain mountainous regions, whereas in Ljubljana, Maribor, lakeside resort Bled and Postojna, a town famous for its namesake caves, the rates are the lowest.

The holiday vouchers have been thus deemed an extra boost, but extending the government furlough scheme at least until the end of the year and providing loans and grants were key for the survival of tourism, said the participants.

The head of the TGZS Fedja Pobegajlo lauded cooperation in the tourism sector among various organisations when faced with the crisis, adding that most of their boost proposals addressed to the government had been accepted and that the chamber continued to cooperate with the government in its efforts to salvage tourism.

Also attending the event was Slovenian Tourist Board (STO) director Maja Pak, who presented the concept of a nationwide campaign called Now is Time - My Slovenia and its results so far. The campaign aims to promote discovering Slovenian holiday spots.