British Minister for Tourism and Heritage John Penrose said that European Culture Capital was "undoubtedly a great opportunity for any city, and Maribor will be no different".

"It's a wonderful opportunity, it worked brilliantly for Liverpool, and I'm sure that Maribor will grab it with both hands, and with any luck it will mean that it puts Maribor on more peoples' maps than it was before," he added.

Suzana Žilić Fišer, the general director of the Maribor 2012 institute, which is overseeing Maribor's stint as the culture capital, stressed that positive consequences, especially in tourism and recognition of the city, had already been visible in the first half of the year.

Announcing July as the month of British culture, Žilić Fišer expressed belief that sustainable projects would continue after the formal conclusion of the biggest cultural project in Slovenia.

Neil Parish, the chairman of the British-Slovenian All Party Parliamentary Group, moreover said that culture and creative industry played an important role in the deepening of cooperation between Slovenians and Britons, Maribor 2012 said in a press release.