Tourism and investment promotion agency Spirit Slovenija stressed ahead of the Milan fair that Slovenia was an attractive destination for Italian tourists, which was reflected in the share of Italian guests among all visitors.

Provisional 2012 data of the Statistics Office show the Italians make up for 35.8% of all foreign tourists, with Italian guests in Slovenia being most interested in the coast, active vacations in the Julian Alps, spas and wellness resorts, and casinos.

According to Gorazd Skrt of Spirit Slovenija's office in Italy, quality presentation of Slovenian tourism at the BIT fair is very important in a time when the number of Italian guests is decreasing.

Around 95,000 visitors are expected at the biggest tourism fair in Italy, which will feature over 5,000 exhibitors from 120 countries.

Slovenia's promotion will focus on green, active and healthy tourism and on the European Basketball Championships which the country will host in September.