The local tourism industry, as well as retail and entrepreneurs in the services sector have been affected in particular, not so much by the arrival of several thousand of refugees a day as by the closure of a small border crossing at Rigonce, a short-cut for many of their Croatian customers.

Some entrepreneurs report even up to almost 50% fall in sales revenues due to loss of customers, most of whom come from Croatia, representatives of the local chamber of commerce and industry and tourism companies told a session of the Brežice municipal council discussing the refugee crisis earlier this week.

Deputy Mayor Jurij Pezdirc, who also serves as sales manager at the spa operator Terme Čatež, said that the Dobova spa Terme Paradiso saw 60% of its bookings cancelled at the culmination of the refugee crisis, with some cancellations also at Terme Čatež.

Agriculture has also sustained some damage. Several meadows near the Rigonce crossing require disinfecting after thousands of refugees crossed there on foot, which means the grass will not be suitable for animal fodder next year.