SLOVENIA is emerging as a successful lakes and mountains product despite suffering a drop in bookings during the Kosovo crisis.
For 2000, Thomson Lakes and Mountains is targeting a 30% increase on the 5,000 passengers carried last year to Slovenia.
Product manager Richard Heaselgrave said: “But for Kosovo, sales would have increased quite considerably this summer. Slovenia has been very proactive in promoting itself and that’s very important. We’ve just taken 80 Lunn Poly agents there and they were awestruck by the beauty of the country. We will repeat the exercise in April.”
One drawback for the UK market is a lack of consumer and trade awareness.
“We’re still trying to re-educate the British market that Slovenia is no longer part of Yugoslavia. We need to get the message out that the holiday experience is very similar to that of Austria,” said Heaselgrave.
While Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj in the north of the country remain the main draw for the UK, Thomson and Crystal Holidays introduced the resorts of Piran and Portoroz on the Adriatic coast this year.
Crystal Eastern Europe product manager Stevan Popovich said: “Initially we introduced Piran and Portoroz as add-ons for a two-centre holiday, but they have earned their places as standalone resorts for 2000. They are charming resorts with a strong Italian influence and definite lakes and mountains appeal.”
New for 2000 is a tour that combines Slovenia’s lakes and mountains with Austria and Italy. The seven-night Alps and Adriatic coach tour starts in Salzburg in Austria and takes in Lake Bled, Venice, Verona and Innsbruck. It is priced at around £650.
“Every year is encouraging for Slovenia and we can build on this summer’s success,” said Popovich. “Growth stalled because of the Balkans problem, but we recouped a lot of business in September.”
First Choice has increased its range of accommodation at Lake Bled, its most popular Slovenian resort.
Next year the operator will be offering apartments in Bled, which lead in at £299 for one week self-catering, based on two adults sharing. The price includes flights and transfers.
Lakes and mountains marketing and planning director Adrian Harwood said:”Despite the Kosovo war, which caused business to grind to a halt, Slovenia has sold very well this year.
“Slovenia is one of the most advanced countries in the region and, given two or three years of a settled political environment, it can return to the high numbers it enjoyed in the 1980s.”
Harwood added: “Our target market is similar to Austria and Italy – typical lakes and mountains customers who have done a fair bit of travelling and are looking for an excursion-filled break.”
Bulgaria’s most popular resorts: there are two main resorts. Borovets, set deep in the Rila Mountains, is the largest and more sophisticated of the two. Pamporovo is in the Rhodope Mountains and has the reputation of being Bulgaria’s sunniest ski resort. It is purpose built in an alpine style. The runs are all fairly short, but the resort does offer some picturesque skiing as most slopes are tree lined.
New product: an established market that appeals to the beginner and budget-conscious skier. This year tour operators were encouraged to pay for some of the accommodation in advance, enabling owners to upgrade rooms.
Getting there: flight on Sunday from either London Gatwick or Manchester to Plovdiv. Transfer time from the airport to Borovets is around 2hrs and to Pomporovo 1hr 45mins.
Best for boarders: Borovets and Pamporovo are both good for beginners. Pamporovo has its own snowboard pipe and park.
Best for beginners: plenty of green and blue runs at both resorts, the longest run is only around three miles. A good selection of nursery slopes. Ski and snowboard tuition is available in English. Crystal Ski is offering a learn-to-ski package in Borovets from £79 and in Pomporovo from £75.
Best for advanced: neither resort would suit advanced skiers.
Best for kids: Balkan Holidays is offering free lift passes for children up to 12 years old all season at both Pamporovo and Borovets. There is also a ski kindergarten at Pamporovo, offered free by some operators.
Best for party-goers: Inghams recommends Borovets -Êat night the resort lights up with busy bars, live entertainment, restaurants and clubs.
Value for money: excellent -Êyou can stay in a four-star hotel for the same price you would normally pay for a two-star hotel in other European ski resorts.
For more details: Bulgarian Embassy 020-7584 9400/9433.
Lakes and mountains
Crystal: seven nights’ bed and breakfast at the two-star Hotel Piran in Piran from £285. Includes return flights from Heathrow to Ljubljana with Adria Airways and transfers.
First Chice: 10 nights’ half-board at the three-star Hotel Jelovica on Lake Bled, Slovenia, costs £549 in peak summer season. Flights are from Manchester and Heathrow with Adria Airways.
Thomson Lakes and Mountains: seven nights’ half-board at the Hotel Krim in Bled costs around £275. Flying from Manchester or Heathrow, clients can travel on a scheduled service with Adria Airways to Ljubljana. For regional departures, the operator offers charter flights to Salzburg in Austria, with the addition of a coach transfer to Bled in Slovenia.
TABLE: Predjama Castle: one of the many unusual attractions found in Slovenia