SLOVENIA LAUNCHES €345m TOURISM VOUCHER SCHEME
The Slovenian Government has launched a voucher scheme in order to kick start tourism after the reopening of hotels and restaurants after height of the Covid-19 crisis.
Residents over the age of 18 will receive €200 in vouchers and those under the age of 18 will receive €50. Vouchers can be used in Slovenia to purchase accommodation with breakfast or only accommodation.
It is important to note that, due to the measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, no arrivals of tourists were recorded in Slovenia in April, and the number of overnight stays decreased by 52% from January to the end of April 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. According to some forecasts, it will take five years for tourism in Slovenia to recover.
As a form of direct assistance, the government is introducing vouchers because of their “far-reaching additional effects on other economic activities”. With the three anti-corona legislative packages, the government, in addition to helping other economic sectors, is also providing indirect support to tourism, including subsidised temporary lay-off and subsidised short-time work.
Vouchers are transferrable between family members, exempt from taxation and may be used in parts. Vouchers will be valid from 19 June to 31 December 2020.
At press conference on 9 June, Slovenia’s Minister of Economic Development and Technology Zdravko Počivalšek also said the country was ready for the summer tourist season and added that one of the goals of Slovenian tourism had already been met with the commitment to green, safe and sustainable tourism.
