SIW 2026 in Portorož confirmed strong interest in Slovenian tourism: more than 3,500 business meetings and partners from 35 countries
The 28th edition of the Slovenian Incoming Workshop, better known by the abbreviation SIW, the most important business event of Slovenian tourism aimed at connecting domestic tourism providers with foreign partners, was held in Portorož from 5 to 7 May 2026. According to data from the Slovenian Tourist Board, the central day of the event brought together more than 160 foreign partners and more than 160 representatives of the Slovenian tourism economy, while the programme generated more than 3,500 pre-arranged individual business meetings. This is a format that is considered particularly effective in international tourism business because it enables direct contact between agencies, tour operators, destination organisations, hoteliers, specialised tourism providers and other stakeholders who decide on future trips, programmes and sales channels.
The event was held at a time when Slovenia is seeking to further strengthen its position as a recognisable, sustainable and year-round destination. The figures from SIW 2026 show that the interest of the international market is not linked only to classic tourism assets, such as Ljubljana, Bled, the coast, thermal destinations and the Alpine area, but also to a broader offer that includes gastronomy, active holidays, cultural routes, rural experiences, green destinations and programmes for smaller segmented travel markets. In that context, Portorož was not only the venue of the business exchange, but also a showcase for a model of Slovenian tourism that increasingly relies on the quality of the offer, sustainability and higher added value.
More than 320 professionals in a format of direct B2B meetings
SIW 2026 brought together more than 320 tourism professionals from 35 countries, which gives the event a distinctly international character. Official announcements and reports emphasise that this is Slovenia’s leading B2B tourism platform, with a focus on pre-arranged one-on-one meetings. Such a format enables participants to hold a large number of targeted talks in a short period of time, present concrete products and check possibilities for cooperation before agreements turn into travel programmes, sales arrangements or marketing activities in individual markets.
The central part of the programme was held on 6 May, when, according to the Slovenian Tourist Board, more than 3,500 bilateral meetings between foreign partners and Slovenian providers were planned. In a business sense, such a number of meetings is an important indicator because it measures not only general interest in the destination, but also the actual willingness of tourism intermediaries to enter into discussions about concrete products. For the tourism industry, especially in a period in which travel habits are changing, direct conversation between supply and distribution channels is often crucial for shaping programmes that will later appear in catalogues, digital sales systems and specialised tourism campaigns.
Portorož as a stage for business tourism and destination presentation
The choice of Portorož as the host of the 28th edition of SIW has both symbolic and practical weight. Portorož and Piran are already established as a coastal destination with developed hotel, congress and business infrastructure, and the holding of such an event further emphasises the importance of the MICE segment, that is, congress, business and incentive tourism. The local tourism organisation announced SIW 2026 as a meeting of foreign tour operators and Slovenian tourism providers aimed at creating new business opportunities and strengthening international partnerships.
For a destination that does not rely exclusively on the summer season, business events such as SIW have additional value. They extend tourism activity beyond the peak season, bring in a professional audience that often has great influence on future traveller decisions and enable hosts to present partners with a concrete experience of the area, services and logistics. In the case of Portorož, this means connecting business meetings with the coastal setting, gastronomy, local experiences and proximity to other Slovenian tourism regions.
Study trips as part of a broader sales strategy
SIW is not designed only as an indoor format of business meetings. The 2026 programme also included study trips and specially designed tours that enable foreign partners to get to know the Slovenian offer first-hand. The official programme announced the arrivals of participants for pre-tours already on 3 May, while certain days were dedicated to thematic experiences and getting to know different products. Such an approach has a clear business logic: a tour operator or travel agency can more easily sell a destination that it has personally experienced, tested and connected with concrete local partners.
Study trips are especially important for destinations that want to emphasise the diversity of their offer, and Slovenia often builds this advantage on its relative geographical compactness. In a few days it is possible to connect the coast, the Karst area, the capital, wine-growing regions, thermal centres, Alpine valleys and rural destinations. For foreign partners, this means that they can create itineraries that combine different travel motives, from active holidays and gastronomy to cultural content and premium experiences. For Slovenian providers, this in turn opens space for cooperation beyond individual destinations, through broader programmes and joint tourism products.
Record-breaking 2025 as an important backdrop to this year’s interest
The strong response to SIW 2026 comes after an exceptionally successful tourism year in 2025 for Slovenia. According to final data from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, 2025 was the most successful year for Slovenian tourism so far: around 7 million tourists visited the country, and more than 17.8 million overnight stays were recorded. Both arrivals and overnight stays increased by 6 percent compared with 2024, which had previously been the most successful year. The Slovenian Tourist Board also states that foreign tourists generated around three quarters of all overnight stays, with Germany, Italy and Austria among the leading markets.
These data help explain why the business exchange in Portorož attracted the attention of partners from a wide range of countries. Growth in overnight stays and arrivals, especially if it comes from several markets and outside the main season, increases distributors’ interest in the destination. At the same time, the tourism industry is increasingly looking for products that are not only mass and seasonal, but can respond to demand for nature, safety, authentic experiences, local gastronomy, cultural content and sustainable travel. In such an environment, Slovenia is trying to position its offer as a combination of accessibility, diversity and green orientation.
Sustainable and higher-quality tourism at the centre of the national strategy
The Slovenian tourism strategy for the period from 2022 to 2028 places emphasis on the development of tourism that is not aimed only at greater volume, but at quality, higher added value and sustainability. Strategic documents highlight a development direction that can be summed up by the formula "a little more and much better", with priorities including service quality, investment, human resources, digital transformation, boutique offer, authentic cultural elements and respect for the carrying capacities of the area. In this framework, SIW has the role of a sales and communication channel that connects strategic goals with markets that can bring guests interested in such a type of offer.
Sustainability does not appear only as a promotional message. Slovenia has for years been developing the Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism, a national tool that helps destinations and tourism companies introduce and verify sustainable practices under the Slovenia Green label. This certification system is important for international sales because an increasing number of tour operators and travellers are looking for clearer evidence of sustainable destination management, and not only general marketing claims. For business meetings such as SIW, this means that sustainability can be turned into a concrete argument in negotiations with partners, especially in markets where environmental standards, local impact and responsible travel are increasingly important criteria.
What more than 3,500 meetings mean for Slovenian providers
The number of held or planned business meetings at SIW 2026 should not be read only as an impressive statistic. For tourism providers, each meeting can mean access to a new market, entry into the programme of a specialised agency or an opportunity to agree on joint promotion. Hotels, destination organisations, agencies, experience providers, carriers and other participants in such exchanges usually do not expect all conversations to immediately turn into contracts, but a large number of quality contacts increases the likelihood of long-term partnerships. In tourism, such relationships are especially important because trust is built gradually, through familiarity with the product, reliability of delivery and clear communication.
For international partners, SIW offers a concentrated overview of the Slovenian offer in one place. Instead of searching for contacts individually, participants get the opportunity to compare several destinations in a short period, talk with different providers and assess how well individual products suit their clients. This is especially important for markets looking for thematic programmes, smaller groups, cultural tours, active holidays, gastronomic routes or combined trips through Central Europe. In such programmes, Slovenia can often be connected with surrounding destinations, but can also appear independently as a compact destination with a diverse offer.
International interest and competition among European destinations
The European tourism market is highly competitive, and destinations are competing ever more strongly for the attention of tour operators, agencies and digital sales platforms. In such circumstances, business events like SIW are important because they enable destinations not to rely only on general campaigns, but to talk with partners about concrete products, prices, availability, seasonality and experiences that can be sold. More than 3,500 meetings in Portorož indicate that Slovenia has enough market appeal to attract the attention of partners from different countries, but also that the Slovenian tourism sector is actively seeking channels for expanding and diversifying demand.
For destinations that want sustainable growth, the question of the structure of guests and travel timing is especially important. If interest is directed only toward the peak season and the best-known points, growth can increase pressure on the area and local communities. If, however, programmes for the pre-season, post-season, lesser-known regions and specialised interests are developed through such business meetings, tourism effects can be distributed more evenly. That is precisely why SIW is also important as an instrument of destination management: it serves not only to increase the number of guests, but also to shape the way in which tourism traffic will develop.
The tourism exchange as a signal of continued growth, but also a test of quality
SIW 2026 showed that Slovenian tourism is entering the new season with strong business visibility and good international contacts. But the number of meetings alone is not enough for long-term success. The next step will be turning business conversations into concrete arrangements, stable partnership relations and tourism products that can withstand market competition. The decisive role in this will be played by the quality of delivery, availability of accommodation and services, transport connectivity, professionalism of local partners and the ability of destinations to confirm the promise of sustainable, green and high-quality tourism in practice.
The Portorož SIW can therefore be viewed as more than a one-off tourism exchange. It is part of a broader effort to present Slovenia on the international market as a destination that does not count only on growth in numbers, but on carefully shaped experiences and long-term partnerships. In the year after record tourism results, more than 3,500 business meetings send a clear message that there is strong interest in the Slovenian offer, but also that the continuation of success will depend on the sector’s ability to turn that interest into sustainable, high-quality and market-relevant tourism development.
Sources:- Slovenian Tourist Board – press release on SIW 2026 and more than 3,500 business meetings- I feel Slovenia – official programme of the Slovenian Incoming Workshop 2026- Portorož & Piran – announcement of the 28th Slovenian Incoming Workshop in Portorož- Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia – final data on tourist arrivals and overnight stays in 2025- Slovenian Tourist Board – overview of tourism indicators and results for 2025- Government of the Republic of Slovenia – Slovenian Tourism Strategy 2022–2028- Slovenia Green – description of the Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism
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