Slovenia: a springboard for travelling east
AS TRAVELLERS open
their eyes to more
Eastern European
countries, especially those
east of Austria, countries
like Slovenia are coming to
the fore.
Slovenia is one of the
countries her clients are
leaning toward, says Elzeth
Van Schoor, a travel expert
at Flight Centre Tygervalley.
She says many of her
clients have travelled to
Western Europe. “They
are looking for something
different, something a little
more foreign and exotic.
“Going to Slovenia
suddenly opens up a
whole new world.” She
says it can be a starting
point for self-driving into
other Eastern European
countries, including
not just Hungary and
Croatia, but also Bosnia
Herzegovina and even
going as far south as
Montenegro. “Before,
clients would feel they
didn’t really know these
places and stopped their
travels in Austria, or maybe
the Czech Republic.
Shift from the west
“It’s almost like there is an
entire shift from Western
into Eastern Europe, with
some of my clients going
as far as Estonia, and not
on cruising but to actually
explore, which is really
exciting,” she says.
Sharon Padayachee, who
has also seen increased
interest in Slovenia this
year, is seeing clients
move further east, past
Austria and the Czech
Republic and into new
destinations.
While interest in Slovenia
has increased, Austria
Connection md, Inge
Dobihal, says it has the
potential to grab a lot
more of the local market.
She has also seen an
increase in Romania,
which is not too expensive.
She adds that the best
way to see this country
is touring by private car
and, despite this offering
leaning toward the luxury
segment, it is still quite
affordable.
Slovenia is appealing to
Sharon’s older clients, who
are willing to pay more for
a unique experience. “They
have already travelled
extensively and now they
are looking at something
different.”
Popular with all ages
Elzeth says she sends
clients of all ages to
Slovenia and that many of
her younger clients have
tried to plan their own
itineraries but, because
these can be pricey, they
opt for a guided holiday.
The country is easily
toured, by car or coach,
says Inge. She highlights
Ljubljana, the Postojna
Cave, Bled Castle and
Lipica – the origin of the
Lipizzaner horse – as
some of the highlights.
Inge says Ljubljana is a
charming old city. “It is
very pretty and vibrant,
with a nice atmosphere.”
Elzeth also cites Ljubljana
as one of the main
attractions, and says the
country’s natural beauty,
culture and history are
other draw cards.
The Postojna Cave is a
24km-long cave system
in southwestern Slovenia.
It is the second-longest
cave system in the world.
Travellers exploring the
cave do so by cart on an
8km track before going
on a guided walk and
returning by another track
on a different route.
Inge and Elzeth
agree that Lake Bled
is probably one of the
most photographed and
picturesque places. Bled
Castle is on a high cliff on
a small island within the
lake that also has a small
church. It can be accessed
by boat.
White horses
The original farm breeding
Lipizzaner horses is in
Lipica, which is also one
of the world’s oldest
continuously operating
stud farms. These white
dancing horses are
closely associated with
the Spanish Riding School
in Vienna, where many
were settled as part of an
evacuation in the Second
World War.
Piran, a small remote
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sale until the end of June and pricing starts from R19 447pps.
The other departures start at R22 279pps.
Moving with the music
ELZETH Van Schoor of
Flight Centre Tygervalley
says as many as 10-15%
of her clients travel to
see rock concerts, with
Slovenia and the rest of
Eastern Europe being
popular choices for clients
wanting to follow bands.
“My last clients went
over to see U2.” She also
mentions that many of
her clients have travelled
to see André Rieu’s
concerts. The Dutch
violinist and conductor
frequently performs
in Maastricht in The
Netherlands. Elzeth feels
that music-themed trips
are a new and growing
segment of the industry.
Plan early for Croatia
CROATIA remains one of
the most popular Eastern
European countries out
of South Africa, says
Inge Dobihal of Austria
Connection but, as a result
of this popularity, demand is
greater than supply.
Elzeth Van Schoor from
Flight Centre Tygervalley,
says because of capacity
shortage, travel agents
are losing bookings to
Airbnb and guesthouses,
where clients can find
accommodation that agents
can’t necessarily package.
Inge says already it’s hard
to find accommodation for
September and Elzeth adds
that bookings for Croatia
should be made eight to
nine months in advance. She
adds that she urges clients
to lock in bookings as
quickly as possible after they
find something they like.
Russia on the rise
NONHLANHLA Litabe, from
CruiseAbout Musgrave,
says Russia is definitely
on the rise since the visa
requirement for South
Africans has been dropped.
She says it is affordable
compared with other
countries on the Baltic Sea.
Sharon Padayachee, from
Serendipity, says because
no visa is needed, Russia
is an option for clients
looking for a last-minute
holiday.
St Petersburg, Red
Square and Moscow’s
Metro are some of the
country’s unique selling
points says Marelize Le
Roux, Travel Vision gm.
She says the country
is also famous for the
Northern lights and the
spectacular St Basil’s
Cathedra.
G Adventures offers tips for travellers
• It is customary to leave
a small tip of €1-2 for
service providers, such as
waiters.
• In Eastern Europe it is
very rare to find elevators
in train stations, hotels or
other public places. Bear
this in mind when packing
as you may have to carry
bags up several flights of
stairs.
• In Romania and Bulgaria,
vegetarians should be
aware that the cuisine of
this region is predominantly
meat-based. Although
travellers will be able to
find vegetarian food, there
will not be the variety of
choices they find at home.
More Baltic itineraries from Trafalgar
BALTIC countries have made
a late entry on to travellers’
bucket lists, with the result
that pricing is significantly
lower than popular western
European countries, says
Teresa Richardson, md of
The Travel Corporation.
“Formerly Soviet republics,
the Baltic states only gained
their independence in the
1990s,” Teresa says. “It was
only then that they became
a feature on the travel
map and visitors started to
realise the treasures hidden
within.”
She says, due to increased
demand, TTC has introduced
three new trips to this
region. These are Trafalgar’s
Best of Croatia and Slovenia,
and Best of Poland, as well
as CostSaver’s Highlights of
the Baltics itinerary.
Teresa says the medieval
towns and fairytale castles
are real highlights of the
Baltic states.
“Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius,
boasts beautiful baroque
facades and a Unesco World
Heritage Old Quarter,” she
says. “Latvia’s crown jewel is
its capital, Riga. Travellers can
wind through medieval streets
and forgotten alleyways, or
climb on board a canal boat
on the Daugava River to take
in the sights from the water.”
She says a selling point for
history and art lovers is that
Riga is home to the largest
concentration of art nouveau
buildings in Europe.
New luxury ship to cruise the Danube
AMADEUS River Cruises’
new five-star ship,
Amadeus Imperial, will set
sail in April next year.
The ship will be the
Austrian cruise line’s 16th
passenger ship and will
cruise the Danube, Rhine
and Main rivers as well
as the Dutch and Belgian
waterways.
Amadeus Imperial
follows the model of the
Silver series (built in
2013, 2015 and 2016).
It offers 72 deluxe cabins
(18sqm) and 12 Amadeus
suites (26sqm). The
ship’s Imperial cabins on
the Mozart and Strauss
decks also feature
lowerable panoramic
windows along the entire
cabin width.
