As the first World Bee Day dawns on May 20, Slovenia is already seeing an influx of visitors eager to discover the country’s beekeeping and honey making traditions. 

Tourism is one of the most developed sectors in Slovenia thanks to its geographic advantages — it has a small slice of the Adriatic coastline, lies to the south of the Alps and has multiple spas and lakes. The authorities have also worked to ensure the sector is sustainable and profitable — including by opening up new niches such as honeybee tourism or apitourism. 

Indeed, Slovenia was the initiator of World Bee Day, which was officially declared by the UN in December 2017 following a campaign spearheaded by Slovenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dejan Židan. “Bees and other pollinators finally have the place they deserve in view of their importance for the world and for humanity,” the minister commented after the decision was made. 

The main players in Slovenia’s apitourism sector are the Slovenian Beekeepers' Association and the Aritours travel agency, which according to local news agency Slovenian Press Agency (STA) are the only ones in the world certifying apitourism providers, of which there are currently 35 in the country. 

An "apitour" in Slovenia typically includes honey trails, tasting of honey products and honey-based delicacies, and attendance at workshops and beekeeping classes. Visitors can also tour Slovenia's unique and colourful bee hives. 

Aiming to further develop this segment of tourism, cycling honey tours with electric bicycles will be organised by the Sava Hotels Bled this summer. They will include a stop at the Beekeeping Museum in Radovljica. Those in for a less physically demanding tour will be able to opt for hop-on hop-off bus tours, STA reported.

Another aspect of apitourism is apitherapy, where bee products including honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and bee venom are used medical purposes. Visitors are invited to enter a bee hive and listen to the relaxing buzzing of the bees while inhaling the aromas from the beehive. Some apitourism providers and spas also offer honey-based massages, honey and milk baths and beeswax thermotherapy. The Terme Portoroz spa at the coast, for example, uses honey in its saunas and offers a honey peeling, while Terme Paradiso in the south-east will open Slovenia's first Honey Paradise Glamping Resort this autumn, STA said.

This may be the first time World Bee Day is celebrated in Slovenia, but the country has been developing the segment since 2003 when it hosted the world beekeeping congress Apimondia. Now, however, the UN’s endorsement of the day has given fresh impetus to the segment. Back in November, the Slovenian Tourist Board announced that the story of bees would be a central part of their message — with the slogan “Be(e) Responsible” — while sustainable and cultural tourism would be the forefront of promotional activities for Slovenian tourism for the next two years.

Apitourism is in line with Slovenia's strategy of sustainable tourism and its slogan "Green. Active. Healthy" as it strongly underlines culture that encourages respect for nature and raises awareness of environmental issues. "Honeybee tourism is undoubtedly a tourism product that represents Slovenia in the most authentic way as a country of extraordinary natural advantages," the tourist board told STA.

Tourism in Slovenia maintained sustainable growth in 2017 after reaching all time record numbers of tourist arrivals and overnight stays in the previous two years. According to the latest Statistical Office data announced on February 26, 13% more tourist arrivals and 11% more overnight stays were recorded in tourist accommodation in 2017 against 2016.