Slovenia’s World Cup footballers have set a goal of attracting thousands of British fans with the kick-off today of a holiday giveaway campaign.
Drawn in the same tournament group as England, the plucky Slovenian squad wants to encourage British holidaymakers to head for their home country in a unique ‘goals for hols’ promotion. Travellers will be given back part of the cost of their planned trip as Slovenia progress in South Africa – culminating in a full refund if the side carries off the trophy.
Under the Slovenia….bet you’ll love it campaign, travellers booking Slovenia holidays between March 10 and June 10 with participating holiday companies and travelling before June 2011 qualify for the cash-back offer.
Should Slovenia reach the quarter finals, those with qualifying bookings get back 25 per cent of the cost of their holiday. If the team gets to the semi-finals, a 50 per cent refund is paid, while the full cost of the holiday is paid back, should Slovenia win the World Cup final.
Captained by West Bromwich Albion midfielder Robert Koren, Slovenia have been drawn in the tournament’s Group C, together with England, USA and Algeria. Slovenia’s opening match is against Algeria on June 13 and they play England on June 23.
Commenting on the campaign, Ivan Simič, President of the Slovenian Football Association said: ‘The cooperation between sport and tourism is very important, even more for a small country such as Slovenia. For this reason we have decided to cooperate with the Slovenian Tourist Board. I'm sure the STB’s campaign will be very successful, as was our work in this first year of my leading the Slovenian FA.’
Slovenian Tourist Board Director, Dimitrij Piciga, added: ‘This is a win-win for Slovenia tourism. If we win the cup, the exposure for our country will be unprecedented and the campaign means thousands of delighted British families can share in our celebrations. If we don’t win, then we still have the consolation of having made lots of new friends.’
Nestling between Italy, Austria, Croatia and Hungary, Slovenia is one of Europe’s smallest countries with a population of just over two million. But it offers big travel appeal to families, couples and activity-seekers. Breathtaking scenery combines with year-round activities, elegant cities and a charming Adriatic coastline to offer an enormous choice of holiday styles in one compact destination.