4 days ago
- Business
- Travel Daily News
Launch of the Slovenian National Intelligence System for Tourism (NiST)
Slovenia launches NiST, a data-driven tourism intelligence system enabling sustainable development through environmental, social, and economic impact analysis and strategic decision-making.
The Slovenian Tourist Board (STB) officially launched the National Intelligence System for Tourism (NiST). This system connects fragmented data sources, ensures a stable flow of information and complex analyses and supports informed decision-making and the coordinated development of the entire tourism sector. By the end of the year, NiST will provide a comprehensive overview of tourism's environmental, social and economic impacts, enable trend monitoring and facilitate strategic planning and decision-making through 30 use cases illustrated by 70 interactive visualizations. The system was symbolically launched at a professional media event in Ljubljana by the Minister of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, Matjaž Han, and the Director of the STB, MSc. Maja Pak Olaj.
NiST enables the measurement of environmental, social and economic impacts of tourism and data-based decision-making for effective sustainable development, management and marketing of the Slovenian tourism offer. It is designed as a long-term development project, the aim of which is to support more thoughtful, data-based and sustainable tourism management at all levels – from companies and local destinations to national strategy.
The system is currently available in beta at which means that it is already available for use and testing, but with a limited set of indicators and functionalities. It will be upgraded in the coming months, with user feedback playing a key role. The STB developes NiST in close cooperation with stakeholders to be as tailored as possible to their needs and to best respond to the challenges they face in practice.
The Minister of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, Matjaž Han, congratulated the STB on its 30th anniversary and, in reference to NiST, remarked: 'We have made a clear choice to develop tourism intelligently and sustainably – not just aiming for more, but striving for better, with greater respect for space, nature and people. I am proud to see the launch of the National Intelligence System for Tourism (NiST), as it gives us the tools to understand where we are headed, why we're going there, and when it's time to say 'enough'. With solid data at our fingertips, we will be able to manage tourism in a way that is environmentally responsible, economically sound, and enriching for everyone who calls this country home.'
The Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board, MSc. Maja Pak Olaj, commented: 'NiST is far more than just a collection of indicators – it is a sophisticated tool that offers a deep understanding of the complex dynamics of tourism. It marks a strategic move toward a holistic, data-driven view of our industry, grounded in thorough analysis, data interpretation and a commitment to measuring tourism's impact on the environment, economy and society. With 60 indicators, we can now go beyond traditional metrics like arrivals, overnight stays and revenue. For the first time, we will systematically and centrally monitor broader dimensions of tourism – from resident and guest satisfaction to environmental pressures and seasonal variations. I am confident that NiST will significantly enhance decision-making at every level – from national policy to destination management and individual companies. It will not only help us track the strategic objectives of Slovenian tourism more accurately but will also serve as an essential tool for shaping more thoughtful, sustainability-focused strategies for the future.'
