Agricultural production.

They produce herbs (15 kg of dry herbs) and collect a large amount of them in the wild. They produce their own homemade honey, meat and meat products from beef and lamb. They grow vegetables only for their own needs. They have 11 cows, 10 calves which they sell and 40 sheep. They rear 40-50 lambs a year. Agricultural production depends primarily on the year and the weather conditions.

How do you manage your farm and tourism business?

How do you manage your farm and tourism business?

It is very difficult for them to run a farm and a tourist business, but they are trying and they are on the right track. The transitions from the older generation to the younger generation are particularly difficult because they switch from a very operational to a very managerial aspect. The first generations used to do most of the work manually and all by themselves. Now we are at a stage that is evolving in the direction of relieving family members of the burden of having employees on the estate, the integration of new technology and digitisation. The most expensive aspect of this business is the workforce and the high-quality and efficient organisation and distribution of working time.

What share of family income does tourism account for (< 25% / 25-49% / 50-75% / > 75%)?

Tourism accounts for 25-49% of their income, the rest is agricultural activity (meat production and processing, herbs). 

Additional income is also generated by the Sunshine chalet – their independent business (s.p.) directly on the Krvavec ski resort, but we have not counted this as a share of income. 

Which topics, and needs do you consider to be priorities for training programmes?

“First of all, strengthening knowledge in the field of agricultural development, as very little information is given on high mountain farms – OMD (areas with limited potential for agricultural activity), keeping up to date with technological advances, advances in digitalisation and support from best practices in order to experience the workings of other farms first-hand. Each farm has its own story, is unique and has its own systems that are best suited to its operation. Developing these operating systems is the key to a successful business. A great many problems arise because of the influence of so many factors, and it is very difficult to find a good system. However, each operator knows for himself what he needs to invest in.”

When in doubt, they consult the Association of Tourist Farms and various other institutions.

What skills and knowledge would they like to acquire?

The main skills they wish to acquire are in the areas of marketing, sales, merchandising, appropriate and high-quality communication, and the study of and knowledge of foreign languages. They also believe management skills, food and nutrition production skills, and economic and accounting skills are important.

Expectations for the near future?

They hope to see less mass tourism at the national level and more focus on boutique tourism.

Expectations for their farm are positive, as they really have a lot of possibilities and opportunities to continue their tourism activities. Slovenia really has a lot of different attractions and is fantastic for foreigners. If this is done well, the whole of Slovenia can have excellent tourist and agricultural coverage. “We have huge potential for tourism development all year round.”