2025 was a very successful year for tourism in Cerklje na Gorenjskem. A total of 41,110 tourist arrivals and 92,954 overnight stays were recorded, representing a 12.9% increase in overnight stays compared with 2024. This means that Cerklje has practically returned to the pre-pandemic level of tourist visits recorded in 2019.
Growth in tourist visits and accommodation capacity
The growth in tourist visits has gone hand in hand with the development of the accommodation on offer. In 2025, 85 accommodation establishments paid tourist tax, ten more than in 2024 and twenty more than in 2019. The number of permanent beds also rose, reaching 1,347 beds, 37 more than the previous year and 167 more than in 2019.
The figures point to a further strengthening of the tourism offer in the municipality.
Seasonality of tourist visits
Tourist visits are spread relatively evenly throughout the year, although the summer and winter seasons are still the most pronounced. The highest number of overnight stays was recorded in August (17,820), followed by July (13,150) and February (12,079 overnight stays). The lowest numbers were recorded in November (2,204), October (4,675) and April (4,740).
Despite the two distinct peak seasons, seasonality in Cerklje is lower than the Slovenian average. This is also confirmed by the Gini coefficient of arrival intensity, which stood at 0.27 in 2025, compared with a Slovenian average of 0.30. As a lower value means that tourist visits are spread more evenly across the year, the result shows that tourist flows in Cerklje are more balanced than at the average Slovenian destination.
This is helped by winter tourism on Krvavec, summer outdoor activities, and business and transit guests drawn by the proximity of Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport.
An internationally oriented destination
Cerklje na Gorenjskem remains a strongly internationally oriented tourist destination. Of all overnight stays in 2025, 82.2% were made by foreign guests, while domestic guests accounted for 17.8% of all overnight stays.
Besides Slovenia, the most important source markets were Croatia, Hungary, Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland. The top ten countries by number of overnight stays also include Serbia, France, Italy and the Netherlands, which reflects a relatively diverse and international visitor profile.
Length of stay
After two years of slight decline, the average length of stay increased slightly again in 2025, reaching 2.26 nights. Despite this improvement, it remains below the Slovenian average of 2.55 nights.
The shorter average length of stay is mainly linked to the visitor profile, which includes a significant share of business guests, transit travellers and visitors who use the area as a base for exploring the wider Gorenjska (Upper Carniola) region and Slovenia.
Interestingly, the longest stays in 2025 were made by guests from Lithuania (5.1 days – mostly in March and November) and Serbia (5.0 – mostly in July and June).
Tourism as an important pillar of the municipality’s economy
Tourism in Cerklje na Gorenjskem also plays an important role in terms of employment. According to the OECD methodology, 1,438 people were employed in tourism in 2025, representing 27.2% of all employees in the municipality. By comparison, the Slovenian average is 7.6%.
When interpreting this figure, the specific characteristics of the municipality must be taken into account. The high share of people employed in tourism is certainly also influenced by the proximity of Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport and by activities linked to air transport and related services. Nevertheless, the figure confirms that tourism, together with related activities, plays an extremely important role in the local economy.
What attracts visitors to Cerklje?
A visitor survey carried out by the Cerklje Tourism Board in summer and autumn 2025 in cooperation with the company Arhea shows that visitors most often come to Cerklje for active sports holidays, to explore and experience nature, and to relax.
The most popular activities are hiking, cycling, tasting local food and day trips. When choosing a destination, the natural beauty of the area, photos and videos on social media, and recommendations and good ratings on travel websites all play an important role.
Visitor satisfaction and tourist spending
95 visitors took part in the survey, and 65 properly completed questionnaires were used for the analysis. As many as 71% of respondents also stayed overnight in the destination, most often in apartments, followed by hotels, hostels and tourist farms.
The average length of stay of the visitors surveyed was 4.7 days. Average spending was approximately €427 on accommodation, €204 on food and drink, and €179 on activities and experiences.
Visitors rate Cerklje very positively. On a scale from 1 to 6, the likelihood of recommending the destination to friends achieved an average score of 5.1. The highest scores were given for the friendliness of local people, the well-kept surroundings, and the opportunities for hiking and cycling. Public transport and shopping opportunities received the lowest, though still good, scores, which provides an important starting point for further improvements.
Sustainability aspects of the destination
The survey shows that visitors recognise Cerklje as a sustainability-oriented destination. Information on saving water and energy, and on healthcare and accessibility, was rated somewhat lower. In the coming period we will therefore step up information on sustainable mobility and improve communication about the sustainable practices of local providers. Recognition of the Slovenia Green brand: a third of participating visitors know the Slovenia Green brand, and another third have heard of it but are not familiar with it in detail, which shows potential for further promotion of the destination’s sustainability efforts.
Key findings
2025 was marked by growth in tourist visits, an increase in accommodation capacity and a high level of visitor satisfaction. Cerklje na Gorenjskem stands out for the above-average importance of tourism to the local economy, its strong international orientation and a more even distribution of tourist visits throughout the year than the Slovenian average. These results provide a solid foundation for the further development of high-quality, sustainable tourism in the destination.
Graphics source: NIST (opens in a new tab)
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