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The Slovenian Tourist Board (STO) officially opened an information point in London on Wednesday. The office, which is expected to boost tourist visits from Great Britain, will be hosted by the Slovenian Embassy.

Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar and STO director Dimtrij Piciga assessed the move as exemplary cooperation in economic diplomacy.

The office will be headed by Tine Murn, who works for the STO but also has the status of a diplomat, Zbogar explained for STA.

The info point has already been operating since the start of the year and is the first of its kind for Slovenia. In March, a similar office is to be opened as part of the Slovenian Embassy in Tokyo, Piciga announced.

Stressing that Murn would be available "for practically everyone interested in Slovenia", Piciga said that the goal was to restore after two years of decline the 320,000 overnight stays the British market contributed in 2006.

He added that it was also necessary to use the fact that Slovenia and England play in the same preliminary group at the football World Cup in South Africa.

"The people are hungry for information about Slovenia. We also need to use the fact that English manager Fabio Cappelo was born close to Slovenia and that he knows the country," Piciga said.

Zbogar, who will attend on Thursday the London conference on Afghanistan, joined the high expectations regarding the office.

"I believe this marks some kind of leap forward in the cooperation between the economy and the Foreign Ministry," the minister said.

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