An Alpine coastal country in southern central
Europe, Slovenia is renowned for its unspoiled countryside,
beautiful lakes and snow-capped mountains that cover 30% of the
country. Contained in a space smaller than Wales, all these natural
attractions are within easy reach of each other. Occupying an
excellent location, bordered by the successful and established
countries of Hungary, Italy, Austria and Croatia, Slovenia is in a
position to flourish. For those who enjoy outdoor pursuits,
Slovenia has a lot to offer; from hiking, skiing and snow boarding,
to riding, climbing, golfing or simply strolling in the midst of
awe-inspiring scenery. It also boasts 46 km of Adriatic coastline,
bordering the popular Istrian peninsular that the country shares
with Croatia.
Slovenia joined the EU in May 2004 and the
Eurozone in January 2007 and is a popular investment location with
British, Irish and other northern Europeans. The country’s economic
growth may have been slower than other emerging markets but it has
the highest GDP per capita in Central Europe and was the first of
the 2004 entrants to adopt the Euro. GDP growth was a steady
5.8% in 2007 up from 2006’s 5.2% and in 2007, the interest rate was
5.6%. The workforce is generally well-educated and unemployment is
currently lower than it has been in the past, at 4.6% in 2007. An
educated and expanding workforce combined with higher wages should
therefore broaden Slovenia’s property market in the future.
The country also has excellent infrastructure
and improving international connections including a new motorway
link between Llubljana and the Austrian border. Budget airlines
such as Easy Jet and Whizz Air fly regularly from the UK into the
capital Ljubljana and the flight time from London is just two
hours. Tourism is Slovenia’s fastest growing industry welcoming 1.2
million foreign tourists a year and travel and tourism activity as
a whole is expected to grow by 3.9% per annum between 2008 and
2017.
Still in this Chapter
Is this is good place to Buy?
Which type of Property should you go for?
Hotspots
The Purchase Process
Mortgages
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