Bangalore:
The Silicon Valley tag has now brought boutique-country Slovenia closer home. The city’s information technology and cost-effective healthcare has drawn one more country closer – Slovenia. As a first step, a consulate was set up on Monday.

“Slovenia is a getaway to the European market and former Yugoslavia, with a lot of a free access particularly to the latter, so companies specially IT companies travelling to our country should ideally be on an advantage,” Ambassador Janez Premoze told The Times of India.

INVESTMENT HUB?
“It can prove to be ideal investment destination for companies,” added V Ravichandar, Honorary Consul, Republic of Slovenia.

Encouraging IT investments apart, the quality and cost-effective healthcare offered by private players in Bangalore is a key area which Slovenia wants to replicate in their own country. “There is a dearth of specialized medical treatments in the private sector and with the ageing population count going up both government and private players have to co-ordinate to provide quality healthcare cover in Slovenia,” said Premoze.

AYURVEDA, A RAGE
Premoze said India’s Ayurveda is also becoming popular in a big way. There are two ayurveda centres set up in the country. “We want to facilitate an exchange of scientists both at the basic and applied research level from Bangalore,” said Premoze, adding that efforts are on to sustain bilateral exchange of trade between India and Slovenia.

TOURISM FACTOR

“It is a great skiing destination, so the idea is also to project Slovenia as a potential tourist destination,” said Ravichandar. It is learnt that only 5,000-10,000 Indians on an annual basis visit Slovenia while 1,00,000 people from Japan tour the place.

“It is one of the lesser-explored European destinations. With conditions sure to lure the Indian tourist, many more people from Slovenia is likely to touch base here,” Janez pointed out. A high 14% of the country’s GDP is from tourism, but that is largely restricted to a high tourist flow from the European countries.

source:  http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Bangalore / TNN / February 28th, 2012