MBC Front Runner City of Koper Slovenia

Overview

The Municipality of Koper is located in the northern Istrian peninsula in the Republic of Slovenia in the Obalno-kraška region (NUTS III). The Municipality consists of an area of 311 square kilometres and is home to 52.234 inhabitants (2018), with an above average population density of 167,9 people/km2. More than half of the population lives in the urban centre and suburban areas, while the hinterland is more sparsely populated. In the second half of the 20th century, Koper was heavily industrialized and it became a regional economic centre. The Port of Koper was established in 1957 and it developed into one of the most important ports in the Adriatic region. Today, however, the service sector represents the majority of the economic activity (retail, tourism, banking, insurance, and other services).

In recent decades, Koper developed also in a popular tourist destination, renowned for its cultural heritage, cleanliness, safety and quality offer. In year 2019, the Municipality of Koper received 103.786 tourists and reached 293.662 overnights of which foreign tourists made 71%. In the last decade, significant effort was put into the development of the cruise ship tourism sector that currently attracts around 100.000 additional visitors per year.