Slovenia's tourism booms thanks in part to Melania Trump

FILE - In this file photo dated Aug. 12, 2016, a group of tourists drink beer on the banks of a waterway in central Ljubljana, Slovenia, transformed into a lively and picturesque city filled with restaurants, cafes and night clubs packed with foreigners. The tiny European nation of Slovenia is undergoing a tourism boom partly because it is the native country of U.S. first lady Melania Trump. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, FILE)
FILE - In this file photo dated Aug. 12, 2016, a group of tourists drink beer on the banks of a waterway in central Ljubljana, Slovenia, transformed into a lively and picturesque city filled with restaurants, cafes and night clubs packed with foreigners. The tiny European nation of Slovenia is undergoing a tourism boom partly because it is the native country of U.S. first lady Melania Trump. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, FILE)
In this Tuesday, April 16, 2013 file photo, a church is pictured on the shore of lake Bled, northern Slovenia. The tiny European nation of Slovenia is undergoing a tourism boom partly because it is the native country of U.S. first lady Melania Trump. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)
In this Friday, Aug. 12, 2016 file photo, a limousine is parked in front of a casino in Portoroz, Slovenia. The tiny European nation of Slovenia is undergoing a tourism boom partly because it is the native country of U.S. first lady Melania Trump. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)
In this Friday, Aug. 12, 2016 file photo, tourists and residents walk across Tromostovje bridges in downtown Ljubljana, Slovenia. The tiny European nation of Slovenia is undergoing a tourism boom partly because it is the native country of U.S. first lady Melania Trump. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)
In this Friday, Aug. 12, 2016 file photo, tourists and residents walk across Tromostovje bridge in downtown Ljubljana, Slovenia The tiny European nation of Slovenia is undergoing a tourism boom partly because it is the native country of U.S. first lady Melania Trump. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)

Published Jan 31, 2017

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — The tiny European nation of Slovenia is undergoing a tourism boom partly because it is the native country of U.S. first lady Melania Trump.

The national Statistics Bureau said Tuesday that the number of overnight stays in Slovenia by American tourists has jumped by 10 percent in 2016 when compared to 2015.

Nearly 4 million foreign tourists visited the country of 2 million in 2016, up by about 10 percent.

Slovenian tourist agencies have been organizing special tours "on the footsteps of Melania Trump" showing the places where she lived, studied and worked before she left in her 20s to pursue a modeling career.

A website promoting the Alpine nation of stunning natural beauty says: "Welcome to the homeland of the new First Lady of the United States of America!"