The core business accounted for EUR 150.8m of revenue, while the hospitality segment generated EUR 22.1m, said HIT chairman Janez Mlakar, adding that the management was satisfied with last year's results.

While the number of visitors was down 3% to around 1.4 million, the number of nights was up by a third to 229,000.

Mlakar is also satisfied with the results in the first four months of 2018, although the revenue figure of EUR 56.3m is around 3% below the plan. Revenue from gaming is 5% below and revenue from the hospitality segment 5% above the plan.

The better-than-expected performance in the hospitality segment is related to an increased number of guests from South Korea, Israel and Spain.

Hotel guests made almost 80,000 overnight stays in the first four months, which is 8% above the plan, while HIT casinos were visited by 473,000 guests, which is in line with the plan.

The company plans EUR 16.5m in investments this year, including in the refurbishment of a casino in Kranjska Gora and the restaurant and kitchen of Hotel Perla in Nova Gorica.

HIT will also increase investments this year in online gaming, with the plan being to upgrade its online casino, which mostly targets Italians, with an online sport betting site.

"We want to boost the online casino, and we will most probably change the name into Perla," management board member Tevž Korent told the press.

He announced that the company will increase investments in online gaming ten-fold in the next two years, while admitting that the segment currently brings little revenue.

HIT currently employs 1,764 people, and the plan is not to replace the workers who retire or leave the company voluntarily.