In the past, closures for commercial shoots have caused frustration among both the local population and tourists. While commercial shoots in the center of Ljubljana cost 800 euros a day in taxes, and the tax is set at 500 euros in Bled and Bohinj, it will cost between 350 and 400 euros a day in the Bovec Municipality, according to Mayor Valter Mlekuž. In addition, permission to film will need to be filed at least two weeks before the shoot.
At a recent meeting at the Infrastructure Agency, the Bovec Municipality reached an agreement with the production companies that will prevent commercial shoots from taking place on public holidays – including those of neighboring countries – and on weekends during the high season, except in the time period between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. In the past, closures due to commercial shoots have caused frustration among locals and tourists alike. Last year, the Infrastructure Agency gave 35 permissions for road closures on national routes because of commercial shoots – most of them in the Upper Soča Valley and in the Gorenjska region.

"In the past, the Infrastructure Agency received requests for permissions, and the agency then notified us, so we could give our approval. Of course, there was a great deal of nervousness and pressure. The entire process was nerve-wracking, but in the end, we also backed down, so there are no issues preventing shoots in the summer between 4 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.," Mlekuž explains.
Andrej Štritof from the production company Perfo has only positive experiences with commercial and film shoots in the Bovec area. He agrees that the new regulations are necessary. "Foreign companies, including Italy, have similar restrictions and taxes, which define the rules of the game," says Štritof.
The most recent commercial, filmed in the Trenta Valley for a carmaker, will air a month from now during Tour de France. Indirectly, it will promote the valley, even though signs mentioning the area are never shown. Mlekuž even prevented the French flag from being flown from the city hall, as requested by the client, adds Štritof. "In most cases, the local landscape serves as a stand-in for some other place – Switzerland or Austria, for instance, because commercial shoots there are considerably more expensive than in Slovenia, so we end up as a substitute location," says Štritof.
The Bovec Municipality expects to receive several thousand euros a year from the new tax. This is not just another way of filling the municipal coffers, adds Mlekuž. The municipality simply formalized an agreement they have had with the production companies for the past few years. "For every shoot, they gave a donation, which we’ve spent on humanitarian causes. Two years ago, we bought a wheelchair for a child, last year we purchased a vehicle for the Mountain Rescue Society, and this year, we helped the local firefighters," adds the mayor.
The new tax will be spent on similar projects.