"The municipality expected the aquarium to develop according to the plans presented by its promoters when it was bought. The Municipality of Idrija expected the number of visitors to increase. It expected the aquarium to further develop and be included in the town's tourist offering. However, the results show that nothing of this has happened," said the head of the municipal administration, Remškar Planinc.
It has failed to become a tourist attraction
The number of visits at the aquarium has decreased and it hasn't been able to firmly position itself in the Idrija tourist offering. It also represents a huge financial burden for the Municipality of Idrija. When the municipal councilors voted to buy the aquarium in 2011, they thought it might represent an additional tourist offer in the town. Until today that hasn't happened.
"If it only represents a burden without delivering the expected results, we need to act," says the head of the Idrija municipal administration. That is why the municipal council has decided to search for new managers, or partners, who would try to restart the aquarium in a different way or with new measures. They have set a deadline of six months. If no positive shift is made in that time, they will then consider selling the aquarium.