Slovenia’s Geographical Context
Slovenia is a small country located in Central Europe. The nation focuses heavily on being a sustainable destination. Additionally, it is a member of the European Union. Previously, Slovenia was one of Yugoslavia’s six constituent republics.
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Austria borders it to the north, while Hungary sits on its northeastern side. Additionally, Italy occupies the western edge and Croatia the southeastern side. Lastly, the Adriatic Sea calmly brushes its southern coasts.
Notwithstanding the fact that this country has a substantial importance in history as it is a crossroad for 3 cultures: Slavic, German and Romance.
Slovenia’s People and Nature
The small nation of Slovenia has 2.08 million citizens. Furthermore, this destination hosts one of the highest diversities of natural environments within Europe.
The 20,273 kmsq area is touching both the Alps and the Adriatic. Therefore, it is rich with mountains, greenery, beautiful scenery and clear waters. Additionally, around 60% of Slovenia is covered with lavish forests.
All of these factors attract an increasing amount of tourists each year. These travellers come to appreciate the natural sensation of the place. Therefore, Slovenia is fond of being a sustainable and eco-touristic spot.
Sustainable Tourism in Slovenia
Sustainable tourism itself has been the main concern for the Slovenian Tourist Board. Consequently, “Slovenia is becoming known in the international tourism community as a small country which is taking big steps in sustainable tourism.” said STO director Maja Pak.
The Slovenian government is implementing systems and executing procedures for sustainable tourism. In recent years, there is a large focus on preserving the fragile environment. Additionally, a big shift has been accomplished in designing Slovenia’s cities to be more sustainable and eco-friendly.
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Some of these initiatives mainly support hotels and restaurants to buy local organic produce. Additionally, the service sector is trying each day to use more services that help the community. This in turn is further reducing negative impacts on the environment.
Slovenia’s Sustainable Projects and Ecotourism
The period 2018-2019 was the beginning of a huge step towards environmentally friendly tourism in the nation. The country planned its green tourism project titled “I Feel Slovenia”. This project will bring immense environmental and economical returns to the country. A win-win endeavor at best.
Ljubljana, being Slovenia’s capital, held the award for Europe’s Greenest Capital in 2016. This came as a result of being a pioneer in green tourism. It showed the country’s continuous efforts to make life more sustainable in urban cities. Therefore, this is a move to be replicated by many cities around the world, not only in Europe.
Also, Ljubljana has the Gold status of banning all vehicles from the central park and the historical areas. In addition, the city’s officials have encouraged the use of electric vehicles. This is responsible mainly for the reduction of noise and pollution simultaneously.
Additionally, the officials are working on installing more public parks, decrease the use of paper products and increase the plant species. Moreover, the city encourages the construction of environmentally friendly buildings, surrounded by biodiversity.
Slovenia is also distinguished in another amazing area. The country has a big focus on “Slow Tourism”. This kind of tourism encourages people to engage in cultural experiences. These can be related to food, such as cheese-making. Similarly, folk music is high on the agenda, where listening to these tunes is a must when in Slovenia.
Also, the country creates engaging events for travellers to experience the local traditions and customs. Last but definitely not least, environmentally friendly activities such as hiking, cycling, skiing and rafting are also championed.
