Seven STB’s Projects Awarded at The Golden City Gate Competition for Excellence in Tourism Promotion
Published:
4.3.2026
Seven STB’s Projects Awarded at The Golden City Gate Competition for Excellence in Tourism Promotion
The Slovenian Tourist Board achieved outstanding success at the international Golden City Gate competition, held as part of the world’s leading travel trade show, ITB Berlin. All seven submitted projects received awards – in total, STB received three gold, two silver and two bronze bears.
The Golden City Gate is regarded as one of the most prestigious international competitions in the field of tourism marketing, communications and multimedia solutions. The jury, composed of international experts in media, marketing and tourism, evaluates projects in terms of creativity, innovation, effectiveness and impact on destination recognition.
This year, all seven projects submitted by the Slovenian Tourist Board(STB) received professional recognition.
The highest accolade – the Golden Bear – was awarded to: the documentary film Off Season – Slowenien: Von den Bergen bis ans Meer (Off Season – Slovenia: From the Mountains to the Sea), the I feel Slovenia x Joker Out dictionary and the promotional film Alpe-Adria-Trail. Three Countries. One Trail. Endless Ways to Feel Alive.
The Silver Bear was awarded to: Alma – Slovenia’s national AI-powered tourism advisor; and the Slovenia. Arts and Culture Experiences publication
Bronze recognition was granted to the Slovenian Incoming Workshop (SIW) 2025, the most important business event in Slovenian tourism; and the project Sounds Like Slovenia – The Sound Stories of Slovenia.
MSc. Maja Pak Olaj, Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board, emphasised: “At the STB, we are extremely pleased to have received awards for all seven submitted projects, which represent recognition of the professionalism, creativity and strategic orientation of our work. Such acknowledgements confirm that our approach to tourism development and promotion is recognised as innovative, sustainable and content-driven. At the same time, they significantly contribute to Slovenia’s overall reputation, strengthen trust in our country as a high-quality, reliable and innovative partner and create added value for the entire Slovenian tourism ecosystem. We also sincerely congratulate the other award-winning Slovenian destinations, Ljubljana and the Šalek Valley."
Discover the award-winning projects
I feel Slovenia x Joker Out Dictionary
Category: Print Advertising
This creative project by the Slovenian Tourist Board, developed in partnership with the music group Joker Out, ambassadors of Slovenian tourism, connects music, language and tourism into a unique cultural product. The limited-edition pocket dictionary promotes the Slovenian language as an important element of national identity, including its unique dual grammatical form. The publication brings together selected words, phrases, song lyrics, personal messages from the members of the internationally recognised and especially youth-popular band Joker Out, as well as QR links to tourism-related content. The project goes beyond a classic promotional material – it functions as a cultural ambassador of Slovenia and a creative bridge between pop culture and destination branding. Production: STB in partnership with Joker Out.
Promotional video “Alpe-Adria-Trail. Three Countries. One Trail. Endless Ways to Feel Alive.”
Category: Ecotourism
The new promotional film presents the 750-kilometre long-distance hiking trail Alpe-Adria-Trail as a transformative experience connecting Austrian Carinthia, Slovenia and Italy’s Friuli Venezia Giulia. From the spectacular scenery beneath Grossglockner, through Slovenia’s emerald rivers and vineyards, to the Adriatic atmosphere in Italy, the film follows hikers immersed in rhythm, nature and authentic local life. It showcases slow travel. Production: Circusart.
Alma – Slovenia’s National AI-Powered Tourism Advisor
Category: Innovation
Alma is a national AI tourism advisor that transforms the official content of the Slovenia.info portal into personalised, concrete and useful answers for travellers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It represents an advanced hybrid between a conversational assistant and an intelligent content navigator, enabling multilingual support, dynamic itinerary planning and logistical information (parking, transport, timelines, etc.). With a high level of user satisfaction (up to 87.7%), Alma is not just another chatbot. It represents a new, responsible model of access to national tourism knowledge, its personalisation and activation through artificial intelligence — both before and during travel. Production: STO in cooperation with Creatim.
Publication Slovenia. Art and Cultural Experiences.
Category: Print Advertising
The thematic brochure Arts and Culture Experiences – A Guide to Creative Slovenia presents the country as a contemporary, creative and culturally rich destination. Across 84 pages, the publication brings together outstanding cultural and artistic experiences, presented through a visually refined and content-driven stories. It connects contemporary cultural production, architecture, creative hubs, niche festivals and living heritage with Slovenia’s broader cultural identity, positioning culture not as a static value, but as a living, evolving experience. It is primarily intended for cultural creators, opinion leaders and explorers of urban experiences. The project combines the quality of print media with digital reach and strengthens Slovenia’s position as a destination of contemporary culture. Production: STB.
Arts & Culture Experiences
When culture is what inspires your journey, your holiday or your retreat, you choose Slovenia – a country of remarkable heritage and vibrant contemporary creativity. This representative thematic guide invites you to discover feel-good towns, presenting Slovenian modernism and a cultural transversal. It draws inspiration from the transformative power of contemporary artistic practices and invites you on journeys through time across Slovenia’s historic towns.
Slovenian Incoming Workshop (SIW) 2025 – The Most Important Business Event in Slovenian Tourism
Category: Meetings Industry
The Slovenian Incoming Workshop (SIW) is Slovenia’s central tourism business event with more than 27 years of tradition. It connects international tour operators with Slovenian providers through pre-arranged individual meetings. In 2025, the event hosted 144 foreign buyers from 27 countries and more than 157 Slovenian providers, who conducted over 3,500 business meetings in a single day. In addition to formal meetings, SIW offers opportunities for informal networking through experiential activities that strengthen relationship-building in a relaxed atmosphere. The programme is further enriched by special evening events featuring top musicians, including Eurovision performers, as well as exceptional gastronomy prepared by Michelin-starred chefs. A key element of SIW are the fam trips, enabling foreign participants to experience Slovenian tourism products first-hand through carefully designed thematic routes across different regions of the country. Production: STB.
Sounds Like Slovenia – The Sound Stories of Slovenia
Category: Innovation
Sounds Like Slovenia is a pioneering national sound branding project that builds Slovenia’s identity through authentic sounds of nature and experiences. With more than 42 sound stories available on Spotify and over 56 million impressions in digital campaigns, the project creates an emotional connection with the destination through hearing. It is a long-term strategy that goes beyond traditional marketing metrics and builds a lasting, recognisable sonic identity for Slovenia. Unlike visual campaigns measured through clicks and impressions, sound branding creates a lasting, qualitative impact – Influencing emotions, perception and memory in ways that cannot be captured by analytical data. By activating hearing, often neglected in a visually oriented marketing world, the Sounds Like Slovenia project builds the country’s recognisability through authentic sound stories that allow people to feel Slovenia even with their eyes closed. Production: STB in partnership with Pristop Media.
Documentary Film Off Season – Slowenien: Von den Bergen bis ans Meer (Off Season – Slovenia: From the Mountains to the Sea)
Category: Television Tourism Programme
The television programme by German production company Marco Polo TV presents Slovenia as an ideal destination for travel outside the main season. The film showcases Alpine pastures, cultural landmarks and wine-growing landscapes without crowds of visitors. Through encounters with local creators and authentic experiences, it highlights the advantages of travelling outside peak season – greater authenticity, tranquillity and personal experience. The project strengthens the perception of Slovenia as a diverse, accessible and sustainability-oriented destination throughout the year. It presents Slovenia as a destination best experienced when it is at its most personal – calm, authentic and unexpectedly unforgettable. Production: Marco Polo TV.
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Alma is a ChatGPT-based virtual travel guide designed to help you find information and inspiration for your next visit to Slovenia. She is full of ideas for great experiences, knows Slovenian destinations and the variety of activities you are particularly interested in, so she can offer you personalised content and inspiring stories available on the official slovenia.info tourism portal.
Our virtual advisor was inspired by the intrepid world traveller Alma M. Karlin; therefore, we named her ALMA.
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