Tourism and Leisure Show becoming a regional event

“When the small ones join together, they become large,” was the guiding idea of the organisers of the largest tourist event in Slovenia, the Tourism and Leisure Show, as they were searching for new directions of development. The geostrategic position of Slovenia in the Alps-Adriatic region had an important influence on the preparation of the Tourism and Leisure Show. The common thread running through the Show this year will be cookery. A new international Jakob Prize will also mark the event.

The Tourism and Leisure Show, which takes place annually at the end of January at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, with its ambition for greater visibility of what it has on offer, segmented by individual products and the expectations of the visitors, is expanding over the Alps-Adriatic region with the goal of becoming its central tourist event.

The organisers of the updated event, the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, will, together with their partners, strive to represent all tourist destinations within the region equally at the Show. On the one hand this will facilitate the greater recognition of exhibitors via various marketing tools, and on the other, it will offer visitors the latest options for spending their holidays and leisure time. Patronage of Alps-Adriatic: Tourism and Leisure has already been assumed by the City of Ljubljana, with the Mayor, Zoran Janković, hosting the aforementioned meeting, and by Slovenia’s Ministry of the Economy. Key actors in Slovenian tourism, who will also participate in the Show’s newly established expert committee, have also expressed support.

The region is home to 26 million people who are continually seeking new ideas of how to spend their free time. With its proximity, accessibility and attractive offers, Slovenia is undoubtedly an interesting choice. At the same time, this type of concept offers Slovenian guests a wide range of opportunities for shorter trips across the border.

The wide support of actors in Slovenian tourism ensures that the Show will become more than just an exhibition space. The accompanying programme will, with the support and participation of educational institutions, contribute to the continuous upgrading of knowledge among those working in the tourist industry. At the same time, it will adapt the important function of guiding young people into tourism, which is of key importance for the development of this sector.

The organisers are planning a number of programmes, which will considerably enliven the Show, ranging from presentations of innovative ideas in tourism to attractive social events and programmes. The event will be lively, entertaining, particularly informative and also educational.

The central connecting role between the exhibition, the accompanying programmes and the prizes, which will be awarded for special achievements in the field of tourism, will this time be played by cookery. The Jakob Prize, a new international prize during this event awarded by the organiser, the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, for tourist quality and excellence, is a new addition to the existing prizes. The name of the prize originates from one of the oldest forms of tourism, the pilgrimage, a tradition familiar to almost all religions. All of Europe (and also a number of other continents) associates pilgrimages with the image of St. James (Jakob), who has become an allegorical figure not only of the pilgrim but also of the tourist in general.

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