The best 2022 hosting destination of the Tour of Slovenia is the Municipality of Celje

More than 300 thousand fans along the route of the 5-day race. 10.9 million spectators on Eurosport. More than 62 million fans on social networks. Plus the participation (and the victory)of Tadej Pogačar, the best cyclist in the world and the ambassador of Slovenian tourism, who won the race for the second time in a row. 40 Slovenian tourism destinations, which actively participated in the promotion of Slovenia both on television screens and live, added their stamp to numerous records. Today, the jury awarded the last trophy of the race for the 2022 season - the Trophy for the Best Host, which was won by the Municipality of Celje. The commission unanimously awarded the title to Celje, which stood out for its innovation, comprehensive approach and numerous sustainable activities. This year's race also marks the 5-year partnership between the Slovenian Tourist Board and the international television network Eurosport, which has carried the name of Slovenia and its destinations to more than 46 million viewers since 2016.

During the 28th Tour of Slovenia, between June 15 and 19, which was traditionally held under the "Fight for Green" slogan, Slovenia breathed as one: on the nearly 800-kilometre route, 40 tourist destinations and 66 tourist attractions of Slovenia were shown to the cycling fans from all over the world. The selection of the Best Host also makes a significant contribution to the overall promotion of the country, as it represents an additional incentive for destinations to make the most out of the event and to make sure that Slovenia's commitment to sustainability is fulfilled. In this way, they comprehensively connect tourism with the development of the local environment, which represents an exceptional added value for both, locals and visitors.

Upon presenting the trophy for the Best Host, MSc. Maja Pak, Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board, highlighted: "Five years ago, when the Slovenian Tourist Board joined the Tour of Slovenia and made the broadcast on Eurosport possible, we set ourselves many long-term and also ambitious goals, all with the aim of successfully positioning Slovenia and the Tour of Slovenia on the international cycling map. I am thrilled to say that this year's results prove that we have succeeded. The partnership between the STB, the organizer and the destinations creates added value both for tourism and for the locals and actively involves them in a healthy and sporty lifestyle. This connection and action for common goals is proof that Slovenia is an exceptional host of sports events and the homeland of top athletes. Among the destinations, the Municipality of Celje particularly stood out, which organized a series of outstanding activities and thereby created multiplier effects both for increasing social events in the city and sustainable mobility, as well as for the development of the economy, especially tourism. The fifth anniversary of the STB's involvement in the race, is also the right moment celebrate the outstanding work, which should also serve as motivation for the future."

Bogdan Fink, Organisational Director of the Tour of Slovenia, highlighted: "This year's Tour of Slovenia reached even more cycling fans, live and on the TV. According to estimates, a total of around 300,000 sports enthusiasts watched the race live. The committee for the selection of the Best Host did not have an easy task. With each year, the destinations become more and more actively involved in the fight to win the title of the Best Host. A huge number of activities were carried out even before the start of the first stage, including numerous campaigns, which contributed to even greater recognition of the event and the connection of local communities with the organizer. I would like to thank all the destinations, sponsors and all partners of the event, who, with their active work and cheering, helped make the cycling race around Slovenia a success again this year."

Mojca Novak, Chair of the Tour of Slovenia's Organising Committee and of the Adria Mobil Cycling Club: "The work of this year's commission was certainly one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult so far. Destinations that participated all had a desire to win - the same as cyclists. The commission had a difficult job, but Celje deserves this award, the decision was taken unanimously. At the same time, we would like to congratulate all destinations involved, which have done an amazing job in promoting sports, in their local environment. After all, thanks to also to Eurosport, for the promotion of Slovenia in the world. Congratulations to the winner and all other destinations. With a good team, it is easy to make great stories. We have numerous exceptional colleagues all around Slovenia that help us organise this really big cycling event, which is perhaps even bigger than we, as the organisers, consider it."

The innovation and sustainability of the Municipality of Celje were the most convincing to the selection committee

The municipality of Celje and the Celeia Celje Institute for Cultural Events and Tourism started organizing a number of activities for the hosting of the Tour of Slovenia race more than half a year before the race and succeeded in designing a series of activities that attracted the local population and visitors who watched the race live, as well as wider international public. Many impressive bicycle-themed installations in Celje and the surrounding area could be seen at every turn. Residents were further motivated with cycling stories in the local media, with the ambassador of event,Tone Tislje, ​​a Cycling Day and a Snail Race for the youngest cyclists. They also created the Celje peloton exhibition, which covered the 140-year history of cycling in Celje and further highlighted the importance of cycling for Celje and its surroundings. The Best Host selection committee unanimously chose the Municipality of Celje, which further confirms the extremely successful work of the Municipality and the Celeia Celje Institute for Cultural Events and Tourism.

Bojan Šrot, Mayor of the Municipality of Celje, commented: "Celje's Old Castle has been the destination of Tour of Slovenia for several years. We always witness dynamic events, and this year was the same. With great enthusiasm, we greeted the world cycling elite, led by Tadej Pogačar, who also won the stage. We have been hosting the race with pride and pleasure for nine years, and months before the race we decided to compete for the Best Host award. This gave us additional motivation to really prepare everything for this spectacle, which is not only sporting, but also promotional event. Our new colleague Robert Gorjanc, who is an enthusiastic cyclist, also encouraged us to reach our goal. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the organizers of the race for taking us as a serious partner. Thank you also to the committee for selecting the host, I'm sure you have made the right decision, even though the competition was tough. Every year, I watch all the stages of the race on TV and it's really nice to see all these beautiful places, sometimes I see something new and extraordinary even in our surroundings. When I compare this with the Tour de France and other races, I always say to myself what a wonderful homeland we have."

The representatives of all the other hosting destination received green shirts with the coat of arms and the name of the municipality and 2022 printed on them, as a sign of thanks for their cooperation and the diverse and high-quality promotion of not only the race, but also cycling as a sport in the broadest sense.

5 years of partnership between the STB and Eurosport

Five years ago, the STB and Eurosport entered into a partnership for the first time to promote Slovenia and Tour of Slovenia. Every year, Eurosport provided 10 hours of race coverage on the Eurosport 1 and 2 channels. This year, in a 2-month advertising campaign, 120 minutes of advertisements were shown, which communicated the green, healthy and active Slovenia. This year, the race was watched by record 10.9 million TV spectators. This proves effective long-term partnership, which brings above-average multiplicative effects with annual upgrades and greater substantive coherence. In five years, 46 million viewers watched the race on the Eurosport network alone.

The advertising campaign on Eurosport's TV channels, which ran for almost 2 months, reached more than 12 million viewers and more than 3 million online users. The STB prepared 13 creatives for television and online advertising, 10 of which were intended to promote the destinations that hosted the starts and finishes of the race. 238 advertisements were aired on television for a total length of 120 minutes, with as many as three quarters of the advertisements being aired in prime time slots. The best user responses to online advertising on Eurosport.com, reaching more than 3 million online users, were recorded in the markets of Spain, Italy and the UK. Compared to the average number of clicks on ads on Eurosport, the STB campaign was above average.

Inspiring stories about the green and active Slovenia and top cyclists

The STB has identified active outdoor experiences and sports tourism as a central communication topic for 2022 and 2023. In both cases, cycling has tremendous potential, as it enables the positioning of Slovenia as a unique destination for active experiences throughout the year. The long-term partnership with the Tour of Slovenia and the 5-year partnership with Eurosport proved to be an excellent tool for presenting various inspiring stories about top Slovenian athletes and about sustainable Slovenia as an exceptional sports destination, which, in addition to numerous opportunities for outdoor active leisure, also offers excellent conditions for sports preparations and the hosting of top sports events. On www.slovenia.info, the STB has prepared a special content landing page dedicated to the presentation of the Tour of Slovenia, participating destinations and cycling experiences in Slovenia.

On Feel Slovenia social networks, the STB created a real virtual fan atmosphere with more than 190 creatives, connected fans with destinations and effectively positioned Slovenia as an exceptional destination for cycling tourism. Effectiveness is demonstrated by the extraordinary reach: 62 million users and 1.4 million interactions. The STB paid special attention to the digital promotion of destinations and organized a special advertising campaign for them on social networks, which reached almost 3.5 million users and more than 100 thousand clicks on ads.

The STB also launched a video with Tadej Pogačar, which has had more than 300 thousand views on the Feel Slovenia YouTube channel alone.

Along with Tadej Pogačar, top cyclist Primož Roglič and his club Jumbo Visma are ambassadors of Slovenian tourism.

Pogačar is the main magnet for promoting Slovenia in the global media

The ambassador of Slovenian tourism, Tadej Pogačar, has been impressing the cycling world with excellent results for the last three years, and his participation in the Tour of Slovenia further increased the interest of the general and sports global media. More than 150 domestic and foreign journalists followed the race on five stages. 638 publications were recorded in foreign media alone, reaching more than 560 thousand readers.

Watch the videos of this year's Tour of Slovenia

Video of Celje, the Best Host of 2022

In the cover photo (from left): Bogdan Fink, Organizational Director of the Tour of Slovenia, Mojca Novak, Chair of the Tour of Slovenia Organizing Committee and the Adria Mobil Cycling Club, Bojan Šrot, Mayor of the Municipality of Celje, and MSc. Maja Pak, Director of the STB. Photo by Andraž Purg

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