STB wins Best of the Alps Award and five Golden City Gate awards at ITB Berlin
The Slovenian Tourist Board (STB) has been honoured with the prestigious Best of the Alps Award for 2024. This recognition celebrates STB's efforts in showcasing Slovenia as a sustainable tourist destination on the global stage. At ITB Berlin, five of STB's promotional projects were also recognized by experts in The Golden City Gate international competition for their outstanding contribution to tourism promotion.
The Best of the Alps Award, presented by the Best of the Alps Board of Directors, honours individuals, companies and institutions for their exceptional contributions to the cultural, social, political and economic vitality of the Alpine region. In 2024, this esteemed accolade was unanimously bestowed upon theSlovenian Tourist Board for its commitment to fostering sustainable tourism development. Slovenia, renowned for its pristine natural beauty, long-term sustainable practices and excellent value proposition, exemplifies the essence of this award. Nicolas Durochat, President of Best of the Alps, presented the award to Matjaž Han, Minister of the Economy, Tourism, and Sport, and MSc. Maja Pak Olaj, Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board during the Slovenian Evening in Berlin on Tuesday. Durochat also praised Slovenian hospitality and the Slovenian Tourist Board's effective efforts in promoting and positioning Slovenia in the global tourism market.
The Slovenian evening also commemorated the 100th anniversary of the signing of the agreement establishing the Alpine Conservation Park, precursor to the Triglav National Park. At the event, Dr. Tit Potočnik, Director of the Triglav National Park, and Dr. Roland Baier, Director of the German National Park Berchtesgaden, signed Letters of Intent to foster cooperation between the two parks. This partnership signifies a significant strategic alliance in the Alps, bridging the Julian Alps and the German Alpine region of Berchtesgaden Land.
Dr. Tit Potočnik, Director of the Triglav National Park Public Institute, remarked: "This year, the Triglav National Park celebrates 100 years since the establishment of its predecessor, the Alpine Conservation Park. The celebration's slogan, 'Conservation is Existence,' underscores the importance of preserving nature, leading to the establishment of Slovenia's only national park in this region. As one of the 13 national parks in the Alps, the Triglav National Park shares similar challenges with the Berchtesgaden National Park in Germany, with which we are forging ties. Given that German visitors constitute the majority of tourists in the Julian Alps, collaboration with the Slovenian Tourist Board is vital to ensuring they are well-informed and aware of the region's offerings, enabling them to make the most of their leisure time in the Triglav National Park and the Julian Alps Biosphere Area."
The event also saw the launch of the award-winning Primetime, the latest series of Elan skis, 100% made in Slovenia. The event marks the start of closer cooperation between the Elan brand and the STB, especially in the German market, which is the most important for Elan and Slovenian tourism.
The Director of the Winter Sports Division and Vice President of the Elan Group, MSc. Leon Korošec, expressed great pride in Slovenia's reception of the 'Best of the Alps' award: "This recognition signifies Slovenia's dedication to Alpine values, environmental stewardship and acknowledges the contributions of Slovenian tourism, sports and business sectors. It firmly positions Slovenia within the developed Alpine space of Europe, reflecting its excellence and influence. Elan, deeply rooted in the Slovenian Alps, shares this commitment to the Alpine region. The opportunity to participate in the prestigious ITB underscores the significance of the German market, a strategic focus for Elan's growth."
The event unfolded at the Bolle Festsaal in central Berlin, attracting around 200 distinguished guests from various sectors including tourism, diplomacy, media and sports. The program featured performances by Slovenian artists based in Germany and the renowned Sašo Avsenik Ensemble. The Avsenik name holds global recognition, particularly in German-speaking regions, embodying the spirit of the Alpine identity.
The Golden City Gate: Five Bears for the Slovenian Tourist Board
This morning, the Golden City Gate Awards ceremony unfolded. Esteemed by organizers as an international platform celebrating tourism films and multimedia content, it embodies the creative essence of the tourism industry.
In a remarkable achievement, all five STB's projects received awards: NFT - a top sensory experience in the Julian Alps, Texas Feels Slovenia 2023 and the 'Slovenia, a sports destination' publication secured the gold prize, while the new Slovenian tourism stand clinched the silver prize. Additionally, the Feel Slovenia Reels earned an 'excellent' prize. These accolades not only garner increased international attention but also elevate Slovenia's global standing.
NFT The Ultimate Julian Alps Sensory Adventure
In May 2023, the STB and the Julian Alps organised The Ultimate Julian Alps Sensory Adventure for representatives of 15 renowned foreign media, who cashed their exclusive NFT digital souvenir as a ticket to this unique event. he project highlighted the importance of a responsible attitude towards nature by drawing attention to the issue of disappearing species of flora and fauna in an innovative way, using advanced technology. The link between the digital souvenir and an experience in a destination recognised for its outstanding respect for the environment impressed journalists.
Texas Feels Slovenia 2023
Given its population of 332 million, the United States is an important market for Slovenia's economy and tourism, offering abundant prospects. To increase its visibility, Slovenia hosted the Texas Feels Slovenia business and investment event in Dallas in March 2023. This comprehensive initiative showcased Slovenia's economic, tourism and investment potential through a collaborative business conference and an exciting I Feel Slovenia Night at a basketball game between Dallas Mavericks and the Chicago Bulls. This unique project not only effectively promoted Slovenia but also facilitated numerous business opportunities in the US market, leveraging the visibility of Slovenian basketball star and tourism ambassador Luka Dončić.
Slovenia: A Top Sports Destination
The 'Slovenia, A Top Sports Destination' publication caters primarily to specialized tourist organizations, sports training agencies,and organizers of professional and amateur sports clubs, as well as international sports events. However, it also appeals to sports journalists and other professionals in the field. Highlighting exceptional opportunities for sports training and organizing competitions across various disciplines, the publication also delves into rehabilitation and prevention strategies for athletes. It invites fans to explore Slovenia's tourism offer while showcasing the country's rich fan culture. Enriched with insights from prominent Slovenian sports figures and key contributors to sports tourism, this 72-page bilingual publication in Slovenian and English serves as a comprehensive guide to Slovenia's vibrant sports scene.
I Feel Slovenia at ITB Berlin: 26 destinations and providers brought to the spotlight
Germany stands as the most important market for Slovenian tourism, with German visitors contributing nearly 1.9 million overnight stays in 2023, comprising 16% of all foreign stays. Notably, this marked a substantial 24% increase from 2019. Key municipalities hosting German visitors included Ljubljana, Bovec, Piran, Bled and Radovljica.
Underlining the market's significance, Slovenia's tourism economy and destinations showcased their offer at the global ITB Berlin event. Nova Gorica, named the European Capital of Culture 2025, spearheads the engaging animation at the event.
Travel Talks on Arts and Culture: Engaging sessions for journalists, experts and decision-makers
Throughout the fair's duration, the Slovenian stand hosts insightful discussions on culture and art travel. These sessions cater to a select group of journalists, industry experts and decision-makers, providing them with the opportunity to listen to speakers in the comfort of the Slovenian stand's lounge, facilitated by headphones.
On Tuesday, Dr. Lars Felner, a renowned German expert and translator of Slovenian literature, joined Sammy Salm, CEO of Best of the Alps, to explore the influence of Slovenian intangible cultural heritage on Alpine region tourism promotion. Later, musician Sašo Avsenik shared insights into music's integral role in Slovenian cultural heritage.
Today, discussions centered on the integration of the European Capital of Culture into Slovenia's tourism promotion, featuring Dubravka Kalin from the Directorate for Tourism at the Ministry of Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, Andreja Repič Agrež, Marketing Manager for GO2025 and Frizzi Seltmann, Marketing and Communications Manager for Chemnitz 2025. In the afternoon, attention turned to the significance of destinations in film art, with contributions from Joachim Hellinger of the European Outdoor Film Festival and journalist-producer Tom Jutzllerf.
On Thursday, the talks will conclude with a discussion on Slovenian art in the German space.
Be up to date about what’s happening in Slovenian tourism. By subscribing to our newsletter you will receive the latest trade news in the field of tourism and other current information on a monthly basis.
The form contains errors
Please verify the marked fields and try again.
Share with friends
Scroll down until you see the heart icon on the left.
Click on the icon and the content will be added to favourites.
When you revisit the page (in the same browser), the content will still be saved in your favourites.
The General Terms and Conditions determine the conditions and manner of using the Slovenian Tourist Board’s Media Library services. In the Media Library, users have at their disposal high-resolution photos and audio-visual recordings of the products and services offered by Slovenian tourism, which are to be used solely for non-commercial purposes as defined below.
General rules of application
Registration is required to use the Media Library’s services. Registration is available to any legal entity in the Republic of Slovenia and abroad, regardless of their legal form, whose activities involve marketing, promoting and presenting Slovenia as a tourist destination.
Photos and audio-visual recordings (hereafter: materials) may be used free of charge for all non-commercial publications that constitute promotion of Slovenia as a tourist destination, abroad or in the Republic of Slovenia, in accordance with these General Terms and Conditions.
The right to use the materials is not limited in terms of time or place (the use is permitted in Slovenia and other countries) unless a restriction relating to location and duration of use is specifically provided for an individual item of material.
The Slovenian Tourist Board reserves the right to revoke a user’s right to use certain materials at any time.
The rights acquired based on these General Terms and Conditions may not be transferred to third parties.
Citing the source and authorship
Photos and audio-visual recordings may only be used with consistent citation of author/co-authors and source: www.slovenia.info.
Rights of use
A registered user of the Media Library shall obtain the following non-exclusive economic rights to use the downloaded photos and audio-visual recordings:
the right of reproduction and distribution,
the right of making available to the public,
the right of public presentation,
the right of including photos in other copyright work.
The above rights refer to all forms of non-commercial and free-of-charge online posts, print media, audio-visual media services and other communication channels, regardless of the type of media (print, digital), which includes:
Digital catalogues, e-magazines, newsletters (solely for the purposes of free distribution);
Publication in print and other media that report on the Slovenian tourism products and services or promote Slovenia as a tourist destination;
Use on social media as part of organic posts (reporting on an event, press releases (solely unpaid posts);
Printed promotional materials, prospectuses, leaflets, brochures (solely for the purposes of free distribution);
Promotional events in the Republic of Slovenia and abroad (e.g., tourism fairs, exchanges, workshops, presentations, etc.) that are exclusively or predominantly intended to promote Slovenia as a tourist destination.
The above forms of use include solely a free-of-charge form of using materials for the purposes of promoting tourism activities and services in the Republic of Slovenia or presenting Slovenia as a tourist destination.
Prohibited forms of using materials/commercial use of materials
Using materials for commercial purposes, such as reproduction on postcards, T-shirts, books, magnets, embedding audio-visual inserts in one’s own promotional materials, all forms of external advertising (stationary billboards, digital advertising, etc.), use in advertisements unrelated to the promotion of Slovenia as a tourist destination, use on websites that are not intended to present Slovenian tourism products and services and similar activities, is not included in these General Terms and Conditions and is prohibited.
It is strictly prohibited to use materials on media and distribution channels that are marketed or sold to users (books, school textbooks, other commercial publishing, calendars, postcards, fast-moving consumer goods (clothes and other products), advertising of non-tourism products and services, reproduction of materials on vehicles, etc.).
Using audio-visual materials is allowed only in the unchanged form available in the Media Library. Transformations, adaptations, clips, embeddings, and instances of using individual shots in one’s own audio-visual works, even if intended for promotional purposes, is prohibited.
Breaches of General Terms and Conditions
Any breach of economic and/or moral rights of the authors of photographs or audio-visual recordings may constitute a criminal offence and may result in substantive and damage liability of the user.
The entity breaching copyright pertaining to the material shall reimburse the Slovenian Tourist Board for all the damage incurred to it due to the breach of rights.
The Slovenian Tourist Board shall not be liable for any use of photos and video recordings that is contrary to these rules. The user of the material shall be entirely responsible for the content and manner of use.
General provisions
These Media Library General Terms and Conditions shall apply for all instances of using the material unless the Slovenian Tourist Board and user agree on special terms of using the material in advance and in writing for a specific instance of using the material.
These General Terms and Conditions shall be subject to occasional amendments. Upon the user’s publication of the material, the version of the General Terms and Conditions that is current at that particular time shall apply for the use of materials. If the user disagrees with the amendments made to these General Terms and Conditions, they shall immediately cease using the material and remove it from all media and other communication channels.
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.
For an optimal experience, we suggest talking to Alma as a real interlocutor, mentioning the destination you are interested in, the activities you want to experience and when you want to visit Slovenia.
All information provided by Alma is for information purposes only and may contain limitations and errors.
The solution is based on ChatGPT technology, which is owned by OpenAI, and programming upgrades from our partner, Creatim d.o.o.. The content of conversations is retained for 30 days. Access to the content of conversations is limited to authorised persons of the Slovenian Tourist Board and the company Creatim d.o.o., who may process this content solely for the purpose of user support, optimisation, statistical analysis and further development of the Alma service. For the purpose of formulating Alma`s responses, user queries are forwarded to OpenAI servers located outside the EU. The data are encrypted before transmission and when saved to OpenAI servers. OpenAI guarantees compliance with GDPR standards and global best practices in data protection when processing data. Please do not enter your personal information (name, surname, email, phone number, etc.) in the chat window.
I give my consent to the Slovenian Tourist Board to use cookies that enable the display of content (e.g.: audio clips, video clips, images) from other online sources (YouTube, Spotify, etc.) and remember my language selection on the www.slovenia.info website. I also confirm that I have been acquainted with my rights related to the provided personal data.
Personal data controller:
Slovenian Tourist Board, Dimičeva ulica 13, Ljubljana
Phone: +386 1 5898 550
Email: info@slovenia.info
I give permission for the Slovenian Tourist Board to record and store anonymised data about my activity on the website, which will be used to provide a better user experience for visitors to the portal in the future. I also confirm that I have been acquainted with my rights related to the provided personal data.
Personal data controller:
Slovenian Tourist Board, Dimičeva ulica 13, Ljubljana,
Phone: +386 1 5898 550
E-mail: info@slovenia.info
I give permission for the Slovenian Tourist Board to record my activities on the website regarding my visits to individual types of content in order to produce and display better quality content that is of interest to me.
As the Slovenian Tourist Board strives to display high-quality and interesting content on the website, it wishes to measure responses to the displayed notifications and content, track user activity on the website, and create user profiles for targeted advertising, and therefore automatically processes and analyses personal data and assesses user interest in displaying and receiving notifications. I also confirm that I have been acquainted with my rights related to the provided personal data.
Personal data controller:
Slovenian Tourist Board, Dimičeva ulica 13, Ljubljana
Phone: +386 1 5898 550
Email: info@slovenia.info
I give permission for the Slovenian Tourist Board to record and store information about my interests, displays, and clicks on advertising content for the purpose of providing specific, topical, high-quality, and targeted advertising content, as well as for the purpose of measuring the effectiveness of advertising campaigns and limiting the repetition of advertisements. These settings apply to advertisements displayed by the Slovenian Tourist Board via advertising on social media platforms (e.g.: Meta, LinkedIn, etc.), international search engines (e.g.: Google), as well as through online applications and activities that directly address the user. Such cookies allow us to track our campaigns online. I also confirm that I have been acquainted with myrights related to the provided personal data.
Personal data controller:
Slovenian Tourist Board, Dimičeva ulica 13, Ljubljana
Phone: +386 1 5898 550
Email: info@slovenia.info
Privacy settings