STB Recognised for Innovative Media Use at SEMPL With the Sounds Like Slovenia Project

The Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board, MSc. Maja Pak Olaj, highlighted: “The Golden Sempler Award for the Sounds Like Slovenia project is an important recognition of our commitment to developing the I feel Slovenia brand as a multi-sensory experience – not only through images and stories, but also through sound. We believe that sonic identity complements and deepens the experience of Slovenia as a unique boutique and sustainably minded destination. We are pleased that the professional community has recognised our innovative approach, which opens new possibilities for communication and for experiencing our national brand.”

Head of Digital Communications at the Slovenian Tourist Board, Dr. Gabrijela Fužir Bauer, added: “Sounds Like Slovenia was created as part of our Global Digital Campaign, through which we seek new and creative ways each year to reach travellers and highlight the I feel Slovenia brand. With this project, we introduced a sonic dimension to Slovenia that strengthens the emotional bond with the destination and encourages people to perceive its uniqueness with all their senses. The award confirms that sonic branding is a relevant approach within tourism and inspires us to continue exploring new forms of digital storytelling.”

The Sounds Like Slovenia project features a series of sound stories that authentically capture Slovenia’s auditory landscapes – from the waves of Moon Bay and the silence of the primeval forest to the pulse of city life, outdoor activities and moments of relaxation and gastronomy. These sonic journeys invite listeners to “travel with their eyes closed” and experience Slovenia through sound. A strong emphasis is placed on accessibility: the sound stories bring Slovenia closer to the widest audience, including vulnerable groups and in situations where visual content is unavailable.

The Sounds Like Slovenia Spotify profile now includes already 42 sound stories that encourage listeners to explore Slovenia’s key tourist experiences and natural wonders from a fresh perspective. Each story acts as an audio postcard – an inspiration to visit, a reminder of past travels or a soothing moment of relaxation at home.

More than 1,000 recordings, more than 100 locations

The creation of this sound library required an exceptionally demanding creative and production process: a single recording could involve two days of camping on location in challenging weather conditions. Each sound story consists of 20 to 50 individual recordings, captured at more than 100 locations across Slovenia. In total, more than 1,000 recordings and around 2,000 hours of field and studio work have already been completed.

Developed in cooperation with the agency Pristop Media, the project marks STB’s innovative entry onto the Spotify platform. Slovenia is among the few countries building its tourism brand through a creator profile, tapping into the platform’s global community of over 600 million users.

The Spotify playlists reflect the key themes of Slovenian tourism and are divided into five groups: Sounds of Nature, Outdoor Activities, Cities and Culture, Health and Wellbeing, and Gastronomy.

The sound stories also enrich the national tourism portal slovenia.info. The dynamic subpage Sounds Like Slovenia links the audio recordings with inspiring stories and provides detailed information about the locations where they were captured.

Individual sound stories complement various articles on the portal – for example, the presentation of the world-famous Lipica riding experience includes Spotify plugins, allowing visitors to ‘hear’ the atmosphere directly. This adds a new sonic layer to the portal and offers visitors a deeper, more emotional encounter with the destination.

The Sounds Like Slovenia project continues to expand. It is integrated into the Global Digital Campaign across Spotify, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn and Snapchat, generating more than 8 million impressions and over 10,000 clicks to date. The audio stories increasingly enhance STB’s wider activities, including international trade fair presentations, tourism workshops, Tourist Information Points across Slovenia, new digital applications (such as Hike Safe), organic social media content and numerous other projects.

About the SEMPL conference and the Sempler Awards

SEMPL is the leading regional conference on media trends, attracting hundreds of media, marketing and communication professionals from across the Adriatic region to Portorož each year. Participants value it as a key event for staying up to date with the latest trends and for connecting with experts from Slovenia and abroad. The conference also hosts the Sempler Awards, where the expert jury recognises the best-designed media strategies and communication projects. This year, six Slovenian projects received the Golden Sempler Award.

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