The Tour of Slovenia race is moving to Eurosport TV

Sports lovers will be able to follow the 26th Tour of Slovenia race live as it is broadcast over TV Eurosport 1, the reach of which ranks it at the very top of global media. There is also an advertising campaign on Eurosport’s various channels, which presents Slovenia as an excellent destination for active getaways with a wide variety of offerings in gastronomy, culture, and cultural heritage. 

“High-profile sporting events, such as the Tour of Slovenia race, are an excellent opportunity to promote Slovenia as a green, active, and healthy destination, so for the third consecutive year arrangements have been made with Eurosport to broadcast the race. This is a demanding project, which was carried out in partnership with Adria Mobil, 31 destinations, and other partners. We estimate that 40 million people around the world will be able to admire Slovenia through a 10-hour direct broadcast of the race and intensive combined advertising from May to July. The values advocated in Slovenian tourism will be further highlighted by the race’s slogan ‘Fight for Green’, the message of which emphasises the significance of the efforts to protect the environment, sustainable mobility, and a healthy lifestyle. I believe that destinations will provide an incredible fan atmosphere by including their inhabitants,” said Maja Pak, Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board (STB). 

In order to ensure effective promotion of Slovenia as a tourist destination, the Slovenian Tourist Board has for the third consecutive year purchased media advertising space for an advertising campaign, which will be held from 15 June to 31 July of this year. During this time, 128 thirty-second ads, the content of which will present Slovenian tourism, will play on the Eurosport 1 and 2 TV channels.

Advertising within the Eurosport network also includes another 1.28 million web banners on the www.eurosport.com website, posts on its Facebook profile with 10 million followers, and its Twitter profile with 135,000 followers. In the framework of the partner advertising campaign of Adria Mobil and destinations, which is held from 15 May to 25 June, the destinations which are hosting the start and finish lines of the Tour of Slovenia race will be particularly highlighted: Ajdovščina, Rogaška Slatina, Idrija, Novo Mesto, Celje, and Ljubljana, Maribor, Trebnje, Žalec, and Nova Gorica.

The new development this year is that the entire race will be directly broadcast in more than 120 countries by the Eurosport 1 TV channel, the monthly reach of which is almost 18 million viewers, ranking it at the very top among global media; the broadcast will last an impressive two hours per day (half an hour more than last year). The Eurosport team will also prepare a few reports. All videos on Eurosport will also include images of natural and cultural sights from all five stages of the race, which will be a direct reference to the key products of Slovenian tourism.

Through coordination meetings and promotional materials, the Slovenian Tourist Board also became involved in activating municipalities through which the stages of the race run, so that they could present themselves as best as they can during the live broadcast. The branding of the routes using I Feel Sloveniapromotional materials, such as little flags and biodegradable balloons, is carried out by the Slovenian Tourist Board in cooperation with 31 municipalities. The Slovenian Tourist Board will also cover the costs of preparing TV ads for the destinations. Furthermore, it is working on coordinating POIs (Points of Interest) and a study trip for Eurosport journalists.

In order to additionally promote Slovenian tourism and the Tour of Slovenia race, the Slovenian Tourist Board is carrying out the Cycling Ambassadors of Slovenia support project, within which selected cycling enthusiasts from the key markets for Slovenian tourism who have a good viral reach cycle through selected destinations in our country ahead of the race and, in addition to enjoying an active holiday, also learn about Slovenia’s natural and cultural sights and its cuisine. They share their experiences through their social media profiles and invite others to see the race.

This year, the Slovenian Tourist Board received more than 50 applications, among which the following people were selected: Florent Gailard (France), Leon Grimaldi (Sweden), Tyler White (Ireland), Kamila Panasiuk (Poland), and Steven Rose (the Netherlands). Their cycling adventure, which the Slovenian Tourist Board prepared in cooperation with the Hiking and Cycling Economic Interest Grouping and the Trans Julius team, was held from 28 May to 1 June. During their stay, they were divided into two groups and visited Ljubljana, the Škocjan Caves, Vipava Valley, the Cerkno Bike Park, Bohinj, Logar Valley, the Mt Peca Underground, and the cycling tourism in Rogla. Both groups also attended the Red Bull Goni Pony event. 

The start of the 26thTour of Slovenia cycling race with the slogan Fight for Green took place today, at 12:15 at Congress Square in Ljubljana. The ceremony devoted to the race began at 10:50 when teams were announced, a speech by Zoran Jankovič, the Mayor of the City of Ljubljana, and a performance by the Stroj Machin music group, which uses instruments made of waste objects.

“Ljubljana Tourism and the City of Ljubljana recognised the potential of the Tour of Slovenia cycling race at the very beginning, and we are pleased that it has developed into a world-class sporting event, which attracts many high-profile names from the world of cycling onto Slovenian roads.This year’s start in the very city centre with a performance by the band Stroj Machine and the broadcast on TV Eurosport 1 will ensure that Ljubljana is even more highlighted as a (tourist) destination, which supports sporting events and encourages cycling as an environmentally friendly and healthy form of mobility,” says Petra Stušek, Director of Ljubljana Tourism. 

“The Adria Mobil Cycling Club has been organising the international Tour of Slovenia cycling race for 26 years, and in the past three years it has attracted millions of viewers due to its cooperation with the most viewed international sports channel, Eurosport. This is a specific sport the venue of which is not limited to a court, ice rink, or a particular hill or slope, but extends throughout the country; the race is held outdoors, and its characteristics depend on the defined cycling route for each year's Tour. For this very reason, the Tour of Slovenia race, which will extend for more than 800 km this year, to be covered by the cyclists in five days, offers an incredible opportunity to present the beauty of Slovenia. By way of its Fight for Green slogan, which has multiple meanings, the event itself communicates through images and words that this is not only about a fight for the prestigious jersey of the leading cyclist in the race and their ultimate victory, but also about special care for preserving the green planet on which we live. The race attracts incredible internationally renowned cyclists every year, and the fact that it takes place between two famous races, i.e. the Italian Giro and the French Tour, is an incredible opportunity for many cyclists to cover additional, difficult kilometres,” says Bogdan Fink, Organisational Director of the 26th Tour of Slovenia and Director of Adria Mobil Cycling Club.

The Tour of Slovenia, which is the largest cycling race in Slovenia, started in 1993 to honour Slovenia’s independence, and it hosts 19 teams, of which five are in theUCI World Tour: BORA – hansgrohe (Germany), Mitchelton – Scott (Australia), Bahrain – Merida (Bahrain), Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka (South Africa) and UAE Team Emirates (ZAE). There will be more than 133 cyclists at the start of the race, among them names, such as: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), winner of this year's Tour of California and one of the favourites to win the Tour of Slovenia; Jan Polanc (UAE Team Emirates), holder of the pink jersey from this year's Gira d'Italia; Pascal Ackermann (BORA – hansgrohe), the best sprinter at this year's Gira d'Italia; Esteban Chaves (Mitchelton – Scott), this year's winner of the 19thstage of Giro d'Italia and one of the favourites to take the overall win at the Tour of Slovenia; Mark Cavendish (Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka), one of the most charismatic and recognisable cyclists of the past 15 years, who has achieved 146 wins, of which 30 were wins in stages of the Tour de France and 15 in stages of the Giro d'Italia. Mark Cavendish is returning to Slovenia for the fourth time. 

The Tour of Slovenia cycling race, which belongs to the high international HC (Hors Class) class, will last until 23 June and will run on a route of 808.5 kilometres. The caravan of cyclists will first go from Ljubljana to Rogaška Slatina, then from Maribor to Celje, then from Žalec to Idrija, then from Nova Gorica to Ajdovščina, and finally from Trebnje to Novo Mesto. The cyclists will fight for the green jersey as they race through 31 destinations, of which many will be visited for the first time. Among them will be Žalec and Nova Gorica, which will for the first time in history host the start of the race, while the race will pass Žalec, Idrija, Žiri, Kanal ob Soči, the Brda Hills, Komen, Ajdovščina, Ivančna Gorica, Metlika, and Črnomelj for the first time.

The race with the slogan Fight for Green also highlights our efforts for the sustainable development of Slovenia and its tourism. This is encouraged by projects, such as the Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism, developed by the Slovenian Tourist Board, and the awarding of the Slovenia Green label within the Scheme.  Half of the destinations through which the race passes hold the Slovenia Greenlabel; among them are the holders of the golden label: Ljubljana, Podčetrtek, and Komen, of the silver label: Kamnik, Idrija, Zreče, Nova Gorica, the Brda Hills, Bela krajina, Vipavska dolina, Novo Mesto, and Škofja Loka, and the bronze label: Žalec, Celje, and Kanal ob Soči. Events such as the cycling race help encourage destinations to develop infrastructure which enables sustainable tourism and sustainable mobility.

The Tour of Slovenia gives Slovenian tourism and tourist destinations a great opportunity to position themselves globally as green, active, and healthy destinations and as excellent destinations for holding the most high-profile sporting events. Through this race, Slovenia is presenting itself as a destination for five-star experiences in all seasons, with a clear focus on sustainable development. 

The destinations which the cyclists will pass on their quest for victory will also fight this year for the title of Best Host of the Tour and the most innovative destination.

In addition to Eurosport, the entire race is also broadcast by Televizija Slovenija.

Further information about the event: 

https://www.slovenia.info/en/tour-of-slovenia-2019

https://tourofslovenia.si

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