Friday, 30. 9. 2016

Ljubljana among most sustainable destinations

At the Global Green Destinations Day international conference Ljubljana was, for the second time already, ranked among 100 most sustainable destinations in the world (Global Top 100 Sustainable Destinations 2016). The Ljubljana Tourism project titled Tastes of Ljubljana also received an award.

The first time Ljubljana was listed among 100 most sustainable destinations was two years ago, and in addition to Ljubljana this years’ list includes all other Slovenian destinations awarded with the Slovenia Green Destination national certificate last year or this year. This makes Slovenia the top country in the world as it has the highest number of destinations on the list. The selection of world's most sustainable destinations is a joint initiative of international organisations Green Destinations, Travelmole's VISION on Sustainable Tourism and the Destination Stewardship Center. It is carried out by a jury of internationally recognised experts in the field of sustainable development.
The project Tastes of Ljubljana as well as the Eco Spa Snovik and the Country Estate Trnulje with their services which are friendly towards the environment and the local community also made it on the list of top 10 green solutions. The projects ranked among top 10 green solutions ware evaluated by a special international jury using the following criteria: • efficiency in solving the widest spread problems in sustainable tourism; • innovativeness, • simplicity of implementation, from the technical and financial point of view.
As part of the Tastes of Ljubljana project Ljubljana’s traditional dishes are available in numerous restaurants and taverns in the city. The project is reviving popular local dishes which were once prepared from ingredients produced in local city gardens and on farms in the immediate vicinity. Tastes of Ljubljana are still characterised by local production oriented sustainability and the combination of traditional recipes and contemporary food preparation methods. In addition to the Tastes of Ljubljana project two other Slovenian and seven foreign solutions received an award. Both Slovenian solutions come from the Central Slovenia region, namely, the Country Estate Trnulja and Eco Spa Snovik. The practises of the Country Estate Trnulja (member of the Bio Hotels Association) are 100% sustainable, the estate’s produce is local and organic, its sells its own products, uses sustainable energy sources and offers other services, and in addition the guests learn about cultural heritage and sustainable life style. The Eco Spa Snovik made it on the list because of its eco-friendly management and sustainable solutions for efficient energy and water use. In 2008 the company received the European award Eco Daisy for the way it does business. Ever since 2002 the company is fostering a friendly attitude towards the environment and the local community.
Slovenia as a country also received an award at the conference, namely, it is the first country in the world to be declared a Green Destination.

Global Green Destinations Day international conference

On 27 and 28 September 2016, Ljubljana hosted the Global Green Destinations Day international conference emphasising the increasing need for sustainable development and green orientation. Renowned experts and representatives of the World Tourist Organisation (UNWTO), World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), leading British travel association ABTA and other established international organisations in the field of sustainable development, among them Umanotera, The International Ecotourism Society (TIES ) and Travelife, discussed topics that are important for tourism as well as for the society and the environment. The conference was attended by 350 participants from different countries, mostly from Europe – Netherlands, Croatia, Macedonia, Great Britain, Portugal – and also from East Timor, Botswana, Ruanda, Indonesia, South African Republic and the United States of America.
At the biggest sustainable destinations event at global level so far Ljubljana, the Central Slovenia region and the whole country presented their impressive good practice cases in the field of sustainable development. The participants were able to familiarize themselves with the concrete changes introduced in Ljubljana within the scope of the interactive »Outdoor Classroom«, which was organised by Ljubljana Tourism on the first day of the conference, and it made a good impression – the participants were completely overwhelmed by Ljubljana’s beauty.
Further information on the awards and the programme is available on the website of the conference.