Slovenia is awarded by UNWTO : Radovlijica and Solcava are the best tourism village

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Award: Radovlijica and Solcava in Slovenia are the best tourism village

The Best Tourism Village is a new initiative of UNWTO that was organized for the first time. The main goal is to accelerate rural development in order to stop emigration, reduce social disparities, promote community involvement and develop tourist experiences, especially those with added value. Among the winners are also Radovljica and Solčava.

The Secretary general of World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Mr Zurab Pololikashvili explained that "Radovljica and Solčava are standing out for preserving traditional values and lifestyles in their environment and extraordinary efforts to develop tourism in rural areas. In addition, they are actively developing responsible tourism on all three pillars of sustainability: environmental, economic and social. Both destinations are also holders of the Slovenia Green Destination gold label, which testifies to their commitment to sustainable development."

Two Slovenian mayors explained how their local cities are so green:

Ciril Globočnik, Mayor of Radovljica, said: “The town of Radovljica, which is part of the Radol’ca destination, is based on boutique tourist products, closely related to local tradition and cuisine, cultural heritage and locals. Through projects such as Tastes of Radol’ca and Made in Radol’ca, as well as numerous events, we strive to promote and involve locals in the tourist offer of the destination. Thanks to its sustainable orientation, the entire destination is also the holder of the gold label of the Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism.”

Katarina Prelesnik, Mayor of Solčava, explained “as a small rural community strives to improve the situation in nature and the environment. The environmental awards we have received in recent years mean a lot to us, if I only mention the gold label within the Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism, and the fact that we have been listed among the TOP 100 sustainable destinations in the world for three consecutive years. We were also excited to hear that we have been selected and named one of the best rural villages in the world by the World Tourism Organization.”