Ljubljana receives three sustainability awards at Global Green Destinations Day

Ljubljana was included in the Global Top 100 Sustainable Destinations list for the first time two years ago. Apart from Ljubljana, all Slovenian destinations which received the national Slovenia Green Destination quality mark last year or this year were also placed on the list. Slovenia is thus the first country in the world to be included in that list with the greatest number of destinations.

The selection of the world's most sustainable destinations is a joint initiative of the 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 Taste Ljubljana project and the amenities offered by Terme Snovik Spa and Trnulja Country Estate, friendly to the environment and local community, were ranked among the Top 10 Green Solutions.

Projects that were ranked among the Top 10 Green Solutions were evaluated by a special international jury, who used the following criteria:

• effectiveness in solving widespread problems in sustainable tourism
• innovativeness
• simplicity of implementation, both technically and financially.

Within the framework of the Taste Ljubljana project, the typical dishes of Ljubljana are available in a number of restaurants across the city. The project revives popular local dishes, traditionally made from ingredients grown in urban gardens and farms in the surrounding area. Taste Ljubljana is even today still characterised by a sustainable attitude towards local production as well as by a combination of traditional recipes and modern methods of preparation.

In addition to the Taste Ljubljana project, two Slovenian and seven foreign solutions received awards. Both of the Slovenian solutions are located in the region of Central Slovenia, specifically Trnulja Country Estate and Terme Snovik Spa.

The amenities offered by the Trnulja Country Estate (a member of the BIO Hotels Association) are 100% sustainable, with local, organic food, the sale of its own products, the use of sustainable energy sources, and, at the same time, they raise the awareness of their guests regarding cultural heritage and sustainable lifestyle.

Terme Snovik Spa were included in the list due to their environment-friendly management and sustainable solutions for an efficient use of energy. In 2008, their business activities were awarded with the European ECO Label. Since 2002, their management ethos has embodied friendliness towards the environment and local communities.

At the largest global event of sustainable destinations so far, Ljubljana, the region of Central Slovenia and the entire country presented themselves as exceptional examples of good practice in sustainable development. The conference participants were able to discover the actual introduction of changes in Ljubljana within the framework of the interactive “Outdoor classroom”, organised for them by Ljubljana Tourism on the first conference day and they left impressed, the many attractions of Ljubljana having completely won them over.

More information on the awards and the programmes are available on the Global Green Destinations Day website.