36 hours in Bohinj just wasn’t enough

36 hours in Bohinj just wasn’t enough! Our group arrived in Bohinjska Bistrica on Tuesday afternoon and we were already awaited by a nice young man from the hotel who was there to pick us up. After we checked into the EKO Park Hotel, we were eager to find out what Bistrica had to offer. We had a little stroll around town, talked to some of the shop owners and admired the beautiful scenery of the snow-covered Julian Alps.

The next day we met Polona Meglič who is responsible for the Public Relations of the Park Hotel as well as Anže Čokl, the CEO. It was great to hear about the hotel’s vision and strategy, what kind of challenges it faced and how they had been operating so far. We really appreciated the open dialogue and sincerity that we were greeted with. After our conversation we had the opportunity to visit the Triglav National Park with a tour guide who shared a lot of his insight from his long work experience with us. I think I speak for my whole group if I say that we were in awe of the beauty of this place!

Driving back to Bohinj Bistrica, we then had a meeting with Klemen Langus who was telling us about his struggle to initiate and ensure cooperation between different stakeholders in the Bohinj region. Now it is up to us to come up with some -hopefully innovative- ideas to make sure that more tourists know about the EKO Park Hotel and the Bohinj region in general.

We would have liked to stay longer and the week was over a lot quicker than expected. Slovenia was full of
positive surprises and I am sure that many of us will return!

Tatjana, Anne Cecilie and Elena

Already missing Slovenia

Greetings from cold and rainy Denmark. We already missing Slovenia, especially missing the sunny weather of wonderful Portoroz. Our impressions of Slovenia are very possitive and nice places we have visited will stay in our memories for long time. Slovenia is such a destination with hospitable and kind people, open to new ideas and welcoming tourist from all around the world.

We were a group of three girls visiting Bled lake. Meeting different stakeholders of Bled, private and public, we got an overview of their thoughts and ideas regarding development of tourism in Bled and attracting more tourists during winter period. The beauty of frozen Bled lake has enchanted us at first sight and we were really amazed by the comfort and peace one can find there. Natural and also cultural potential of Bled is huge but of course development and modernization is needed.

So now hard work is waiting for us. We collected a lot of materials about Bled and we have spoken to many different people. Our task is to solve the problem of insufficient number of tourist during the winter period. We are looking forward to Innovation workshop tommorow where we can work on our ideas and think of potential opportunities to improve the situation of Bled and to solve the problem of Winter In Bled.

Have a beautiful day and we will come back to you soon.

Katka, Diana  and Maninder

Impressions of Ljubljana

Me and my classmates arrived in Slovenia on 20th February. Coming from windy Copenhagen we expected nice warm weather here in the south. However a snowy day welcomed us. To be honest it makes the country look quite beautiful, so we didn’t mind it. Our first stop was traditional Slovenian restaurant Kulinarično središče Okusiti Slovenijo to taste the local cuisine. Quite different and interesting from what we are all used to.

The next few days we spent in the capital. We were working on the project of hostel Celica going green. The hostel has unique style, history and atmosphere. The group had important meetings and discussion with the management of the hostel. They were quite honest to us and told us of their plans and problems. Our task is to see if we can suggest solutions to those problems and see if there is something they missed so they can implement it in their future plans of development.

Of course we had some free time and we really enjoyed it. Ljubljana is a beautiful city full of history. The tour around the city was fascinating and interesting. The view from the top of the castle is magnificent. The people are warm and welcoming and that made our stay unforgettable.

After our stay in the capital we headed for the coastline of Slovenia. But more on that in the next blog…

Brainstorming on Ljubljana

Hello everyone,

we are five students with different cultural background studying Tourism Management at Ålborg University in Copenhagen, Denmark; Mette - Denmark, Judit - Hungary, Kasia and Magdalena – Poland and Petar – Bulgaria.

We have been assigned to work on a case concerning "Ljubljana and the outskirts-creating synergies and unique experiences".

We are in the phase of brainstorming and doing some desk research at the moment. The aim of our group is to find an innovative way to develop Slovenian tourism which might be done through improved marketing or product innovation.

Besides our academical objectives we are very much looking forward to experiencing the Slovenian culture and the local people’s hospitality. :)

Getting ready for Bohinj

Only 3 days to go and we finally fly out to Slovenia! An all-girls international group made up of a Dane, a Bulgarian and a German is very excited to travel to Bohinj and investigate the challenges of the Bohinj EKO Park Hotel.

We all know that green travel becomes more and more important and that a growing number of tourists are very eager to stay in environmental-friendly hotels. Our research and investigation will focus on promoting the Bohinj Park Hotel to foreign countries. We want to find approaches to market the one-of-a-kind hotel to the American, Japanese and Scandinavian market. We will also concentrate on finding solutions to prolong the logical tourist season and will try to distinguish which part of the public is most suitable to traveling in spring and autumn.

We are so happy to have the opportunity to experience an all-around tour through the Bohinj Park Hotel and discuss the hotel’s vision, goals and strategy with the director Anže Čokl. We are also eager to meet Klemen Langus, the director of the local tourist organization and learn more about the destination’s tourism objectives and be given examples of good practice.

Our group is very looking forward to a challenging and stimulating experience for both sides and we can’t wait for it to begin!

See you next week! Elena, Anne Cecilie and Tatjana

Going to Bled

So, we are leaving in a couple of days for Slovenia. I honestly confess the only image I had on this country was of a small island in the middle of a beautiful lake. Lucky me and lucky us, that’s where we are going, in Bled.

We are going as tourists and amateur researchers. We really hope we can get a clue on why tourists are not going anymore in Bled for the winter. That’s kind of the picture.

P.S. We are Maninder, Katka and Diana

Revitalization of the Koper port - preparations

Studying on the 8th semester on the Tourism Master program at Aalborg University we are a part of an innovation project where we should develop Slovenia as a tourism destination. In connection to this we are working on developing the city of Koper from being an industrial city to an attractive tourism destination, which means changing the tourism from mass to class.

Before arriving to Slovenia we have been reading about the city and different travel blogs in order to get a better understanding of the history of the city and to know about the image it has among tourists.

After looking at this we realized that the city has a lot to offer, but that there is also room for improvement if it wants to attract more tourists. Our plan is therefore first of all to focus on what Koper can offer the tourists and here the port is of course going to be an essential part. Furthermore, we want to look at what the target group of the city should be and if the city should develop new offers in order to attract more tourists. When we have studied this we are thinking about using our findings to develop the most appropriate marketing strategy for the city and to find the best brand/slogan for Koper.

We look forward to experience what Slovenia, particularly the city of Koper, has to offer. Also, we expect to develop skills that are essential for our future career and professional performance.

Celica going Green - preparations

We are five students from Aalborg University Copenhagen. All of us are from different countries in Europe, yet no one has ever been to Slovenia.
That is the reason why all of us are very excited and looking forward to our trip to the country. We think this is unique opportunity to develop our skills in real life business, while helping Slovenian tourism to develop.

The case of hostel Celica who wants to strengthen the eco-friendly side of the business is very interesting and unique. The brand and authenticity of the place are well branded and would be a challenge to work on the case. During our stay in the country we are sure to fulfill the purpose of our research but at the same time to have fun and explore and experience Slovenia to the fullest. 

Kranj - preparations

When asking people whether they have been to Slovenia, common responses are either ”No”, or “I have driven through Slovenia, but didn’t make any stops there”.

We are a group of three students, doing Tourism Master Program at Aalborg University in Copenhagen. We have got the opportunity to do a case study in Kranj, a town that wants to attract more tourists by re-establishing itself as a picturesque and culturally appealing town with rich traditions and archeological heritage. Our task is to go to Kranj for a couple of days and observe the town, and then come up with solutions of how this can be done. The big challenge is though: How can Kranj use its sources in order to create a strong profile that differentiates it from other similar towns in Europe? How can we make people make a stop in Kranj instead of just driving through the country?

We are really excited about this project, where our academic skills will for sure be put to the test and where we get the opportunity to use them practically. None of us has been to Slovenia before, and our research is at the moment limited to desk research, until we head down to Slovenia on Monday. We do though see this as an opportunity to look at Kranj with the eyes of an outsider. Perhaps we can see some links and potentials that locals don’t see.

See you on Monday, sLOVEnia! Pernille (Danmark), Pia (Denmark) and Anna (Iceland).

Innovation Camp in Slovenia

From Monday, 20 Feb, to Friday, 24 Feb, a group of 23 Danish students and their 3 professors from the University Aalborg in Copenhagen will visit Slovenia with the aim to help various tourism destinations and facilities solve their real-life problems.

Over 10 challengers have gotten in touch with the Bank of Tourism Potentials in Slovenia who is hosting the students and in the end, the following seven challenges have emerged for the students to be solved:
Case 1 - Tourism Innovation Policy in Slovenia: BTPS today and tomorrow
Case 2 - Tourism in Ljubljana and Central Slovenia: making it work in a package
Case 3 - Hostel Celica Going Green
Case 4 - Winter in Bled
Case 5 - Bohinj EKO Park Hotel
Case 6 - The Case of Kranj
Case 7 - Koper: Revitalization of the Port

Students have prepared short descriptions of their challenges in advance that will be followed by their impressions from the field trip in the next weeks. Stay in touch!

Taking a look back

Ariane Goerke, young German entrepreneur discovering innovative Slovenian tourism

Sitting home in my warm kitchen feels good. I travelled 12 hours changing trains in Munich and Nuremberg. It was as long as a flight to San Francisco, but I enjoyed it anyway. The old-fashioned slow-motion journey took me through the beautiful snowy alpine landscapes of Slovenia, Austria and Bavaria. Here in Saxony, it's -10 degree Celsius outside, finally the winter hit Germany. Not much snow in my garden, though. This is my last post - after 4 months writing for the BTPS blog, it is time for some closing words. I've seen most of the chicken: the heart, the bottom, one foot, the back and the throat. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the head which is one good reason to come back :-). You don't know what I'm talking about? Look at the map and then you'll see...

I now have a pretty good picture about Slovenia's variety:
I discovered amazing natural phenomena like the sinking lake, I tasted eco wine and home-made food in some vineyards and medieval villages, I spoke to employees of the Slovenian Tourist Board about innovative strategies, I enjoyed the Christmas "wonderworld" in Ljubljana, I joined the "Days of Slovenian tourism" and learned more about the future development strategy of tourism, I could experience authentic tourism on the coast and on the edge of the Karst, I shared my experiences with "Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs Programme" during several occasions, fairs, presentations and even on TV, I stayed at one of the most innovative hotels of Europe in the Slovenian Alps and talked to the director of this tourism area and travelled to "bravest city in the world" Maribor (this years European Cultural Capital) and finally saw one of Slovenia's many castles.

Slovenia has it all: mountains, caves, coast, vinyards, flat land and forests. All within a 1-2 hour drive. The landscape outside the two biggest cities Ljubljana and Maribor is rather unpopulated and untouched. Not even wind turbines. Sometimes I felt like being put back in time. I spent my last weekend in Ljubljana by walking up the castle hill together with my Slovenian friend and enjoyed a cappucino afterwards on the oldest skyscraper Ljubljana's with a beautiful view to the city. I also went to the "Alpe-Adria Tourism and Leisure Show", one of the biggest fairs in the whole region, to see what the neighbour countries have to offer and I met some old friends: the NEC-team from Cerknica and Nina and Matjaž from Autentica.

I want to thank you all for your cooperation, kindness and openness! SLOVENIA ROCKS!!! I really loved meeting and talking to so many different people and I am happy that I got so many insider-tips and now know places where only locals go. I will tell everyone I know about your beautiful tiny country and who knows, one day I might bring tourists on my own. ;-)

Adijo! Se vidimo!