Final explorations

Ariane Goerke, young German entrepreneur discovering innovative Slovenian tourism

I was full of expectations when I decided to go to Maribor - this year's European Cultural Capital to work with tour operator Slavija turizem, your "personal travel assistent" specialized in group tours and active sport & fun tours in Slovenia and the neighbouring countries. I was a bit disappointed. Maybe I should have come in the summer...Maribor is the second biggest city of Slovenia with approximately 100.000 inhabitants and suffered a lot since the decline of the industry that came with the fall of Yugoslavia. However, I stayed in a really cool hostel in Maribor Tabor on the other side of river Drava ca. 10 min. away from the city centre. Just ignore the ugly socialist blocks and go to the old part Lent (see photo). There you can see the oldest grapevine in the world which was planted ca. 400 years ago. You can still see the remains of the city walls and some medieval towers. "Glavni trg" - the main square with the city hall looks beautiful and German/Austrian. No wonder, Maribor is actually the capital of Slovenian Steiermark. I recommend the restaurant "HappyPek" where you can eat a daily menu (kosilo) for 5 Euro. Also the rest of the pedestrian zone reminds me of Germany especially because of all the chains of German shops (Müller, dm, backwerk, Lidl...).

I talked to Sašo Cosic, the director of Slavija turizem, and he said he really enjoys living here 'cause there is so much more that you can do around Maribor than in Ljubljana. The Pohorje mountains are just a few steps outside the city, where you can do all kinds of sports: from hiking to cycling in the forests to "night skiing" until 9 pm in the wintertime. There must be wine growing hills and some wellness spa hotels here as well, but I didn't have the time to explore them. Sašo wanted me to help him to find partnes in Germany. I did research on German tour operators with a similar programme as Slavija turizem and biking clubs from my area and contacted some of them. I know that many people in Germany have never heard of Slovenia and if they did, they have no idea how beautiful it actually is and are also afraid of communication problems. Even some of my friends think I'm crazy to come back here over and over again. :-)

On the weekend my friend Matej and me went to the nearby castle Štatenberg in the region Makole which is ca. 30 km south of Maribor. It is more like a palace (Slovenian: dvorec) and dates back to 1720. Franc Kociper, volunteer at the local tourist society and highly motivated man welcomed us. He and a bunch of other people founded this tourist society one year ago to bring the baroque castle with its frescoes, old furniture, ethnological collection as well as the restaurant back to life. The actual owner of the castle, a company from Slovenska Bistrica has no real interest in investing. Hard times. The area around is not very spectacular. Franc told us about "the old times" when there existed a hotel in the castle and they offered horse riding and hiking trips in the hilly region around. His son runs the restaurant which is decorated with antique furniture and a hall can be used for special occasions such as weddings or small concerts. It has potential, of course, but when he asked me if German tourists would come here, I couldn't lie. We have so many castles, palaces, fortresses in Germany which are in a much better condition that I think it would be hard to compete. However, if they organized some events and renovated the place, work together with other local tourist societies to offer something else than just the visit of the castle in this area, there might be a chance of attracting Slovene tourists. They think about opening a youth hostel in the future which is a great idea.

On the way back we stopped in Ptuj, the oldest city of Slovenia, again with a caslte. It was 6 o'clock and nobody was on the streets. We couldn't find a descent restaurant, so we returned and had dinner in Maribor.

Alpine valley Bohinj

Ariane Goerke, young German entrepreneur discovering innovative Slovenian tourism

I didn't consider myself as a mountain person before. I always prefered beaches, cultural and historical places and cities for travelling. But here in Slovenia I became a mountain lover! "On the sunny side of the Alps" you can find inner peace and enjoy untouched nature much better than in the typical "mass tourism" Alpine valleys and ski-resorts in Austria. In the heart of the Triglav National Park in north-western Slovenia lies Bohinj, a beautiful glacial lake surrounded by the Julian Alps. I was very lucky to be invited to stay at ECO Resort & Spa Bohinj Park Hotel, one of the most innovative and ecological hotels in Europe. From there you can easily reach ski-center such as Vogel or go hiking around lake Bohinj in the summertime. The nearby waterfall "Slap Savica" is also nice and very famous for France Prešeren who is considered as the Slovene national poet (he wrote "The Baptism at Savica Falls").

I had a meeting with the hotel sales manager Jana Pekovec and she showed me around the hotel which includes among other things conference rooms, a small bowling center and cinema and of course the Aquapark which is included in the price for hotel guests. I checked the German image brochure and website for any mistakes and also helped to find German tour operators who are specialized in eco/ luxurious hotels. The hotel and the rooms have a simple design in the colors white, black, beige and brown. From everywhere you have a beautiful view to the Alps and the small remote village Bohinjska Bistrica. I missed pictures on the walls and green plants. The corridors are kind of dark and only lit up by small LED lamps - all in the name of being sustainable and saving energy. Anyway, the hotel was awarded with the Green Globe Certificate and won the "Sejalec" in 2010 (Slovenian tourism award for innovation). In addition to the hotel, a project to build a new eco ski-resort under the new brand "2864" (which is the height of Slovenia's highest mountain Triglav) has started. If you want to know more about the story behind 2864, watch the 3-min. film "Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but memories".

On Wednesday I went to Turizem Bohinj to talk with director Klemen Langus about the situation of tourism in the area and the annual "International Wild Flower Festival". In the area you can find over 1,000 different species of wildflowers. To extend the season and to promote the importance of the natural and cultural heritage of Bohinj they came up with the great idea to organize a festival in May and June. For more information, click here.

Happy New Year

Ariane Goerke, young German entrepreneur discovering innovative Slovenian tourism

I wish you all a Happy New Year and hope your 2012 will be terrific!!!

Some of my friends have asked me how to start a business, what the requirements are to join the "Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme" and especially how the state can support you with the whole process. I know, many of you never thought about opening their own company because it is risky and you will for sure not earn a lot of money in the first years. It is true - you need to be a little dreamer, have courage, initiative and most of all like what you're doing. Anyway, I would hereby like to encourage you a little - maybe someday in your life, there comes the time when you want to do your own thing instead of working for somebody else and become your own boss :-)! I probably won't start my business right after my time here in Slovenia. I feel I still need more working experience first and I also would like to go to England and Estonia to do more research on tourism. 

The opening of a new company is an asset for everyone: When a start-up succeeds it is not only profitable for the founder itself, but also for the labour market (because new jobs are created) and the state (through taxes). That is why persons starting up a new business are supported in many ways (here I describe the situation in Germany, but there are similar programmes in other European countries, too). You can get a start-up grant from the "Arbeitsagentur" (German employment office) when you are unemployed and want to open you own company. A good business plan and a certified financial plan (by a tax consultant or chamber of commerce) are necessary. The "Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau" (German bank institute) is providing specific loans for start-ups. In addition to that, founders of a new business are entitled to get 90 % refund on start-up coaching by the KfW. There are many start-up initiatives carried out by universites or other institutions such as "Exist" - a programme of the German Ministry of Economics designed for students, graduates and scientists. "Exist" supports in particular technology oriented business ideas and everything based on scientific realizations.

Sometimes you have to change your perspective to find a new solution! Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs Programme can help you with that! It is designed for young people who either are in the first 3 years of their own business or want to start-up. Go out and broaden your mind! You will be hosted by an experienced entrepreneur in another European country and can learn from him or even make future business contacts. All you need is a business idea and a business plan. Apply now!

Photo: TV-Interview about my working project in Slovenia for Evropski magazin (European Magazine) RTV 2

10 things I like about Slovenia

Ariane Goerke, young German entrepreneur discovering innovative Slovenian tourism

As the holiday season approaches, I would like to take the opportunity to say thank you to my host entrepreneur Novi turizem and to the four tourism institutions/companies (NEC Cerknica, Vina Štekar, STB and Autentica) I visited so far for your invitation to collaborate with me and your hospitality. Without your support this exchange programme and my future business would not be possible.
I send my best wishes to you and your loved ones and hope that the New Year will be filled with happiness and most of all business success. I look forward to working with you in the coming year!

Being a "young ambassador" of Slovenia, I feel I should say some things about what I like most about this beautiful tiny country:

1. The variety of landscapes that can be discovered: from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea within one day!
2. Unspoiled character of nature.
3. The hospitality and modesty of the people.
4. Many people are multilingual: they understand and speak at least English and German. On the coast Italian is very common.
5. The hearty and natural food: some dishes are very German/Austrian/Hungarian-like :-). But also Slovenian pizza tastes fresher and more natural than Italian! My favourite food is jota and koruzni kruh.
6. The historical and cultural richness: Over centuries Slovenia was part of different kingdoms and empires and has been influenced by the Slavic, Roman/Venetian, German and Austro-Hungarian culture which can still be seen today in the architecture of the cities. My favourite cities are Piran and Ljubljana.
7. Since 2004 Slovenia is part of the European Union and introduced the Euro as a currency in 2007. This made travelling and economic cooperation much easier.
8. Slovenia as starting point for travels to Eastern countries: Experience and enjoy Slovenia and "the forgotten Europe" by going to Croatia, Hungary and the Balkans in just a few hours!
9. A Slovenian friend is a friend for a lifetime.
10. Relaxed atmosphere and attitude: since I have been living here I'm enjoying life more and I'm always late (yeah I know, these punctual Germans...)

Vesel božič in srečno novo leto 2012 :-)

Photo: Promotional presentation for "Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs" at youth club Cerknica (11.11.2011) for young people in the area including a group of young project managers. I was talking about the application process and my experiences with the programme as well as competitiveness of tourism in the Notranjska region. 

Authentic Experience

Ariane Goerke, young German entrepreneur discovering innovative Slovenian tourism

I spent the last days working with travel agency Autentica in Koper. Thank you Matjaž and Nina for showing me some of the attractions in Istria and on the Karst edge: we went to Hrastovlje, a small village below the Kraški rob (Karst edge - a natural border between Karst plateau and Slovenian Istria) with an old church surrounded by walls and world-famous frescoes inside (see photo). In Marezige, the "center of Refošk wine", we tasted typical Istrian wine at Dean Plahuta's ecological wine estate. A very spiritual place for me was "Slovenian Stonehenge" ;-) near Krkavče. Well, actually it's just one stone on a hill above the Dragonja valley which dates back to the 1st century. Anyway, just as we arrived at noon all churches on the hills around this strategical place started to ring their bells. Amazing!

"In search of the white gold" - "Night walk by torchlight" and "Become a caver for a day!" are just some of the charming slogans of authentic experiences that you can enjoy in the Slovenian Istria and around with Autentica. I translated some of their tours for MICE guests in Portorož  into German. I hope I did the job all right :-).

Until now, I wasn't really sure if I was able to open my own business in the future - well I have all the ideas in my head. I like to create individual tours to Slovenia and Estonia and I know from family experience what it means to manage your own business, but I'm actually not sure if I would find enough people to sell my tours to. Since I've seen what Matjaž and Nina are doing and that they really have success with the concept of offering authentic tours, I'm now getting much more motivated to try it on my own. They told me to be brave and think positive ;-) and most of all to pick the right target groups and find financial support for the first three years. We were also talking about working together in the future. Besides being manager of Autentica, Matjaž also works for the "incubator" of the University of Primorska in Koper, which gives innovative small and new companies and young entrepreneurs a platform and support to keep their business flourishing in the first years. I have to find a similar institution in Germany!

Days of Slovenian Tourism

Ariane Goerke, young German entrepreneur discovering innovative Slovenian tourism

On 8 and 9 December the Days of Slovenian Tourism took place at the Congress Center Bernardin in Portorož. The two-day event brings all tourism institutions of Slovenia together, including Slovenian Tourist Board, Ministry of the Economics, Tourist Association of Slovenia, Chamber of Tourism and Catering, Chamber of Crafts and Entrepreneurship, Association of Tourist Agencies of Slovenia as well as Slovenian Convention Bureau to talk about the future of Slovenia as a travel destination.

I joined Novi turizem team Tina and Dejan on Friday for the plenary session at the 14th Slovenian Tourism forum, where the new Development Strategy Plan for Slovenian Tourism 2012-2016 was presented. Thanks to headphones and translators I could understand everything :-)! There is still much debate on the vision and mission of the strategy. Some argue for instance, that Slovenia should focus on one main product. Others say, that there is no single USP that could work for Slovene tourism. The complexity of the brand Slovenia is the true advantage. All in all, the Slovenian Tourist Board wants to focus and encourage sustainable, high-quality and responsible tourism by promoting a GREEN sLOVEnia.

What I found really interesting was the presentation of Daniel Levine (Avant Guide Institute, New York). He talked about "The New Future of Tourism: How Slovenia will thrive beyond 2012" and showed us how Slovenia could and should use global trends in the tourism industry - personalize your products and services, post on social web, know who talks about you online and respond, think mobile and promote meaningful experiences including health, learning, environment, friends and family to name just a few of his tips.

Thanks for letting me join the event with you Novi turizem :-)! I met many innovative and inspiring people such as Tomaž Štefe, the initiator and former manager of Hostel Celica which is an old prison turned into a hip hostel, and Miha Anzelc from Židana Marela, a private company of three guys who found a market niche by organizing unique Slovenian evenings, special tours for photographers and stag parties for mostly British tourist.

Crazy! Already Christmas time?

Ariane Goerke, young German entrepreneur discovering innovative Slovenian tourism

It feels really strange to see all the Christmas decorations in the city centre in Ljubljana. I mean it looks nice, but where have all the last weeks gone? Still weather is playing tricks this year with around 10 degrees Celsius and just a little rain. Give me snow, then I might believe that Christmas time is here. Maybe some hot mulled wine on the Christmas market will help me to get into the holiday season feeling. Different to Germany, they serve mulled wine here either white (belo) or red (rdeča). Along the Ljubljanica river you can find hundred stands to gather your friends and colleagues. 

Do you know what? I will become the next Slovenian TV Super Star! Seriously.

Mrs. Mojca Reček, journalist of the national TV Slovenia, would like to make a promotional videoclip of Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme for the TV show "European Magazine" and asked me and Kamila, another young entrepreneur, to join the show. They will film us at work and do a little interview. I've never been on TV before. So, wish me luck :-).

Hey, did you hear about the new challenge of the Slovenian Tourist Board and Bank of Tourism Potentials in Slovenia? On the platform Challenge:Future you can still submit your innovative ideas (deadline: 12 December). It's all about "Old stories 4 new adventures" and young people from all over the world take part.

Take care and stay tuned!

I feel SOCIAL MEDIA

Ariane Goerke, young German entrepreneur discovering innovative Slovenian tourism

I've been following the development of the website and the marketing strategy of the Slovenian Tourist Board over the past 5 years. I think both improved a lot and I especially became a huge fan of the new brand "I FEEL SLOVENIA".


After all those years being a supporter of Slovenia as a "new" travel destination, I was able to set foot in the institution where it is all promoted: the Slovenian Tourist Board in Ljubljana. Here I learned a lot of things about the work of STB and all that innovative stuff they are doing. I had a meeting with STB web editor Luka Sever and Nina Cvirn who is responsible for social media (see photo) and they told me about the innovative strategies of STB in general and for e-marketing and social media.


What they are doing was at first not quite familiar to me. Of course, I know Facebook and Co., but there is so much more that you can do in the world wide web and SOCIAL MEDIA:


In the field of domestic marketing and public relations the STB established Next Exit and uses Foursquare. Both to simplify your travel and motivate you to go "off the beaten track" by using new routes and be able to get information via your mobile phone.


Facebook advertisements are used for specific target groups as well as the Facebook App "Slowwwbus", a game where you can win an adventure trip like rafting in Slovenia dependent on how high you scored.


STB also uses QR (= quick response) codes at their information stands during fairs and exhibitions. They even won a price at this year's World Travel Market in London for the Best Stand for Interacting with Travel Agents - Slovenian Tourist Board was singled out for the access to information made available to travel agents. Instead of weighing them down with brochures, agents could simply download everything they needed to know. A big screen where agents could also flick through digital brochures proved to be not only eye-catching but a good way of getting the information out.


Time doesn't stand still - every day there is something new. That is why the overall social media strategy of the STB including Facebook, youtube, Twitter, Google+ and Foursquare is under constantly development.


Another innovative thing I like to point out is the GREEN sLOVENia campaign:
They take part in the European Project called EDEN (European Destination of Excellence) and award best practise of green tourism e.g. ecological tourist farms.


On the next day I was kindly invited to the STB Motivational Event at Hotel & Castle Drnča near Radovljica with presentations and workshops about social media and web analytics to improve websites and user activities of all members of the portal slovenia.info. 


Hvala lepa Luka and Nina for sharing your knowledge and ideas with me! And thanks also for the invitation to the Motivational Event!


Don't forget to visit FEEL SLOVENIA on Facebook!

Martinovanje

Ariane Goerke, young German entrepreneur discovering innovative Slovenian tourism

Last weekend some friends and me went to Nova Gorica and nearby Goriška Brda. "Brda" means hills in English and the region is situated in western Slovenia near Italy. Again, I was astonished about another area I've never heard of before: with beautiful vineyards, medieval villages and many kaki trees - its fruits also ripen around St. Martin's Day. 

Nova Gorica I didn't really like so much. The town was buiIt in 1948 after a newly established border between Yugoslavia and Italy. If you like casinos and an average "American style" town, it  might be something for you. The old town (Stara Gorica) is nicer, but now lies behind the border in Italy. 

The events organized around St. Martin's Day (so-called martinovanje) in Slovenia celebrate the time when grape must turn into young wine and are getting livelier every year. Not only in Goriška Brda, but also in one of the other 13 wine regions such as Slovenian Istria, Karst, Vipava Valley, Dolenjska, Prekmurje and Štajerska/Steiermark.

Back to Goriška Brda: 

It's a picturesque area with around 80 different wine-growing estates. No offense, but it is more developed for tourism than the wine region in northern Portugal which I visited 2 years ago. There are signs everywhere leading you along "vinska cesta" (wine road) and many "kmetijas" (farms) have a restaurant and on average five guest rooms (Bed & Breakfast). 

I had a meeting with Jure Štekar at Vina Štekar in Kojsko. They produce ecological wines and offer home-made food in their restaurant. You can also stay in one of their four cosy rooms.

Don't miss it - it is really nice and the house was renovated last year.

Or visit their website for more information:

www.stekar.si/ in three languages 

www.vinastekar.si (wines, only Slovene language)

Jure gave as a little tour around the winery and we also tasted wine.

To be honest, I am not an expert when it comes to wine. I'll try to improve :-). But I can really recommend the following wines which I tasted in the last month and are typical for Primorska region (including Goriška Brda, Karst and Istria):

- Rebula (white wine from Goriška Brda)

- Kraški Teran (Teran from Karst region, a dark red wine)

- Refošk (Istrian red wine)

For matinovanje we went to the medieval village Šmartno and enjoyed a hearty jota (traditional soup) with white wine in a cosy gostilna (pub).

Thank you Jure for the great wine!

Don't forget to visit him at his wine farm ;-).

Na zdravje! 

Mysterious Disappearance

Ariane Goerke, young German entrepreneur discovering innovative Slovenian tourism

I would never have thought about visiting Cerknica and the rural area around called "Notranjska". Even many Slovenians don't know much about it, which is strange for me, because it is so close to the capital Ljubljana. Thanks to Anja from NEC Cerknica, who invited me kindly to stay at her home for one week, I could experience all the natural and cultural wonders Notranjska has to offer.

The biggest "disappearing lake" in the world (Cerkniško jezero) is an amazing natural wonder - it lies in a depression of the limestone plateau known as Karst and looks different in every season. Sometimes in summer it is completely dried out and you can walk across to see its sinkholes to subterranean caves.

If you're "lucky" you can meet bears in the Notranjska Regional Park - Slovenia has one of the biggest populations of brown bears who live here in natural forests. They are even exported to other countries ;-).

Together with Anja's colleagues we took an individual guided tour through Križna Cave. It was much better than the popular Postojna Cave which is too touristy for my taste. We walked 20 min. equipped with boots and our own lamps to a subterranean lake (one of 22! in the cave) and continued the trip by boat. The guide was very funny and multilingual.

What else? You shouldn't miss Rakov Škocjan, a valley (Karst dolina) and natural reserve with natural bridges. And then, to my surprise, we visited a hunting castle in Snežnik, which belonged to the Saxon family Schönburg of Dresden (a little piece of home in Slovenia :-)).

Not to forget the many "kmetijas" in Notranjska! Kmetijas are tourist farms that give you insight in their traditional work and producing of for instance jam, wine and brandy. We tasted home made brandy in Kmetija T'Dolenj with a beautiful view of the Cerknica Lake.

The region has a very good potential for natural tourism - in many ways. I recommend it especially for research and educational trips for instance for schools and students of geography/geology and hydrology. There is a interactive museum/interpretation center in Dolenje Jezero where you can learn more about the process of the disappearing lake on the basis of a living model.

Thank you Anja for the great time! I learned so many new things about Slovenia and the work of the Ecological Center which among other things deals with the so-called "interpretation of heritage" - one way of exploring and proving authentic tourism.

My head is full of new impressions and ideas!

Adijo!