EUSAIR - Final Report

The basic orientation of Slovene tourism is sustainable
development. In what ways does your Love
Istria brand fit into the national strategy?
The Slovene Tourist Board focuses its activities on the
promotion of Slovenia as a green, boutique destination,
which offers unique 5-star experiences for demanding
guests, with an emphasis on authentic and indigenous
experiences. Slovene Istria certainly offers many
opportunities for authentic experiences and activities,
which we will further upgrade in the future. We are
implementing the idea of seasonalisation with various
projects through which we also connect closely with local
stakeholders and the tourism industry. One of them,
for example, is the Enjoy the Countryside project, which
is resulting in a common register of thematic trails, such
as hiking, cycling and equestrian. In the Maristra project,
the emphasis is on raising the quality of the gastronomic
offer of Slovene Istria and the joint promotion
and marketing of Istrian gastronomy. The rich cultural
heritage of the area of Slovene Istria is also undoubtedly
a great advantage, which we revive by creating various
experiences and events. We also include elements of
the cultural heritage in innovative tourist products with
more modern digital approaches, thus making sure we
preserve the identity of the area, while strengthening
its visibility.
One of the goals of the EUSAIR pillar "Sustainable
Tourism" is a more innovative tourist offer by promoting
sustainable and responsible development
within the region. How does your Maristra project
achieve this goal?
The Maristra project is one of the currently active
projects, with which we strive to establish a high
quality and highly competitive product based on
Istrian gastronomy, which provides an infrastructure
for stakeholder networking, the development of an
innovative and comprehensive offer of local products,
joint promotion and marketing of Istrian gastronomy
and tourist services, and encouraging a high-quality
offer. The integration and design of quality gastronomic
products will increase the number of visitors to the destination
and their consumption. As a result, the latter
will be reflected in a general increase in the quality
of the offer and tourist services in the destination.
What have local providers and growers gained
from the Maristra project?
With the project we want to raise the quality of gastronomic
products and tourist services in the area of
LAS Istra. To this end, training courses are being held
for providers, which will undoubtedly help to create a
high-quality offer. Particular attention will be paid to
promotion. The activities will connect providers in the
LAS area, contribute to greater recognition of Istria as
a gastronomic destination and, consequently, to higher
consumption by visitors.
The Adriatic-Ionian Region includes destinations
that are synonymous with tourism in the minds of
Europeans and the world: Italy, Greece, Croatia ...
slightly more niche also Montenegro, Albania,
Slovenia ... What competitive advantage do sustainable
products have within such a sharp market?
Covid-19 is the biggest tourism crisis to date. The proportion
of those who will still be able or willing to travel
will decrease for both health and economic reasons. The
attitude towards travel, the choice of destinations and
the type of accommodation will also change. When the
borders are reopened, the fight for tourists will be exceptional,
with a stronger focus on the domestic market and
nearby markets within a distance of up to 500 km. Due
to their geographical location, Slovenia and Istria have
the opportunity to obtain car-distance tourists, which,
due to Covid-19, is the main direction for the definition
of the primary foreign market. We will address tourists in
the 500 km belt of one of the most developed European
regions: Friuli Venezia Giullia, Lombardy – Italy, Bavaria –
Germany, Carinthia, Styria – Austria. At the same time,
within the car distance zone, we will address the metropolises
with high purchasing power Vienna, Munich,
Milan. Because of Covid-19, the purchasing behaviour of
tourists and their values have changed significantly, so
sustainable products will be even more important than
before. Products based on contact with nature are local
and seasonal and will in particular gain in value and will
sell well. An experiential experience and outdoor activities
will be sustainable products with the highest level
of demand. In the post Corona period, the competitive
advantages of Slovenia and Istria are that they are considered
a green, active and healthy destination. We must
not forget the boutique in terms of the individualism and
unique experience that Slovenia and Istria have, while
the tourism big powers will find individualism and green
tourism a major challenge in view of the development of
mass tourism in the past.
36 | EUSAIR Slovene Presidency