The Green Karst destination has once again been awarded the Slovenia Green Destination Bronze label as part of the Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism.
The assessment showed that the destination is increasingly integrating sustainability considerations into its planning and management, while also highlighting areas where further improvements can be made.
Across the six assessed categories, the destination achieved an average score of 6.7 out of 10. The highest scores were recorded in Nature and Landscape (8.8) and Culture and Tradition (8.0), reflecting the importance of preserving natural and cultural values for the long-term development of the area.
Among the examples of good practice, the assessor specifically highlighted monitoring visitor numbers at natural attractions in Notranjski Park. Automated counters provide data on visitor numbers, which are important for monitoring visitor pressure on individual sites and for further planning of visitor management. Two other examples of good practice were also highlighted: the Green Karst Regional Mobility Centre, which contributes to the development of sustainable mobility in the region, and the Green Karst Cross-Border Marketplace for Local Providers, which connects local providers and promotes cooperation and the exchange of experience.
Sustainable destination development goes beyond tourism alone. It brings together nature and cultural heritage conservation, visitor management, mobility, the local economy and residents’ quality of life. This is why sustainable destination management requires cooperation among municipalities, public institutions, tourism providers, local organisations and other stakeholders.
The results of the assessment also provide important guidance for future work. Greater attention will need to be paid to systematically monitoring the impacts of tourism, including residents’ satisfaction and the economic effects of tourism, as well as to further encouraging tourism providers to adopt sustainable measures related to energy and water use, waste management and carbon footprint monitoring.
With a score of 6.7, Green Karst is approaching the threshold for the Slovenia Green Silver label, which is set at 7.1. Future efforts will therefore focus on further developing areas where sustainable management can be monitored and measured more systematically and incorporated more effectively into destination development planning.
The renewed Bronze Slovenia Green label is therefore not only a recognition of the work carried out so far, but above all a starting point for further improvements. Sustainable destination development is a long-term process based on cooperation, monitoring impacts and gradually introducing measures that enable tourism to support the conservation of the area, the local economy and residents’ quality of life.
