The Slovenia Green Destination Gold label for sustainable tourism

This year, the Karst and Brkini destination has set out on the path of comprehensive tourism development. With its “Strategy of Development and Marketing Tourism in the Karst and Brkini Tourist Destination 2022–2028” and by registering in the Green Scheme of the Slovenian Tourism (GSST), it has joined the successful sustainability story of Slovenia that is also echoing internationally. 

The national tourist certification scheme, developed by the Slovenian Tourist Board, brings together under the SLOVENIA GREEN umbrella brand all efforts towards the sustainable development of tourism in Slovenia. It offers destinations and service providers concrete tools enabling them to evaluate and improve their sustainability endeavours according to the European (ETIS) and global (GSTC) criteria. It promotes green endeavours under the SLOVENIA GREEN brand. 

A united destination under an umbrella organisation

Each of the four municipalities (Divača, Hrpelje-Kozina, Komen and Sežana), included in the Kras and Brkini destination, already entered the Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism in their own right in 2017. The municipalities autonomously carried out the application procedure and in 2018 – each for itself – received the GSST label. 

In 2020 they decided to formulate a joint “Strategy of Development and Marketing Tourism in the Karst and Brkini Tourist Destination 2022–2028” as well as to renew, after 3 years, their individual sustainability labels by joining together and acquiring a single sustainability label. 

Increasing number of service providers with the green label in the Karst and Brkini destination

With its joint entry in the GSST, the destination once again undertook to encourage sustainable activities, combine sustainable endeavours and promote the local character and green stories. In this period the destination organised several education events and training courses on sustainable development for tourist service providers, encouraging them to obtain the Green Slovenia label. Three years ago, only one provider in this destination had the label, whereas at the end of 2021 there were already six of them: 

• Hotel St. Daniel (Bio Hotels / Green Accommodation)

• Bistro Grad Štanjel (Green Key / Green Cuisine)

• Gostilna Mahorčič (Green Key / Green Cuisine)

• Mladinski hostel Pliskovica (Green Key – Green Accommodation)

• Špacapanova hiša (Green Key / Green Cuisine in Accommodation)

• Gostišče z namestitvami Risnik (Ecolabel)

• Grad Štanjel, Štanjel (Green Key)

• Hiša Krasna, Lokev (Green Key)

• Hiša posebne sorte, Kodreti (Green Key)

• Tmbin's Barn, Povir (Green Key).

The sustainability label was also awarded to the Park Škocjanske jame (Slovenia Green Park). 

The Gold Label for the Karst and Brkini destination

The destination received the joint Golden Label based on assessment of its meeting of 100 specific criteria from 6 different areas: nature, environment, cultural heritage, community and safety, tourism, and business. Its average score in these 6 categories was 8.8. The strengths of the destination lie in environmental protection (score 10) as well as cooperation with local community (9.4), inclusion of businesses in the green story (9.4) and preservation of culture (9.2). The destination management received a slightly lower but equally great score (8.1); its future priorities include working on the strategy as well as internal and public reporting. The lowest score was recorded in environmental protection (7.0) where the destination can strengthen its activities related to climate change, measuring the carbon footprint and reducing the use of fossil fuels. In cooperation with public utility companies, it can improve its wastewater and waste management.

The whole procedure was coordinated by the Green Team from all four municipalities, in cooperation with the tourism industry and ROS.Turist, Institute for Responsible Tourism.