Pologi::Awards for innovative Slovene tourism 2011

The Slovenian Tourist Board and the Directorate for Tourism and Internationalization at the Ministry of the Economy annually award Sejalec and Snovalec awards to the most innovative products and ideas in tourism. Last week this year's winners were announced at the first Days of Slovenian Tourism in Portorož. Both competitions run via the Bank of Tourism Potentials in Slovenia.

In 2004, Slovenian Tourist Board organized a competition Sejalec for most innovative and creative tourism achievements in Slovenia for the first time. Sejalec rewards successful tourism innovations or well planned and successfully executed new products and improvements that contain the elements of the applicant's originality, systematic business thinking and high quality promotion of Slovene tourism. In 2011, 23 applications were received among which the final winner was selected, i.e. the product Gastronomic Treasures of Istria by the Municipality of Koper. In the final, it competed against the annual International Wildflower Festival that takes place in Bohinj.

Snovalec was first introduced in 2009 and supports realization of promising tourism ideas. Snovalec spurs creativity, inventiveness and innovation in tourism by promoting and brining to life tourism inventions that will eventually grow into tourism innovations. This year 73 applicants submitted their ideas among which four final winners were chosen. The ideas need to be realized in 12 months in order to receive 10.000 Euros each. When realized, the Slovene tourism sector will obtain four new tourism products: thematic route for the blind and the visually impaired, extended medical tourism services (application 1 & application 2), culture-related product for the high-school students and new culinary routes in the destination Rogla-Pohorje.

For the first time this year a new award named Študentski Snovalec was given, the main aim of which is to promote creativity, inventiveness and innovation among students. 10 final student theses were submitted among which the winner Anja Šadl was chosen. In her final thesis she questioned the environmental impact of the Radenci Spa.

Photo: Gastronomic Treasures of Istria, Sejalec 2011