The new TASTE SLOVENIA portal

Gastronomy is one of Slovenia’s key products in tourism and has been its focal point for the past two years. Furthermore, it significantly contributes to the implementation of the Slovenian tourism strategy, deseasonalisation and dispersed tourist flows, increases the added value and attracts guests with higher purchasing power.

The new TASTE SLOVENIA portal

The content of the new tasteslovenia.si portal was prepared by the STB in cooperation with experts in gastronomy and marketing in order to attract visitors whose main reason for coming to Slovenia is gastronomy. The portal highlights the sustainability of Slovenian tourism, presenting Slovenia as a unique culinary destination.

“The Taste Slovenia portal is an important step in the promotion of Slovenia as a green gastronomic destination that is well-known for its high-quality and authentic culinary products. The portal’s attractive content, aesthetic visuals and modern design create an excellent user experience,” stressed Ms Maja Pak, STB Director, adding: “This portal is an important contribution to the further positioning of Slovenia as a destination that, also in gastronomy, places an emphasis on sustainable and responsible development, uniqueness, quality, creativity, innovation and excellence. The launching of the portal coincides with another milestone in Slovenian gastronomy – a long-awaited event. Tomorrow, the results of the first Michelin Guide inspection of Slovenian restaurants will be announced, which is an excellent opportunity to promote Slovenia as a gastronomic destination, since Michelin is the strongest and most prestigious brand of gastronomic guides with exceptional global reach.” 

The visitors of the portal can explore the gastronomy in Slovenia in a modern and user-friendly manner, ranging from its rich culinary tradition to contemporary creations of Slovenian chefs. In addition to culinary experiences, the portal includes sections on culinary events, producers, products and cooperation with chefs.  A special section of the portal is dedicated to boutique stories presenting and linking individual unique culinary experiences. As the portal targets domestic and foreign visitors, its content is available in both the Slovenian and English languages.

Chef Marko Pavčnik from the Pavus restaurant at Laško Castle, member of Jeunes Restaurateurs and the expert group that developed the portal said: “I was very happy when I received the invitation to co-create the portal, because I think that experts must be involved in the development of a strategically important online platform at a time when Slovenia is becoming increasingly more recognised for its gastronomy. As gastronomy is an important part of a tourist’s experience – for many it is actually the reason for their visit – I believe it is crucial to not only include it in the promotion of Slovenia but to pay special attention to it.  We took into consideration different guides and ratings since every guide has its advantages and disadvantages. With a portal like this, which combines all these aspects, the different criteria are somehow balanced in order to avoid any errors to the greatest extent possible and to put forward people who are truly doing great work and co-creating the culinary image of Slovenia. Because we would like to attract foreigners, it is important to include international guides, as they have international standards and evaluators and, of course, a considerable reputation among guests. They know very well where to find the right information. I personally welcome foreign guides and new neutral evaluators as I am convinced that they are anonymous, independent and professional in their work.”

Restaurants and chefs presented on the tasteslovenia.si portal were selected on the basis of their listings in international gastronomic guides. The portal currently presents Slovenian chefs with four toques (chef’s hats) in the Gault&Millau 2020 Guide and those with prestigious international ratings in gastronomy. It also includes restaurants with four or three Gault&Millau 2020 toques.

A special focus on boutique gastronomic experiences and stories

The portal will be updated to keep up with the development of gastronomic products, the international ratings of chefs and restaurants, as well as awards recognising the achievements of Slovenian gastronomy. Special attention will be paid to boutique gastronomic experiences and unique culinary stories.

An interesting section of the portal will be devoted to the typical dishes, drinks and ingredients from the recently revised Slovenian gastronomic pyramid compiled by Prof. Janez Bogataj.

The development of the Taste Slovenia portal is a long-term process whose primary aim is to inspire foodies to visit Slovenia. To this end, the STB will also publish a themed gastronomy newsletter and dedicated content on social media to promote the use of #tasteslovenia.

Gastronomy as one of the key products of the Slovenian tourism, and the topical general two-year development and promotion issues are also covered by other STB projects and activities, including the all-Slovenian communication campaign Now Is the Time. My Slovenia is a campaign which uses visuals and statements to encourage people to explore gastronomy in Slovenia. You are kindly invited to watch one of the many promotional videos in which you will discover Slovenian gastronomy:

Green gastronomy is an important part of our commitment to sustainability

One of the main advantages of Slovenia is its unspoilt nature and diversity in a geographically small territory, which means that the exceptional riches of nature are always close by. As food safety is high among its priorities, Slovenia has gained the reputation of a country with high sanitary standards. Green gastronomy is an important part of the sustainable development of Slovenian tourism. Slovenia undertook to pursue sustainability when it was awarded the title of the European Region of Gastronomy 2021.

As sustainability is becoming increasingly more important also in gastronomy, even a precondition for future sustainable development, the Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism, introduced by the STB and recognised as the best model for the promotion of sustainable development in tourism in Europe, supports sustainability in gastronomy at the level of destinations and service providers. The Green Scheme is an umbrella platform bringing together all the efforts towards the sustainable development of Slovenian tourism. It provides culinary destinations and service providers with specific guidelines and tools for assessing and improving their sustainability.

Restaurant Week is just around the corner, inviting you to visit the best Slovenian restaurants

Gastronomic events posted on the tasteslovenia.si portal include the Restaurant Week with more than 100 restaurants (starting on Friday, 12 June and finishing on Sunday, 21 June). Twice a year for ten days – in spring and autumn – the Restaurant Week brings together the best Slovenian restaurants and chefs who show their skills with a three-course meal, creating the most mouth-watering weeks of the year. The STB supports this project in its promotional activities, thus helping the restaurants to restart their activities.

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