www.slovenia.info ACTION PLAN FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING OF GASTRONOMY TOURISM 2019 – 2023 TASTE SLOVENIA #ifeelsLOVEnia #myway #tasteslovenia TASTE SLOVENIAAction Plan for the Development and Marketing of Gastronomy Tourism 2 Action Plan came into existence in order to identify the key measures and initiatives necessary for Slovenia to be positioned around the world as a unique boutique gastronomic destination. Based on its excellent natural conditions and the potential of the market, Slovenia will be properly positioned under the Taste Slovenia brand in terms of competition and it will find its market niche. TASTE SLOVENIA 3 TASTE SLOVENIA Action Plan for the Development and Marketing of Gastronomy Tourism The product range of Slovenian gastronomy is built on unique 5-star experiences which successfully distinguish Slovenia from other destinations. We are recognised as a destination that offers experiences differing from mass tourism. Our product range is developed for a demanding tourist who is prepared to pay more for his/her gastronomic experiences. 4 TASTE SLOVENIA Action Plan for the Development and Marketing of Gastronomy Tourism Project: Drawing up of the Action Plan for the Development and Marketing of Slovenia’s Gastronomy 2019–2023 Client: Slovenian Tourist Board Contracting Authority’s working group: BARBARA ZMRZLIKARmag. MAJA PAK NATAŠA HOČEVAR, mag. posl. ved ALENKA PAHOR ŽVANUT Expert working group: prof. dr. JANEZ BOGATAJ mag. HELENA CVIKL (College of Hospitality and Tourism Maribor) VLASTA GRAŠEK (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food) GREGOR JAMNIK (Hotel Association of Slovenia) MARTIN JEZERŠEK (Jezeršek gostinstvo) TOMAŽ KAVČIČ (Gostilna pri Lojzetu, Zemono Manour House) PETRA KRIŽAN (Ministry of Economic Development and Technology) KLAVDIJA PERGER (Tourism and Hospitality Chamber of Slovenia) MIRA ŠEMIĆ (WSET, Wine academic) Contractor: University of Primorska Faculty of Tourism Studies – Turistica The contractor’s working group: izr. prof. dr. MAJA URAN MARAVIĆ Kaja EMIL JUVAN, PhD. Australia (Both UP Faculty of Tourism Studies) KAJA SAJOVIC(RTV Slovenia) ZENEL BATAGELJ (Valicon) SEBASTJAN POSTOGNA (Lifeclass and Bernardin, Portorož) Ljubljana, August–November 2018 5 Action Plan TASTE SLOVENIA TASTE SLOVENIAAction Plan for the Development and Marketing of Gastronomy Tourism of Slovenian gastronomy UNIQUE EXPERIENCE exceptionalindividuals spectacular environment sustainable production 6 TASTE SLOVENIA Action Plan for the Development and Marketing of Gastronomy Tourism Contents 7 Introductory summaryBases Strategic priorities overview Evaluation Work methodology Structure and size of gastronomy tourism market Main strategic areas Organisational framework Regulatory framework – 21 Trademarks and quality evaluation in gastronomy – 23 Promotion of increasing quality – 25 Education – 27 Marketing – 29 9 11 19 43 46 48 49 52 Appendix: TASTE SLOVENIA Action Plan for the Development and Marketing of Gastronomy Tourism TASTE SLOVENIA Despite the success of individuals, with Ana Roš taking the lead, and despite an increased exposure of Slovenia as a new gastronomic destination and the development of local food brands, visitors to Slovenia still do not indicate gastronomic experiences as one of their main motives to visit. This is probably also why an average tourist only spends 15.5% of their daily budget in our bars and restaurants. 8 TASTE SLOVENIA Action Plan for the Development and Marketing of Gastronomy Tourism Introductory summary The vision of Slovenia as a gastronomic destination until 2021 is to become a visible destination with a high-quality, innovative, recognisable gastronomy and an authentic culinary range of foods and wines created by a number of boutique providers of high-quality food who build their product range on local production of foods and creative dishes that reflect the natural resources, knowledge and heartiness in preparation The document came into existence in order to achieve the three key objectives for the development and marketing of gastronomy – creation of a higher added value, provision of sustainability and especially an increase in international visibility. For the visibility of Slovenia as a gastronomic destination and not as a destination that also offers gastronomy, it is key to become engaged in international evaluations, to have Slovenian representatives present at international culinary congresses and to provide a top-end range of culinary products and wines that goes hand in hand with Slovenia as a green, sustainable country and in general a country closely connected to the unspoilt nature. The parties participating in the preparation of this document were almost unanimous that it is key to support Slovenia to participate at international evaluations (Michelin, Gault & Millau) and also to support chefs to be placed on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. For now, only Hiša Franko is listed and they already exercise the practice of focused study tours for journalists which is common abroad (particularly for the ones that are suspected to be members of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy). Therefore, these study tours that have proven an effective tool for the promotion of a destination must necessarily be extended throughout the country and a wider range of chosen individuals should participate. Top-end culinary destinations that next to Hiša Franko could be ranked in the list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and could consequently influence the formation of the perception of gourmets that Slovenia is a gastronomically developed destination, can otherwise not be built without a solid base of providers that should include restaurants with a high-quality range of local culinary products and local resources as well as an assorted chart of top-end local wines. It is restaurants and tourist farms that offer the greatest potential – and the greatest number of deficiencies as well. This requires education and awareness-raising for the providers to start turning towards strictly local, Slovenian, also home-grown in the case of a tourist farm, and at the same time to produce enough ingenuity and sense for trends and modern techniques. In recent years, gastronomy tourism has developed a lot and it has become one of the more important elements of the quality of a tourist’s experiences. Gastronomy is very important for the promotion of local, regional and national economic development and gastronomic tourists usually represent good guests with more funds to spend on their holidays, they are more environmentally aware and they are more interested in getting to know foreign cultures. The most competitive culinary destinations for Slovenia include its neighbours – Croatia (in particular Istria that builds on wine and individual products, such as truffles); Austria with a good practice of linking nature and small-scale producers to an integrated gastronomic identity and the image of the country; Hungary as an example of a small country with a relatively difficult cuisine which has managed to climb to become one of the leading countries in this part of Europe, and which also has an increasing number of Michelin stars; and Italy with its exemplary case of a well set gastronomic pyramid with exceptional trattorias. This is exactly what Slovenia and Slovenian restaurants and inns lack – a greater national culinary identity and self-consciousness. The advantages of Slovenia that can be underlined are its diversity in a small space, superior and original wines, the richness of pristine nature, a well-preserved culinary heritage, its boutique character and the latest success of Ana Roš in the international setting. On the other hand, we can highlight a lack of staffing and low qualifications of waiting staff nearing critical dimensions, poor interconnectedness of providers, low international visibility and often low quality of product range. Research show that from the point of view of gastronomy tourism, the most important markets to us include Italy, Austria, Germany as well as France, Great Britain and some Scandinavian countries. Our objective is to attract loyal gastronomic tourists who consume a lot and who are also interested in learning about the traditions and culture of their destination and this is why we must offer as many special experiences as possible and as many things that make Slovenia and its range of gastronomic products as different from competitor countries as possible. Below, it is described how we intend to achieve this. 9 TASTE SLOVENIA Action Plan for the Development and Marketing of Gastronomy Tourism In recent years, gastronomy tourism has developed quite significantly and it has become one of the most dynamic and creative segments of tourism. UNWTO underlines that tourist destinations as well as the tourism industry are aware of the importance of gastronomy for the needs of the diversification of tourism and the promotion of local, regional and national economic development. Present-day tourists are more experienced, they have more capital available and they have more free time to dedicate to travelling; a wide range of tourism products enables them to escape from their daily routine and to discover new things. UNWTO (2012) also states that a third of a tourist’s expenditure goes on food. The reason attached to his fact is that gastronomy tourism recently developed as an independent tourist product. This is why it is also one of the most important elements on the quality of a tourist’s experience. 10 TASTE SLOVENIA Action Plan for the Development and Marketing of Gastronomy Tourism Bases Definition of gastronomy tourism One of the definitions most frequently used in literature is the definition by Hall and Sharples (2003), who define gastronomy tourism or food tourism as experiential travel to a food production region for recreational or entertainment reasons which includes visits to primary and secondary food producers, food festivals, food fairs, events, marketplaces, cookery demonstrations, tasting of high- quality produce and products, visits to restaurants or any other activity related to food. Additionally, this experiential travel relates to a certain life style that involves experimenting, learning from other cultures, obtaining new knowledge and understanding the characteristics of tourism products as well as the gastronomic specialities of a region. Therefore, to experience gastronomic tourism, we have everything listed above if this is the main reason or motivation to visit a tourism destination or at least one of the main reasons. Even if gastronomy is not the main reason to visit a destination, it plays a very important role as a secondary or partial motivation for coming to a certain destination. Strictly speaking, such tourists would not be defined gastronomy tourists, therefore the UNWTO adopted a wider definition of gastronomy tourism. Thus, gastronomy tourism involves tourists and visitors who plan their travelling, partly or in whole, with the objective to taste the cuisine of their destinations or to engage in activities related to gastronomy. Definition of sustainability in gastronomy Sustainability is the key component and the advantage of the development of Slovenian tourism. The development of any type of tourism, including gastronomy tourism, must take into consideration the fundamental principles of sustainability and responsibility of tourist organisations and destinations. In the mid 1990s, a wider definition of sustainability as well as of economic efficiency of tourist organisations was produced and it reflects in three basic points – the growth of a tourist organisation must be economically, socially and ecologically acceptable and sustainable. Responsible tourism responds to the changes of positions by emphasising the economy, society and environment as the three pillars of sustainable development . Maximum profit may no longer be the only driving force for the operations of tourism businesses; responsibility as a priority in business operations must also be included. Tourists have also become increasingly informed in terms of sustainability. Thus, responsible tourism has lately become key to the survival and international competitiveness. Responsibility can be broken down into economic, social and environmental. These are the principles that will be taken into account in the development of gastronomic sustainability. The authors of the booklet ‘Koraki do zaupanja vredne ponudbe ekološke prehrane v gastronomiji’ (The steps to achieve a trustworthy range of products in the area of organic food in gastronomy) (Robačer, Vukmanič, Bavec and Bavec, 2018) define the tendencies of high-quality, healthy and sustainably oriented food product range in gastronomy. They also believe that this entails more organic production, more seasonal foods, more fresh and less precooked food, less (smaller meals) of meat or foodstuffs of animal origin, more creativity in the composition of menus (use of old landraces, seasonal nature of supply, regional specificities, minimal packaging) and more creativity in the establishment of short supply chains as well as a wider consideration of the influence of the industry on the environment (calculation of environmental and carbon dioxide footprint as a criterion for greenhouse gas emissions). 11 TASTE SLOVENIA Action Plan for the Development and Marketing of Gastronomy Tourism Review of the development of Slovenian gastronomy Cuisine and gastronomy or food culture in the territory of the present Slovenia have developed through history at an astounding junction of the European Alps, the Mediterranean, the Pannonian Plains and after World War I also of the neighbouring Balkans. This very junction created a wide selection of food forms and meals where we cannot speak of blind acceptance from more or less remote neighbours, even from nations that inhabited this space before the arrival of Slavic peoples; instead, we can speak of constant adaptation of the solutions learnt and based on this, of innovative creation of new tastes that were appropriated and “tailored” to the forms of economic efforts, social relations and a pallet of spiritual creativity. These processes of the formation of Slovenian culinary and gastronomic visibility also intertwined different social environments, from inhabitants of towns and squares, villages, castles, all the way to monasteries that also contributed significantly to the shaping of culinary expertise. According to the research thus far, indigenous cultures were strongly connected with the processing of milk into milk products. These, however, have barely been maintained. The diet of farmers which represented the fundamental social group, was modest and it was connected to cereals, leguminous vegetables and plants that need hoeing. Abundance during holidays was represented by products from slaughtering pigs and it also had a wider communication meaning for local communities. Throughout history, development brought several innovations that caused extensive changes to food. For example, introduction of a three-year crop rotation with set-aside, very quickly adopted buckwheat, the development of consuming pork from Protestantism on, acceptance of certain dishes from the Danube cuisine, etc. The Age of Enlightenment represents a great turning point in food culture. In the late period, specifically in 1799, we got the first Slovenian-language cookbook, the importance of which we are hardly aware of. With this book, we can show even today that at the end of the 18th century, the Slovenian language and thus our terminology in the area of gastronomy were completely equal to major world languages. In 1868, the first Slovenian cookbook was written by Magdalena Knafelj Pleiweis, which with its later supplements by other authors has been the most frequently reprinted cookbook in a number of issues. After World War I, the influences of the Balkans on Slovenian cuisine were still fairly modest. They increased after World War II and they were connected to the economic migrations of the inhabitants of the Balkans to Slovenia. So to speak, Slovenia become the junction of the Mediterranean pizza and the Balkan burek, in the 1960s the culture of grilled čevapčiči (minced meat rolls) was introduced, etc. In the 1980s, the development of new restaurants and boutique wine cellars gradually began. In this period, gastronomic awareness began to grow and in the 1990s, the movement of slow food began to assert in Italy and also around some more ambitious individuals in Slovenia, too, which left a strong mark. In 2005, Slovenia joined the oldest gastronomic chain of Chaîne des Rôtisseurs and in 2007, it joined the JRE association (Jeunes Restaurateurs d’ Europe), which brings together several hundred young chefs from all over Europe and Australia. In 2018, the international gourmet guide Gault & Millau came to Slovenia and Slovenia was awarded the title of the European Region of Gastronomy 2021. In 2006, the Development Strategy for Gastronomy in Slovenia was created and it became the fundamental document as well as the guide for the promotion and development of gastronomy in Slovenia. The strategy as the base of gastronomic visibility determined the gastronomic pyramid. In addition to the entire national gastronomic abundance (heritage) and the modern forms, this consists of no less than 24 gastronomic regions or closed cultural and geographic areas, where the concentration of a certain number of dishes is the highest and thus enables their delimitation. After some supplements, there are now 365 key characteristic or distinctive dishes and beverages in these 24 regions. Slovenia has some chefs that have also been established abroad. Andrej Kuhar was the first Slovenian to win a Michelin star (he won it for a restaurant in Germany), Joško Sirk, a Slovenian otherwise living abroad, won a star for his restaurant Pri lovcu (Al Cacciatore) in Subida near Krmin (Cormons), Italy. Janez Bratovž with his restaurant JB in Ljubljana was the first manage to enter the San Pellegrino rankings of The World’s 100 Best Restaurants (2010) and at present the only representative on the list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants is Hiša Franko (placed 48) led by Ana Roš, who won the title of the World’s Best Female Chef for 2017. Ana Roš is a member of a number of international associations and she is a regular guest at the largest international culinary congresses. Other chefs active abroad include Tomaž Kavčič, Janez Bratovž, Jure Tomič (Pasta World Champion 2016), Luka Košir and some others. The younger generation in particular, led by Bine Volčič, Jorgo Zupan, Jakob Pintar, Leon Pintarič, etc. also boasts several years of experience in foreign kitchens. 12 Bases TASTE SLOVENIA Action Plan for the Development and Marketing of Gastronomy Tourism OF SLOVENIAN GASTRONOMY Key development milestones 2006 Slovenia’s gastronomy development strategy Trademark Okusiti Slovenijo/ Taste Slovenia Development of regional gastronomy trademarks The Gostilna Slovenija trademark 2017–2021 Strategy for the Sustainable Growth of Slovenian Tourism exposes gastronomy as a strategic tourist product Slovenia has won the title European Region of Gastronomy 2021 Arrival of Gault & Millau Slovenia Hiša Franko ranked on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Action Plan for the Development and Marketing of Slovenia’s Gastronomy 2019–2023 Gastronomy is the main communication topic of the STB 2010 2017 20182019 2007- 2020-2021 FOCUS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DESTINATION’S RANGE OF PRODUCTS EMPHASIS ON INTERNATIONAL VISIBILITY 13 In cuisine, wine is particularly important and Slovenian wine producers are more visible and more active abroad than chefs. Individual wine cellars, such as Movia and Kabaj, regularly enter the list of T
