Anyone who has been taking a look at the Croatian capital Zagreb in recent Decembers will have noticed quite a change. Now voted Best Christmas Market in Europe on website European Best Destinations (EBD) for the last three years, Zagreb has seen its tourism transformed, with its December tourism arrivals and overnight stays tripling in just six years, with an impressive 110,000 tourists visiting the city in December, 2017.
Could Bohinj be about to benefit from the 'EBD Effect'? The gorgeous Slovenian resort has been shortlisted as one of the 20 best destinations in Europe for 2018. Competition will be tough, as Bohinj is up against some European tourism giants, such as London, Barcelona, Paris, Vienna and Milan, while there will be regional competition from Kotor in Montenegro and the island of Hvar in Croatia.
This is what European Best Destinations has to say about Bohinj:
Bohinj, Alpine Valley with Lake
Thousands of years under Triglav and 240 years since it was first climbed
Imagine a place under the sky, where the sun warms and a gentle wind lightly cools your back and face. Sometimes the clouds travel above you and sometimes you are above them. Silence is all around. And then everything changes. A farmer mows grass and chops wood, children joyfully play. Pine trees move gently in the wind, marmots whistle, ibex, chamois and mouflons tramp.
This is the world underneath Triglav mountain. The Alpine background constantly changes. And offers new timeless views. There is not only one perfect scene for photographs. There are numerous scenes every second. And then only one sun ray, one cloud in the sky, one breeze and one step forward change everything. Here the best photos are created from memories.
This is Bohinj.
This year we celebrate 240 years since the first recorded climb to Triglav, the highest mountain in the Julian Alps. In the past, the mountains were sacred and considered unclimbable, wrapped in the mystical world of legends and mythology. Today, we can meet numerous mountaineers on more than 400 km of well-preserved hiking and mountaineering trails in Bohinj, who come from all over the world. But this piece of the European Alps still belongs to the Kingdom of the Goldhorn. There are 7000 animal species and 1600 plant species present in this UNESCO biosphere reservation of the Triglav National Park that protects the cohabitation of nature and man. And 4 flowers carry Triglav's name. It is not surprising that at the end of May and the beginning of June, when all the valley blossoms in magnificent colours, this area hosts the International Wild Flower Festival. Visitors get the chance to attend seminars, workshops and guided tours in the mountains of the Triglav National Park, and get directly in contact with the extraordinary colourful richness of this fragile and magnificent world.
Bohinj, the proud member of selected Alpine Pearls destinations, is sustainably oriented and committed to preserving the environment, biodiversity and the traditional way of life. Tourist infrastructure follows the trends of sustainable mobility, with minimum impact on the natural environment and traditional agriculture. Despite this, there are numerous activities in nature available in Bohinj and not under the influence of mass tourism. This year, Lonely Planet ranked the Julian Alps among the 10 best European destinations.
Welcome to Bohinj and the Triglav National Park!
The Triglav National Park is the oldest, greatest and only national park in Slovenia. Bohinj is at the heart of it. The protected natural and cultural area surrounding the highest Slovenian mountain, Triglav. Due to the sensitive natural environment and its fragility, the park is also a part of Unesco’s Man and the Biosphere Programme.
Voting starts tomorrow. Cast your vote for Bohinj here.
