For the fifth year in a row, Slovenian Tourist Board (STB) has enabled the broadcasting of the Tour of Slovenia race on Eurosport. Once again, the focus will be on the promotion of Slovenian tourist destinations, including many holders of the Slovenia Green label and Slovenian cyclists, led by Tadej Pogačar, cycling ace and ambassador of Slovenian tourism.
The 28th edition of Tour of Slovenia, that represents a perfect introduction into the hot cycling summer culminating in Tour de France in July, will start today (June 15) and finish on Sunday (June 19). By participating in numerous cycling events, the STB strengthens the visibility of the I feel Slovenia brand and Slovenia as an excellent destinations for active experiences. Among the key sports events hosted by Slovenia in the recent days, also Velo City, the largest international cycling congress which takes place in Ljubljana from 14 to 17 June, Tafisa, the world’s largest and most prestigious world sports congress for all, that took place between 8 and 12 June in Portorož and the International Sports Film Festival in Rogaška Slatina should be highlighted.
Roglič and Pogačar: Slovenian Cycling super-heroes
Among the most important cycling events is the 28th edition of the Tour of Slovenia, where the STB is participating for the 5th year in a row, thus enabling the race to be broadcast on the transnational TV network Eurosport. This year, 39 tourist destinations are taking part in the race, where 66 points of interest will be highlighted, which will surely impress millions of audiences.
By participating in the event for the 5th time, the STB provides the broadcast of the race on Eurosport
In addition to the excellent results of the partnership with Eurosport in the past four years, when more than 35 million spectators watched the race, the STB joined the project this year as well.
The STB, in partnership with the Adria Mobil Cycling Club, has once again enabled the broadcasting of the race on the global television network Eurosport, under the recognizable “Fight for green” slogan. In addition, an advertising space for as many as 218 television ads which represent the beauties of Slovenia also through the eyes of Tadej Pogačar has been purchased. Cycling enthusiasts will also be impressed by 3 million displays of online advertisements on Eurosport. Communication activities will also be carried out to present Slovenia as a green boutique destination for excellent active experiences on social networks and the Eurosport website. The campaign runs from June 6 to July 30, 2022.
Next to the live broadcast on Eurosport for an average of 2 hours a day (10 hours in total), the race will also be broadcast on RTV Slovenia.
MSc. Maja Pak, Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board, emphasized the great importance of the STB’s partnership with Eurosport, which strengthens Slovenia’s visibility and reputation as a destination for excellent cycling experiences in a sustainably committed destination: “Excellent results from the past four years have encouraged the Slovenian Tourist Board to participate in the Tour of Slovenia, which has become a real celebration of Slovenia’s cycling, also this year. With a total of 10 hours of broadcast on Eurosport, RTV Slovenia and eurosport.com, social media posts, articles about the race and Slovenia, 218 TV ads and 3 million display banners, we will bring Slovenia closer to millions active holidays lovers. Eurosport monthly reaches 205 million worldwide and is among the most watched international television channels, even ahead of CNN and the BBC. This year too, the “Fight for green” slogan will be highlighted, emphasizing the commitment of Slovenia to a green future and responsible behaviour in Slovenian tourism. At the Slovenian Tourist Board, we pay special attention to active holidays, especially cycling. We are proud to highlight Slovenia as a cycling superpower in partnership with top cycling aces, Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič. Just today, we published an intriguing podcast with Pogačar. Pogačar will also present Slovenia as a land of unique experiences, which serves as an inspiration for his incredible sporting achievements, to Eurosport viewers in a special advertisement.”
Tour of Slovenia strengthens Slovenia’s visibility as a destination for excellent active experiences and a sustainable commitment
Tour of Slovenia significantly contributes to the visibility of Slovenia as a destination for active experiences in pristine nature and is an excellent opportunity to highlight the beauties of Slovenia and inspire cycling enthusiasts for active holidays in Slovenia.
The race is a unique opportunity to present the destinations that host the race. Also this year, the STB is cooperating with tourist destinations. All 10 destinations that host the starts and finishes of the race (Nova Gorica, Postojna, Ptuj, Rogaška Slatina, Žalec, Celje, Laško, Kamnik and Vrhnika and Novo mesto) are presented in the videos that highlight their key tourist attractions.
The exposure of the I feel Slovenia brand along the race route is also intensive. During the broadcast, over 66 selected tourist points of interest in as many as 39 destinations that participate in the race this year will be presented.
This year’s race will also be held under the recognizable “Fight for green” slogan. On the 792-kilometer route, cyclists will race along many Slovenia Green destinations.
Tour of Slovenia will also impress the participants of the largest cycling congress in the world, Velo City
Ljubljana hosts the Velo City cycling congress from 14 to 17 June. This is the largest congress in the field of cycling in the world with the central theme being “Cycling the change”. The organizers of the congress expect more than 1,400 participants from 60 countries.
Seven plenary sessions and 66 mixed sessions will take place at the Gospodarsko razstavišče exhibiton space as part of the congress. 52 exhibitors will present themselves there, including the STB, which will highlight Slovenia as a destination for active experiences. As part of the congress, a round table entitled ‘Cycling Tourism Off the Beaten Track’ will be held on 17 June, where experts from different countries will talk about the importance of cycling for the development of tourism in more remote areas. The highlight of this year’s Velo-city will be the 11-kilometer cycling parade through the streets of Ljubljana.
The congress will be attended by representatives of cities, businesses, institutions and civil society. Among the most prominent participants will be leading experts in the field of sustainable mobility. These are Jan Gehl, one of the world’s largest urban planners, former European Commissioner Violeta Bulc, former European Commission member Karl Falkenberg and Jean-François Decaux, one of the CEOs of the JCDecaux group, which also includes the BicikeLJ system.
The participants of the congress will also be able to watch a live broadcast of the Tour of Slovenia on Eurosport.
Excellent results of STB’s participation in the Tour of Slovenia
In five years, the STB has brought the I Feel Slovenia brand closer to the world by enabling the broadcast on Eurosport and by communicating Slovenia as an exceptional green country with many sights and hospitable people on social networks. Together with project partners and destinations, the STB has achieved excellent results in recent years.
Last year, Eurosport showcased Slovenia on the TV and social media networks in more than 120 countries and presented it as a land of immense natural wealth with a high sustainability note. The race was broadcast on Eurosport and RTV Slovenia and watched by as many as 9.5 million spectators. Another 16.5 million viewers were reached through television advertising, and additional 3 million through online video ads.
In four years, the STB in cooperation with Eurosport has reached almost 35 million TV spectators with the broadcast of the Tour of Slovenia. Intensive communication took place also on the Feel Slovenia social media channels, with more than 2 million displays of advertisements and posts before, during and after the race. More than 4,000 users came to the portal www.slovenia.info from this address, and the places that hosted starts and finishes of the race were also intensively exposed in communication.
In recent years, advertising has also taken place on the Eurosport social networks, reaching around 3.5 million of followers. The number of views on the www.eurosport.com has also reached around 30 thousand. A total of 1,676 articles about Tour of Slovenia were recorded in the Slovenian media space, with a total estimated value of 1.88 million euros.
By partnering up with the world’s best cyclists, the STB communicates Slovenia as a homeland of top athletes
The STB pays special attention to cycling as one of the key products of active experiences, especially in light of the central two-year promotional theme of active outdoor experiences and sports preparations and events.
During the biggest sporting events, the STB strengthens the visibility of Slovenia as a country of top athletes, destination for active holidays, hosts major sporting events through communication campaigns, and at the same time carries out a number of promotional activities.
The STB pays special attention to partnerships with top cyclists and ambassadors of Slovenian tourism, who strengthen the visibility of Slovenia and the I Feel Slovenia brand. Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič make a key contribution to the increased attention of global media, sports fans, and other publics, and thus strengthen Slovenia’s reputation as a destination for excellent active experiences in a green environment.