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By Ethan Gelber

Baa baa black sheep, now we have your wool! So say travellers in Slovenia who have had the pleasure of an exclusive Alpine Melody tour with Spin Travel. Billed as a day-long excursion that “takes you back to the times of our grandfathers,” Alpine Melody was also shortlisted in early December 2009 for the Sejalac (Sower) award, given every year since 2003 to the most promising tour providers in Slovenia by the Slovenian Tourist Board.

In a valley on the Pokljuka plateau of Slovenia are Alpine
chalets once the homes and sheds of traditional herdsman

“We made it to the finals,” enthused Mojca Peterka, a managing director of Spin Travel. “Even if we didn’t make it to the top 3, being among the top 6 is a big achievement for our travel agency. It tells us that we are moving in the right direction and that we deliver special experience to our clients.”

Peterka’s enthusiastic commitment to searching the furthest corners of Slovenia for unique and meaningful destinations and experiences, already so exemplary, is just part of what makes Spin Travel your whl.travel local connection in Slovenia and a valued on-the-ground point of contact for any traveller in the country.

Slovenian Tourism Forum

The Sejalec awards are designed to stimulate innovation by rewarding creativity in tourist product in Slovenia. They are announced every year at the Slovenian Tourism Forum, where leaders and experts in the travel industry meet to discuss present policy and future developments in Slovenian tourism.

At the 2009 Slovenian Tourism Forum, in light of changing travel trends and the Slovenian government’s adoption of a new tourism policy, special attention was paid to the issues of green and sustainable tourism development. In fact, perhaps chief among the many distinguished guests was Mr Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General (ad interim) of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), present to speak about the important conclusions of the UNWTO/European Travel Commission symposium on Tourism & Travel in the Green Economy, held a few months prior in Gothenburg, Sweden.

A herdsman’s typical Alpine feast – dried sausages, cheese
and more – greets hungry travellers on an Alpine Melody tour

“Tourism is one of the main global economy sectors that makes an essential contribution to national and local economies around the world by diminishing poverty, creating new jobs and facilitating investments and trade,” said Mr Rifai during his address. “The current economic challenges constitute a strategic opportunity for tourism to become the key factor in the transition toward green economy through enhancing its sustainability.”

Mr Dimitrij Piciga, Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board, looking at Slovenia’s road ahead, agreed: “Slovenian Tourist Board not only wishes to be the initiator of the green way of thinking but also of taking green action in Slovenian tourism. We are aware that green behaviour is not just a short-term trend but rather a long-term precondition for the preservation of Slovenia’s wealth and tourism, on one hand, and one of the key competitive criteria concerning its position on the world tourist map, on the other.”

An Alpine Melody Sings Strong

Given the commendable shift in Slovenian tourism priorities, the recognition accorded to a tour product carefully prepared by Spin Travel is high praise indeed. And so it should be: the eight-hour tour takes in two gorgeous and remote valleys in the Bled vicinity rarely visited by outsiders.

In the remote Radovna River valley of Slovenia, Marko,
a skillful herdsman, shows his guests how to shear sheep

First, along the Radovna River, visitors work firsthand with Marko as he demonstrates the herder’s lifestyle, including caring for sheep in his Alpine paradise and then shearing them for the raw material that goes into creating fantastic homespun wool products.

Further along, on the Pokljuka plateau, tour-takers meet the only living traditional herdsman on the plateau. A sit with him over a classic Alpine feast of dried sausage, homemade cheese, zaseka and local spirits allows for full appreciation of the stunning panoramic backdrop of Triglav National Park. Earlier, during a walk with a specialist in local agriculture, fresh Alpine herbs picked in the field are used to make a real Alpine tea.

Lojz, the only living traditional herdsman on the Pokljuka
plateau in Slovenia, shows off his delicious homemade dried sausages

Of course, in keeping with the principles of responsible community-based tourism, the hosts benefit from the Alpine Melody tours as much as the visitors. Not only is there the vital but intangible satisfaction of having welcomed people from many faraway lands to experience a little of the traditional and natural local lifestyle, but there is a share in the fees charged for the tour. Spin Travel of course pays for the hosts’ time and effort to demonstrate the shearing, as well as the cost of the Alpine delights.

And visiting travellers leave knowing that they have done the right thing by supporting communities far off the beaten path.

The Alpine Meadows tour runs seasonally from April to October.

For any other information about Slovenia, including accommodation, tours and activities, and lots of insider tips, Spin Travel is your whl.travel local connection.