As overtourism and its associated challenges continue to threaten popular holiday destinations, more European countries are ramping up their sustainable tourism initiatives.
Several western European countries such as France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden have implemented more environmentally responsible tourism and mobility practices.
This includes encouraging cycling and electric vehicles, promoting responsible tourism in mountain regions and balancing conservation and tourism in heritage sites.
Slovenia, a small central European country, has also made impressive strides in sustainable tourism in the last few years. The tourism sector contributes about 8.6% to Slovenia’s gross domestic product, according to I Feel Slovenia, with a robust commitment to environmental conservation, ecological awareness and waste management.
“There are very few countries in the world that can match what Slovenia has achieved over the last few years. Slovenia started as one of the most overlooked destinations in Europe, but has now become a symbol of how sustainability initiatives can transform travel appeal. Travelers in 2025 demand substance beneath the aesthetics, so Slovenia’s success wasn’t accidental,” Georgia Fowkes, travel advisor at Altezza Travel, says.
Building A National Sustainable Tourism Brand
Slovenia is the third most forested one in the European Union, with a wooded territory of nearly 60%, according to I Feel Slovenia. It also has significant biodiversity, being home to 1% of all known species.
As such, the country has focused heavily on integrating ecological conservation into its sustainable tourism strategy.
It launched the “Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism”, which is a strategic tool and a national certification program under the Slovenia Green brand. This initiative helps improve and promote sustainable tourism across the country by offering service providers the tools to market and assess their green practices.
Slovenia is also part of the “Mountaineering Villages Network”, which is a partnership between a number of Alpine countries including Germany, Austria and Italy. This network encourages sustainable tourism in mountainous regions through nature-based, low-impact and community-focused initiatives.
Villages such as Luče, Jezersko, Dovje-Mojstrana and Baška Grapa are part of this network, using it to celebrate and protect their unique local culture, historical heritage and tradition, while offering high-quality mountaineering and hiking experiences.
This initiative also helps support economically underdeveloped regions while laying out a sustainable tourism model that other small countries rich in natural diversity can apply to themselves.
Slovenia has also invested in sustainable, visitor-friendly modes of transport and tourism infrastructure.
“The capital city, Ljubljana, famously closed its central streets to cars and enhanced public transit and cycling networks. Ljubljana’s car-free city center exemplifies Slovenia’s sustainable tourism infrastructure, prioritizing pedestrians and cyclists,” Dulani Porter, executive vice president and partner at SPARK, highlights.
“Ljubljana’s move to pedestrianize its core reduced noise and air pollution and helped earn it the European Green Capital title in 2016.”
Another factor in boosting Slovenia’s sustainable tourism sector is its zero waste initiative, which includes stringent waste segregation rules and bans on single-use plastic. This has helped the country prevent a considerable amount of mixed municipal waste and has set expectations for visitors as well.
Protecting and preserving natural resources such as water bodies and forests, habitats and biodiversity is another key pillar of Slovenia’s sustainable tourism strategy.
Biodiversity Information System for Europe estimates that about 40.5% of Slovenian land and 5% of marine waters are protected areas. The country also participates in the EU’s Natura 2000 scheme, which is a network of protected sites, which further helps with this aim.
Other responsible tourism initiatives include boosting the development of tourist eco-farms within protected areas, which allows tourists to learn more about organic agriculture.
“Most importantly, it’s wonderful to see that decision-makers place such a high priority on enhancing the quality of life and wellbeing of local communities. Slovenia’s strategic management of tourism, with a focus on promoting healthy and meaningful lifestyles, positions it as a leading green tourism destination,” Professor Anna Irimiás, Corvinus University of Budapest, says.
This is further supported by the country’s strong carrying capacity management, which contributes to its reputation as a destination that prioritises visitor experience and environmental responsibility.
It has green taxes that are among the highest in the OECD, which contributes to better air quality and water quality as well.
“Slovenia also tackled overtourism risks by encouraging year-round travel and dispersing visitors to lesser-known regions. Instead of concentrating everyone at a few hotspots, the tourist board created itineraries and campaigns to showcase the country’s diverse regions in all seasons – from alpine adventures in Soča Valley to cultural experiences in smaller towns,” Porter explains.
This strategy ensured that overcrowding was reduced in places like Piran and Bled, while also giving visitors more authentic experiences.
Can Europe Replicate Slovenia’s Sustainable Tourism Model?
Slovenia’s success in sustainable tourism comes from long-term commitment, holistic design and engaging local communities to participate in tourism initiatives.
As such, although several of its measures such as certification schemes, nature-first branding, public-private partnerships and more could potentially be replicated by other European countries, they will need to be deeply localised and supported with clear vision, stakeholder management and dedicated strategies.
“Key principles like a national certification scheme, cross-sector partnerships, and a clear, sustainable brand narrative are transferable. For example, Slovenia’s Green Scheme follows globally recognized criteria (GSTC, ETIS) and could be mirrored by other nations to standardize sustainability goals across cities and regions,” Porter highlights.
Other programs such as the European Destinations of Excellence scheme also showcase small, authentic destinations championing sustainable practices.
One of the key factors determining whether Slovenia’s sustainable tourism strategy can be replicated in other countries is the amount of government and local support for the idea that green tourism is not optional, but essential for future competitiveness.
“Then, they can establish their own frameworks to certify and support sustainable destinations, encourage year-round travel to avoid seasonal crowding, and invest in infrastructure for low-impact travel (like bike lanes and public transit in tourist areas),” Porter notes.
However, some challenges could emerge while applying Slovenia’s tourism strategy to other European countries. These can include issues with scale, governance and a country’s previous reputation with sustainable tourism.
“Slovenia, being compact, nimble, and deeply in tune with its land, can pivot faster than many of its neighbors. I’ve seen similar patterns attempted in the Azores, where a small geography also allows for tighter environmental controls. But replicating Slovenia’s community-first execution in sprawling coastal Spain or northern Italy with mass tourism is a very different challenge,” Fowkes explained.
From Sustainable Tourism To Regenerative Tourism
Having mastered sustainable tourism, can Slovenia take the next step and evolve towards regenerative tourism– which would focus not just on minimizing harm, but actively improving its destinations? In several ways, it already is.
The government can speed up this process by deepening initiatives that leave a net positive impact on communities and the environment.
“This means setting goals where tourism actively contributes to restoring ecosystems, revitalizing local culture, and strengthening communities. For example, authorities could expand support for projects like reforestation of degraded areas, river clean-ups, and wildlife habitat restoration, inviting tourists to participate in these efforts as part of their travel experience, or ‘voluntourism for good’” Porter says.
The Slovenian government is already trying to make the country the first in the world with no single-use plastics in the tourism sector, starting with Triglav National Park as a pilot.
Involving the local community more in tourism initiatives could also help boost regenerative tourism.
“Slovenia could truly take the lead when it comes to regenerative tourism. Right now, it’s balancing beautifully on the line between preservation and progress, but going forward, more could be done to funnel tourism revenue directly into rewilding, biodiversity enhancement, and smallholder agricultural resilience,” Fowkes notes.
She points out that Slovenia’s wine producers are already experimenting with grape varieties which can better withstand changing weather patterns. Similarly, beekeepers are focusing on breeding resilient local bee populations to address the worsening decline of the species.
Through improved visitor education, more government support and financial aid, tourism could successfully be balanced with ecosystem recovery.
Slovenia can also focus on heritage regeneration, such as by reviving ancient water systems and old shepherd trails, and strengthening partnerships with organic farmers and indigenous knowledge keepers.
The Challenges Ahead
Although Slovenia has come a long way in establishing itself as a sustainable tourism leader, some challenges remain.
One of the major hurdles is trying to limit overtourism, especially in popular spots.
“Economic speculation about a growing tourism market can lead to overtourism, which remains an issue in Slovenia as in many other countries. In 2024, efforts were made to limit short-term rentals for tourism purposes, but this remains one of the most significant challenges,” Irimiás points out.
Ensuring coordination across different sectors and regions is another challenge, as continuous sustainable tourism depends on agriculture, infrastructure, environmental management and more.
“Continuing to break down silos between government departments (for transport, environment, cultural heritage, etc.) is essential so that policies on things like public transport, waste management, or land use all align with the tourism strategy,” Porter explains.
Not all Slovenian regions are at the same sustainability stage, with some lesser-visited rural and alpine areas such as the Logar Valley hinterlands lacking tourism resources.
As such, for the entire tourism sector to be able to progress, a balance must be struck between under-visited and popular spots. This can potentially be done by investing in tourism infrastructure such as green transport options like more rail and bus links, shuttle services and bike routes.
“Seasonality is also a concern: despite efforts to promote year-round tourism, summer and winter highs vs. off-season lows can strain local businesses’ sustainability. Slovenia will need to keep innovating with events and offers in shoulder seasons to stabilize the tourism economy,” Porter notes.
This includes financially supporting or incentivizing smaller businesses which may struggle to implement sustainable solutions such as obtaining certifications or retrofitting buildings.
To manage tourism growth in places like Lake Bled and central Ljubljana, strategies such as timed ticketing during high-demand periods or capacity limits may also have to be implemented.
“In Lake Bled last summer, I saw the strain firsthand. Bottlenecked footpaths, overstretched local transport, and, in some cases, disrespectful behavior from tourists who don’t implement basic principles of responsible travel,” Fowkes says.
She also warns that if Slovenia fails to match its tourism growth with careful zoning and tourist flow management, its current progression may stall quickly.
“There’s also the risk of ‘green fatigue’, where destinations overuse the term without continued investment in the deeper systems that support it,” she says.
As climate change accelerates, Slovenia also needs to plan for climate-smart tourism, not just sustainable tourism. However, along with sustainable and regenerative tourism measures, this can be expensive and time-consuming.
If Slovenia can balance conservation and tourism competitiveness, it could prove that smaller European nations can also lead the global sustainable tourism movement- not just out of environmental necessity, but as a driver of long-term economic resilience.