Month: July 2019

Is Slovenia The New Iceland?

Lake Bled, famous for its fairy tale charm, could become the hottest sustainable destination
image by Mark Gregory

Iceland is to tourism what kale is to vegetables. Both bit players in their respective worlds until the twenty tens, when they appeared to explode organically in popularity. In truth, their ascendancy was choreographed by clever and immersive green and healthy marketing. But nonetheless, their imprimatur has dominated the decade like Wall Street’s bull run.  As we approach 2020, every decade has their darling.  What will people “discover” next year?  This story is a bit personal.

After the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics, leaders in Yugoslavia invited a select group of people involved in television, marketing, sponsorship, sports, tourism, and the culinary arts to visit their country and the Olympic sites to advise them on how to capitalize on their sizable investment to create a thriving tourist destination. As the youngest member of the delegation, I was honored to be chosen

Beautiful Country, Warm People

A red-carpet welcome greeted us in every town. In Sarajevo, we toured the venues, skied Mount Jahorina, and enjoyed eight-fork banquets, in the storybook town of Mostar, we posed on its fabled bridge and sampled the local fare, while we marveled at the massive stone walls in Dubrovnik, and were gobsmacked by Old Town and the hidden gems in the palaces. There was even a communist spy who clumsily followed us all five days. To the person, we were enchanted, engaged and dedicated to their success.

Horrific Civil War

Less than a decade later, in 1992, the ten-day war, the siege of Sarajevo and the ensuing bloody civil war, devastated the country. Venues, villages and towns we cherished were reduced to rubble. We prayed for the safety of our hosts and guides and their families. The signing of the Dayton Accords, in November 1995 effectively ended the war, but the aftermath was equally as gut wrenching.

The countries which emerged after the breakup of the FM Yugoslavia were Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. While some of their national treasures have been resurrected others have not. However, Slovenia, with a trove of natural treasures, has recently been recognized as the greenest destination on the planet.

Slovenia, The World’s Greenest Destination

Every year in Berlin, the ITB, the world’s largest travel trade show, announces the top sustainable destinations on the globe, as determined by an international jury of twelve organizations. In 2018, Slovenia’s cities Ljubljana and Podcetrtek along with the entire country were named #1 in Europe https://greendestinations.org/best-of-top100-awards/ and in 2019 Ljubljana led the list of best cities, and Bled was the second greenest destination in Europe. This is an amazing achievement for this small country. Frankly, Slovenia can become the top destination for eco- adventure travel among Americans with savvy marketing, powerful story-telling and creative partnerships. Any bets on celery?

A True Little League All Star

Jason Gay, best-selling author and Wall Street Journal sports and humor columnist, is a must- read. I heard this from his mom. Funny, wry and insightful he adds the “wish I thought of that” quips to conversations surrounding sports’ big and little moments. He recently wrote this piece in reaction to the story of Little League parents’ brawling at a game. https://www.wsj.com/articles/adults-fighting-at-youth-baseballreally-11561380478

Jason, I have a recent Little League All-Star story for you.

Meet Mathew

Mathew is eleven years old and plays on a twelve-year-old Little League All-Star team. A talented pitcher, he sees quite of bit of action from his perch on the mound. Off the field, he has seen huge tragedy and small triumphs up close.

The Accident

Almost a half a lifetime ago, when Mathew was six, he and his dad were driving home from kindergarten orientation, when their truck was slammed by another vehicle.  The impact was devastating. While Mathew, strapped in his car seat, was relatively uninjured, his father sustained massive spine trauma and was paralyzed from his shoulders down.  Mathew bore witness as his dad poured his heart into his recovery to try and regain some movement. Even so, the simplest tasks were either difficult or simply untenable and the boy’s arms and legs became his dads.

Winning is on the line

It’s the ninth inning and Mathew’s team is up 4-3. The first batter hits a line drive, The outfielder picks up the ball and tosses it to second, but over-throws it. Runner makes it home and ties the score 4-4. Next batter hits a hard grounder towards the outfielder, who tries to pick it up, but a goofy bounce causes it to hopscotch through his legs, and a runner connects with the bag at home giving the opponents a 4-5 advantage. A few batters later, a player hits a fly ball that soars lazily into the clear blue sky. As the white orb spins on decent, the same outfielder is poised for the catch and the out. But, in a game of errors, the mitt misses the ball and it plops on the grass. The team scores and it is now 6-4. Jeers, directed at the errant outfielder, begin emanating from parents on Mathew’s team.  As Matthew prepares to face the next batter, the boos become louder.

Composure befitting a fighter pilot

With composure befitting a fighter pilot, Mathew leans down, places his mitt quietly on the mound and walks purposefully towards the outfielder.  In a gesture of camaraderie, he throws his right arm around the outfielder’s shoulder and leans in to tell him, “it’s ok, it is only a game,” gives him a high five, and then walks slowly back to the mound. The parents are hushed. The entire ballpark is hushed – as they bear witness to courage, and compassion silencing ugliness and vulgarity, by an eleven-year-old boy.  Mathew’s team eventually loses 4-6, but his teammates ultimately win – one day before Father’s Day.