In December 2018, the country of Slovenia was recognized in the fourth-annual 2018 Sustainable Destinations Top 100 list for its outstanding achievements in responsible tourism. This year’s list, which features the five Slovenian cities of Ljubljana, Bled, Komen, Podčetrtek, and Rogaška Slatina, was focused on how tourism can benefit local communities. The Sustainable Destinations Top 100 list is organized by thirteen organizations dedicated to sustainable tourism to honor and celebrate countries, regions, and cities for their positive impact on the environment and eco-friendly tourism.
In 2015, The Slovenian Tourism Board implemented the Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism (GSST), as a way of promoting and evaluating eco-friendly practices of destinations and tourism service providers with a designated Slovenia Green Destination (SGD) Label. Ljubljana, Bled, Komen, Podčetrtek, and Rogaška Slatina have all achieved the highest attainable level, the SGD Gold Label, by adhering to a strict set of guidelines set by the Netherlands-based organization, Green Destinations, a non-profit for sustainable tourism. Ljubljana, the first destination to receive the SGD Gold Label, has been featured on Sustainable Destinations Global Top 100 list since its inception in 2014. The city’s green achievements include the ban of cars in Ljubljana’s historical city center, an increase in the use of electric vehicles, reduction of noise pollution, installation of more public parks, an increase in the use of paper products made out of invasive plant species, and the construction of environmentally friendly buildings
