Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, won this year’s Best European Destinations award, after being chosen from a list of 20 finalists by over 75,000 people.
Ljubljana not only won this competition, it won it with the highest number of votes outside its borders since the creation of this competition in 2009 with 92% of votes (outside its borders) in favor of Ljubljana, demonstrating the international attractiveness of it.
Petra Stušek, CEO at Ljubljana Tourism
1. European Best Destinations
Since 2009, “European Best Destinations” has been working with major European tourist offices to showcase the beauty of Europe. From iconic capitals, cosmopolitan cities, to hidden charming locations surrounded by nature, warming locals and interesting food, there’s no doubt that Europe has a vast amount of richness in culture and traditions.
The winner of last year’s competition was the Portuguese city of Braga, collecting a total of 109,902 votes from internet users, 72% of which corresponded to participants outside the national territory, according to the municipality.
“The media value per destination has been estimated at + 1,6 million euros (up to 10 million euros for the 1st ranked destination) and the tourist growth of + 15% (average) for the promoted destinations,“ the CEO of “European Best Destinations” Maximilien Lejeune told Travel Tomorrow when asked about the value of such competitions.
Just like every other time, this year’s competition was intense, with 20 destinations among the finalists. More than half a million people, from 182 countries around the world voted their favourite European destination and the results are clearer than they have ever been. Since the start of the competition, there has been no other destination that won with such a large share of votes from outside its country. Moreover, almost half of the votes are from outside Europe, Ljubljana being the preferred destination of American travellers.
2. Ljubljana
In the words of Petra Stušek, the CEO at Ljubljana Tourism, Ljubljana is a “destination, recognized for its commitment to sustainable tourism development, a pioneer destination on essential themes of living together, social cohesion, quality of life, soft mobility, accessibility but also a cultural destination, shopping, gastronomy, nature, perfect for a romantic getaway, Christmas holidays, family vacations”.
Apart from its historical heritage, what makes Ljubljana the best destination for 2022 is its environmental awareness, being a pioneer in sustainable tourism, thus attracting more than tourists, but delegations of mayors and town planners wanting to understand and learn the good practices. No matter which part of the city’s beauty makes you visit for the first time, it is guaranteed that you will not be able to stay away for too long.
3. European Best Destinations 2022
Here are all the most voted destinations of this competition:
- Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Marbella, Spain
- Amiens, France
- Plovdiv, Bulgaria
- Leuven, Belgium
- Oradea, Romania
- London, UK
- Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Lahti Region – Finland
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Amalfi Coast, Italy
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Rome, Italy
- Bavaria, Germany
- Athens, Greece
- Clonakilty, Ireland
- Vienna, Austria
- Lucerne, Switzerland
- Graz, Austria
- Crete, Greece
