Brežice – A Green Story 2025: From Centuries-Old Roots to a Sustainable Future
On the Istenič Estate, we gathered with our partners to present the developmental achievements and future directions of tourism in the Municipality of Brežice. The event was held under the central theme “Brežice – A Green Story 2025: From Centuries-Old Roots to a Sustainable Future”, which encapsulates the essence of the tourism development strategy until 2030 and connects global trends with authentic local stories.
This year, World Tourism Day takes place under the motto “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation” – one of the key principles of the joint tourism development strategy of the Brežice destination. Katja Čanžar, Director of the Brežice Institute for Entrepreneurship, Tourism and Youth, emphasized:
“We are implementing global trends of sustainable transformation in ways that are close to local residents and at the same time attractive to visitors. With good practices, we want to demonstrate how global trends can come to life through our local stories.”
Key milestones for Brežice tourism in 2025:
Record tourism results: By the end of August, the Municipality of Brežice recorded more than 159,000 tourist arrivals and over 533,000 overnight stays – a 7% increase compared to the same period last year. Brežice ranked sixth in Slovenia by number of overnight stays and reaffirmed its leading role in the Eastern Cohesion Region. The average length of stay reached 3.3 days, surpassing the Slovenian average.
Slovenia Green Platinum recognition: Following a renewed assessment within the Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism, Brežice once again received the highest recognition, which is held by only five destinations in Slovenia. This award confirms the municipality’s long-standing commitment to sustainability.
Green Promenade and old town center: The renovated central space for gatherings and events illustrates how urban streets can become drivers of the green transition. Modern, environmentally friendly solutions, the inclusion of local providers, and a safer urban environment together showcase how to combine residents’ quality of life with visitor appeal.
Rich offer of experiences: The 2025 season brought a record program – 19 different experiences across 81 dates, in cooperation with 14 providers. The program included cultural heritage tours, wine tastings, farm visits, brewery tours, as well as thematic tourist and cycling experiences. Highlights included the International Children’s Choir Festival and the Brežice European Film Festival, both of which drew large audiences.
Cross-border projects: The Brežice Institute is currently involved in three important projects: Interwine (connecting wine stories on both sides of the border in cooperation with the Zagreb Tourist Board), Enviro (introducing sustainable solutions and eco-friendly practices among providers), and Bizeljska Pentlja (strengthening the eno-gastronomic identity of the destination through facility renovations and partnerships between winemakers and culinary providers).
At the Istenič Estate, key representatives of the tourism sector presented past achievements and new initiatives for the future.
Ivan Molan, Mayor of the Municipality of Brežice, highlighted:
“Brežice is one of the most recognizable municipalities in the Eastern Cohesion Region – something that has taken many years to achieve. This year we celebrated 100 years of tourism, marked by the establishment of the first hotel in Terme Čatež, while catering itself has an even longer tradition of 150 years. Today we are talking about sustainability, which is closely connected to our municipality. Central to this is high-quality drinking water, essential both for consumption and food production. The Brežice Institute has also been very active in organizing zero-waste events, and it is wonderful to come into town the morning after a festival and see everything clean, without piles of plastic waste. All this is important for tourism. This year we also celebrate 60 years of the local Tourism Association, which unites the many community tourism societies. I hope that sustainability will continue to grow, more providers will join the Brežice Selection collective brand, and that everyone working in tourism will carry on along this path, since this is the foundation upon which we can build the future of tourism.”
Alenka Mokrovič Pogačar, Sales and Marketing Director of Terme Čatež, added:
“Green tourism and eco-certificates are only a few years old, but at Terme Čatež we started working in line with green principles decades earlier – one could say almost half a century ago. The use of geothermal water, not only for health purposes but also for heating all facilities, was a major green step long before formal recognition. This saved enormous amounts of energy and significantly reduced our carbon footprint, something later adopted by all Slovenian spas. We later added other natural energy sources, including solar energy. More recently, we again turned to geothermal energy for the construction of football fields, which remain green all year round thanks to the spring water. This year we entered with our first eco-certificate – the Green Key for Hotel Terme, followed by Hotel Toplice.”
Chef Jure Tomič, ambassador of the Brežice Selection brand, presented the Bizeljska Pentlja project as another story of connecting gastronomy, winemaking, and the countryside:
“I want to leave my mark and share my experiences with this beautiful area, Bizeljsko. With the new House of Gastronomy at Ošterija Debeluh, I want to help restore the region’s reputation and give direction to all stakeholders who are creating here, so that we can once again bring life to these beautiful hills. I have committed myself to ensuring that local wines appear on wine lists both at home and abroad, and that people rediscover this gem we have.”
An important part of this story are the winemakers themselves. Miha Istenič presented the heritage of the Istenič family, the first private sparkling wine producers in the former Yugoslavia. He stressed:
“From 2023 to today, we have completely changed our strategy. While we used to export 20% of our wines, this year we are already exporting 50%. Climate change has forced us to adapt our practices. We began producing wines with minimal intervention and as sustainably as possible. We stopped using herbicides, reduced pesticide use, and partnered with an Italian provider. Our goal is to create the best vineyard in the world, which will serve as an educational showcase for all winemakers.”
Katja Čanžar concluded:
“Brežice is today among the leading green destinations in Slovenia. This is not by chance but the result of vision, dedication, and cooperation. Our challenge in the years ahead is to maintain this high level of quality, enrich the offer with new experiences, and continue writing successful stories that resonate far beyond our borders.”