The exhibition is part of the Wood in Tourism (LesTur) project, whose main objective is to promote a positive attitude towards wood in the design of the offer and image of tourist destinations.Sustainable wood integration is more environmentally friendly due to its renewability and degradability, creates healthy living and working conditions and helps to mitigate the effects of global warming.The project and the exhibition answer the questions of the tradition of using wood in tourism in Portorož and where and why wood was abandoned in tourism. At the same time, they are looking for new answers on areas and ways to reintroduce it in a sustainable way.
The exhibition, which takes us through time, shows that Portorož has a centuries-old tradition of using wood in tourism. Visitors to Portorož in the late 19th and early 20th centuries came mainly from the sea, by barge from Trieste. The contact between the sea and the land was mostly wooden (piers, walkways, buildings along the shore). It was therefore wood that first welcomed the visitors to Portorož.
On the other hand, the exhibition shows the popularisation of the wood culture in the modern framework of the sustainable development of Portorož, which has been awarded the Golden Label of the Green Destination of Slovenia since last year. In recent years, there has been an increasing trend towards tourists becoming more aware of the use of sustainable materials in tourism. After decades of waste separation and reduction, carbon footprint reduction and energy saving, a new trend towards renewable resources, including wood, is rapidly spreading among tourists, especially young people.
The wood is coming back. Also in Portorož. There is no doubt about that. We just need to dispel doubts among the general and professional public about whether it is worth using in tourism. Is it strong enough, fireproof? Is it really short-lived and overpriced? Does it fit in an urban environment? Do tourists even notice the difference between wood and imitation wood? Science helps us with these questions. Research in modern wood processing and innovation laboratories is providing answers that speak in favour of wood.
Org. : University of Primorska, Portorož Tourist Board
Photo: Ekaterina Donetskaia
