The Vipava Valley Wine Train won first place in the Creative and Experiential Wine Tourism category at a European wine tourism innovation competition organised by UN Tourism. Among the members of the winning team is our student Jani Peljhan, director of the Burjatik travel agency.
The award was presented on 7 October 2026 in Cognac, France, during the international Destination Vignobles event. Competing against more than 200 projects from 23 European countries, the innovative tourism experience impressed the jury by combining a train journey, premium wines from the Vipava Valley, local gastronomy and sustainable exploration of the region.
The Wine Train is the result of collaboration between local winemakers, tourism providers, destination management organisations and Slovenian Railways. The project demonstrates how combining local heritage, creative ideas and sustainable approaches can create an internationally recognised tourism product.
We are particularly proud that our student Jani Peljhan contributed to this success. "This award means a great deal to me, as it confirms that, through a good idea and collaboration with local providers, we have created a product that has gained recognition at the European level. I believe the jury was particularly impressed by the innovative concept of the Wine Train, its impact on the development of the Vipava Valley and the potential to replicate the idea in other markets. When preparing the application and presentation, I greatly benefited from the knowledge of how to deliver short and effective presentations, which I gained from Dr Tina Orel Frank in the Communication Science in Tourism course. This helped me clearly and confidently present our journey from the initial idea to its implementation," said Jani Peljhan, who, alongside managing the Burjatik travel agency, is a third-year student of the undergraduate Tourism Enterprise Management programme, taught in English at Turistica.
This success story is an excellent example of connecting academic knowledge with practical experience, highlighting the importance of knowledge, entrepreneurship and the ability to present innovative tourism ideas convincingly.
We sincerely congratulate Jani and the entire Vipava Valley Wine Train team on their outstanding international achievement!
