Faces of Tourism: A Conversation with Matej Avanzo

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Faces of Tourism (Obrazi turizma) is a podcast created within the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Faculty of Tourism Studies – Turistica, University of Primorska. It reveals the stories and experiences of experts and dedicated professionals from the tourism industry. Guests share behind-the-scenes insights into this dynamic field that connects people, cultures, and places. Each episode offers a unique perspective on the world of tourism through personal narratives and valuable experiences. This time, we hosted an exceptional guest who is not directly involved in tourism, but whose work has placed Slovenia on the global map.

In the new episode, we spoke with Matej Avanzo about organizing major sport events — from his role in the Slovenian national basketball team to projects like “Night of the Dragon” and the band Joker Out. How does sport influence tourism? How many people are involved in organizing globally significant events? And what kind of experiences come from working behind the scenes of top-level sports?

We explored all this and more in the latest episode of Faces of Tourism, hosted by student Ana Šenk.

The conversation was organized as part of the project Green, Digital and Inclusive University of Primorska (GDI UP).


The project is co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, and the European Union – NextGenerationEU. The project is implemented in accordance with the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) under the development area Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth, component Strengthening competencies, in particular digital competencies and those required by the new professions and the green transition (C3 K5), for the investment measure Investment F. Implementation of pilot projects, the results of which will serve as a basis for the preparation of a roadmap for the reform of higher education for a green and resilient transition to a Society 5.0: project Pilot Projects for the Reform of Higher Education for a Green and Resilient Transition.