Lecture by Alenka Černelič Krošelj on Castles and Tourism

The Slovenian Ethnological Society and the Department for Cultural Tourism at the University of Primorska Faculty of Tourism Studies Turistica successfully organized a professional lecture titled Castles and Tourism: The Case of the Posavje Castles Project on Thursday, December 12, 2024. The lecture, part of the KulTuristica events, took place in lecture hall 201 at UP FTŠ Turistica and attracted numerous attendees, including experts in ethnology and cultural tourism, students, and the interested public.

During the lecture, Alenka Černelič Krošelj, M.A. in Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology and Director of the Posavje Museum Brežice, presented the Posavje Castles project. Since its inception in 2014, the project has become a prime example of successfully connecting cultural heritage and tourism. She emphasized the importance of cross-sector collaboration and partnerships between castle owners and managers, highlighting the project's achievements, including the Jakob Award for Tourism Quality and Excellence in the Alpe–Adria Region in 2020.

The event was moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aleš Gačnik, who in his introductory remarks reflected on the various roles of castles throughout history and outlined different approaches to integrating castles with tourism. He particularly emphasized the puzzling fact that cultural heritage sites, such as castles, do not hold the status of strategic tourism infrastructure in Slovenia.

The lecture raised numerous questions about the future development and promotion of castles, castle culture, and cultural heritage in tourism. At the conclusion of the event, the organizers announced plans for similar professional events in the future, including a scientific conference on intangible cultural heritage and tourism, to be held in 2025 in partnership between the Chair for Cultural Tourism at UP FTŠ Turistica and the Slovenian Ethnological Society.