Tourism is a document of our times; it tells us stories about life. By spotlighting natural and cultural heritage, it brings our past to life, it teaches us the value of hospitality and openness, and it introduces aesthetic values into even the most remote regions by creating a need for carefully maintained towns and villages.

For the past 25 years, the Slovenian Tourist Association has been using the "My County, Beautiful and Hospitable" campaign to draw attention to the importance of volunteers in the tourism industry. Slovenia has more than 600 local tourist boards with more than 40,000 volunteers. The local offices organize more than 4000 events every year. Among the priorities of the Social Organization for Tourism is caring for the tidy appearance of various destinations – the precondition for the development of sustainable tourism.

Peter Misja, a longtime president of the Slovenian Tourist Association believes that volunteers in various tourist organization were the ones who began the story of tourism in Slovenia. "The Social Organization for Tourism is based mostly on volunteer work and on the tradition of various local tourist boards and their experience. In the past few years, the Tourist Association has created an efficient and transparent organizational structure that includes about 315 tourist boards and approximately 28,000 members. The remaining tourist boards take part in the projects on an occasional basis, but are active locally, primarily when it comes to managing the local environment and organizing events. Every year, several thousand such events take place and in many destinations, they are a crucial for the development of tourism. I can say that our volunteers have helped us to make great strides in the tidiness of our country, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that we are achieving significant success in the Pan-European ‘Entente Florale’ competition."

A tidy and welcoming environment is a precondition for the successful development of tourism. As in previous years, a panel of experts has evaluated the tidiness of different destinations and buildings, as well as tourist infrastructure. The panel also evaluated the quality of what is on offer, the hospitality of the locals and their quality of life.

Based on evaluation carried out by the Tourist Association of Slovenia, the cleanest, most tidy, and most welcoming destinations include:
- Youth hostel: MCC Celje Youth Hotel, Danica Camp
- Interpretive trail: Strunjan in Images of the Sea
- Tourist destination: Kranjska Gora
- Day trip destination: Bloško jezero Bloke Lake
- Spa resort: Laško
- Urban center: Ljubljana’s Ecological Zone, a result of the renovation of Slovenska Cesta
- Service station: Škofljica
- Market town center: Velika Polana
- Village center: Kapla na Kozjaku
- Small town category: Slovenske Konjice
- Mid-sized town category: Kamnik
- City category: Ljubljana