{"id":9708,"date":"2020-06-04T06:35:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-04T04:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/the-slovenia.com\/?p=9708"},"modified":"2020-06-04T12:27:07","modified_gmt":"2020-06-04T10:27:07","slug":"marjan-batagelj-director-of-postojna-cave-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/the-slovenia.com\/en\/business\/marjan-batagelj-director-of-postojna-cave-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Marjan Batagelj \/ director of Postojna Cave Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

Postojna Cave has become one of the top touris tourist destinations<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Source: THE Slovenia Book<\/a><\/p>\n

With the Postojna Cave celebrating their 39-millionth visitor in 2019, ensuring that the caves are kept in their pristine condition while continuing the Postojna Cave Park\u2019s exponential growth as a tourist destination might seem daunting. Luckily, the director of the Postojna Cave Park is Marjan Batagelj, who wants to continue to develop their tourism business in a sustainable way and who\u2019s number one rule is to do \u2018\u2019only what is good for the cave as well as the guest\u2019\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We’re not trying to flatter you when we say that Postojna Cave has become one of the top touris tourist destinations not only in Slovenia but anywhere between Venice and Vi enna. Can you briefly explain\u00a0how this happened?<\/strong>
It should be noted that the very first organised tourist trip taking place in the area between Vienna and Venice also included the Postojna Cave. This speaks volumes about how unique it is. And since you ask, how it came about, I have to say that it was due to the amazing harmony between people, who work in and truly love the cave, and between the management and workers, who knew how to turn this extraordinary natural treasure into a successful tourism business. We have only one rule\u00a0that everyone has to uphold: we do only what is good for the cave as\u00a0well as the guest. In this way, we can turn our visitors into true admirers.<\/p>\n

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What are the bi ggest challenges when it comes to\u00a0the marketing aspect of the busi ness ?<\/strong>
Our marketing is global, as evidenced by the fact that only six percent of all visitors are domestic. In doing this, we have to be aware that different markets require different marketing approaches. Our marketing seeks to advertise the identity of the cave in a consistent manner,\u00a0so we chose our iconic cave train as a symbol. The rest of the cave\u2019s\u00a0beauty is only experienced once the guest arrives.<\/p>\n

Last year the hatching of ‘baby dragons’ brought\u00a0both Postojna Cave and Slovenia media coverage\u00a0worldwide. Was this just a matter of nature and\u00a0luck, or something that took a lot of planning?<\/strong>
It was a combination of everything that you listed. First of all, we were lucky it happened inside the aquarium, indicating that the human fish (Proteus) have good living conditions in this artificial environment. Our executive marketing director, Katja Dolenc Batagelj, was aware that it was primarily a scientific matter and so she organised and led a team of experts. The team basically lived for the tiny dragons and looked over them day and night. The public was following the story with great anticipation for each new step. At the same time, we started a campaign to inform the world that the Proteus is an\u00a0endangered species, urging them to think critically about pollution.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since at the end of the day the cave is a natural attraction,\u00a0how important is developing touris m in a\u00a0sustainable way?<\/strong>
Most important. I am a geographer and karstologist by education, so I am inclined to put nature before economic benefits gained by exploiting natural treasures. Ultimately, our descendants will thank us if we preserve it as best as we can.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/HnkZFn4j4tM
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The cave has been millions of years in the making, but in recent years there have been many new additions to the Postojna Cave Park, which of these are\u00a0you most excited about.\u00a0
<\/strong>It is impossible to build comprehensive touristic offers based only on natural attributes. The modern guest wants to have all the comforts of modern times. Therefore, all of our profits are continually invested in development.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Postojna Cave has built a reputation as a uniq ue venue for events, especially among local resi dents. What are some of the more popular annual events\u00a0that it hosts?<\/strong>
The Christmas Living Nativity Scene is one of the few events that are allowed in the cave. Due to how spectacular it is, it is becoming one of the best-known Christmas events. We make sure, though, that nothing goes on in the Postojna Cave which would be detrimental to the cave.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Postojna Cave is so well-known, that nearby Predjama\u00a0Castle seems to get overshadowed, despite\u00a0also being one of the most uniq ue touris t destinations\u00a0in the country. What are some of challenges in\u00a0building Predjama as a dis tinct brand?<\/strong>
We combined the two as part of the Postojna Cave Park and came up with the slogan: “Two world-class attractions in one place”. And it\u2019s true! The Predjama Castle regularly ranks at the very top of every chart listing the most fascinating castles, which it no doubt deserves as a medieval castle built into the cliff face.<\/p>\n