THE ROLE OF ACTORS’ COOPERATION, LOCAL ANCHORING AND INNOV ATION IN CREATING CULINARY TOURISM EXPERIENCES IN THE RURAL SLOVENIAN MEDITERRANEAN POMEN SODELOV ANJA AKTERJEV , VPETOST V LOKALNO OKOLJE IN INOV ATIVNOST PRI USTV ARJANJU KULINARIČNIH TURISTIČNIH IZKUŠENJ NA RURALNEM SLOVENSKEM SREDOZEMLJU AUTHORS/A VTORJI dr. Peter Kumer Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Anton Melik Geographical Institute, Gosposka ulica 13, SI – 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia peter.kumer@zrc-sazu.si dr. Primož Pipan Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Anton Melik Geographical Institute, Gosposka ulica 13, SI – 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia primoz.pipan@zrc-sazu.si dr. Mateja Šmid Hribar Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Anton Melik Geographical Institute, Gosposka ulica 13, SI – 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia mateja.smid@zrc-sazu.si dr. Nika Razpotnik Visković Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Anton Melik Geographical Institute, Gosposka ulica 13, SI – 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia nika.razpotnik@zrc-sazu.si DOI: 10.3986/GV91201 UDC/UDK: 711.3:338.48-6:641/642(497.47) COBISS: 1.01 ABSTRACT The role of actors’ cooperation, local anchoring and innovation in creating culinary tourism experiences in the rural Slovenian Mediterranean Food-related experiences are becoming increasingly important for destination choice in particular in the rural Mediterranean hinterland. In contrast to the mass tourism in littoral areas, the development of hin- terland tourism has more favourable consequences for the local population. The paper examines culinary experiences in the rural Slovenian Mediterranean as a possible driver of sustainable tourism development. 9 Geografski vestnik 91-2, 2019, 9–38 Papers/Razprave PAPERS/RAZPRAVE vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 9 10 Peter Kumer, Primož Pipan, Mateja Šmid Hribar, Nika Razpotnik Visković The role of actors’ … We collected 213 culinary experiences and further explored 10 of them by the following three aspects: coop- eration of actors from the local environment, embedment of the local community and innovative approaches. The qualitative approach comprised field work, short interviews and in-depth interviews. We found a link- age between the types of culinary experiences and the types of organizers and established that innovation plays an important role in their success. KEY WORDS tourism, culinary heritage, rural development, gastronomy, culinary event, experience, innovation IZVLEČEK Pomen sodelovanja akterjev, vpetost v lokalno okolje in inovativnost pri ustvarjanju kulinaričnih turi- stičnih izkušenj na ruralnem slovenskem Sredozemlju S hrano povezane izkušnje postajajo vedno pomembnejše pri izbiri destinacij, zlasti v ruralnem zaledju Sredozemlja. V nasprotju od masovnega turizma v obmorskih krajih ima razvoj turizma v zaledju več pozitivnih učinkov na lokalno prebivalstvo. Članek povzema raziskavo kulinaričnih izkušenj v ruralnem delu slovenskega Sredozemlja kot potencialnega gonila trajnostnega razvoja turizma. Zabeležili smo 213 kulinaričnih izkušenj, med njimi pa smo jih s treh vidikov podrobneje raziskali deset: z vidika sodelova- nja akterjev v lokalnem okolju, vpetosti v lokalno skupnost in inovativnosti pristopov. Kvalitativni pristop je vključeval delo na terenu, kratke intervjuje in poglobljene intervjuje. Ugotovili smo povezavo med tipi kulinaričnih izkušenj in tipi organizatorjev ter pomen inovativnosti za njihovo uspešnost. KLJUČNE BESEDE turizem, kulinarična dediščina, razvoj podeželja, gastronomija, kulinarični dogodek, izkušnja, inovativnost The article was submitted for publication on April 2, 2019. Uredništvo je prispevek prejelo 2. aprila 2019. vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 10 1 Introduction The hinterland areas of the Mediterranean, which have a strong rural character, search for new ways to attract visitors from the traditional coastal sun&sea destinations. Concurrently, these areas aim at preserving their authenticity, prevent mass tourism and follow sustainability principles. Food-related experiences are becoming increasingly important for destination choice in particular in rural areas (Backe 2013). A culinary tourist experience is defined as any tourism opportunity in which one stud- ies, appreciates, or consumes local culinary resources (Smith and Xiao 2008). Some of the new ways of promoting the rural areas through culinary experiences are farmers’ markets, food events and fes- tivals (Bessière 1998; Hall and Sharples 2003). The actual meal does not have to be the primary aim of the experience, but is one of several activities (Hjalager and Richards 2003). A culinary experience com- prises several surrounding factors, such as the place, its physical setting and ambient, people, history and traditions. Focusing on culinary experiences within a tourism offer may also contribute to the strengthening of the identity of particular regions. It enhances their uniqueness within their diverse communities (Telfer and Wall 1996; Rand, Heath and Alberts 2003; Everett and Aitchison 2008; Long 2015). Apart from inducing tourism, food experiences can directly support local development by pro- viding the cultural capital necessary to create and sustain cultural production and consumption (Richards 2012), as well as food-related heritage-making (Godina Golija and Ledinek Lozej 2018). Like in the majority of the Mediterranean areas, the development of tourism is concentrated in the coastal areas of Slovenia, whereas the hinterland receives only a small portion of visitors. The natural preconditions, rich tradition and scenic beauty are ideal for niche presentation of locally produced, processed and prepared food (Renčelj 2015). The hinterland is from a tourist perspective a typically marginal area with a rural character and has a high potential for the development of niche tourism based particularly on gastronomy. The potential for the development of culinary tourism has already been recognized in tourism strategies because it has several predispositions. Restaurants and homesteads with seasonal and locally produced food have a long tradition in the region due to the vicinity of urban areas of Trieste and Gorizia in Italy, favourable natural predispositions such as fertile soil, mild and windy climate, and high awareness of the quality of local products among local people (Renčelj 2015). A sys- tematic culinary tourism development started shortly after the dissolution of Yugoslavia, in 1992. Wine tourist routes were among the first activities within the culinary tourism sector which were perceived as important for the integrated development of tourism (Kerma and Gačnik 2015; Kerma 2018). Rich and diversified heritage in gastronomy and wine-making are becoming an increasingly important fac- tor of international tourism visibility. The proliferation of innovative food and wine festivals thus represents the fastest growing trend in cultural tourism and one of the most accessible forms of culinary experience (Gačnik 2012). Successful actors’ cooperation, strong local embeddedness (anchoring) and innovative approach- es have been recognized as crucial factors in designing sustainable culinary experiences (Hall and Göslling 2013; GoGSTC 2013; Frayssignes et al. 2018). Actors’ cooperation is the ability to mediate a common profile and thus contribute to the marketing of a culinary destination (Buhalis and Spada 2000). The key criterion that makes a culinary destination is for actors to cooperate and find ways to promote common »products«, a »presentation« and »image« (Holloway et al. 2007). On the broader field of cultural values, which could also include a culinary experience, active participation of local stake- holders, political support that affects economic and other initiatives, as well as enterprising marketing and promotion are the three highlighted aspects (Šmid Hribar and Ledinek Lozej 2013). This suggests a strong embedding of identified cultural value into a comprehensive marketable story or product that might bring development to rural areas. Local anchoring means linking local products and knowl- edge with culinary traditions of the area. The »local« has become valued by some tourists as something positive, genuine and involves locally sourced products in contrast to standardised and globalised prod- ucts (Long 2015; Laurin 2010). Some studies show that local food is perceived to be authentic, pure 11 Geografski vestnik 91-2, 2019 Papers/Razprave vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 11 and traditional (Sims 2009; Kauppinen-Räisänen, Gummerus and Lehtola 2013), nevertheless there are several doubts about official certifications of locality (Ledinek Lozej 2016). Innovation is defined as »the process of translating an idea or invention into goods or services that create value or for which customers will pay … It must be replicable at an economical cost and must satisfy a specific need.« (Business … 2019). Innovation is manifested in different forms: as a product, technology or process, marketing and sales approach, function, organisation and as social innovation (Bessière and Tibère 2011; Bessière 2013). In gastronomy innovation is often linked with tradition where old styles of food preparation and cook- ing are renewed and combined in new ways (Hall and Gössling 2013). The aim of this paper was to investigate the diversity of culinary experiences in the Primorska region in the Slovenian Mediterranean. We analysed culinary experiences in the area to learn about actors’ cooperation and stakeholders’ involvement, local anchoring, and innovation. 2 Methods Data for this study were collected from a working assignment of a transnational project entitled MEDFEST - Culinary Heritage Experiences: How To Create Sustainable Tourist Destination with an aim to create a map of culinary experiences in eight Mediterranean countries (The Medfest … 2017). Among other tasks the assignment included identification and analysis of culinary tourism experiences in the South Primorska region of the Slovenian Mediterranean. Prior to commencing the study, a list of all culinary experiences in five areas of South Primorska (Vipava valley, Brkini and Čičarija, Goriška Brda with the Lower Soča Valley, Kras and Slovenian Istria) was compiled (Table 1). This was a preparatory phase for our analysis. A culinary experience was con- sidered as something that goes beyond merely consuming food in a restaurant. We did not aim at giving specific emphasis on tourist products but wanted to comprise a variety of the culinary offer. I.e. fish- ing tourism per se was researched by Rogelja (2006) and Rogelja and Janko Spreizer (2015), wine tourism was analysed in previous literature (Jurinčič and Bojnec 2009; Kerma 2012; Kerma 2018). We consid- ered oenological heritage as important but the purpose of the research went beyond a detailed research of wine tourism and wine routes. Instead, we focused on the festivals related to such type of tourism. Based on Capatti (2012) and Richards (2012) we set up a typology of the following culinary experiences: 1) EVENT - culinary event (e.g. fair, market, festival), 2) SERVICE - service connected to food products (e.g. tasting, visit, cooking class), 3) FARM/BUSINESS - professional activity linked to food highlighted through a touristic activity (e.g. farms, food companies), 4) ROUTE - tourist site network dedicated to food or culinary products (e.g. tourist route), 5) SITE - specific tourist site dedicated to food or culinary products (e.g. museum). For each culinary experience we prepared a general description and information regarding the venue and the dates, the type of the organiser and their contact details. It enabled us to get a better overview over the current culinary experiences and served as a pool for a further analysis of 10 selected culi- nary experiences. The latter were selected based on geographical dispersion of venues, variety of types of experiences and variety of organisers. For the purpose of the analysis we used indicators for assessing sustainable Mediterranean culi- nary heritage experiences, which we developed within MEDFEST project (Medfest … 2017). The indicators were agreed among the project partners - 37 indicators correspond to 4 topics: content of the experience, organization & governance, local anchoring of the experience and embedment in strate- gies & policies. 12 Peter Kumer, Primož Pipan, Mateja Šmid Hribar, Nika Razpotnik Visković The role of actors’ … Figure 1: Map of selected and analysed culinary experiences in the South Primorska region in Slovenia.p vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 12 13 Geografski vestnik 91-2, 2019 Papers/Razprave ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( Seča Šempas Manžan Brkini Ozeljan Vitovlje Dutovlje Strunjan Brestovica Kačiče–Pared Fonda Fish Farm Polenta Festival Chestnut Festival Homestead Belajevi Tourist Farm Butul Persimmon Festival Wine and Olive Oil Festival Brkini Fruit Route Festival Brestovica Asparagus Festival Teran Wine and Prosciutto Festival vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 13 Qualitative approach was mainly used to analyse the data grouped in three categories: stakehold- ers’ involvement, local anchoring and innovation. The data collection was based largely on field work and short interviews with the organizers and initiators of the culinary experiences, while we conducted in-depth interviews in three selected cases: the initiators of the Tourist Farm Butul (Pipan 2018), the Homestead Belajevi (Topole 2018) and the Brkini Fruit Route Festival (Volk Bahun 2018). 3 Results The list of culinary experiences from the Slovenian case study included 213 cases (Table 1): 86 of them are located in the coastal Slovenian Istria, which receives the largest number of tourist visits among all stud- ied areas. Among different types of experiences, the events (festivals, market, fairs) stand out - they are represented in 62% of the cases. They are followed by services (mostly workshops, guided tours – 19%) and farms/businesses (17%). Routes and special sites dedicated to culinary products occur only in 2% of cases. 14 Peter Kumer, Primož Pipan, Mateja Šmid Hribar, Nika Razpotnik Visković The role of actors’ … Table 1: Identified culinary tourism experiences per type in the South Primorska region. Area No. of No. of culinary tourism experiences per type Selected culinary culinary experiences analysed tourism in details experiences Slovenian 86 54 22 91 Persimmon Festival Istria (EVENT), Tourist Farm Butul (FARM, SERVICE), Fonda Fish Farm (FARM) Kras 45 34 281/ Brestovica Asparagus Festival (EVENT), Teran Wine and Prosciutto Festival (EVENT), Homestead Belajevi (FARM, SERVICE) Brkini and 23 6/ 16 1/ Brkini Fruit Route Čičarija Festival (ROUTE) Vipava valley 39 22 13 31/ Polenta Festival (EVENT), Chestnut Festival (EVENT), Wine and Olive Oil Festival (EVENT) Brda and Lower 20 15 4 /1/ / Soča valley Total 213 131 41 36 41 / EVENT SERVICE FARM / ROUTE SITE BUSINESS vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 14 15 Geografski vestnik 91-2, 2019 Papers/Razprave Table 2: Selected culinary experiences by types and main organizers in the Slovenian Mediterranean area. Type of event EVENT ROUTE FARM/ SERVICE SITE BUSINESS Time context one-time one-time throughout throughout throughout annual event annual event the year the year the year Type of organizer Local interest Chestnut Festival, / / // groups Persimmon (associations Festival, and NGOs) Polenta Festival, Brestovica Asparagus Festival Local public Teran Wine Brkini Fruit / // authority and Prosciutto Route Festival Festival, Wine and Olive Oil Festival Individual local // Tourist Farm Homestead / entrepreneur Butul, Fonda Belajevi Fish Farm In the subsequent phase we analysed the following 10 culinary experiences (Figure 1; Table 2): 6 culinary events (the Polenta Festival, the Chestnut Festival, the Teran Wine and Prosciutto Festival, the Persimmon Festival, the Brestovica Asparagus Festival, the Wine and Olive Oil Festival), 2 farms/busi- nesses focused on private professional activities linked to food highlighted through a touristic activity (the Tourist Farm Butul and the Fonda Fish Farm), 1 service connected to food products (the Homestead Belajevi) and 1 route network dedicated to food or culinary products (the Brkini Fruit Route Festival). 3.1 Actors’ cooperation According to Table 2 the majority of selected culinary experiences were organized by local inter- est groups (4 experiences) and local public authorities (3 experiences) with a strong support of local communities and farmers who supplied food and drinks. Additional 3 culinary experiences were orga- nized by individual local entrepreneurs. The culinary events or festivals are mainly organised by local tourist associations. They often share the organisation tasks with experts’ society such as the Brkini Fruit Growers Society (in the case of the Brkini Fruit Route Festival) and the Karst Agricultural Cooperative (initial co-organizer in the case of the Teran Wine and Prosciutto Festival). Local interest groups often collaborate with municipalities mostly for acquiring an appropriate place for the event. Local farmers are food suppliers: wine grow- ers in the case of the Teran Wine and Prosciutto Festival, fruit producers in the case of the Brkini Fruit Route Festival, farms where they grow persimmon in the case of the Persimmon Festival and wine and olive producers in the case of the Wine and Olive Oil Festival. Local entrepreneurs often team up with local food suppliers – up to 40 of them in the case of the Tourist Farm Butul; in the case of the Fonda Fish Farm they cooperate with farms which provide products such as wine, olive oil and vegetables. The Persimmon Festival cooperates with the Landscape Park Strunjan and uses its geographical indication. vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 15 16 Peter Kumer, Primož Pipan, Mateja Šmid Hribar, Nika Razpotnik Visković The role of actors’ … Professional and economic oriented activities and services connected with food products are typical- ly provided by individual local entrepreneurs. As demonstrated in Figure 2 in most cases (namely in 8 out of 10 cases) cooperation among dif- ferent stakeholders is based on oral and not on written or formal agreement. Municipalities collaborating in the Brkini Fruit Route Festival had to adopt a decree on the tourist roads and every year the Tourist Farm Butul prepares a work programme that helps them enrich and also surpass their goals. Linkages with handicraft sector among culinary experience holders are recognised. Handicraft most often refers to suppliers of cooking utensils and organisers of workshops – on how to make handmade wood, stone or ceramic products. Two groups of suppliers bring artefacts to the culinary experiences or take care of the side events (e.g. sets to cook polenta at the Polenta Festival; bowls and plates made of stone which could be seen at the Teran Wine and Prosciutto Festival and the Homestead Belajevi events; Figure 3). In the research and development sector the cooperations with regional and international higher educational and research institutions is highlighted. For example, the Homestead Belajevi cooperates with the Institute of Agriculture and Forestry Nova Gorica and the Škocjan Caves Regional Park; the Fonda Fish Farm collaborates with the Marine Biology Station Piran and other maritime research organ- isations in the region; the Tourist Farm Butul cooperates with the University of Primorska; the Teran Polenta Festival Chestnut Festival Brkini Fruit Route Festival Tourist Farm Butul Homestead Belajevi Persimmon Festival Brestovica Asparagus Festival Fonda Fish Farm Wine and Olive Oil Festival Culinary experience Teran Wine and Prosciutto Festival Natural resources enhanced Cultural resources enhance Intangible/know-how resources Participation of local community Origin/provenance of food products Seasonal food Origin of suppliers Origin of visitors Actors cooperation Local anchoring Experience organized by (collective) organization Presence of a written official document Involvement of local public authorities Involvement of farmers Link with handicraft sector Link with environment sector Link with energy sector Link with R&D sector Experience organized by a clearly identified local coordinator + + + + + – + + + + – + + + + + – – – – – – – + + – – – – – + + + + + + + – + + + + + + + + + + + + + – + + + + + – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – + – + + – – + – + + + + – + – + + + + + + + + + – – + + + + + + + + + + – + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + – + + + + – + + + + – – – – – – – + Figure 2: Culinary experiences evaluated according to actors’ cooperation, local anchoring and certification system. vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 16 Wine and Prosciutto Festival cooperates with the students of stone carving at the Higher Vocational College in Sežana. There was no identified connection with either environmental or energy sectors. Among analysed culinary experiences we noticed that pursuing official quality certification is not a priority. Only in one case (the Persimmon Festival) the farms which provide the fruits for the culinary event hold the certificates for organic farming. In this context it is worth mentioning that some organis- ers, e.g. the Brkini Fruit Route Festival, the Tourist Farm Butul, the Homestead Belajevi, the Persimmon Festival, the Fonda Fish Farm, cooperate or are linked with food and drink suppliers originating from protected areas like the landscape and regional parks, Natura 2000 and UNESCO areas, but do not plan to acquire any kind of certification themselves. 3.2 Local anchoring To understand how culinary experiences are anchored locally, we examined the natural, cultural and intangible or know-how resource enhancement, the engagement of the local community, and the provenance of food products as well as the origin of food & drink suppliers and visitors (Figure 2). In the process of examining the natural resource enhancement we found that the preservation and plantation of old species of fruit, vegetables and herbs and their traditional usage in cuisine are most frequently emphasized. In some cases the promotion of biodiversity (e.g. dry karst meadows and seabed benthos near eco-friendly fish farm) was also important. Almost all culinary experiences include sea- sonal food (e.g. the Polenta Festival, the Chestnut Festival, the T ourist Farm Butul, the Persimmon Festival, 17 Geografski vestnik 91-2, 2019 Papers/Razprave Figure 3: Handicraft sector plays an important role in the presentation of culinary heritage and culinary products at the events organised at the Homestead Belajevi. MAJA TOPOLE vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 17 18 Peter Kumer, Primož Pipan, Mateja Šmid Hribar, Nika Razpotnik Visković The role of actors’ … the Fonda Fish Farm, the Wine and Olive Oil Festival). At the Brkini Fruit Route Festival and the Homestead Belajevi more than three quarters of all food is seasonal. More than half of food used at the Teran Wine and Prosciutto Festival and the Brestovica Asparagus Festival is seasonal. Within the scope of the natural resource enhancement we also examined waste management. Waste separation is present in all cases except at the Chestnut Festival, the Brkini Fruit Route Festival and the Brestovica Asparagus Festival. The most attention to waste management is given at the Tourist Farm Butul. They never use single-use plastic, neither at their farm nor at their mobile culinary events. At the events they exclusively use biodegradable disposable cutlery, bowls and cups. At the Fonda Fish Farm they ask their customers to return the polystyrene packages for fish so that they can re-use them. Among the cultural resources the following accompanying activities were pointed out: preservation of cultural landscapes, herbalism, inclusion of non-mechanical work and handicraft (e.g. stone handi- craft and traditional stone house building), inclusion of arts and culture (e.g. poetry and photography). Furthermore, we identified the following know-how resources: preparation of food where traditional knowledge of food preparation is combined with modern approaches (e.g. polenta and chestnut sweets, innovative usage of herbs while cooking), cooperation with artisans and craftsmen who use wood, stone and ceramics and organise workshops to teach visitors to make their own products, helping unemployed by including them in handicraft programs where the products can be used in gastronomy, cooperation with agricultural advisors (lectures on growing fruit trees), traditional folk dances and a rediscovering of traditional ecological knowledge. All events contribute to the promotion and stronger recognition of towns, places, the wider region and Slovenia abroad. Finally, we identified strong engagement of local communities in the experiences. The involved participants might be individual volunteers, clubs and associations (tourism (Figure 4), hunters’ and Figure 4: Members of the local tourist association are the key people at the Polenta Festival. PRIMOŽ GAŠPERIČ vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 18 boules’ , rural women society), farmers, bee-makers, folklore groups and similar. The experiences are often financially supported through local calls for tenders for tourism development and promotion (e.g. the Municipality of Piran subsidizes 10% of the organizing costs of the Persimmon Festival). Four expe- riences pay special attention to participants with mobility impairment from the local community. A part of the Brkini Fruit Route Festival is children friendly. At the Persimmon Festival people with disabili- ties sell products on persimmon theme. The same applies to the Fonda Fish Farm. The most active experience in this regard is the Tourist Farm Butul which includes people with members of the local community with various disabilities (i.e. mentally, mobile and visually impaired). They organise workshops for the children from local schools, as well as athletes and other individuals with special dietary needs from the local associations. The provenance of at least 80% of the food in almost all examined experiences is in local areas – within less than 50 km. Some ingredients come from farther then 50 km but still origin in the Slovenian Mediterranean (e.g. olive oil, salt, fruit and vegetable from the Primorska region or other Slovenian regions). Only few food products, which are supplements to specific jams, honey and cheese, and are not found in local areas, travel longer distances (i.e. tropical spices and herbs such as black tea and cin- namon). The Tourist Farm Butul cooperates with a cheese maker from Idrsko alps on Mount Matajur in the Julian Alps. In the case of the Wine and Olive Oil Festival local food provenance is only 60% since they invite also winemakers from Italy and other Slovenian wine regions. When examining the origin of the visitors, we noticed huge differences between the experiences. As a rule, the uniqueness of culinary experiences attracts people from distant areas since their recog- nisability goes beyond the borders of the local region. The highest share of visitors of local origin (within the radius of 50 km) receive the Polenta Festival, the Chestnut Festival, the Wine and Olive Oil Festival (all of them approx. 70%), the Brkini Fruit Route Festival (50%). On the other hand, the experiences with the lowest share of local visitors are the Teran Wine and Prosciutto Festival (40%), the Brestovica Asparagus Festival (20%), the Persimmon Festival (15%), the Tourist Farm Butul and the Fonda Fish Farm (10%), and the Homestead Belajevi (2%). 3.3 The role of innovation The innovativeness was examined through the perception of organisers of what they think are inno- vative aspects of their culinary experience. An important aspect was the creative (re)use of traditional meal recipes based on local overlooked ingredients. Such examples are local varieties of maize for the making of flour for polenta, different wine sorts, local types of chestnut trees, olives, pears, apples, plums, nuts, sour cherries and cherries from the old orchards. In addition to all mentioned varieties it is worth mentioning persimmon which was brought by sailors from the Far East and introduced in the region in the beginning of the 20th century. The fruit is now perceived as a local sort and is an impor- tant part of the regional identity. An important aspect of innovation in culinary experiences is to offer guests traditional dishes, served in a modern and contemporary way. At the Polenta and Chestnut Festival, they serve polen- ta and chestnut as parts of the deserts, but they were traditionally consumed as a main dish. Mountain savory (lat. Satureja montana) used to be used as a medical herb but the Homestead Belajevi started to use it in cuisine. At the Tourist Farm Butul they developed cheeses containing wine stone and black tea. Their wildflower honey includes also ginger and the blossom of the muscat nut and they use wild lemon to make jam and cordial. An interesting aspect of innovativeness could be the presentation of food. At the Tourist Farm Butul food is served using their own designer products (packages, plates, trays) made of cardboard, stone or wood. Not only how, but also where the food is served, can be an innovative element in culinary experiences, e.g. welcoming guests at a table in the middle of the vineyard, olive grove, or herbal garden – where the food is produced, or a typical stone carved karstic yard. 19 Geografski vestnik 91-2, 2019 Papers/Razprave vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 19 Another innovative aspect is an active inclusion of visitors into a culinary experience through educational work. At the Brkini Fruit Route Festival they offer »family experiences« on fruit-grow- ing farms, where families can take part in farm work, pick apples or participate at workshops on how to make products from herbs. The Tourist Farm Butul created a new approach to cooperation with local food producers which was recognised as innovative also by the wider public – in 2018 it was awarded with the »Slovenia’s hid- den gems 2018« title for the two-day food tour »Mediterranean flavours of Slovenian Istria«. Innovation manifests itself through awareness raising and knowledge transfer. At the Fonda Fish Farm visitors learn about the quality and sustainability of sea bass aquafarming (Figure 6). They do not use anti-algae chemical agents for fish farm nets, instead they clean them by hand. They use the fodder of the highest quality and the fish breeding is slower compared to mass produced aquaculture. In this way the visitors (consumers) are encouraged to pay more for the Fonda Piran Sea Bass and sup- port boutique sustainable production instead of purchasing farmed fish from the large-scale aquaculture facilities. The Fonda Fish Farm pursued the innovation in branding the »Piran Sea Bass Fonda«. This was the first »local territorial branding of a farmed sea fish« in the Adriatic Sea, presumably also world- wide, thus creating a sea-based »merroir«, a derivative of land-based »terroir« (Giacomelli 2015). The Homestead Belajevi offers workshops with experts for healthy lifestyle. The Tourist Farm Butul was involved in the design of many local culinary initiatives, which have now turned into major regional culinary events. The largest of them is »Sweet Istria« in Koper, an international festival of desserts and sweet products – the largest event of its kind in Slovenia and the second largest tourist event in the Municipality of Koper (Jerman and Vodeb 2018). Since 2014 the Tourist farm Butul has been 20 Peter Kumer, Primož Pipan, Mateja Šmid Hribar, Nika Razpotnik Visković The role of actors’ … Figure 5: Students from the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo (Università di Scienze Gastronomiche di Pollenzo), Italy, taking notes while listening to the presentation at the Tourist Farm Butul. TOURIST FARM BUTUL vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 20 a learning centre for the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo (Figure 5), Italy, which was established by the Slow Food organization. Students can apply for internships, while twice a year a one- week culinary field trip across Slovenia is organised. In organising workshops, they cooperate with the Institute for the Development and Research of Catering and Agricultural Activities (SloVino) from Maribor. Furthermore, they motivate their guests to think about what they eat and thus start mak- ing small steps towards a healthier diet. Their guests participate in food preparation in their culinary workshops. 4 Discussion The present study is based on 10 carefully selected cases of culinary experiences. Although it con- tributes to a scientific discourse on the potentials of culinary experiences in fostering a sustainable development in the rural Mediterranean areas in Slovenia, we avoided any generalisation. The scien- tific contribution is explained in four sub-chapters below. 4.1 The levers of effective actors’ cooperation Our preliminary study showed that there is a linkage between the types of culinary experiences and the types of organizers. It seems that organizers are motivated in different ways which leads them to select different types of events. For local interest groups, who are often connected to specific food or 21 Geografski vestnik 91-2, 2019 Papers/Razprave Figure 6: Sustainable sea bass production at the Fonda Fish Farm requires more handwork and technical adaptation. MATJAŽ GERŠIČ vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 21 drinks cultivation (i.e. wine and prosciutto), and local public authorities it is usually important to orga- nize a culinary festival in which they can present their food products, places and local heritage. Local interest groups and local public authorities quite often work together; i.e. interests groups provide the content for an event while public authorities pay for the organizational expenses. On the other hand, individual entrepreneurs aim at gaining economic profit and thus organize payable lectures on diets and nutrition, cooking classes, special meals and other services connected to food. When organizing culinary events, they are small-scale and meant for a small number of attendees who pay a fee. Apart from the cooperation among the main actors (interest groups, public authorities, entrepre- neurs), culinary experiences exhibit strong connections with local farmers and the handicraft sector. Handicraft ideally supports the authentic character of an experience. Connections with the research and development sector are mainly related to individual entrepreneurs and could be 1) a desire to under- stand more, to develop and create something new, and recently also to better address the aspects of sustainability, or 2) a sign of willingness to learn from the practice (e.g. study visits and internships by students). When organising culinary experiences actors tend to avoid formal cooperation and excessive bureau- cracy, and rather rely on the pre-existing informal local acquaintanceships and trust. As for certification systems, the organizers of culinary experiences pointed out that they follow the recommendations and standards of various certificates, but pursuing them would engage them in too much bureaucracy. They highlighted that building trust between them, their food and drink suppliers, and their customers by following quality standards is more important than adopting the official labels. 4.2 The embeddedness of culinary experiences within their local context All 10 analysed cases are deeply rooted within their local context. Their food supplies travel short distances, they are mostly seasonable and based on local agricultural production. Waste management practices are good, although in general the culinary experiences could do more to avoid single-use plas- tics. Excessive use of plastic utensils (cutlery, bowls and cups) at some festivals pose a threat to the preservation of natural resources and environment, as well as the general societal aim at decreasing the use of non-renewable energy. It is possible to purchase single-use biodegradable utensils but due to the economy of scale they are still considerably more expensive compared to the plastic ones, there- fore organizers tend not to use it. The selected culinary experiences contribute to the preservation of traditional knowledge, handi- craft, handmade products and cultural landscape. The examined experiences also contribute to the transfer of local knowledge onto activities related to food. The strong engagement of local communities is finan- cially supported by public authorities. In spite of the strong local anchorage, the experiences generally attract visitors not only from the region, but from different parts of the country and even from abroad. Based on the level of locality, size and influence, the selected culinary experiences can be divided into 3 groups: • Small-scale experiences based on the voluntary work of local communities: They have a local charac- ter and are supported by local interest groups. Socializing is in the forefront of the experience and the financial revenue is perceived as less important. Any profit is used to manage local associations, organization of the same experience in the following year and the promotion of typical local prod- ucts or the entire experience. They contribute to a higher recognition of the community and to higher social capital. • Small-scale experiences organised by local entrepreneurs: These experiences have a unique character and the quality is their primal goal. They are based on rich experiences and social networks of highly engaged individuals. • Large-scale or professionalized experiences: They are more successful in the promotion of the expe- rience and the making of the revenue. The tradition is their main selling point. 22 Peter Kumer, Primož Pipan, Mateja Šmid Hribar, Nika Razpotnik Visković The role of actors’ … vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 22 4.3 The innovativeness of culinary experiences Innovation plays an important role in the success of culinary experiences. W e identified several aspects of innovation: creative (re-)use of traditional meal recipes based on local ingredients, presentation of tradition dishes in a unique, modern and attractive way, new approaches to cooperation with local food producers and to food catering, serving food using their own designer products, inclusion of visitors into a culinary experience and knowledge transfer. These aspects are not necessarily original; in many cases they were brought from other areas, however, we found that they have been successfully adapt- ed to the local level. Among all identified innovations, two of them are particularly interesting: 1) a partnership between a producer of a traditional product (such as alps cheese maker) and a local entre- preneur who initiates a culinary experience; and 2) knowledge transfer which leads to an adaptation of traditional gastronomy to the modern needs of the visitors (gluten-free, vegan), and to a creation of new dishes. The latter emphasizes the general importance of innovation in gastronomy. 4.4 The limitations of the study The principal limitation is the definition of the term »culinary experience« which goes beyond the mere consuming of food in a restaurant, although a very good restaurant can also be considered a culi- nary experience. To compile our database, we focused on events that are »more than food« – they are »an experience«. The 10 culinary experiences were selected arbitrarily. 5 Conclusion Culinary tourism represents a rising economic sector in the rural Mediterranean Slovenia. In the past the inhabitants in the identified areas struggled with difficult natural conditions, limited employ- ment possibilities, low salaries and with an inviting idea of leaving their rural land and move to the littoral or other urban areas, or abroad. Local residents have developed a strong dependence on the scarce natural sources and strong local identity. Therefore, they managed to preserve their distinct cuisine deriv- ing mainly from the local produce. In the modern times, affected by global trends, they try to embed the cuisine in their culinary offer. Our study revealed that a successful culinary experience must meet all three criteria: cooperation of the actors from the local environment, strong embedment of the experience in the local communi- ty and innovative approaches. The strength for the success lies in the innovative presentations of food while preserving its traditional elements. At the same time these modern interpretations should also be based on the local identity of the inhabitants. The important potentials lie in 1) local interest groups, local communities and local public author- ities who are, based on mutual cooperation, capable of turning a culinary heritage into a high-end marketing product, and 2) rare but dare individual entrepreneurs who, based on their professional knowl- edge and dedication, provide the small-scale, highly valued culinary experiences. Both groups play a key role in putting Slovenia on the world map of culinary experiences. The findings of this research could be used in improvement of other and future culinary experi- ences in the region and also other parts of Slovenia. This is particularly important since in 2021 Slovenia will present itself as the European Region of Gastronomy. Furthermore, the findings from the case stud- ies could make an important contribution to the strategies aiming at sustainable tourism development of the rural areas in the Mediterranean. Acknowledgements: The authors acknowledge the financial support from the European Regional Development Fund for funding project MEDFEST (MED Culinary Heritage Experiences: How to Create 23 Geografski vestnik 91-2, 2019 Papers/Razprave vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 23 Sustainable Tourist Destinations) and financial support from the Slovenian Research Agency research core funding Geography of Slovenia (P6-0101) and Heritage on the margins: new perspectives on heritage and identity within and beyond the national (P5-0408). We also acknowledge data collection and field work contributions by Primož Gašperič, Matjaž Geršič, Maja Topole and Manca Volk Bahun. Special acknowledgment goes to the informants who provided valuable information for the 10 selected culinary experiences: Tina Simonič (Tourism Association Ozeljan-Šmihel), Marko Kompara (Culture- Tourism Association Vitovlje), Ana Hrast (Tourist Information Centre Sežana), Gianfranco Giassi (Tourism Association Solinar, Strunjan), Irena Švigelj (Tourism Association Brest, Brestovica), Dejana Baša (Tourist Information Centre Nova Gorica), Tatjana and Mitja Butul (Tourist Farm Butul), Andrejka Cerkvenik (Homestead Belajevi), Irena Fonda (Fonda Fish Farm) and Ester Mihalič (Tourist Information Centre Hrpelje-Kozina). The authors acknowledge to Saša Požek for the proofreading the English text. 6 References Backe, J. Ö. 2013: Culinary networks and rural tourism development – constructing the local through everyday practices. Sustainable Culinary Systems. London. 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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3986/AGS53402 25 Geografski vestnik 91-2, 2019 Papers/Razprave vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 25 Telfer, D. J., Wall, G. 1996: Linkages between tourism and food production. Annals of Tourism Research 23-3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0160-7383(95)00087-9 The Medfest Browser, 2017: Internet: http://www.ub.edu/medfest/ (1. 3. 2019). Topole, M. 2018: Homestead Belajevi. Catalogue of good practices of sustainable culinary heritage expe- riences in Mediterranean area. Ljubljana. Internet: https://giam.zrc-sazu.si/sites/default/files/ medfest_catalogue_of_culinary_good_practices-n.pdf (13. 3. 2019) Volk Bahun, M. 2018: Brkini fruit route festival. Catalogue of good practices of sustainable culinary heritage experiences in Mediterranean area. Ljubljana. Internet: https:/ /giam.zrc-sazu.si/sites/default/ files/medfest_catalogue_of_culinary_good_practices-n.pdf (13. 3. 2019) 26 Peter Kumer, Primož Pipan, Mateja Šmid Hribar, Nika Razpotnik Visković The role of actors’ … vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 26 27 Geografski vestnik 91-2, 2019 Razprave/Papers POMEN SODELOV ANJA AKTERJEV , VPETOST V LOKALNO OKOLJE IN INOV ATIVNOST PRI USTV ARJANJU KULINARIČNIH TURISTIČNIH IZKUŠENJ NA RURALNEM SLOVENSKEM SREDOZEMLJU 1 Uvod Zaledna območja Sredozemlja, ki imajo pretežno ruralni značaj, iščejo nove načine, kako privabiti obi- skovalce s tradicionalno obalnih destinacij morja in sonca. Za zdaj ta območja ohranjajo svojo avtentičnost, preprečujejo masovni turizem in sledijo načelom trajnostnega razvoja. Kulinarične izkušnje postajajo vedno pomembnejše pri izbiri destinacij, zlasti na ruralnih območjih (Backe 2013). Kulinarična turistična izku- šnja je definirana kot turistična priložnost, kjer turist spoznava lokalne kulinarične vire, prepoznava njihovo vrednost ali jih preizkuša (Smith in Xiao 2008). Med novejšimi načini promocije ruralnih območjih prek kulinaričnih izkušenj so kmečke tržnice, dogodki povezani s hrano in festivali (Bessière 1998; Hall in Sharples 2003). Sam obrok ni nujno prvotni namen izkušnje, je le eden od številnih dejavnosti (Hjalager in Richards 2003). Kulinarična izkušnja vključuje številne zunanje dejavnike, kot so prostor (v smislu postavitve in ambien- ta), ljudje, zgodovina in običaji. Osredotočanje na kulinarične izkušnje v sklopu neke turistične ponudbe lahko pripomore tudi k utrjevanju identitete posameznih regij, obenem pa krepi specifičnost teh regij zno- traj raznolikih skupnosti (T elfer in W all 1996; Rand, Heath in Alberts 2003; Everett in Aitchison 2008; Long 2015). Poleg razvoja turizma lahko kulinarične izkušnje neposredno podpirajo tudi lokalni razvoj, tako da skrbijo za kulturni kapital, ki je potreben za ustvarjanje ter ohranjanje kulturne produkcije in potroš- nje (Richards 2012), pa tudi s hrano povezano dediščinjenje (Godina Golija in Ledinek Lozej 2018). Kot pri večini sredozemskih regij je razvoj turizma skoncentriran na obalnih območjih Slovenije, med- tem ko zaledje obišče le majhen delež obiskovalcev. Naravne danosti, bogata tradicija in lepota pokrajine so idealna osnova za nišne predstavitve lokalno proizvedene, predelane in pripravljene hrane (Renčelj 2015). Zaledje je s turističnega vidika tipično obrobno območje z ruralnim značajem in ima visok potencial za razvoj nišnega turizma, ki temelji predvsem na gastronomiji. Potencial za razvoj kulinaričnega turizma so že prepoznale tudi turistične strategije, saj zanj obstajajo številni predpogoji. Restavracije ter domači- je s sezonsko in lokalno pridelano hrano imajo v regiji zaradi bližine urbanih območij Trsta in Gorice v Italiji že dolgoletno tradicijo, ugodni so tudi naravni pogoji z vidika rodovitne zemlje, milega in vetrov- nega podnebja, lokalno prebivalstvo pa izraža visoko stopnjo zavedanja o kakovosti lokalnih proizvodov (Renčelj 2015). Sistematičen razvoj kulinaričnega turizma se je začel kmalu po razpadu Jugoslavije leta 1992. Vinske turistične ceste so bile prva dejavnost sektorja kulinaričnega turizma, ki so bile prepoznane kot pomembne za integriran razvoj turizma (Kerma in Gačnik 2015; Kerma 2018). Bogata in raznolika dediščina v gastronomiji in pridelavi vin postaja vedno pomembnejši dejavnik mednarodne prepoznav- nosti turizma. Porast števila inovativnih festivalov hrane in vin tako predstavlja najhitreje rastoči trend na področju kulturnega turizma ter eno najdostopnejših oblik kulinaričnih izkušenj (Gačnik 2012). Uspešno sodelovanje akterjev, močna vpetost v lokalno okolje (umeščenost) in inovativni pristo- pi so tisti dejavniki, ki so bili prepoznani kot ključni pri oblikovanju trajnostnih kulinaričnih izkušenj (Hall in Göslling 2013; GoGSTC 2013; Frayssignes in sod. 2018). Sodelovanje akterjev pomeni zmož- nost ustvarjanja skupne podobe, kar pripomore k promociji neke kulinarične destinacije (Buhalis in Spada 2000). Pri ustvarjanju kulinaričnih destinacij je najpomembneje, da akterji sodelujejo in najde- jo načine promocije skupnih ‘proizvodov’ , ‘predstavitev’ in ‘podob’ (Holloway in sod. 2007). Trije poglavitni vidiki znotraj širšega okvirja kulturnih vrednot, ki vključujejo tudi kulinarične izkušnje, so aktivno sodelovanje lokalnih deležnikov, politična podpora, ki vpliva na ekonomske in druge pobude ter uspe- šna marketing in promocija (Šmid Hribar in Ledinek Lozej 2013). To pomeni močno umeščanje vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 27 28 Peter Kumer, Primož Pipan, Mateja Šmid Hribar, Nika Razpotnik Visković Pomen sodelovanja … Slika 1: Zemljevid izbranih in analiziranih kulinaričnih izkušenj na južnem Primorskem, Slovenija.p prepoznane kulturne vrednosti v širšo zgodbo ali izdelek, ki ga je mogoče tržiti in ki lahko vpliva na razvoj ruralnih območij. Vpetost v lokalno okolje je povezovanje lokalnih proizvodov in znanja s kuli- naričnimi tradicijami tega območja. ‘Lokalno’ nekateri turisti že prepoznavajo kot nekaj pozitivnega, pristnega, označuje pa proizvode lokalnega porekla v nasprotju s standardiziranimi in globalizirani- mi proizvodi (Long 2005; Laurin 2010). Nekatere študije lokalno hrano pojmujejo kot avtentično, pravo in tradicionalno (Sims 2009; Kauppinen-Räisänen, Gummerus in Lehtola 2013), čeprav obstajajo dvomi o uradnem certificiranju lokalnosti (Ledinek Lozej 2016). Inovativnost je definirana kot »proces spre- minjanja ideje ali iznajdbe v dobrine ali storitve, ki ustvarjajo vrednost oziroma za katere so stranke pripravljene plačati … Inovacija mora biti ponovljiva za ekonomsko ceno in mora zadovoljiti določeno potrebo.« (Business … 2019). Inovativnost se kaže v različnih oblikah: kot proizvod, tehnologija ali pro- ces, marketinški in prodajni pristop, funkcija, organizacija ter kot družbena inovacija (Bessière in Tibère 2011; Bessière 2013). V gastronomiji je inovacija pogosto povezana s tradicijo, kjer se stari načini pri- prave hrane ter kuhanja obnavljajo in prenavljajo ter kombinirajo na nov način (Hall in Gössling 2013). Namen tega članka je raziskati raznolikost kulinaričnih izkušenj v Primorski regiji slovenskega Sredozemlja. Kulinarične izkušnje v tej regiji smo analizirali z namenom, da bi preučili sodelovanje akter- jev in vključevanje nosilcev interesa, vpetost v lokalno okolje in inovativnost. 2 Metode Podatki za študijo so bili pridobljeni v okviru nadnacionalnega projekta MEDFEST - Culinary Heritage Experiences: How To Create Sustainable Tourist Destination (MEDFEST – Doživljanje kulturne dediščine: kako ustvarjati trajnostne turistične destinacije), z namenom ustvariti zemljevid kulinaričnih izkušenj v osmih sredozemskih državah (The Medfest … 2017). Naloga je med drugim vključevala prepoznava- nje in analizo kulinaričnih turističnih izkušenj na južnem Primorskem kot dela slovenskega Sredozemlja. Pred začetkom študije smo pripravili seznam (preglednica 1) vseh kulinaričnih izkušenj v petih območjih južne Primorske (Vipavska dolina, Brkini in Čičarija, Goriška Brda in spodnja Soška doli- na, Kras in slovenska Istra). To je bila pripravljalna faza za nadaljnjo analizo. Kot kulinarično izkušnjo smo opredelili tisto, ki je več kot le uživanje hrane v restavraciji. Nismo se posebej osredotočali na turi- stične izdelke, želeli smo zbrati raznoliko kulinarično ponudbo. Ribiški turizem kot tak sta podrobneje raziskali že Rogelja (2006) ter Rogelja in Janko Spreizer (2015), vinski turizem pa je bil predhodno ana- liziran v literaturi (Jurinčič in Bojnec 2009; Kerma 2012; Kerma 2018). Enološka dediščina je vsekakor pomembna tudi za nas, vendar smo z raziskavo želeli preseči podrobnejšo raziskavo vinskega turizma in vinskih cest. Namesto tega smo se osredotočili na festivale, ki so sorodni tovrstnemu turizmu. Na podlagi Capatti (2012) in Richards (2012) smo vzpostavili tipologijo naslednjih kulinaričnih izkušenj: 1) DOGODEK – kulinarični dogodek (na primer sejem, tržnica, festival), 2) STORITEV – storitev povezana s prehranskimi izdelki (na primer pokušnja, obisk, kuharski tečaj), 3) KMETIJA/DEJAVNOST – poslovna dejavnost povezana s hrano, ki se izpostavlja kot turistična dejav- nost (na primer kmetija, podjetje za pridelavo hrane), 4) POT – mreža poti, ki povezuje turistične zanimivosti, posvečena hrani in kulinaričnim izdelkom (na primer turistična pot), 5) TOČKA – določena turistična točka, povezana s hrano ali kulinaričnimi izdelki (na primer muzej). Za vsako kulinarično izkušnjo smo pripravili splošen opis ter informacije o lokaciji in datumih, tipu organizacije ter kontaktne podatke organizatorja. Tako smo dobili boljši pregled nad trenutno ponudbo kulinaričnih izkušenj, ti podatki pa so služili tudi kot podlaga za nadaljnjo analizo desetih izbranih kulinaričnih izkušenj. Te smo izbrali na podlagi geografske razpršenosti lokacij, raznolikosti ponuje- ne izkušnje in organizacijske oblike. vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 28 29 Geografski vestnik 91-2, 2019 Razprave/Papers ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( ! ( Seča Šempas Manžan Brkini Ozeljan Vitovlje Dutovlje Strunjan Brestovica Kačiče–Pared Praznik polente Praznik kakijev Praznik kostanja Domačija Belajevi Ribogojnica Fonda B'rstovska špargljada Praznik terana in pršuta Turistična kmetija Butul Festival vin in oljčnega olja Festival Brkinske sadne ceste vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 29 Za potrebe analize smo uporabili kazalnike za vrednotenje izkušenj trajnostne sredozemske kulina- rične dediščine, ki smo jo razvili znotraj projekta MEDFEST (Medfest…2017). Kazalnike smo sporazumno določili skupaj z ostalimi projektnimi partnerji – 37 kazalnikov ustreza štirim področjem: vsebina izkuš- nje, organizacija in vodenje, vpetost izkušnje v lokalno okolje ter umeščenost v strategije in politike. Za analizo podatkov, ki so bili razvrščeni v tri kategorije: vključevanje nosilcev interesa, vpetost v lokal- no okolje in inovativnost, smo uporabili pretežno kvalitativni pristop. Zbiranje podatkov je temeljilo predvsem na terenskem delu in kratkih intervjujih organizatorjev in pobudnikov kulinaričnih izkušenj, v treh primerih pa smo opravili še poglobljene intervjuje: s pobud- niki Turistične kmetije Butul (Pipan 2018), Domačijo Belajevi (Topole 2018) in Festivalom Brkinske sadne ceste (Volk Bahun 2018). 3 Rezultati Seznam kulinaričnih izkušenj slovenske študije primera je vključeval 213 primerov (preglednica 1): 86 primerov se nahaja v obalnem delu slovenske Istre, ki ima med vsemi preučevanimi območji naj- 30 Peter Kumer, Primož Pipan, Mateja Šmid Hribar, Nika Razpotnik Visković Pomen sodelovanja … Preglednica 1: Prepoznane kulinarične turistične izkušnje po tipih na južnem Primorskem. območje število število kulinaričnih turističnih izkušenj po tipih izbrane kulinarične kulinaričnih izkušnje, ki so turističnih podrobneje analizirane izkušenj slovenska 86 54 22 91 Praznik kakijev Istra (DOGODEK), Turistična kmetija Butul (KMETIJA, STORITEV), Ribogojnica Fonda (KMETIJA) Kras 45 34 281/ B’rstovska špargljada (DOGODEK), Praznik terana in pršuta (DOGODEK), Domačija Belajevi (KMETIJA, STORITEV) Brkini in 23 6/ 16 1/ Festival Brkinske Čičarija sadne ceste (POT) Vipavska 39 22 13 31/ Praznik polente dolina (DOGODEK), Praznik kostanja (DOGODEK), Festival vin in oljčnega olja (DOGODEK) Brda in spodnja 20 15 4 /1/ / Soška dolina Skupaj 213 131 41 36 41 / DOGODEK STORITEV KMETIJA / POT TOČKA DEJA VNOST vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 30 več turističnega obiska. Med različnimi tipi izkušenj izstopajo dogodki (festivali, tržnice, sejmi) – ti pred- stavljajo 62 % vseh izkušenj. Sledijo jim storitve (večinoma delavnice, vodeni ogledi – 19 %) in kmetije/dejavnosti (17 %). Poti in točke posvečene kulinaričnim izdelkom se pojavljajo le v 2 % vseh primerov. V fazi, ki je sledila, smo analizirali naslednjih deset kulinaričnih izkušenj (slika 1; preglednica 2): 6 kulinaričnih dogodkov (Praznik polente, Praznik kostanja, Praznik vina in pršuta, Praznik kakijev, B’rstovsko špargljado, Festival vin in oljčnega olja), 2 kmetiji/dejavnosti s poudarkom na zasebnih stro- kovnih dejavnostih povezanih s hrano, ki jih promovirajo kot turistične dejavnosti (Turistična kmetija Butul in Ribogojnica Fonda), 1 storitev v povezavi s prehrambnimi izdelki (Domačija Belajevi) in 1 mrežo poti namenjeno hrani ali kulinarični ponudbi (Festival Brkinske sadne ceste). 3.1 Sodelovanje akterjev Glede na preglednico 2 so večino izbranih kulinaričnih izkušenj organizirale lokalne interesne sku- pine (4 izkušnje) ter lokalna javna uprava (3 izkušnje) ob močni podpori lokalnih skupnosti in kmetov, ki so priskrbeli hrano in pijačo. Ostale 3 kulinarične izkušnje so organizirali posamezni lokalni pod- jetniki. Kulinarične dogodke ali festivale v večini organizirajo lokalna turistična društva. Organizacijske naloge si pogosto delijo s strokovnimi združenji, kot sta na primer Društvo Brkinskih sadjarjev (v pri- meru Festivala Brkinske sadne ceste) in Kmetijska zadruga Vinakras (prvotno soorganizator Praznika terana in pršuta). Lokalne interesne skupine pogosto sodelujejo z lokalnimi oblastmi, zlasti ko iščejo primeren prostor za dogodek. Lokalni kmetje skrbijo za oskrbo s hrano: vinogradniki v primeru Praznika terana in pršuta, sadjarji v primeru Festivala Brkinske sadne ceste, kmetije, ki gojijo kakije, v primeru Praznika kakijev ter pridelovalci vina in oljk v primeru Festivala vin in oljk. Lokalni podjetniki se pogo- sto povezujejo z lokalnimi ponudniki hrane – kar 40 se jih povezuje s T uristično kmetijo Butul; Ribogojnica 31 Geografski vestnik 91-2, 2019 Razprave/Papers Preglednica 2: Izbrane kulinarične izkušnje po tipih in glavnih organizatorjih na območju slovenskega Sredozemlja. tip dogodka DOGODEK POT KMETIJA/ STORITEV TOČKA DEJAVNOST časovni okvir enkrat letno enkrat letno vse leto vse leto vse leto tip organizatorja lokalne interesne Praznik kostanja, / / // skupine (društva Praznik kakijev, in nevladne Praznik polente, organizacije) B’rstovska špargljada lokalna javna Praznik terana Festival Brkinske / // uprava in pršuta, sadne ceste Festival vin in oljčnega olja posamezen // Turistična Domačija / lokalni kmetija Butul, Belajevi podjetnik Ribogojnica Fonda vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 31 Fonda sodeluje s  kmetijami, ki pridelujejo vino, oljčno olje in zelenjavo. Praznik kakijev sodeluje s Krajinskim parkom Strunjan in uporablja njegovo geografsko označbo. Strokovne ter ekonomsko narav- nane dejavnosti in storitve povezane s prehrambnimi izdelki običajno ponujajo posamezni lokalni podjetniki. Kot je razvidno iz slike 2, sodelovanje med različnimi sodelujočimi v večini primerov (v 8 od 10) ne temelji na pisnih dogovorih, temveč ustnih. Občine, ki sodelujejo pri pripravi Festivala Brkinske sadne ceste, so morale sprejeti uredbo glede turističnih poti, Turistična kmetija Butul pa vsako leto pri- pravi delovni načrt, ki jim pomaga bogatiti in tudi presegati cilje. Prepoznali smo tudi povezave organizatorjev kulinaričnih izkušenj z rokodelci. Rokodelstvo se naj- pogosteje nanaša na izdelovalce kuhinjskih pripomočkov in organizatorje tovrstnih delavnic – ročno izdelavo lesenih, kamnitih ali keramičnih izdelkov. Dve skupini rokodelcev svoje izdelke prinašata tudi na kulinarične dogodke ali poskrbita za spremljevalne dogodke (na primer kuhinjski seti za kuhanje polente na Prazniku polente; sklede in krožniki iz kamna, ki jih lahko vidimo na Prazniku terana in pršuta ter na dogodkih Domačije Belajevi; slika 3). Slika 3: Rokodelstvo igra pomembno vlogo pri predstavitvi kulinarične dediščine in kulinaričnih izdelkov na dogodkih, ki jih organizirajo na Domačiji Belajevi. Glej angleški del prispevka. 32 Peter Kumer, Primož Pipan, Mateja Šmid Hribar, Nika Razpotnik Visković Pomen sodelovanja … Praznik polente Praznik kostanja Praznik terana in pršuta Festival Brkinske sadne ceste Turistična kmetija Butul Domačija Belajevi Praznik kakijev B'rstovska špargljada Ribogojnica Fonda Festival vin in oljčnega olja Kulinarična izkušnja Izkušnja, ki jo organizira (kolektivna) organizacija Prisotnost uradnega pisnega dokumenta Vključenost lokalne javne uprave Vključenost kmetov Povezava z rokodelci Povezava z okoljevarstveniki Povezava z sektorjem energetike Povezava s sektorjem za raziskave in razvoj Izboljšava naravnih virov Izboljšava kulturnih virov Nesnovni viri/znanje Sodelovanje lokalne skupnosti Izvor/poreklo prehrambenih izdelkov Sezonska hrana Poreklo dobaviteljev Poreklo obiskovalcev Vpetost v lokalno okolje Sodelovanje akterjev Izkušnja, ki jo organizira jasno dolo en lokalni koordinator č + + + + + – + + + + – – – – + + + – + + – – – + + – – – – – + + + + + + + – + + + + + + + + + + + + + – + + + + + – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – + – + + – – + – + + + + – + – + + + + + + + + + – – + + + + + + + + + + – + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + – + + + + – + + + + + + + + + + + + + + – – – – – – – + Slika 2: Ocena kulinaričnih izkušenj glede na sodelovanje akterjev, vpetost v lokalno okolje in sistem certificiranja. vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 32 Znotraj sektorja za raziskave in razvoj je poudarek na sodelovanju z regionalnimi ter mednarod- nimi visokošolskimi in razvojnimi inštitucijami. Domačija Belajevi denimo sodeluje s Kmetijskim in gozdarskim inštitutom iz Nove Gorice ter Parkom Škocjanske jame; Ribogojnica Fonda sodeluje z Morsko biološko postajo Piran in drugimi morskimi raziskovalnimi organizacijami v regiji; Turistična kmeti- ja Butul sodeluje z Univerzo na Primorskem; Praznik terana in pršuta pa s študenti oblikovanja kamna z Višje strokovne šole v Sežani. Povezav z okoljskim in energetskim sektorjem nismo zabeležili. Pri kulinaričnih izkušnjah, ki smo jih analizirali, smo opazili, da pridobivanje uradnih certifikatov, ki izkazujejo kakovost, ni prioritetna naloga. Le v enem primeru (Praznik kakijev) imajo kmetije, ki dobavljajo sadje za ta kulinarični dogodek, certifikate za organsko pridelavo in kmetovanje. V tem kon- tekstu je treba omeniti, da nekateri organizatorji, na primer Brkinska sadna cesta, Turistična kmetija Butul, Domačija Belajevi, Praznik kakijev in Ribogojnica Fonda, sodelujejo ali so povezani s ponud- niki hrane in pijače, ki prihajajo iz zaščitenih območij, kot so krajinski ali regionalni parki, Natura 2000 in območja pod zaščito Unesca, sami pa kljub temu ne razmišljajo o tem, da bi pridobili katerega od certifikatov. 3.2 Vpetost v lokalno okolje Z namenom razumevanja vpetosti kulinaričnih izkušenj v lokalno okolje, smo proučili izboljšavo naravnih, kulturnih in nesnovnih virov oziroma znanja, vključenost lokalne skupnosti ter poreklo pre- hrambenih proizvodov, ter tudi poreklo dobaviteljev hrane in pijače ter obiskovalcev (slika 2). Med preučevanjem izboljšave naravnih virov smo ugotovili, da je največkrat poudarek na ohranjanju ter sajenju starih vrst sadja, zelenjave in zelišč ter njihovi tradicionalni rabi v prehrani. V nekaterih pri- merih se je kot pomembna pokazala tudi promocija biotske raznovrstnosti (na primer suhih kraških travnikov in bentosa morskega dna v bližini ekološke ribogojnice). Skoraj vse kulinarične izkušnje vklju- čujejo sezonsko hrano (na primer Praznik polente, Praznik kostanja, Turistična kmetija Butul, Praznik kakijev, Ribogojnica Fonda, Festival vin in oljčnega olja). Na Festivalu Brkinske sadne ceste in Domačiji Belajevi je več kot tri četrtine hrane sezonske. Več kot polovica hrane na Prazniku terana in pršuta in B’rstovski špargljadi je sezonske. V okviru izboljšave naravnih virov smo se posvetili tudi upravljanju z odpadki. Ločevanje odpadkov poteka povsod, razen na Prazniku kostanja, Festivalu Brkinske sadne ceste in B’rstovski špargljadi. Največ pozornosti ločevanju odpadkov posvečajo na Turistični kmetiji Butul, kjer nikoli ne uporabljajo plastike za enkratno uporabo, ne na kmetiji, niti na mobilnih kulinari- čnih dogodkih, na katerih sodelujejo. Na dogodkih porabljajo izključno biorazgradljiv pribor, posodo in lončke za enkratno uporabo. V Ribogojnici Fonda obiskovalce prosijo, naj embalažo za ribe iz poli- stirena vračajo, da jo lahko ponovno uporabijo. V povezavi s kulturnimi viri so izpostavljene naslednje spremljevalne dejavnosti: ohranjanje kul- turne pokrajine, zeliščarstvo, vključevanje ne-strojnega dela in rokodelstvo (na primer oblikovanje kamna in tradicionalna gradnja hiš iz kamna), vključevanje umetnosti in kulture (na primer poezije in foto- grafije). Prepoznali smo tudi naslednje vire znanja: pripravo hrane, pri kateri se tradicionalno znanje o pri- pravi hrane združuje s sodobnimi pristopi (na primer sladice iz polente in kostanja, inovativna raba zelišč med kuhanjem), sodelovanje z rokodelci in obrtniki, ki uporabljajo les, kamen ali glino ter organizira- jo delavnice, na katerih udeležence učijo, kako ustvariti lastne izdelke, pomoč brezposelnim z vključevanjem v programe rokodelstva, katerih izdelki se lahko uporabljajo v gastronomiji, sodelovanje s kmetijskimi svetovalci (predavanja o vzgoji sadnih dreves), tradicionalni ljudski plesi in ponovno odkrivanje tradi- cionalnega znanja o ekologiji. Vsi dogodki prispevajo k promociji in večji prepoznavnosti mest, krajev, širše regije in Slovenije v tujini. Prav tako smo prepoznali močno vključenost lokalne skupnosti v kulinarične izkušnje. Sodelujoči v tem smislu so lahko posamezni prostovoljci, društva in združenja (turistična (slika 4), lovska in bali- narska, društva kmečkih žena), kmetje, čebelarji, folklorne skupine in podobno. Izkušnje pogosto dobijo 33 Geografski vestnik 91-2, 2019 Razprave/Papers vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 33 finančno podporo prek lokalnih razpisov namenjenih razvoju in promociji turizma (Občina Piran na primer subvencionira 10 % vseh stroškov organizacije Praznika kakijev). Štiri kulinarične izkušnje so še posebej pozorne na obiskovalce iz lokalnih skupnosti z gibalnimi omejitvami. Del Festivala Brkinske sadne ceste je prilagojen tudi za otroke. Na Prazniku kakijev prodajajo izdelke tudi invalidne osebe. Enako je v Ribogojnici Fonda. Najbolj vključujoča izkušnja v tem smislu pa je Turistična kmetija Butul, ki vključuje člane lokalne skupnosti z najrazličnejšimi invalidnostmi (kot so na primer duševno pri- zadeti, gibalno ovirani in slabovidni). Kmetija organizira tudi delavnice za otroke iz lokalnih šol ter športnike in druge osebe iz lokalnih društev, ki imajo posebne prehranske potrebe. Slika 4: Člani lokalnega turističnega društva so najpomembnejši akterji na Prazniku polente. Glej angleški del prispevka. Poreklo vsaj 80 % hrane na skoraj vseh kulinaričnih izkušnjah, ki smo jih preučili, izhaja iz lokal- nih območij – v oddaljenosti manj kot 50 km od dogodka. Nekatere sestavine prihajajo iz krajev, ki so oddaljeni več kot 50 km, vendar še vedno izvirajo iz slovenskega Sredozemlja (na primer oljčno olje, sol, sadje in zelenjava iz Primorske ali drugih delov Slovenije). Z bolj oddaljenih krajev pripotujejo le neka- tere sestavine, ki so dodatki k določenim marmeladam, medu in siru ter jih ni mogoče najti v lokalnem okolju (to so tropske začimbe in zelišča, kot na primer črni čaj in cimet). Turistična kmetija Butul sode- luje s sirarjem na Idrski planini na Matajurju v Julijskih Alpah. Poreklo lokalne hrane v primeru Festivala vin in oljčnega olja je le 60%, saj so nanj povabljeni tudi pridelovalci vin iz Italije in drugih območij Slovenije. Ko smo preučevali poreklo obiskovalcev, smo opazili velike razlike med kulinaričnimi izkušnja- mi. Specifičnost kulinaričnih izkušenj običajno pritegne ljudi iz bolj oddaljenih območij, saj njihova prepoznavnost presega meje lokalnega območja. Najvišji delež lokalnih obiskovalcev (iz krajev, ki so oddaljeni največ 50 km) imajo Praznik polente, Praznik kostanja, Festival vin in oljčnega olja (vsi okoli 70 %) ter Festival Brkinske sadne ceste (50 %). Kulinarične izkušnje z najnižjim deležem lokalnih obi- skovalcev pa so na drugi strani Praznik terana in pršuta (40 %), B’rstovska špargljada (20 %), Praznik kakijev (15 %), Turistična kmetija Butul in Ribogojnica Fonda (10 %) ter Domačija Belajevi (2 %). 3.3 Pomen inovacij Inovativnost smo preučevali skozi dojemanje organizatorjev, kaj so inovativni vidiki kulinaričnih izkušenj, ki jih pripravljajo. Pomemben vidik je bila kreativna (ponovna) uporaba tradicionalnih recep- tov za jedi, ki temeljijo na prezrtih ali pozabljenih lokalnih sestavinah. Primeri tega so lokalne vrste koruze, iz katere delajo moko za pripravo polente, različne vinske sorte, lokalne vrste kostanjev, oljk, hrušk, jablan, sliv, oreščkov, višenj in češenj iz starih sadovnjakov. Poleg že omenjenih vrst je treba ome- niti tudi kaki, ki so ga pomorščaki z Daljnega Vzhoda tu predstavili v začetku 20. stoletja. Sadež danes obravnavamo kot lokalno vrsto, ki sooblikuje regionalno identiteto. Pomemben vidik inovativnosti kulinaričnih izkušenj je ponudba tradicionalnih jedi, ki so pri- pravljene na nov in sodoben način. Na Praznikih polente in kostanja polento ter kostanj postrežejo kot sladico, tradicionalno pa sta bila del glavne jedi. Kraški šetraj (latinsko Satureja montana) se je kot zelišče v preteklosti uporabljal v zdravstvene namene, na Domačiji Belajevi pa so ga začeli uporabljati v kulinariki. Na Turistični kmetiji Butul so razvili sire z dodatki vinskega kamna in črnega čaja. V nji- hovem cvetličnem medu je tudi ingver in cvet muškatnega oreščka, za marmelado in sirup pa uporabljajo divjo limono. Zanimiv vidik inovativnosti je lahko tudi postrežba hrane. Na Turistični kmetiji Butul hrano postrežejo s pomočjo lastnih, oblikovalskih izdelkov (škatel, krožnikov, pladnjev) izdelanih iz kartona, kamna ali lesa. Ni pomembno le kako, temveč tudi kje je hrana postrežena, kar je prav tako lahko inovativni element kulinaričnih izkušenj – goste lahko denimo sprejmemo tudi pri mizi sredi vinograda, oljčnega nasada ali zeliščnega vrta, tam kjer je hrana pridelana, ali pa na tipičnem kamni- tem kraškem dvorišču. 34 Peter Kumer, Primož Pipan, Mateja Šmid Hribar, Nika Razpotnik Visković Pomen sodelovanja … vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 34 Naslednji inovativen vidik je aktivno vključevanje obiskovalcev v kulinarično izkušnjo skozi pedagoško delo. Festival Brkinske sadne ceste na sadjarskih kmetijah ponuja »družinsko izkušnjo«, v sklopu katere dru- žine pomagajo pri kmečkih opravilih, obirajo jabolka ali sodelujejo na delavnicah priprave izdelkov iz zelišč. Na Turistični kmetiji Butul so iznašli nov pristop k sodelovanju z lokalnimi pridelovalci hrane, ki ga je kot inovativnega prepoznala širša javnost – leta 2018 je kmetija prejela nagrado »Slovenia’s hid- den gems 2018« (Skriti zakladi Slovenije 2018) za pripravo dvodnevne kulinarične poti »Mediterranean flavours of Slovenian Istria« (Sredozemski okusi slovenske Istre). Slika 5: Študentje z Univerze gastronomskih ved Pollenzo, Italija (Università di Scienze Gastronomiche di Pollenzo) med zapisovanjem informacij med predstavitvijo na Turistični kmetiji Butul. Glej angleški del prispevka. Inovativnost se izraža tudi skozi ozaveščanje in prenos znanja. V Ribogojnici Fonda obiskovalci spoznavajo, kako kakovostno in trajnostno je gojenje brancinov (slika 6). V ribogojnici ne uporablja- jo kemičnih sredstev za uničevanje alg na mrežah ribogojnice, namesto tega jih čistijo ročno. Za ribe uporabljajo hrano najvišje kakovosti, zato je gojenje rib počasnejše v primerjavi z masovno proizvod- njo rib. Na ta način obiskovalce (potrošnike) spodbudijo, da plačajo več za Piranskega brancina Fonda in podprejo butično, trajnostno pridelavo, namesto da kupijo gojene ribe iz ribogojnic večjega forma- ta. Ribogojnica Fonda je inovacijo nadgradila z registracijo blagovne znamke Piranski brancin Fonda. To je prvi primer »lokalne teritorialne blagovne znamke za gojeno ribo« v Jadranskem morju, verjetno pa tudi na svetovni ravni, s čimer se ustvarja z morjem povezan »merroir«, izpeljanka na zemljo veza- nega izraza »terroir« (Giacomelli 2005). Domačija Belajevi ponuja delavnice, ki jih vodijo strokovnjaki za zdravo življenje. Turistična kme- tija Butul je bila vključena v  oblikovanje številnih lokalnih kulinaričnih pobud, ki so se razvile v pomembne regionalne kulinarične dogodke. Največji od teh je Sladka Istra, mednarodni festival sla- dic in sladkih izdelkov v Kopru – največji tovrstni dogodek v Sloveniji in drugi največji turistični dogodek v Občini Koper (Jerman in Vodeb 2018). Od leta 2014 je Turistična kmetija Butul učni center Univerze gastronomskih ved Pollenzo, Italija (slika 5), ki jo je ustanovila organizacija Slow Food. Študentje se lahko prijavijo na pripravništvo, dvakrat na leto pa je organizirana tudi tedenska kulinarična ekskur- zija po Sloveniji. Pri pripravi delavnic na kmetiji sodelujejo z Zavodom za razvoj in raziskovanje gostinskih in kmetijskih dejavnosti SloVino iz Maribora. Prav tako svoje goste spodbujajo k razmisleku o hrani, ki jo jejo in s tem začenjajo delati majhne korake v smeri zdravega prehranjevanja. Njihovi gostje na kulinaričnih delavnicah sodelujejo pri pripravi hrane. Slika 6: Trajnostno gojenje brancina v Ribogojnici Fonda zahteva več ročnega dela in tehničnih prilagoditev. Glej angleški del prispevka. 4 Diskusija Pričujoča študija temelji na desetih izbranih primerih kulinaričnih izkušenj. Čeprav prispeva k znan- stvenemu diskurzu o potencialu kulinaričnih izkušenj pri ohranjanju trajnostnega razvoja na ruralnem območju sredozemskega dela Slovenije, smo se izogibali posplošitvam. Znanstveni prispevek je pojas- njen v štirih podpoglavjih v nadaljevanju. 4.1 Vzvodi učinkovitega sodelovanja akterjev Predhodna študija je pokazala, da obstaja povezava med tipi kulinaričnih izkušenj in tipi organi- zatorjev. Kaže se, da so organizatorji motivirani na različne načine, kar vodi k izbiri različnih tipov 35 Geografski vestnik 91-2, 2019 Razprave/Papers vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 35 dogodkov. Za interesne skupine, ki so pogosto povezane s pridelavo določene hrane ali pijače (na pri- mer vina in pršuta) in z lokalno javno upravo, je običajno pomembno, da organizirajo kulinarični festival, na katerem želijo predstaviti lastne proizvode, kraje in lokalno dediščino. Lokalne interesne skupine in lokalna javna uprava pogosto sodelujejo; interesne skupine na primer poskrbijo za vsebino nekega dogodka, javna uprava pa krije stroške organizacije. Na drugi strani pa so posamezni podjetniki, ki želi- jo ustvarjati dobiček, zato organizirajo plačljiva predavanja o prehrani in načinih prehranjevanja, kuharske tečaje, posebne obroke in druge storitve povezane s hrano. Kadar organizirajo kulinarični dogodek, le- ta poteka v manjšem obsegu in je namenjen manjšemu številu obiskovalcev, ki dogodek plačajo. Kulinarične izkušnje pa ne pomenijo le sodelovanja med glavnimi akterji (interesnimi skupinami, javno upravo, podjetniki). Ti akterji so močno povezani tudi z lokalnimi kmeti in rokodelci. Vloga roko- delstva je predvsem podpora avtentičnemu značaju kulinarične izkušnje. S sektorjem raziskav in razvoja se v glavnem povezujejo posamezni podjetniki, povezave pa lahko izražajo (1) željo po širšem razu- mevanju, razvoju in ustvarjanju nečesa novega ter v zadnjem času tudi željo po boljšem naslavljanju trajnostnih vidikov, ali (2) pripravljenost za učenje iz prakse (na primer študijski obiski in študentska praksa). Pri organizaciji kulinaričnih izkušenj se akterji izogibajo formalnemu sodelovanju in pretirani biro- kraciji, raje se zanašajo na že vzpostavljena neformalna lokalna poznanstva in zaupanje. V povezavi s sistemi certificiranja pa so organizatorji kulinaričnih izkušenj poudarili, da se držijo priporočil in stan- dardov številnih certifikatov, da pa bi postopek pridobitve katerega od certifikatov zanje pomenil preveč birokratskega dela. Prav tako so izpostavili, da je izgradnja zaupanja med njimi, njihovimi dobavitelji hrane in pijače ter obiskovalci, ob tem ko sledijo standardom kakovosti, zanje pomembnejša od pri- dobivanja uradnih nazivov. 4.2 Umeščenost kulinaričnih izkušenj v lokalni kontekst Vseh deset analiziranih primerov je globoko umeščenih v lokalni kontekst. Hrana potuje kratke razdalje, večinoma je sezonska, temelji pa na lokalni kmetijski pridelavi. Praksa ravnanja z odpadki je dobra, čeprav bi na splošno kulinarične izkušnje lahko naredile več, da bi se izognile plastiki za enkrat- no uporabo. Pretirana uporaba plastičnih potrebščin (pribora, krožnikov in kozarcev) na nekaterih festivalih, predstavlja grožnjo ohranjanju naravnih virov in okolja ter splošnemu družbenemu cilju – zmanjšanju uporabe neobnovljive energije. Organizatorji bi lahko kupovali biorazgradljive pripomočke za enkratno uporabo, vendar so ti zaradi ekonomije obsega še vedno občutno dražji v primerjavi s pla- stičnimi, zato organizatorji njihovi uporabi niso naklonjeni. Izbrane kulinarične izkušnje sodelujejo pri ohranjanju tradicionalnega znanja, rokodelstva, ročni izdelavi izdelkov in kulturne pokrajine. Preučevane izkušnje prispevajo tudi k prenosu lokalnega znanja na dejavnosti, ki so povezane s hrano. Močno vklju- čevanje lokalne skupnosti finančno podpira javna uprava. Kljub močni lokalni vpetosti kulinaričnih izkušenj, te na splošno privabljajo obiskovalce ne le iz regije, temveč tudi iz drugih delov države ter tujine. Glede na stopnjo lokalnosti, velikost in vpliv izbranih kulinaričnih izkušenj, jih lahko razdelimo v tri skupine: • izkušnje manjšega obsega, ki temeljijo na prostovoljnem delu lokalne skupnosti: te imajo lokalni zna- čaj, podpirajo jih lokalne interesne skupine. Ves dobiček se uporabi za upravljanje lokalnih društev, organizacijo enake izkušnje prihodnje leto in promocijo tipičnih lokalnih proizvodov ali celotne izkuš- nje. Te izkušnje prispevajo k večji prepoznavnosti skupnosti in večanju socialnega kapitala; • izkušnje manjšega obsega, ki jih organizirajo lokalni podjetniki: te izkušnje imajo specifičen značaj, njihov glavni cilj pa je kakovost. Temeljijo na bogatih izkušnjah in socialnih mrežah izjemno anga- žiranih posameznikov; • izkušnje večjega obsega ali profesionalizirane izkušnje: te izkušnje so uspešnejše v smislu promocije in ustvarjanja prihodkov. Te izkušnje prodajajo predvsem tradicijo. 36 Peter Kumer, Primož Pipan, Mateja Šmid Hribar, Nika Razpotnik Visković Pomen sodelovanja … vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 36 4.3 Inovativnost kulinaričnih izkušenj Inovativnost igra pomembno vlogo pri zagotavljanju uspeha kulinaričnih izkušenj. Prepoznali smo številne vidike inovativnosti: kreativno (ponovno) uporabo tradicionalnih receptov za jedi, ki teme- ljijo na lokalnih sestavinah, predstavitev tradicionalnih jedi na edinstven, sodoben in privlačen način, nove pristope sodelovanja z lokalnimi proizvajalci hrane in v gostinstvu, pri postrežbi hrane na/v las- tnih, oblikovalskih izdelkih, vključevanje obiskovalcev v kulinarično izkušnjo in prenos znanja. Ti vidiki niso nujno izvirni; v mnogih primerih izhajajo od drugod, a vendar smo ugotovili, da so bili uspešno prilagojeni za lokalno raven. Med vsemi prepoznanimi inovacijami sta dve še posebej zanimivi: (1) partnerstvo med proizvajalcem tradicionalnega izdelka (na primer sirarjem iz planine) in lokalnim pod- jetnikom, ki pripravlja kulinarične izkušnje, in (2) prenos znanja, ki pomeni prilagoditev tradicionalne gastronomije sodobnim potrebam gostov (brezglutensko, vegansko) in oblikovanje novih jedi. To le še poudarja, kako splošno pomembna je inovativnost v gastronomiji. 4.4 Omejitve študije Glavna omejitev študije je definicija termina »kulinarična izkušnja«, ki presega zgolj uživanje hrane v restavraciji, čeprav lahko zelo dobro restavracijo prav tako uvrščamo med kulinarične izkušnje. Pri oblikovanju baze podatkov smo se osredotočili na dogodke, ki so »več kot le hrana« – so »izkušnja«. Deset kulinaričnih izkušenj smo izbrali naključno. 5 Sklep Kulinarični turizem kot ekonomski sektor je v ruralnem delu sredozemske Slovenije v porastu. V pre- teklosti so se prebivalci v opredeljenih območjih spopadali s težkimi naravnimi pogoji, redkimi možnostmi zaposlitve, nizkimi plačami in privlačno idejo, da bi zapustili ruralno območje ter se preselili v obmor- ska ali druga urbana območja, ali celo v tujino. Lokalni prebivalci so postali izjemno odvisni od skromnih naravnih virov in so razvili močno lokalno identiteto. Tako jim je uspelo ohraniti specifične jedi, ki temeljijo pretežno na lokalnih pridelkih. V današnjem času globalnih trendov poskušajo te jedi vklju- čevati v kulinarično ponudbo. Naša študija je pokazala, da mora uspešna kulinarična izkušnja izpolnjevati vse tri pogoje: sode- lovanje akterjev iz lokalnega okolja, močno vpetost izkušnje v lokalno skupnost in inovativnost pristopov. Ključ do uspeha je v  inovativni predstavitvi hrane, ki hkrati ohranjanja tradicionalne elemente. Obenem morajo te sodobne interpretacije temeljiti na lokalni identiteti prebivalcev. Pomemben potencial se nahaja v (1) lokalnih interesnih skupinah, lokalnih skupnostih in lokalnih javnih upravah, ki lahko, če med seboj sodelujejo, kulinarično dediščino spremenijo v visokokakovo- sten marketinški produkt, in v (2) redkih, vendar drznih podjetnikih, ki ustvarjajo izjemno cenjene kulinarične izkušnje manjšega obsega, temelječe na lastnem strokovnem znanju in predanosti. Obe sku- pini sta ključni v smislu postavitve Slovenije na svetovni zemljevid kulinaričnih izkušenj. Izkušnje iz te študije lahko pripomorejo tudi k izboljšanju drugih in bodočih kulinaričnih izku- šenj v regiji ter tudi v drugih delih Slovenije. To je še posebej pomembno, ker se bo leta 2021 Slo- venija predstavila kot Evropska gastronomska regija. Obenem pa lahko ugotovitve študij primera pomembno prispevajo k oblikovanju strategij, ki spodbujajo razvoj trajnostnega turizma v območ- jih Sredozemlja. Zahvala: Avtorji se zahvaljujemo Evropskemu skladu za regionalni razvoj za finančno podporo projek- tu MEDFEST (Sredozemska kulinarično dediščinska izkušnja: kako ustvariti trajnostne turistične destinacije) ter Javni agenciji za raziskovalno dejavnost Republike Slovenije za finančno podporo raziskovalnima 37 Geografski vestnik 91-2, 2019 Razprave/Papers vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 37 programoma Geografija Slovenije (P6-0101) in Dediščina na obrobjih: novi pogledi na dediščino in iden- titeto znotraj in onkraj nacionalnega (P5-0408). Zahvaljujemo se tudi Primožu Gašperiču, Matjažu Geršiču, Maji Topole in Manci Volk Bahun za zbi- ranje podatkov ter terensko delo. Še posebno se zahvaljujemo informatorjem, ki so posredovali dragocene informacije za deset izbranih kulinaričnih izkušenj; to so: Tina Simonič (Turistično društvo Ozeljan-Šmi- hel), Marko Kompara (Kulturno turistično društvo Vitovlje), Ana Hrast (TIC Sežana), Gianfranco Giassi (Turistično društvo solinar, Strunjan), Irena Švigelj (Turistično društvo Brest, Brestovica), Dejana Baša (TIC Nova Gorica), Tatjana and Mitja Butul (Turistična kmetija Butul), Andrejka Cerkvenik (Domačija Belajevi), Irena Fonda (Ribogojnica Fonda) in Ester Mihalič (TIC Hrpelje-Kozina). 6 Viri in literatura Glej angleški del prispevka. 38 Peter Kumer, Primož Pipan, Mateja Šmid Hribar, Nika Razpotnik Visković Pomen sodelovanja … vestnik 91_2_vestnik 82_1.qxd 19.2.2020 9:51 Page 38