High school students on attracting tourists to Idrija
Before the autumn holidays, we organized a special workshop for students of the Gimnazija Jurija Vege Idrija, where they learned about the topic of digital nomads and thought about how to attract them to Idrija.
The event, which we organized together with the Gimnazija Jurija Vege Idrija, the Idrija Youth Center, the Idrija Tourism Agency, and the UP Faculty of Tourism Studies – Turistica in Portorož, took place as the final workshop of the Nomadland project, where we explored how to attract digital nomads to European rural areas. After an initial presentation, where we introduced the students to what a retreat is, who digital nomads are and why they are important for European rural areas, they listened to a short panel discussion with Mojca Gorjup Kavčič, the head of the Idrija Geopark, Tilen Nipič, a student at the UP Faculty of Tourism Studies – Turistica, and Jerca Korče, the head of the Idrija Youth Center. The students were able to follow the discussion, which covered both the tourism and youth work sectors and also touched on the stories of digital nomads.

Creating a a 14-day retreat with a game
Then came the time for the workshop, which we designed as a game. In a limited amount of time, they had to design a 14-day retreat for digital nomads. In a special envelope, they received different tips and challenges, they had to profile the digital nomad, offer him local content, and think about how they can also contribute. The game was designed by Zarja Bašelj, who works at the Idrija Youth Center.
Then they had to present their work to a commission, which consisted of the previous speakers at the panel discussion. They evaluated their performance, and they could also get additional points for correct answers to questions on leaflets that we hid around the room. At the end of the event, Tilen Nipiš, a student at the UP Faculty of Tourism Studies – Turistica, also presented the operation of the faculty to the students and motivated them to study tourism.


Young people discover tourist potentials
The workshop is an important step in our work with young people, as it helps them to recognize the potential of tourism and build content that will attract them to Idrija. The event was attended by students who are attending the interdisciplinary modules “Tourism is People” and “Trim.” A week before this workshop, they also explored the Šturmajce and Pr’ Ivaniš homesteads, and in the future, we will have a few more workshops on the topics of gastronomy and tourism.
The Nomadland project, within which the activity took place, is co-financed by the Erasmus+ youth work program. Within the project, we have already prepared the Nomazine magazine, and in the near future we expect a guide to setting up a retreat in the countryside. More information about the project can also be found on the website www.nomadland-project.com
