The Regional Tourism Organization (KOCR) Trenčín region awarded the best in tourism in the Trenčín region for the 4th time. The prestigious award for contribution to tourism has been awarded to the KOCR Trenčín region since 2017 and is very popular with the lay and professional public. The TOP in Tourism (CR) award represents a guarantee of quality as well as an evaluation of honest work.

On November 11, 2021, the winners of the categories TOP gastronomy, TOP accommodation facility, tourism personality, TOP innovation in tourism, TOP tourist product and facility accessible to the severely disabled (ŤZP) for the year 2020 were awarded.

This festive event is annually associated with the ITF Bratislava tourism fair, at which KOCR Trenčín region regularly presents the Trenčín region. However, due to the pandemic, the last year of the fair did not take place. The handover therefore took place in the beautiful premises of the Miloš Alexander Bazovský Gallery in Trenčín.

The winners of individual categories are decided annually by an expert commission, with the exception of the TOP gastro category, which is determined by the general public through online voting. In the current year, this honor was given to the Street Food Kitchen restaurant in Handlová, which received 452 votes. The award for a gastronomic facility means prestige and the associated increase in public interest. " We would like to thank all our customers who voted for us in this competition. It is a great honor and motivation for us in the future. We firmly believe that we will meet again in our favorite restaurants without any restrictions, because one thing is for sure, good food tastes best in the company of good people. ”Thanked Ľubomír Pavelka , owner of Street Food Kitchen.

Deciding on the winners is not easy, experts decide

Each year, regional tourism organizations nominate at least one entity or person in the relevant category who is known for the high quality of the services provided or their many years of experience. Subsequently, at a joint meeting, they seek a common consensus.

The winner in the category TOP accommodation facility for 2020 was the pension Kúria Beckov *** , which is known for its refined local cuisine and quality accommodation and services. The pension is located in a beautiful setting directly below the rock of Beckov Castle. Accommodated guests can enjoy swimming in a natural lake or a unique wellness under the castle hill.

Anna Beníková , the owner of Agropension Grunt and Koliba Papradno, became a personality of tourism in 2020. The jury appreciated her many years of honest work on the farm, which she had already rented out in the 1990s and, thanks to subsidies, has been actively improving it to this day. Thousands of tourists visit Agropension and Koliba every year.

The title of TOP Innovation in Tourism was awarded by the jury of the Museum of Traditional Crafts in Bojnice called Bencovje grunt , which was opened in the summer season 2020. This renovated 400-year-old house will transport the visitor into another century with its atmosphere. It offers creative original pottery painting, wine tasting in a 400-year-old cellar, dinner cooking, pottery spinning, educational programs for primary schools and experiential teambuilding.

The best tourist product, which annually attracts tens of thousands of tourists not only from the Trenčín region, are rides on the historic railway on the route between Tr. Warm and Tr. Teplice , operated by the non-profit organization Trenčianska elektrická železnica. The tram goes to the tracks during themed rides, ie on various holidays or important anniversaries. During the tourist season, it even runs regularly on weekends and holidays.

In the category of equipment accessible to ŤZP, the jury awarded the Meridian Pension in Bojnice. The pension offers unique accommodation near Bojnice Castle and the spa town center. For the most part, it is barrier-free, and therefore it is a suitable accommodation place for the severely disabled.

"The main idea of the regional tourism organization is to support and make visible the best we have in our region. And it is the annual professional selection of the elite in tourism that will help not only to raise the profile of those who belong to the top in their field, but also to motivate all other entities to constantly improve, " said the chairman of KOCR Trenčín region Juraj Gerlici.

After the successful 4th year of TOP in tourism, which presented many successful personalities and projects, KOCR Trenčín region is already preparing the next year. As part of the 5th round of the competition, in the TOP gastro category, nominations for popular gastronomic facilities are currently underway. It is possible to nominate facilities until 30.11.2021. Subsequently, from 1.12. until 31 December 2021, online voting will be launched on the KOCR Trenčín region website.

In Trenčín 11.11.2021

Text: PG