The information point was opened by the organisers of World Cup biathlon races in Pokljuka and the local authorities in Bled and the neigbouring lake resort of Bohinj.

Together with the local partners, the organisers of the IBU World Championships Biathlon 2021 would like to present Pokljuka to tourists in Bled as a venue for international biathlon events in the heart of the Triglav National Park.

“The information point gives visitors to Bled the opportunity to get acquainted with what will be happening in 2021 and where. All information about the championships and Pokljuka will be available here,” Borut Nunar, the IBU race director World Cup, said at the opening ceremony.

The information point will be part of the Infocenter Triglavska Roža Bled, which provides tourists in Bled with information about local events. It is visited by around 50,000 tourists every year.

Tomaž Rogelj, the director of the local tourist office Turizem Bled, said at the opening that sport was one of the pillars of the local tourism strategy. “Sport is at home in Bled and we encourage it. We will be very happy to welcome the visitors of the world championships, because they have a positive attitude towards nature, which we promote through sustainable tourism,” Rogelj said.

The desire for good cooperation between the hosts and local communities was also expressed by Bohinj Mayor Jože Sodja, who said that “biathlon has its home at Pokljuka and we are happy that the championships will be held there. I don’t doubt that the project will be a success.”

Pokljuka, which has been a host of major international biathlon events for more than 20 years, is expected to be visited by around 135,000 people from all around the world during the championships, scheduled to take place between 10 and 22 February 2021.

The event is a great opportunity for promotion but also a major organisational challenge, and the organisers have committed themselves to organising the event in a sustainable way as Pokljuka is the only biathlon venue located in a national park.

“We are happy with the commitment to sustainable development of tourism. Together with the organisers we will make sure that the use of motor vehicles and the environmental impact is reduced to a minimum,” Majda Odar of the Triglav National Park said at the opening.