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Slovenia is regarded as a nation which has prioritized green innovations, social responsibility, and its commitment to sustainable development. Although Slovenia's environmental achievements have received national visibility, local awareness of its social sustainability initiatives has been limited. This study examined perspectives and satisfaction levels among residents regarding Slovenia's social sustainability achievements and associated sustainable development goals (4, 10, and 16). Utilizing a survey, these perceptions were assessed among respondents from three distinct regions-Ljubljana, Novo Mesto, and Koper, respectively. Frequency tests indicated that quality education, ethnic integration, and effective governance/partnerships were perceived as being important to achieving social sustainability. From a Chi-square analysis, a positive correlation was revealed between educational level and knowledge of national sustainability initiatives. A Spearman's rho test showed that age had an influence on satisfaction with ethnic integration. The study provides insights into the social sustainability perspectives of Slovene society and offers implications for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intense tourism initiatives currently being implemented at the national level in Romania have the potential to rejuvenate the country's rural economies. Although the national goal to utilize tourism as an economic development strategy in rural areas is both viable and timely, it is crucial for the Romanian government to adopt sustainable rural tourism practices incorporating local community-identified needs and viewpoints relating to tourism development. This article elucidates one such attempt at identifying the needs and concerns of a cross-section of community stakeholders, from the Orastie region of Romania, regarding appropriate forms of tourism development in their community and surrounding areas. In early 2004, a series of community meetings and focus groups was held in Orastie, as part of an NGO-facilitated rural tourism consultation project for the region. Although the local governments and community members of the area were highly enthusiastic regarding Ora.stie's tourism potential, no clear guidance for sustainable tourism development was available until a tourism planning framework was developed by the consultation team. From this study, it may be inferred that, for successful sustainable rural tourism development to occur, it is vital for local governments to enhance local empowerment through involvement of community members in the tourism planning and decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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