Slow Tourism: what is the form of tourism for slow travellers

What is slow tourism

If you are looking for a slow tourism definition, consider it is a way of traveling often identified as sustainable tourism that focuses on experience (slow, profound, which allows you to fully immerse yourself in the ecosystem of the place that hosts you) and sustainability (low-impact on the environment).

Basically, slow tourism is the exact opposite of mass tourism and fast tourism: an organization with the aim of discovering typical, non-chaotic places that run away from the most popular destinations, invaded by those who only understand tourism in terms of quantity as “a quick stay”.

Those who decide to experience the world (and tourism) in a Slow way, instead, prefer the quality of the experience, local and low-polluting means of transport such as the bicycle, preferring to eat local products and support small activities and local craftsmen.

In this way, the Slow Traveller enhances the uniqueness of the place and its culture over the standardization that characterizes so many of the most booked destinations in the world each year.

Define Slow tourism: a little bit of history

Since then, the idea of slowness as a need to taste, to savour, to stop and dive into the experience, has been extended to many other areas such as Tourism.

The principles of the Slow Travel Manifesto

In 2009, furthermore, Nicky Gardner wrote the Slow Travel Manifesto, a model of slow tourism starting from the Conceptual assumptions of Slow Food and Slow Cities, which sums up the key assumptions of slow tourism in 10 fundamental characteristics and set the standards of slow tourism movement:

1. Slow Tourism as a state of mind that begins at home long before the journey
2. Avoiding flights, choosing to use means of transport such as ferries, buses and local trains that increase the connection with the landscape
3. Experiencing the travel to a destination itself as a pleasure and not with impatience
4. Promoting local markets and shops
5. Enhancing the culture in local bars, cafés and bistros
6. Take time to get an idea of the languages and dialects of the places you visit. Learn some local phrases, perhaps through the use of a dictionary or the purchase of a local newspaper
7. Being concerned and respect native communities with curiosity
8. Don’t just follow the advice of the guides, but try living like locals in their daily routine
9. Enjoying the unexpected (late trains, for example, can create new opportunities and discoveries)
10. Doing something to express gratitude to local communities for their hospitality

Some slow tourism examples

According to what we have said – and what we have read in the Slow Travel Manifesto – some stay/travel activities can be considered slow tourism examples, such as:

• Volunteer tourism
• Trekking/Hiking
• Tours and trips by bicycle or with sustainable means of transport
• Backpacking trips
• Roadtrip also with personal car or caravan
• Religious and spiritual tourism
• Cultural tourism
• Food and wine tourism

Promote Slow Tourism with Octorate

Thanks to the Booking Engine (if you don’t know what it is, read the article on What a Booking Engine is) you can put your rooms or apartments up for sale without commission charges and organize in detail a truly authentic and very slow size experience for your customers
You will be provided with notification messages to catch their attention and inform them about the services offered in your accommodation.

In addition, to completely remove all the stress, by connecting one of the available Payment Gateway to the Octorate platform, you will be able to process payments automatically and dedicate yourself to all those activities of welcoming and taking care of the guests that you will never be able to automate ( luckily!).

Frequently asked questions

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