In 1986, McDonald’s appeared in Rome’s Piazza di Spagna creating a wave of protests in advocacy of slow-food. Carlo Petrini and a group of activists founded the slow food movement in response to the rising fast food culture which threatened the traditional culinary practices. An outgrowth of this movement is #SlowTourism. Eventually it emerged as a new form of tourism during the 1990s with the birth of the Cittaslow movement. Certified alternative destinations were provided to promote a slower pace of life and travel.
Like fast food which is easy and fast to get, fast tourism also focuses on a tightly packaged tour with as many places as possible covered in a short period of time. It only covers the most popular spots with limited exposure to local culture and environment. Slow tourism on the other hand, encourages tourists to spend more time at a given location, connect with the community, explore regional food, off-beat places and simply spend more time to absorb the essence of every place.
An interesting case study is the Cittaslow town of Orvieto, Italy. The word literally means “slow city”. The focus was preservation of the local identity while promoting sustainable development. Orvieto thus encouraged the tourists to engage with the cultural heritage, local cuisine and history at a slow pace. It increased tourism revenue and allowed both growth and preservation. Another instance is The Way of St. James, Spain. Tourists in this old pilgrimage route are encouraged to walk or cycle and explore the route in detail. Spending a longer time allows greater familiarity.
We have discussed the detrimental effect of mass tourism in our previous #ThemeOfTheMonth post. Slow Tourism remains one of the viable alternatives to ensure sustainability.
Source: Mize, Wikipedia
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