What is slow tourism?

 

Few people will be surprised by a photo next to the Eiffel Tower, but the experience of a two—week life in Paris is quite enough. This is the main idea of slow tourism, or slow tourism: to chase not the number of sights seen, but the quality and fullness of the rest.

At the origins of slow tourism are the terms “slow city” (cittaslow) and “slow food” (slow food). The first appeared as a counterbalance to megacities full of technological progress and hustle, and the second — as a protest against fast food. The “Manual on slow cities” was invented in the Italian Greve in 1999. At the same time, 54 principles were developed that improve life in the city: preference for local food and goods, “green” transport and environmentally friendly products, protection of historical sites, etc. In 2001, 28 Italian cities had already embarked on the slow path. And now there are about a hundred slow cities in the world — they are members of the Cittaslow town organization.

In part, slow tourism is due to ecological and ethical reasons: local residents, cultural monuments and ecosystems suffer from the huge flow of tourists in cities. Trying to stop this flow is one of the goals of slow tourism. Therefore, it involves using a bicycle or walking, as well as buying groceries at local shops — in order not to leave a carbon footprint and invest in the economy of the region. In this it is similar to ecotourism.