SLOW TOURISM SEMINAR

SLOW TOURISM SEMINAR
Stefano Dall'Aglio
ECONSTAT
Strategies for the Travel Industry
Bled, (SLO)
November 2011
2
Contents
1. What is “Slow”?
2. The concept of Experience
3. Slow in tourism
4. The profile of Slow tourist
5. The CASTLE model: some guidelines
6. Best practices of Slow Tourism
The reproduction is prohibited without the permission of the author.
Using this material, even partially, the author and the programme which financed its realization
must be cited "SLOW TOURISM Project. European cross-border Programme Italia-Slovenia 20072013"
1. WHAT IS SLOW?
Slow compared to what?
The concept of time
 In ancient cultures and philosophies time is cyclic:
- It is the slow wheel of rebirth and renovation of nature
- Sense of return, not loss anxiety
 In Western societies time is linear:
- It Proceeds one-way
- If you do not use it, you miss it
5
Time: a scarce resource
 It is a concept derived from industrial
revolution
- It is the measure of exchange of labor
- Quantitative dimension
- Productivity
 Soon become
the main concept of
social and invidual life of modern
society
- Being finite, it is the very scarce resource
 A world obsessed by:
- Quantity  more choices
- Speed  make more in less time
Speed vs.Slowness
 Speed is based on a
quantitative way of life:
- "Fast is better than slow"
- "To have more choices is
better than few. Thousands
is optimal"
 Speed:
- Is funny
- Is easy
- Is dynamic
- Is "sexy"
- Distraction from the very
important questions and
issues
 Cultural taboo against
slowness
- "Slow" = lazy, slacker, stupid
- Someone who gives up
- Someone who is behind the
others;
- Slowing down = being
excluded
- Slowing down is not
necessarily pleasant
7
Which is the mainstream?
Spot Mercedes Benz C63
Watch it at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwHeO1XuNkM
Some Comments from webblogs:
Encourage this irresponsible use
of the car makes me pretty sick.
Perfectly fitted. To prefer a race car to a
trip to Venice perfectly represents the low
cultural level of the client whom this car
is thought for .
Criticisms start  the Green Way

Early '70s: first "strong" signals
against speed culture and its
consequences:
There is more to life than increasing
its speed. Gandhi
- Consumism
- Growing anxiety
- Social differentials
- Denied rights
- Enviromental deterioration
”lentius, profundius, suavius” (slower, deeper, sweeter)
instead of
"citius, altius, fortius” (faster, higher, stronger)
Alexander Langer, 1994
co-founder of Italian Green Party first President the
Green Group in the European Parliament.
Stop the world!! I want
to get off!!
Mafalda, Quino, 70's
When I'm ridin' round the world
and I'm doin' this and I'm signing that
and I'm tryin' to make some girl
I can't get NO SATISFACTION
The Rolling Stones, 1965
The sweet traveller
... We must learn to cross:
from many to few kilowatt-hours
 from a super-power artificial nutrition to one more equitable
and more compatible with ecological and social balance
 from supersonic speed to more human and less energy
consuming timing and rhythms
 from too much heat and polluting waste to a cycle more
harmoniously with nature
 from the search of exceeding limits to a new respect for them
 from a civilization of artificial things to a rediscovery of
simplicity and frugality.

Il viaggiatore leggero, Scritti 1961-1995, Alexander Langer, Sellerio editore, 2011
10
The tensions towards Quality of Life
“The degree of slowness is
directionally proportional to the
intensity of memory. The degree of
speed is directionally proportional to
the intensity of forgetting.”
Milan Kundera, The Book of
Laughter and Forgetting "1995

Quality has become more
important as response to:
- Deterioration of environmental
conditions (traffic, pollution, etc.)
- Massification
- Artificialization
- Globalization
In times of an uncertain future,
growth and prosperity are no longer
the main goals. There has been a
change in values among people. The
goal of maximizing money has been
replaced by increasing
one’s quality of life.
H.W. Opaschowski (Director Stiftung
für Zukunftsfragen ), 2009
11
The Society for Deceleration of Time (Austria)
www.zeitverein.com
12
In search of wellbeing
 The key is the level of
satisfaction and wellbeing
which each person is able to
generate for himself
- If this is high, everything is done
better
- Slowing down in the right
moments, is possible:
• to eat better, to work better, to learn better,
…….. to live better
- Motivation increases work
productivity more than money
13
More satisfaction from few choices
 Also too many choices have some contraddictions…
Barry Schwartz (1946) is an American psichologist
•
Professor of Socal Theory and Social Action
In 2004 he published the book "The paradox of choice: why
More is Less"
•
The general thesis of the book is that more choices do not
necessarily mean better opportunities or more
satisfaction for customers.
Watch his speech at (subtitles available in different languages):
www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice.html
14
Marketing questions
 In a context of over-exceeding supply, offer Less
(in a more specialized way) could be more
effective than offer More (in a generalistic way)?
- Focus/Specialization vs. Generic
15
A "new" Way of Life
 Living Slowly
- Stop meaning to loose time,
but ...
- More awareness
- A better relationship with
oneself and the others
- A deeper experience
-
 "Slow" becomes a positive
mood/approach
"Slow" does not only mean doing
things in more time, but taking
time to reflect on what one is
doing and willing to do
Slow Movement
 From here the International Slow Movement takes life
 Goals:
- Take the right tempo
- Reacting against speed and perpetual hurry
- Reduce choices
- Enjoying life’s pleasures
- Increase quality of life
- Spread out the philosophy of positive slowing down
- At the limit: Happy Decrease
• the correlation between economic growth and prosperity is not
necessarily positive
• Criticism of GDP as the only quantitative index of prosperity
17
Slow Planet
www.slowplanet.com
Carl Honore: In Praise of Slowness: How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the Cult of Speed
(HarperCollins, 2004)
18
Slowness in Action
Slowing the pace  natural time
 Conscious consumption  Focusing on the essentials
 Reducing the ecological footprint
 Avoid waste and loss  Savings and demand reduction
 Focus energy on what is important and useful
 Self-production
 Recovery of the lost "know how"
 Govern the time, the environment, the activities, the
relationships, the quality of the results
 Develop relationships with the others
 Develop exchange that do not necessarily pass through the
market

19
By exploring the "margins" of slowness, you encounter those
pockets of supposedly "minor" culture that are alive in the
memories of old people, typical of civilizations that have not yet
become frantic—traditions that guide the vital work of good,
clean, and fair producers and that are handed down after
centuries of empiricism and practical skill
Júlio Mendes, University of Algarve
Slow Food

Started in Italy in 1989, now spread all over the world:
- more than 100,000 members in 150 countries
- 1,300 "condotte", the local branches

A network of 2,000 communities
- practice a small-scale, sustainable, quality food production

The Slow Food philosophy:
- "The defense of quiet material pleasure and slow against the universal
folly of Fast Life"

Principles:
- GOOD a fresh and flavorsome seasonal diet that satisfies the senses and
is part of our local culture;
- CLEAN food production and consumption that does not harm the
environment, animal welfare or our health;
- FAIR accessible prices for consumers and fair conditions and pay for
small-scale producers.

The boom in organic farming and the rebirth of local
markets is a fallout of this philosophy
www.slowfood.com
Slow Cities

Born in 1999 in Italy, now spread throughout the
world
- Over 150 cities in over 20 countries around the world

The goal is to broaden the philosophy of Slow
Food
- to the local community
- to the government of the city, applying the concepts of
eco-gastronomy to the practice of everyday life

Principles:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Implement an environmental policy
Implement a coherent infrastructural policy
Promote the use of technologies
Encourage the production and use of foodstuffs
Safeguard autocthonous production
Promote the quality of hospitality
Promote awareness among all citizens
www.cittaslow.org
Slow school
…..
In advising you to think about slowing down and limiting your structured activities,
I do not mean to discourage you from high achievement, indeed from the pursuit
of extraordinary excellence, in your chosen path.
But you are more likely to sustain the intense effort needed to accomplish first-rate
work in one area if you allow yourself some leisure time, some recreation, some
time for solitude, rather than packing your schedule with so many activities that
you have no time to think about why you are doing what you are doing.
…..
The full text at:
http://people.seas.harvard.edu/~lewis/SlowDown2004.pdf
Slow Medicine
Traditional medicine
− is setting new paradigms that refer to the Slow
Food philosophy
Increasing turning to alternative and
complementary medicine using lighter
and more holistic healing techniques
− Homeopathy, Acupuncture, Massage, Relaxation, etc.
Slow Medicine Manifesto:
− Simple: More does not mean better
Sophrologie (developed in
the '60s):
-
-
− Respectful: Values, expectations and needs of people
are different and inviolable
− Right: Appropriate and quality cures for everybody
-
SOS = serenity, harmony
PHREN = spirit, consciousness
LOGOS = science, study
The science of the harmony of
the consciousness and the
values of existence.
In medicine: to reduce the
Medicine and Drug Abuse.
24
Slow Marketing
Pete Blackshaw, executive VP of Nielsen Online Digital Strategic Services
June 2009
www.adage.com/article/digital-columns/digital-time-a-movement-slow-marketing/137644/
Principles:
1. Put the consumer first
2. Back to the listening backyard
3. Conversational sustainability
4. Build brand credibility
5. Create the hub first
6. Pick your battles
Slow Sex
The San Francisco Weekly
Wikipedia
(The Slow-sex movement)… encourages
greater emotional awareness,
connected relationships, sense of
fulfillment and intensity of focus
26
Slow Living&Traveling
 Every week in the
Travel section of "La
Repubblica"
- Carlo Petrini
(founder of Slow
Food)
27
Slow Hotel: A pavillion at the Fair of Interiors

Meeting with experts of:
- Feng Shui
- Sophrologie
- Colour-Therapy
28
Advice Sections in Women Magazines
www.cordelia.it
The 10 rules:
 Do less
 Be present
 Log out
 Focus on people
 Appreciate the nature
 Eating slowly
 Drive slowly
 Find pleasure in doing
nothing
 Be Single-tasking
 Breathe
Slow Movement
www.slowmovement.com
 It would represent the reference website of Slow Movement
- Sections: travels. Food, cities, school, books, money…

Bt it seems not active since some years
Slowear (a case of "slowashing"?)
www.slowear.com
2. THE CONCEPT OF
EXPERIENCE
More involved, more happy
The evolution of values and the hierarchy of needs
“DREAM SOCIETY”
SELF-ACTUALISATION
ESTEEM
SERVICES
AFFILIATION
Tangibles
PRODUCTS
Intangibles
EXPERIENCE
SAFENESS
COMMODITIES PHYSIOLOGIC
Pine & Gilmore, The Experience Economy , 1998
A.Maslow, Motivation and Personality, 1954
33
The Experience Economy
 In this advanced phase of development the product is
the experience (feelings, sensations)
 The new goal of enterprises:
- Create the conditions for creating memorable moments
and triggering emotions for their guests
- The new value added is the "transformation value" of the
experience
• i.e. the capacity of produce a change in the guest's feeling, able to let
him/her go different from how he/she was previously
 This concept has largely influenced tourim industry in
the last decade
Need for staging?
 The construction of the experience need a
re-organization of the "playground"
- Passive tourist
• limited need for "representation"
- Active/involved tourist
• Increasing role of elements and organized process for triggering
the involvement of guests
35
Managing the Customer Experience
Guests
Satisfied
Loyal
Passionate
 from CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
- Focused on product,prices, internal processes
 to CEM (Customer Experience Management)
- Focused on dreams, needs and expectations of guests
 Designed and control of the experience
Staged experiences
 An increasing number
of attractions use Experience
Design (both HW/SW):
- Theme parks
- Design hotels
- Restaurants (spaces and dishes)
- Entertaiments
 New competences are required:
- psicology, cognitive sciences, theatre, environment,
information science, etnography, land architecture,
storytelling, service design, etc., etc.
Fattori che influiscono sull’esperienza
Orari di apertura
Temperatura
Rumori
Location
Ricordi
Personale di
servizio
Servizi ristorativi
Storytelling
Parcheggi
Illuminazione
Prezzi
Comfort
Accessibilità
Affollamento
Code
Shopping
Toilette
Esposizione
Sicurezza
Igiene
Informazione
Guide
Atmosfera
An Overnight
Basic
Customer Needs
Evoluted
Premium
Theme room in a
design hotel
In the different situations,
Value-for-money is
unchanged for the client
experience
Room in a
branded hotel
Price
Standard room in
a family-run hotel
Pension/
Formule 1
Market
service
product
commodity
Undifferentiated
Competitive Position
Differentiated
39
A brand of the Experience Economy
Our Mission
Our Values
WE FULFILL DREAMS THROUGH THE
EXPERIENCES OF MOTORCYCLING
TELL THE TRUTH.
BE FAIR.
KEEP YOUR PROMISES.
RESPECT THE INDIVIDUAL.
ENCOURAGE INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY.
It takes more than just building
and selling motorcycles
to fulfill the dreams
of our customers.
It takes
unforgettable experiences.
The secret to our enduring brand and the passion it ignites in
our riders, it’s that we deliver experiences, rather than merely
a collection of products and services.
And we’re dedicated to creating experiences and developing
relationships with all of our stakeholders – customers,
employees, investors, suppliers, governments and society.
That’s what sets Harley-Davidson apart from the crowd and
why our brand strength is legendary.
These are our values.
They are the heart of how we run our business.
They guide our actions and serve as the
framework for the decisions.
The company fosters these values by actively
communicating their importance and
encouraging employee involvement and
development. We believe that our business
will be most successful if we tap the
contributions of each of our people.
Employees are the engine of our performance
and the foundation of the Company’s success.
Demand for “experience”
- Follow passions, hobbies,
specific interests
- Learn unusual know-hows
- Find the self
- Help the others, the
environment
- Do things “out of the ordinary”
INTANGIBLE
VALUES
New skills are required
 Work on quality
 Add value and uniqness
 Create & tell stories
 Control and plan the “stage”
 Transfer competencies
Manage the destination
+
New professional skills
Staging the
experience in the
destination
A new generation of tourism products
experiences
Total involvement
Theme Itineraries/
Theme packages
Traditional tour
City break
services
B. The Amish Experience
 Duration : 5 days
except on Sunday
 Authentic experience
 Free choice in the
activities to join
 Multi-level individual
involvment
Destination Dutch Country: dining,
working and living with the
fascinating Amish community
Offered by a Local tour operator
B. Peru: ‘textile experience’
Special programs that combines:
 sharing with Quechua
community
 learning their life-style
 learning their textile
techniques, using natural
dyes according to ancestral
family traditions
Duration: 4 days
Offered by a local Tour Operator
Guests want to feel like locals
(at least temporarily)
da Josiah Mackenzie, BTO 2010
46
Like a local
www.spottedbylocals.com
Travel guides and iPhone apps
in 38 European cities with
updated advices by local
"spotters" (writers)
www.like-a-local.com
Sales of excursions and local
activities
47
Concierge Approach
Engaging and helping guests (potential and actual)
 To become the best guide to the city/area

- Email each guest before arrival about their plans
- Assemble a customized list of suggestions
- Build custom itineraries for each guest
- Real time "mobile" help to the guests in the area
Based on "The Concierge Approach to Content Marketing", Josiah Mackenzie,
www.hotelmarketingstrategies.com
48
Concierge Approach

Brainstorm with the concierge
- “What were the most common questions you were asked by guests?”
Some guest-centered destination topics:
−
How to Move Like a Local
−
How to Save on Popular Area Attractions and Activities
−
Unexpected Places to Experience the area's Unique Culture
−
Where’s the Wi-Fi? (Guide to Free Internet Accesses)
−
Apps concerning the Area
−
Why Visitors Love the Area (interviews/letters from the guests)
−
Sitting Down with the Owner of [City’s] Popular [Restaurant/Spa/Club/Destination]
−
Things You Can’t Find Anywhere Outside of the Area
Based on "The Concierge Approach to Content Marketing", Josiah Mackenzie,
www.hotelmarketingstrategies.com
Marketing questions
What does it mean use Experience Design in
traditional destinations?
− Increasing guest involvement vs. Loosing authenticity
50
Two macro-concepts with much in common
SLOW
EXPERIENCE
Emotion
Quality
Committment
Reflection
Care
Respect
Memory
Availability
Autenticity
Unicity
Deepness
Relations
Connections
Exchange
Values
Environments
ChipConley
Involvement
Intagibility
Design
Organization
3. SLOW IN TOURISM
52
“Most vacations are so stressful nowadays.
It starts with the journey by plane or car, then you rush
around seeing as many sights as possible.
You check your email in an Internet café, you watch
CNN or MTV on the hotel television.
You use your mobile to check in with friends or
colleagues back home.
And then at the end you return more tired than when
you left.”
Slow Transports and Slow Tourism
“The trail is the thing, not
the end of the trail.
Travel too fast and you
miss all you are traveling
for.”
Louis L'Amour
Transport
Transport as
Tourism
In a first phase
"Slow" refers mainly
to the mean of
transport used
Slow Tourism =
Slow Travel
Transport for
Tourism

−
−
−
−
−
−
Urban Walk
Trekking
Mountain Bike
Ciclying
Kayak
Sailing
Features
− Part of the experience
− Chosen and Operated by the
client
− Itinerary planned in autonomy
− Self comprehension of places
and cultures
Typology of
Tourist
Active
Transport
Tourist
− Boating
(sea/rivers/canals)
− Historic trains
− Double decks
− Car tour
− Ballooning
− Coach tour
− Guided City walking
tour
− Part of the experience
− Chosen and planned by a
Tourist Agent
− Chosen by the client but
Planned and Operated by a
TA
− Organization
− Places and cultures
interpreted by a TA
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
− To reach the destination
− Limited choices
− Trip lived positively
Positive
Transport
Tourist
− To reach the destination
− Limited choices
− Trip hardly tolerated
Reluctant
Transport
Tourist
Plane
Inter city-rail
Ship/Ferry
Train
Taxi
Bus
Car
Passive
Transport
Tourist
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An extended vision
D’una città non ti godi le sette o
settantasette meraviglie, ma la
risposta che dà a una tua domanda.
O la domanda che ti pone
obbligandoti a rispondere..”
Local
Community
Tourism
Suppliers
Environment
Guest
Italo Calvino, Le città invisibili, 1972
Interact with the destination,
the environment,
the people living and working there
IT IS A NEW PRODUCT?
56
Definitions in Environmental Tourism
 Sustainable Tourism
- Development of a model of tourism that can assure
different and long term benefits for all the involved
subjects: the community and the local environment, the
tourist operators and the tourists.
 Responsible Tourism
- It considers the central role of the local community and its
right to be protagonist in the sustainable and socially
responsible development of its territory
- Works encouraging the positive interaction between
tourism industry, local people and travellers.
Definitions in Environmental Tourism
 Ecoturism
- Travels to discover fragile, wild and usually protected (often
exotic) areas, based on minimizing the impact and basati
sulla minimizzazione. dell'impatto and on a small scale
(alternative to mass tourism).
- Has ethic goals: educating the traveller, strengthening the
respect toward different cultures and human rights, creating
fundings for the environment conservation and the local
development.
58
Definitions in Environmental Tourism
 Active Tourism
- Travel that requires a physical and/or mental involvment of
the traveller (alternative to passive tourism), based on
sustainability, protection of biodiversity and cultural
conservation.
- Important elements are: combination of entertainment and
education (edutainment), of observation and respect, of
action-excercise and interaction, of information and
deepening.
 Slow Tourism?
"Relearning the art of traveling"
 Slow Tourism includes a philosophy of traveling :
- Creation of a personal deeper relation with local
environments
- Understanding the local community, its history, culture and
values
- Experienced at a pace allowing to live unexpected surprises
and simple pleasures
- Made with means of transport which favourite the exchange
(walk, bycicle, local transports, boats, etc.)
 It's a "style" of traveeling which:
- Shares elements with ecotourism
- Focalizing on relax, genius loci, and "transformation" (living
memorable experiences)
60
Slow Tourism vs. Evironmental products
Turismo sostenibile
Ecoturismo
Turismo responsabile
Turismo attivo
61
CASTLE: The dimensions of Slow Tourism
The study assessed
that a Slow Tourism
experience (supply,
demand), must
satisfy the following
dimensions
EMOTION
LENGTH
TEMPO
SUSTAINABILITY
Contamination
Authenticity
Sustainability
Tempo
Length
Emotion
AUTHENTICITY
CONTAMINATION
62
The dimensions of Slow Tourism
 Contamination:
‐ It deals with the capability to create fruitful opportunities of exchange
between people
‐ The relationships to be considered are in particular between:
‐ the guest and the local people (not only autochthonous)
‐ the guest and the tourism supply
‐ the guests
 Authenticity:
‐ It deals with the capability to create and offer an experience
Characterized, Non artificial, Strongly connected with culture and local
traditions
‐ emphasize the differences, pointing out to the guest that he couldn’t be anywhere
else but in that place, with all its peculiarities (more or less pleasant)
‐ use of local elements
63
The dimensions of Slow Tourism
 Sustainability:
‐ It deals with the impact of the tourism activity on the local
environment (in broad sense: natural and cultural)
- Need of a long term sustainable approach, i.e. ecologically light,
economically convenient, ethically and socially fair toward the guest and the
local community.
 Tempo:
‐ It deals with the capacity of taking (the organization) and giving (to
the guest) the right time to understand and act properly
‐ Dedicate time to analyze, understand, plan quality improvements (for the
customers and the employees)
‐ Strategic orientation and medium-long termed planning
‐ Time opening of the services, offering the guest a comfortable and in step
with his time experience.
64
The dimensions of Slow Tourism
 Length:
‐ It deals with the capability to organize and deliver "slow" tourism
products,
‐ non-massified, to be lived comfortably, able to involve the guest in an involving
experience with the destination
‐ reducing quantity; focusing on quality of the stay
 Emotion:
‐ It deals with the capability of (creating the conditions for) generating
memorable moments for the guest , that marks him/her by a true
involving and gratifying experience
Dimensions of the experience
Potential Attractions of the destination
Tempo
FAST
Primary attractions /"highlights"
S
L
O
W
Dimensions of experience:
− Base: Number of visited attraction
− Height: Average time dedicated to each attraction
− Area: Length of stay
What does change is not the overall duration,
but the way of living the destination
A deeper experience:
in the same time, less things, better
Extension and Repetition of visits
Tempo
Potential Attractions of the destination
S
L
O
W
S
S
L
L
O
O
W
W
S
attrazioni
primarie
S /"highlights"
S
L
O
W
L
O
W
L
O
W
S
L
O
W
SLOW
1. More attraction played extension to "secundary"
resources
2. More opportunities to repeat the visit
67
Whic are the slow product?
Individual
river
Nautical
tourism
beauty&
wellness
Passive
rural
ecotourism
nature
tourism
trekking
horse riding
city break
winter
mountain
relax
mountain
cruise
entertainment
Sun&beach
Mass
ciclying tourism
wine&food
Active
68
Slow products vs. Slow activities
 There are tourism products that are “naturally slow”,
- originally thought/addressed to a slow living/natural pace
- Nature tourism, Cycling, Trekking, Horse riding, River
tourism, etc.
 This doen’t mean that other products can not be slow
as well:
- it depends on the way one offers/lives his stay
- It is possible to live experiences and/or to do slow activities
even in traditional tourism products not slow in principle
69
Project goals
Developing slow tourism
products
1.
-
to be chosen as the main reason
for travelling
Developing slow activities
2.
-
able to integrate and make more
value to a traditional vacation in
the area
70
A “special” tourist …

The “slow” traveller:
- Has little to do with the well-organized mass tourist, that
depends on well-organized routes and places, where familiarity
and reassurance dominate.
- Prefers quality over quantity.
- Emphasizes the travel more than the stay.
- Likes new things, taking care of himself, discovering simple
relationships, in touch with the culture in the destination.
- In the destination, he looks for authentic elements, situations
and objects rich in symbolic value.
- Respect the environment
- Wants to learn, looks for cultural excitement, even if he doesn’t
mind calmness and fun (but not banal).
- Likes to discover different life styles, whose values remain in his
ordinary life.
71
… for a different supply

The “slow” operators:
- Do not simply produce service, but also emotions
- Know, deepen and emphasize the themes of history/literature
-
-
-
and of local culture/tradition/environment.
Are curious, enthustiastic supporter of authenticity: they avoid
shortcuts, trivializations of contents, standardizations.
In structuring “slow” services, they use competent staff to build
true information and involving experiences.
Take care of their guests, give them advice and help them
throughout their stay, establish non superficial relationships with
them.
Have, toward their guests, an educational and didactic aim: they
encourage their active involvement through learning and (re-)
discovering of local reality.
Work for a low environmental impact of their activities and care
for sustainability and safeguard of local environment.
Many company leaders in
Travel & Tourism are taking
proactive measures to:
- Reduce the emissions
- Increase environmental quality in
destinations
- Help destinations in mitigating the
negative effects of climate change
73
A good product for mountain regions
"Mountain regions should invest in the growing interest is softer
forms of tourism and in the development of short-haul holidays.
Slow tourism can be one way for Alpine tourism to offer a wider
range of tourism products and to protect the natural
environment."
R. Matos, Can Slow Tourism bring New Life to Alpine Regions?,
2005 in:
4. THE PROFILE OF SLOW
TOURIST
75
Profile of the interviewee
Gender
Age (average = 42 years)
Education
Occupation level
76
Profile of the interviewee
Place of origin
Fellow travellers
Stay (days)
Reason
77
Main reason for the stay
EmiliaRomagna
Reason
Veneto
Friuli Venezia
Giulia
Slovenian
regions
Total
Relax
41,2%
27,1%
31,2%
33,3%
33,3%
Fun
10,3%
10,1%
11,8%
10,8%
10,7%
Culture
19,6%
29,8%
31,7%
16,9%
24,4%
Sport
6,2%
5,9%
5,4%
26,2%
11,0%
Health
7,2%
4,3%
1,6%
2,6%
3,9%
Food and wine
4,6%
14,9%
12,4%
7,2%
9,7%
10,8%
8,0%
5,9%
3,0%
6,9%
100,0%
100,0%
100,0%
100,0%
100,0%
Other
Total
78
Verified favourite activities
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Visiting castles, churches, vernacular buildings, ruins
Visiting nature reserves and park visitor centers
Wildlife viewing (birdwatching, etc.)
Hunting, fishing, harvesting, etc.
Village life and rural life (e.g. farms, Sunday markets, etc.)
Partecipating in music, theatre events, festivals, etc.
Visiting ethno, archaeological, historic museums, etc.
Tasting local products in agritourism or winery
Attending courses in local culture (cuisine, history, art and natural heritage, etc.)
Staying in agritourism, guest rooms, youth hostels, mountain huts, campsite, etc.
Going to a Spa (beauty farms, thermal centers, health, etc.)
Walking, hiking, trekking
Cycling or mountain biking
Horse riding
Practicing water sports (canoeing, windsurfing, water-skiing, swimming, etc.)
Sailing or boating
Practicing air sports (hang-gliding, gliding, ballooning, air tour, etc.)
Practicing winter sports (skidooing, dog sledging, skiing, etc.)
79
Favourite activities
ACTIVITIES
0%
General sightseeing and outdoors,
admiring scenery, etc.
61%
Visiting castles, churches, vernacular
buildings, ruins, etc.
48%
Visiting nature reserves and park visitor
centers
44%
Walking, hiking, trekking
42%
Tasting local products in agritourism or
winery
40%
20%
40%
60%
80%
80
Macro-factors on favourite activities
1.
Practicing sport activities (24% of variance)
- Stay seen as an opportunity to free one’s own energies and to
find one’s own psycho-physical equilibrium practicing sports.
2.
Diving into local life (11% of variance)
- Contact with the local culture and people.
3.
Living the nature (8% of variance)
- Living the nature slowly. Watching wildlife in natural or
protected areas.
4.
Looking at the past (6% of variance)
- Vistiting churches, castles, ruins and museums.
5.
Getting possession of time (6% of variance)
- No use of fast means of transport; choosing accomodation
facilities different from hotels.
81
Profilo A1: Praticare attività sportive
Soggiorno concepito come un’occasione per liberare le proprie
energie e ritrovare l’equilibrio psico-fisico praticando dello sport
Caratteristiche
I
II
III
Sesso
Maschio (2,22)
Età
18-35 anni (2,49)
Istruzione
Laurea (2,27)
Occupazione
Profilo basso (2,21)
Non attivo (2,15)
Profilo alto (2,12)
Area
Slovenia (2,68)
Emilia-Romagna (2,21)
Veneto (2,17)
Residenza
Slovenia (2,34)
Italia (2,20)
Austria-Germ. (2,17)
Permanenza
1 g (2,23)
4-7 gg (2,20)
8-14 gg (2,20)
Struttura
Camping (2,34)
Ostello (2,31)
Alb. 1-2 stelle (2,26)
Compagnia
Solo (2,36)
Amici (2,30)
Partner (2,20)
Motivazioni
Sport (2,55)
Salute (2,32)
Relax (2,19)
36-50 anni (2,21)
Tra parentesi i valori medi su scala 1, per niente gradito - 4, molto gradito
82
Profilo A2: Immersione nel locale
Contatto con la cultura e con la popolazione locale
Caratteristiche
I
II
III
Sesso
Femmina (2,83)
Età
18-35 anni (2,83)
36-50 anni (2,77)
Istruzione
Laurea (2,78)
Diploma (2,75)
Occupazione
Profilo basso (2,76)
Profilo alto (2,76)
Non attivo (2,74)
Area
Slovenia (2,88)
Veneto (2,80)
Emilia-Romagna (2,78)
Residenza
Italia (2,83)
Europa (2,59)
Austria-Germ. (2,59)
Permanenza
1 g (2,82)
2-3 gg (2,78)
4-7 gg (2,78)
Struttura
Bed&breakfast (2,90)
Ostello (2,89)
Agriturismo (2,84)
Compagnia
Famiglia (2,77)
Amici (2,75)
Partner (2,73)
Motivazioni
Salute (2,83)
Enogastronomia (2,79)
Cultura (2,79)
51-65 anni (2,68)
Tra parentesi i valori medi su scala 1, per niente gradito - 4, molto gradito
83
Profilo A3: Vivere la natura
Immersione nella natura con andatura lenta. Osservazione di flora
e fauna in ambienti naturali o protetti.
Caratteristiche
I
II
III
Sesso
Femmina (2,75)
Maschio (2,76)
Età
18-35 anni (2,80)
36-50 anni (2,78)
Istruzione
Laurea (2,82)
Diploma (2,76)
Occupazione
Basso profilo (2,80)
Alto profilo (2,75)
Non attivo (2,71)
Area
Slovenia (2,89)
Emilia-Romagna (2,81)
Fvg (2,70)
Residenza
Italia (2,86)
Slovenia (2,85)
Europa (2,59)
Permanenza
8-14 gg (2,84)
 15 gg (2,81)
4-7 gg (2,73)
Struttura
Casa vacanza (2,95)
Alb. 1-2 stelle (2,85)
Alb. 4-5 stelle (2,75)
Compagnia
Famiglia (2,83)
Amici (2,75)
Partner (2,70)
Motivazioni
Salute (3,07)
Relax (2,85)
Sport (2,80)
 65 anni (2,73)
Tra parentesi i valori medi su scala 1, per niente gradito - 4, molto gradito
84
Profilo A4: Osservare il passato
Visite a chiese, castelli, rovine e musei
Caratteristiche
I
II
III
Sesso
Femmina (3,23)
Età
51-65 anni (3,23)
Istruzione
Laurea (3,25)
Occupazione
Profilo alto (3,21)
Non attivo (3,14)
Profilo basso (3,14)
Area
Fvg (3,25)
Emilia-Romagna (3,19)
Veneto (3,13)
Residenza
Italia (3,22)
Slovenia (3,06)
Austria-Germ. (3,06)
Permanenza
4-7 gg (3,19)
1 g (3,19)
8-14 gg (3,13)
Struttura
Alb. 4-5 stelle (3,29)
Bed&breakfast (3,27)
Alb. 3 stelle (3,23)
Compagnia
Partner (3,21)
Famiglia (3,12)
Motivazioni
Cultura (3,29)
Enogastronomia (3,16)
36-50 anni (3,14)
Tra parentesi i valori medi su scala 1, per niente gradito - 4, molto gradito
85
Profilo A5: Riappropriarsi del tempo
Assenza di mezzi veloci e scelta di strutture ricettive
extralberghiere.
Caratteristiche
I
II
III
Sesso
Maschio (2,88)
Femmina (2,86)
Età
18-35 anni (2,99)
36-50 anni (2,91)
Istruzione
Laurea (2,98)
Occupazione
Profilo basso (2,94)
Non attivo (2,81)
Area
Slovenia (3,20)
Emilia-Romagna (2,88)
Veneto (2,77)
Residenza
Slovenia (3,03)
Italia (2,92)
Austria-Germ. (2,75)
Permanenza
8-14 gg (2,91)
 15 gg (3,89)
4-7 gg (2,86)
Struttura
Agriturismo (3,06)
Bed&breakfast (3,03)
Camping (2,90)
Compagnia
Amici (2,94)
Famiglia (2,91)
Solo (2,86)
Motivazioni
Sport (3,17)
Salute (2,96)
Relax (2,94)
51-65 anni (2,65)
Tra parentesi i valori medi su scala 1, per niente gradito - 4, molto gradito
86
Segments of Slow Tourists
14%
18%
16%
Culture &
Wellness
Mostly women, 51-65 years old, with partner. Educational level:
medium and low. They are in: Emilia-Romagna e Veneto. Place of
origin: Italy. Favourite activities: Visiting art/culture resources;
Museums; Events; Tasting typical products; Courses in local culture;
Going to Spa. Stay: in medium and high level hotel. Typically 1 week
stay.
Curious
about
everything
Mostly women, 18-35 years old (38 on the average), families.
Economic level: medium. They are in: Emilia-Romagna. Place of
origin: Italia. Favourite activities: All, except generic. Stay: in
medium level hotel or apartments. Typically a weekend or 2
weeks stay.
Living the
hinterland
Mostly women, 51-65 years old (45 on the average), with family.
Economic level: high. They are in: FVG. Place of origin: Italy.
Favourite activities: Visiting cultural and natural resources,
wildlife, rural life; Museums; Tasting typical products; Walking.
Stay: in B&B, without board. Typically a weekend or 1 week stay.
87
Segments of Slow Tourists
13%
10%
9%
Discovery &
Movement
Rural
Relax
Very
sporting
51-65 years old (42 on the average), Degree. They are in: FVG.
Place of origin: Austria/Germany. Favourite activities:
Generic/cultural visit; Museums; Trekking, Water sports.
Stay: in medium level hotel (3*); B&B. Typically, 2 weeks stay.
Men, 36-50 years old (42 on the average), Tendentially with
partner. Economic level: medium. They are in: FVG and Slovenia.
Place of origin: Rest of Europe. Favourite activities: Tasting
typical products; Staying in agritourism. Stay: in Agritourism,
B&B, Medium low level hotel. Typically 1 week or long weekend
stay.
Men, 18-35 years old (33 on the average), Students, alone and with
friends. High educational level. They are in: Slovenia. Place of
origin: Slovenia and Austria/Germany. Favourite activities:
Cycling/mountain biking, Water sports, Sailing, Air sports, Winter
sports. Stay: in campsite, B&B. Typically, 1 week stay.
88
Segments of Slow Tourists
12%
9%
Just
Nature
Men, 50+ years old, (45 on the average). High economic level.
They are in: Emilia-Romagna. Place of origin: Tendentially Italy.
Favourite activities: Visiting parks, reserves; Watching wildlife;
Walking/Trekking. Stay: in High and low hotel; Apartment.
Typically, 2 weeks stay or longer.
Total
Relax
Men, 50+ years old, (46 on the average), with partner. Retired.
They are in: Veneto. Place of origin: Rest of Europe and of the
World. Stay: in Agritourism, Low level hotel; Without board.
Typically, 1 week stay.
89
Perceived quality in the project areas

The Slow Tourism cross border area offers a mix of
products that is extremely interesting from the point of
view of variety, significance and quality.

Quality, which is vital for the success of a tourism
product, has been assessed considering:
- Transports
- Promotion
- Safety
- Environment
- Information
- Accomodation supply
- Food and Wine supply
- Accessibility
90
Qualitative performance
POSITIVE (% Excellent)
Friendliness of the local people
33%
Quality of the air
32%
Cleaniness of the local environment
30%
Feeling of security and safety
30%
Quality of information on things to do in the
destination
24%
Range and quality of places to eat and drink
23%
Range and quality of things to do
22%
NEGATIVE (% Very poor + Insufficient)
Standard of transport services
16%
Cleaniness of bathing areas
10%
Value for money in general and of local life
8%
Quality of information on the destination
received pre-arrival
7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
5. GUIDELINES FOR
SLOW TOURISM IN ACTION
92
5.a. General guidelines
(for all the businesses)
93
Non-specific guidelines (for all the businesses)
DIMENSIONS
Contamination
GUIDELINES
- Add the possibility of meeting and active exchange between guests and local
people to the proposed initiatives
- Stimulate – both in loco and online – exchange of experiences, suggestions,
impressions, ratings, between guests
- Keep relations with the customers even after their departure, through both
community (social media, blog, etc.) and one-to-one direct tools
Authenticity
- Provide tourists with supports (i.e.: a small bookstore/mediastore), on culture,
traditions and local environment in general
- Have a list of “experts” in different aspects of the local reality that can be
activated (even through call) to advice/plan characteristic experiences
- Plan meetings (in case periodic) in behalf of the costumers to
present/emphasize typical aspects of the local culture (readings, screenings,
tastings, little performances, art exhibition, etc.)
- Use local manufactures (furniture, furnishings and fittings, images, etc.) and
materials (fabrics, etc.) to furnish the spaces used by the tourist and to dress
the staff
94
Non-specific guidelines (for all the businesses)
DIMENSIONS
GUIDELINES
Sustainability
- Respect the criteria of environmental , energy , economic and social quality. Act for a
regular improvement of ecological/carbon footprint: save energy and contribute to
the production of alternative sources
- Make the guest aware of the ongoing involvement of the enterprise in the
development of a sustainable tourism. Without being intrusive, help him/her to act
coherently. Give suggestions on how to do it
- Communicate to the wide public the achievements in your environmental policy
Time
- Dedicate time to get in touch with customers and to listen to their needs and
curiosities
- Plan periodic meetings with the staff to talk on how to answer more coherently to
customer’s needs and how to improve the working environment
- Plan quality and coherence checks on the delivered services
- Act in the present but plan improvements and interventions in the long-medium term
- Dedicate time to set goals (both quantitative and qualitative) and to check the results
that have been achieved compared to those planned
- Have the whole staff to participate to training /updating courses on how improving
service delivery
- Have the whole staff to be educated in the most peculiar elements of the destination
(traditional events, gastronomy culture, historical/cultural attractions, etc.)
- Dedicate time to choose the partners (in particular, of those who offer “slow” services)
and check their coherency, avoiding ambiguous situations from an ethic, qualitative or
environmental perspective
- Plan the opening time of services so that the customer has adequate time
95
Non-specific guidelines (for all the businesses)
DIMENSIONS
Length
GUIDELINES
- Sensitize the customer’s awareness for a “different” experience of the
destination: slow routes; unusual trips, events and attractions; peculiar
experiences, presented through different kinds of supports (showcase,
blackboard, room TV, folder, etc.)
- Actively promote other local operators (accommodation, transports, restaurants,
guide services, etc.), offering experiences of slow tourism
- Adopt solutions that are appropriate for the fruition of services/ facilities for
customers with reduced mobility (old people, people with deficiency, etc.)
Emotion
- Carefully plan the experiences to be developed (script, setting, organization,
spaces)
- When delivering the experiences, make use of staff able to actively involve the
visitors
- Check the "results through regular surveys on clients
96
5.b Guidelines for specific businesses
97
1. Accommodation
DIMENSIONS
Contamination
GUIDELINES
- Plan periodically at least one evening of socialization, that encourages the exchange between
guests on experiences, suggestions, impressions, things bought, etc.
- Plan little courses/labs (gastronomy, enology, craft, etc.) with the active participation of
guests
- Recommend places and typical events belonging to the culture of the place, that the guest can
go to in order to live an experience like a local
Authenticity
- Use local handicrafts in the courtesy line (i.e.: terracotta dispensers, natural soaps, etc.)
- For breakfast offer food (desserts, cakes, jams, cheese, honey, etc.) made by local producers
- Use breakfast tablecloths that reproduce patterns, environments, local information
Sustainability
- Put containers for the waste separation in the common spaces and, if possible, in the rooms
- Limit the use of single-dose packages in the courtesy line
- Limit the courtesy line to the essential: products can be provided on request
- Limit the adoption/use of the minibar, prefer the room service
Length
- Put on the bedside table some (extract of) books, etc. by authors that wrote and tOLD about
the local reality
98
2. Catering
DIMENSIONS
Contamination
GUIDELINES
- If possible (or in specific occasions), bring together the customers, using common tables
- In specific occasions, provide places where to cook/prepare recipes together, present rituals
and preparations of the local cuisine made by representatives of the local community
Authenticity
- Use typical quality products
- Suggest/encourage the consumption of dishes following the ways linked with the typical
traditions (i.e.: using hands, with a different succession of dishes, with unusual pairings, etc.)
- Show in the places typical wine and food, products and handicrafts, dedicating a short
description about the history/origin of the product and allowing the purchase
Sustainability
- Use typical products that are seasonal and from organic productions
- Use flatware, dishes, glasses, containers that respect the environment (biodegradable, made of
wood, paper, glass, organic material, etc.)
- Do separate collection of garbage for as many materials as possible (organic, glass, plastic,
spent oil, aluminium, paper, batteries, etc.)
- Suggest and encourage the reduction of garbage (unbottled water and wine, doggy-bags, etc.)
99
2. Catering
DIMENSIONS
Time
GUIDELINES
- (Re-)Define the menu periodically inserting seasonal typical products/recipes
- In hotel restaurants, where possible: possibility for the guest to buy typical products outside and
have them cooked
- Plan carefully the graphic layout and the contents of the menu, adding stories, images,
traditions, etc. that may contextualize the products and the recipes
Length
- Add to the menu a “Slow” section that contains dishes that belong to the tradition. Such
section, in case separated from the menu, will have to tell suggestive elements of the
dishes/products (places of production, makings, alternative traditional recipes, curiosities, etc.)
- In the “slow” menu, put (even if only in specific days and/or turns) at least one “long” tasting
menu, made of tastings of different courses that compose a specific “path” (in the local
gastronomy or not)
- Use different supports (menus, walls, tablecloths, furnishings and fittings, etc.), to tell about the
elements linked to the local cuisine and typical products
- The menu stays on the table as long as the meal lasts, to encourage the customer to read and
understand what he/she is eating
Emotion
- The cook/ maître can prepare some courses, both in front of the customer and with his active
participation
- The cook is at customers’ disposal to satisfy their curiosities linked with gastronomic products
and local recipes (origin, history/relation with the territory, secrets for a better
preparation/cooking/presentation)
100
3. Mobility and accessibility
DIMENSIONS
Contamination
GUIDE LINES
- Encourage the use of shared means of transports (i.e.: car sharing)
- With groups, propose dynamics that encourage the exchange and the dialogue among the
travellers
- Encourage the use of means of transports that are also used by the residents
Authenticity
- For internal connections, use means of transport linked to the local history (carts, sledges,
bicycles, etc.) pulled by natural power (humans, animals, etc.)
Sustainability
- Use means of transport and propellers that produce less emissions
- Make sure that spent oils/batteries, tire treads, spare parts in general or other are correctly
scrapped, in order to encourage recycling
- Use organic-ecofriendly products for the cleaning and maintenance of the vehicles
Time
- Plan paths of different difficulty, some not too long, that give priority to the observation of
places
- Provide the means of transports with supports (editorial material, audiovisual, etc.) that
allow the passengers to know better the territory and/or the theme of their travel
- Provide the travellers with supports (GPS tools, tablets, etc.) that can be used during their
movements within the area
- Identify providers/renters of slow means of transport to suggest to the guests
101
3. Mobility and accessibility
DIMENSIONS
Length
GUIDE LINES
- Prepare commercial offers at reduced costs if public means of transport are used to reach
the destination (i.e.: by train, by bus)
- For those who arrive by car: provide appropriate places for cars, or make agreements with
private garages, allowing the gust to live the car and prefer slow means, during the stay
- For little movements, favorite the use of means like rickshaw, tandem, bicycle, skate,
etc., providing them to the guests, also involving local suppliers
- In case of movements that take more than 60 minutes, consider the break as a moment for
personal enrichment
- Equip with means/solutions that allow the access to people with reduced mobility
102
4. Guide, incoming, activities
DIMENSIONS
Contamination
GUIDELINES
- Encourage the interaction between the participants (role assignments, exchange of comments
and suggestions on the visited attractions, etc.)
- During tours/excursions, add meetings with witnesses of the place (artisans, farmers, expert
people in the local culture, etc.) with whom the tourists can actively interact
Authenticity
- Provide tourists , before during and after the visit, with materials useful for a different reading
of the place
- The script and the stage of the tour/experience use autochthonous elements and stories without
trivializing them, caricaturing them, forcing fake/artificial situations
Sustainability
- Sensitize tourists to the respect of the visited places, avoiding behaviors that may damage the
environment (improper clothing, garbage, smoke/alcohol, confusion/noise, no adaptation to
local custom, etc.)
- Avoid too large visit groups
- During tours/excursions favorite the visit of local producers (i.e.: farms, markets, artisan shops,
etc.) and the purchase of their goods/services, so to spread the benefits of tourism within the
local community
Time
- Dedicate time to redefine and/or build ex-novo routes, theme-based routes, stories, experiences
and involving activities
- Get to know better about the history, the material culture, the peculiarities of the place in order to
have elements to add in the experiences, activities and in the services
- Develop connections, relationships, networks between suppliers of activities involved in the “slow”
circuits, in order to make them more aware, proactive and oriented towards the segment
103
4. Guide, incoming, activities
DIMENSIONS
Length
GUIDELINES
- The range of offers must also include some longer than usual ones (i.e.: 3-4 days “full
immersion” in contexts usually visited in 1-2 days)
- The content of the proposed tours/stays depends on the length of stay. In general priority is
given to the deepening rather than the quantity of the visited attraction (e.g.: in the catalogue,
there is a number of focused tours with a reduced number of visited attractions)
- Use specialized guides for each theme that exists in the travel proposal and avoid “generic”
guides/experts. With groups of “advanced” demand, the required specialization level of the
guide increases
- Give the possibility to customize proposals that are also “flexible”, depending on the needs
(of time, contents/interests) of the tourists
- Avoid crowd-pulling situations, instead suggest an original reading/visit, that distinguishes
from the traditional one
- Be prepared to modify/adapt the tour depending on the composition of the group, in
particular in case of people with reduced mobility
Emotion
- Develop a guide-theme for each tour/experience, that will provide the many attractions
and the modalities of the “script” with coherency
- Select and develop the many components of the supply following the structure and the
principles of the storyline/storytelling and coherently with the chosen theme
- Use enthusiastic and competent guides. Enthusiasm and playing are important elements for
enjoy the learning (edu-taiment) and the creation of unforgettable moments
104
5. Promo-communication and information
DIMENSIONS
Contamination
GUIDELINES
- The tourism operator encourages in many ways the customers to write reviews and comments
on their experience; make these comments public – preferably not anonymous –in a
transparent way
- In his promotion, he encourages a presentation of the experience as “neutral” as possible,
using comments and reviews made by other guests and by highly considered
journalists/media
- The “slow” tourism operator is active on the web and particularly on the social media and in
spaces dedicated to slow tourism/living (without exclusively talking about his service)
- The slow enterprise continues the dialogue and the relationships with his guests even after
their stay; if possible, keeps durable relationships alive
Authenticity
- The images used in the “slow” promotion refer to real situations, without using pictures from
other contexts, images banks, models
Sustainability
- In the promo-communication activities, he uses solutions that minimize the environmental
impact (FSC or PEFC marked paper; vegetal inks; local production merchandising, etc.)
- Spread as much promotional material as possible through information supports that allow the
reuse and the print only on request (e-mail, download, pen drive, cd, dvd, etc.)
- The promotional materials always contain also indications of behavior for the tourist towards
plants, animals and local traditions
- In the road signs, minimize the visual pollution using formats, sizes, colors, supports,
materials that are consistent with the context they have been placed
105
5. Promo-communication and information
DIMENSIONS
Time
GUIDELINES
- Dedicate time to ideate and build complete and accurate promotional supports (prefer indepth examination, care, detail, original reading, ethic involvement and avoid banality)
- Dedicate time to gather materials (pictures, books, stories) that may adequately support the
“slow” promotion of the area
- Dedicate time to write all the information pack in at least three languages (depending on the
area and the places of origin of the tourists)
- Give high priority to a friendly and accessible use of technologic supports for all the potential
users (easiness, accessibility standard, etc.)
- The slow operator is available for their clients to provide a service of information and
suggestions on the place (attractions, transports, etc.) even through mobile services (social
media, chat, etc.)
Length
- In all the actions of internal and external promo-communication, the tourist is made aware of
the involvement of the destination in the development of the “slow” tourism
- In the tourist information offices, there's a person who knows everything about the local
“slow” opportunities
- In the destination website/portal exists a specific section dedicated to the “slow” tourism
that identifies resources, routes, activities and operators
- The website is organized in order to have different progressive levels to deepen the
information, depending on the user/tourist’s needs to know (more details, wider and more
complete routes, attached materials, etc.)
- Encourage the preparation of the “slow” travel in the area by the traveller, making materials
on the destination available on the website (pres., films, music, images, documents, etc.)
- Develop solutions to give information based on mobile technologies that may facilitate a
richer experience of the local reality (both specific sites and destination)
106
6. Destination Management
DIMENSIONS
GUIDELINES
Contamination
- The “slow” tourist management tends to prefer: networks between operators; exchange
between tourists; meetings between tourists and local people; involvement of the local people
in the local tourism field. The DMO activities constantly tend to support this articulated system
of relationships
Authenticity
- Working in the “slow” segment means opposing to standardization, globalization and
trivialization, at least in those companies/activities – necessarily selected – that join the
network
- The “digging”, the finding, the confirmation of typically autochthonous elements become not
only a factor of differentiation towards alternative destinations but also the “nourishment” of
the stories and experiences that turn into tourism products
Sustainability
- A “slow” destination is deeply involved in sustainability (as local community and towards
guests) and in the reduction of environmental impact. The systematic improvements in this
sense must be monitored and certified in the many areas of the tourism field
Time
- The development of the “slow” product is complex; it requires time and a constant guide action
from the tourism management/marketing subject
- The “slow” approach doesn’t depend much on the “physical" or organizational requirements,
but on the people of the supply system, on their active involvement, enthusiasm, qualification.
Working on these factors requires training, report work, longer time of realization
- The “slow” product is first of all an educational product: it works on persistence
107
6. Destination Management
DIMENSIONS
Length
GUIDELINES
- Being “slow” is a value: use the “slow” product as an element for the positioning and the
differentiation of one’s own tourism supply
- Plan solutions, services and routes for the “slow” tourism and for people with reduced mobility
in the tourist-territorial planning
- Develop forms of alternative tourist capacity based on natural solutions (mountain huts,
treehouses, sleeping in straw, etc.)
- Plan some crowd-pulling events based on the “slow” philosophy (unbeaten paths, original rereadings, unusual and reflective experiences)
- Select Tour Operators and commercial partners in general that work with the same philosophy
Emotion
- A “slow” destination doesn’t measure just the satisfaction of the guest (for the availability of
services); the emotion aroused and the uniqueness of the experience should be assesses; the
"transformation" of the guest is the final aims of the management/marketing action
6. GOOD PRACTICES
Good Practices
ACCOMODATION
110
Albergo diffuso (scattered hotel)
When the hotel is the entire old village
Read the articles at:
http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/travel/23journeys.html?scp=1&sq=albergo%20diffuso&st=cse
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/italy-hotels-traveler/
111
GEM Hotels
Keywords/payoffs:
− CONNECT with the real NY
− mindful of being GREEN
− VALUE in the city
− individualized SERVICE
− NEIGHBORHOOD discoveries await
New York Hotel Experience
www.thegemhotel.com
Best Practice:
− GEMmine: chalkboard in the
lobby where to make and
read recommendations on
things to do
112
France
www.les3poussins.com
www.apostrophe-hotel.com
Some Examples in Italy
www.bolognarthotels.
it
 Best Practice:
-
Calendar of Events in the city
Dedicated Staff
www.lamorosahotel.com
 Best Practice:
-
Local culture presentation
114
Some Examples in Italy
www.geniuslociumbria.com
 Good Practice:
-
Evening discussions on
medieval and Renaissance
music and art
www.hotelmirabello.it
 Good Practice:
-
Flexible checkout
www.palazzorighi
ni.itGood Practice:

-
Mansion discovery
New Projects: Hotel Energy Solutions (HES)
UNWTO project
 Information, technical assistance
and training for SMEs in the
tourism sector
 Increase efficiency and the use of
renewable energies

 Pilot destinations:
- Haute-Savoie (Francia)
- Palma de Mallorca (Spagna)
- Bonn (Germania)
- Strandja (Bulgaria)
www.hotelenergysolutions.net
Good Practices
Travel Agencies/Tours

Go Slow Travel
- Nasce a Stoccolma come agenzia viaggi specializzatasi sulla cultura
del vino e della buona cucina toscana e piemontese.
- Sviluppa l’idea dello “slow trip”: organizzare di esperienze di viaggio
che “aiutano a rallentare il ritmo” e ad “illuminare le giornate”.
- Go Slow Travel si propone come “ispiratore”: il turista può così aver più
cura del proprio tempo - fisicamente, intellettualmente e spiritualmente.

“Travel in the Footsteps of the Connoisseurs”
- È un diverso modo di viaggiare, in tutta libertà;
- Non ci sono obblighi o programmi da seguire;
- Piena flessibilità e controllo del proprio tempo, dov’è possibile dedicare
il giusto tempo per ogni visita e, complessivamente, dell’intera giornata;
- Viene fornito un GPS pre-programmato che contiene l’indirizzo del
alloggio e una serie di indicazioni su cucina locale, cultura e luoghi;
- Il viaggio che viene proposto sul GPS contiene di una serie di “perle” che
vengono vissute secondo il ritmo personale, dove il tempo delle visite e
l’intensità dell’esperienza sono decise in piena autonomia dal turista.
http://www.goslowtravel.se/
www.slowtraveltours.com
119
www.france-ecotours.com
Good Practices
Restaurants/Catering
121
Café Slow (Japan)
www.cafeslow.com
122
Estravagario (Italy)
 Ristorante
 Caffé-Punto di relax
 Piccola sale lettura
 Best Practice:
- Riferimento culturale della community attraverso i
contenuti originali veicolati sul sito web
www.estravagario.org
123
Good Practices
Activities
124
Rural Experience
www.ariannandfriends.com/olive-harvest-experience-tuscany.htm
Good Practices
Associations/Online communities
126
Slow Japan
www.slowjapan.wordpress.com
Ermes
 Best practice:
- Character/personality "slow"
- Analysis of impacts
- Ethic chart
www.ermes.net
Ermes
 Best practice:
- Features/personality
"slow"
- Impact thermometer
www.ermes.net

Car Free Walks (UK)
www.carfreewalks.org

Ramblers Association (UK)
founded in 1935
www.ramblers.org.uk
SlowTravel
Slow Travel is an online community
and a resource for finding vacation
rentals. We are not travel agents, we
do not run a vacation rental agency.
We run a message board where
Slow Travelers exchange
information, a photo gallery where
we collect travel pictures and the
website where we collect travel
information and vacation rental,
hotel and restaurant reviews
submitted by members of the
community.
 Slow Travel is not affiliated with any
travel company or vacation rental
agency. We are independent.
 This website was created in April
2000 by Pauline Kenny and Steve
Cohen from Santa Fe, NM. The Slow
Travel websites were acquired by
Internet Brands in January 2007. The
Slow Travel sites join their family of
travel websites.

 Best Practice:
- High interaction among vistors
- Forum and chat
www.slowtrav.com
131
www.compagniadeicammini.it
Good Practices
Events
133
Primavera Slow (Italy)
A wide programme from 26 March to 5 June:
− Walk excursions
− Boat excursions
− Bike excursions
− Plane excursions
− Birdwatching
− Fotography
www.podeltabirdfair.it
− Laboratories
− Exhibitions and
Congresses
− Sports
− Events
www.slowtravelberlin.com
Good Practices
Destinations
136
www.roundreadingwalk.co.uk/
137
 Inter-modes approach:
- Connections between
different means of slow
transport
www.slowtraveluk.com
138
SLOWENIA
the next best practice of slow destination
Thank you for your attention
Stefano Dall'Aglio
[email protected]
ECONSTAT
Strategies for the Travel Industry
Via Irnerio 22, 40126 Bologna, Italy - T. +39 051 264 941 - F. +39 051 224 830
www.econstat.it