Texperience an unprecedented Italy, more hidden and where noise and chaos do not reach. The protagonist of this way of understanding travel is the slow tourism, the one on foot so to speak, which is growing more and more. In Italy there are an estimated 3.6 million practitioners, but there are many throughout Europe. And there is a particularly interesting fact: the Favorite country for a slow holiday is always Italy.
The regions chosen by Italians see in first place the Trentino-Alto Adige followed by Tuscany, Umbria and Sicily. The French and English choose more Sicily and Tuscany in second place. The Germans took over Tuscany, followed by Sicily.
How much we love slow tourism
The reasons that lead to preferring slow tourism are various: among these is the fact that this way of travelling it promotes sustainability because it is also practiced out of season, decongesting the most intense flows. Plus, it’s a great way to travel goes well with food and wine, factor with a very strong power of attraction for Italian and foreign tourists.
On the occasion of BitItalian Tourism Exchange, these days in Milan a study was presented Enit and Touring Club Italiano, in collaboration with Ipsos, on traveling tourism, that is, carried out mainly on foot in generally rural or mountainous contexts, which he wanted catalog 100 official routes identified, for approximately 30 thousand kilometers in total, to make them more usable.
Open paths
Thus two new initiatives were born, “Open Paths” And “Aromas of Italy” which in the coming months will give value to selected itineraries located throughout the peninsula and to the varied regional food and wine offer. The first will be held on April 13th and 14th with the aim of enhancing 42 excursions, 2 for each Region and Autonomous Province.
The excursions/walks will be led by environmental guides or medium mountain companions. The project dedicated to the Cammini presents itself as the leader for the promotion of sustainable tourismwhich aims to develop the entire network of religious paths and nature trails, enhancing territorial contexts and preserving their identities.
Slow tourism, on foot and by bicycle, is increasingly popular (Getty Images)
Flavors of Italy
Slow tourism is, however, also food and wine: discovering a territory slowly also means savoring its traditional products, true ambassadors of the culture and history of our country. But the strategy of narrating diversity in the kitchen, which is the plus that makes the experience absolutely unique, is not so easy. To therefore promote slow tourism from the point of view of food and wine, a large “aromatic map” of Italy will be created to tell the story of the different regions through their cuisine.
Slow tourism is sustainable
The importance of developing walking tourism lies in the fact that this form of tourism offers a unique, enriching and sustainable experience for both travelers and local communities. The paths are a cultural and spiritual heritage of inestimable value and allow us to promote the conservation and valorisation of historical and cultural routes. Through with well-managed tourism, it is possible to preserve and protect these routes, ensuring the conservation of the cultural and historical heritage of the regions concerned.
Local communities are also stronger
Furthermore, it is an economic development opportunity for local communities. Visitors who travel the routes need services such as accommodation, restaurants, tour guides and transportation. And this question creates a number of job opportunities for locals, thus contributing to the improvement of the economic conditions of the communities involved. The Italian Touring Club will try to update the census in the coming years, expanding the number of routes analysed, with the aim of becoming increasingly aware of the importance of this type of tourism.
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