For some time now, a new way of traveling has been taking shape, what’s known as slow tourism.

This definition encompasses many things: a rejection of overtourism, the desire to reconnect with oneself, contact with nature, the discovery of still-unspoiled regions, and contact with local populations.

Some destinations are known for their sea, their cities, or an attraction everyone has heard of.
Slow tourism is developing on the fringes of all these places, in areas that, until recently, hardly anyone thought to visit.

These are often territories of immense richness, where nature is beautiful and preserved, and where the local population is delighted to welcome you and share a small part of their world with you.

Calabria is a perfect example of the rise of slow tourism

The region is bordered by 800 km of coastline, which has naturally made coastal tourism its most developed sector. But coastal tourism has its limits: first, it only applies during the summer season, and second, it only touches a very small part of the territory, along the shoreline. The inland areas benefit very little from it.

Several initiatives are now reversing this trend: hiking trails, mapped out and organized, and outdoor sports activities such as rafting and cycling.

These kinds of initiatives are now bringing travelers to small villages that were nearly deserted, despite their cultural and natural appeal.

Some small towns now see, over the course of a year, the equivalent of ten times their population pass through, by bike or on foot, for a day or longer. This movement is breathing new life into a world that had been nearly abandoned, one that has managed to find in its own uniqueness the resources to bounce back.

In this inland Calabria, you’ll find the warmth of the people, a genuine desire to do things well, and stunning, surprising landscapes, in every season.

So yes, slow tourism is a valuable lever for development in certain territories.
It requires a bit of local organization, just enough to properly welcome travelers; the rest is an alchemy of encounters and discoveries that each person experiences at their own pace and in their own way — making the journey a rewarding one for everyone involved.

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