What is slow tourism?

Slow tourism emphasizes the travelers’ connection to their destination through culture, people, experiences, and intentionality. This tourist modality encourages a more profound experience by creating a bond with the local area, rather than quickly moving from place to place or experiencing the destination at a superficial level.

Slow tourism is often associated with the booming slow movement, consisting of other themes like:

• Slow food 
• Slow fashion
• Slow consumption 
• Slow travel

This idea of stopping and absorbing the experience offers vast benefits to vacation rentals and, if marketed right, can be an opportunity to maximize earnings.

Prepping your vacation rental for slow tourism

Some of the benefits of having a vacation rental well positioned for slow tourism include longer stays and more loyal customers. If you want to reap the benefits of slow tourism, you’ll need to prep your property for these types of experience-seeking travelers. 

The first step is to think about what makes your house local. These guests aren’t looking for cookie-cutter vacations; they want something authentic. Is your property in a historic district? Do you incorporate local textiles into your interior design? Are there any amenities that you offer that are unique to the area? These are just some ideas you can consider to make your property more equipped for slow tourism. 

Partnering with local businesses is also a great way to incorporate slow tourism into your business plan. Offering add-ons like in-home cooking classes to learn the local cuisine or a hike off the beaten path. When you’ve gotten your property prepped for slow travelers, it’ll be time to show it off. Market your business in a way that attracts slow travelers by highlighting your amenities in the listing description or targeting these guest personas using marketing campaigns.