What is slow tourism and why should you put it into practice?

Today, there are almost as many types of tourism as there are possibilities to order coffee. In this article, we want to introduce you to our favorite way of practicing tourism, which is also the one that characterizes our company: slow tourism. We can already imagine what we can expect: a very calm, peaceful tourism. It is not only a way of doing tourism, but it is also a way of taking care of the city and its inhabitants (in fact, it can be included within the category of responsible tourism).

What are some of its characteristics? Although we could make a much longer article about it, we wanted to group the main objectives:

- Authenticity: one of the main objectives of slow tourism is for the visitor to immerse themselves in the culture of the city. This can be done through its gastronomy, history, heritage... The consumption of local and artisan products is promoted to support and enrich the economy. Participate and take an interest in traditions and festivals, eat typical seasonal dishes, walk through areas of the city that are a little further from the citycenter and that are off the beaten track.

- Respect for the local population and the ecosystem: slow tourism strives to avoid seeing the destination as a circus or an amusement park that is there for your use and enjoyment. Keep in mind that your vacation spot is an own nucleus itself, with a population that studies, works, and lives there; Unfortunately, there are many cases of cities that are harmed by drunken tourism. And we must not go to such an extreme case: Airbnbs cause a considerable increase in housing prices for the local population. In Spain, hotel quality standards are excellent, as are prices, so we recommend choosing a hotel or aparthotel if you want a little more independence.

- Avoid overcrowded tourism: large groups can be a problem for both the visitor and the city itself. Streets are clogged preventing passage, noise pollution is produced if proper audio equipment is not used, and you cannot enjoy a quality visit. For this reason, at Gazal Tours we work with small groups and private visits: in each of our tours you will find the maximum number of participants in each tour; In addition, we use an audio guide system through which our guide speaks through a microphone and the group listens through an individual headset, so you don't miss a single detail of the visit!

- Mental health: many times, when we travel, we make the mistake of wanting to visit lots of places in a short time, which can cause unnecessary stressful situations. In slow tourism, emphasis is placed on the fact that the visitor can really relax and enjoy themselves during their vacations. Sometimes it is preferable to cross off a stop on our list and also have time to rest and really enjoy the space we are visiting. We hope that, after reading this article, it becomes clearer what slow tourism means, and that, in this way, you can enjoy the quality tourism you deserve.