Contributions to sustainable tourism in small islands: an analysis of the Cittàslow movement

Abstract

The Cittàslow philosophy aims to preserve the unique characteristics of places, people, products, food and the environment. Inclusive participation is the focus of the movement for small communities that aim to improve residents’ quality of life and share in one of a kind experiences with visitors. Discussion of the Cittàslow movement has been increasing in recent years, and the conceptualization offered in this paper adds to that discourse by showing how the movement, with its unique approach to sustainability and local governance, has the potential to be beneficial to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) by directly and indirectly contributing to sustainable tourism development. Slow Food, Slow Tourism, and sustainability in relation to tourism are discussed to clarify how they all fit into the slow tourism ethos and influence the Cittàslow movement. Interestingly, by examining some of the essentials of the Cittàslow movement, we can ascertain how the quality of life and experience value of tourism complements the Cittàslow approach to sustainable tourism development for SIDS. Sustainability from an island perspective is conceptualized in the context of the Cittàslow model, and the varying elements that are contributors to sustainable tourism development in SIDS are discussed. These include its marketing potential, environmental and agricultural benefits, as well as the definitive socio-economic advances that may come about from implementing such an initiative. Ultimately, our analysis illustrates the SIDS specific impacts that the strategies of the Cittàslow model facilitate, while it also highlights some of the potential barriers to SIDS seamlessly adopting such a concept.

摘要

慢城市的理念旨在保护地方、人、产品、食物和环境的独特特征。包容性参与是小型社区运动的重点, 旨在提高居民的生活质量, 并与游客分享他们独一无二的体验。”慢城运动”运动的讨论近年来一直在增加,本文对这个概念的界定增进了对这个话题了解。本文通过研究运动对可持续性和地方治理的作用过程, 进而促进小岛发展中国家(SIDS)的发展, 最终直接或间接促进了可持续旅游的发展。 本文通过对慢食、慢旅游和与旅游业相关的可持续性的讨论, 阐明它们是如何融入慢旅游精神并影响慢城市运动的。有趣的是, 通过审查慢城市运动的一些要点, 我们可以确定旅游业的生活质量和体验价值如何促进慢城市对小岛屿发展中国家可持续旅游发展的做法。从岛屿角度的可持续性是在慢城市模型的脉络下概念化的, 并讨论了对小岛屿发展中国家可持续旅游发展作出贡献的各种因素。这些因素包括其市场潜力、环境和农业效益, 以及执行这一倡议可能产生的明确的社会经济进步。最后, 我们的分析说明了慢城市模式的战略所促进的小岛屿发展中国家的具体影响, 同时也强调了小岛屿发展中国家无缝采用这一概念的一些潜在障碍。

Keywords:

• Cittàslow
• sustainable tourism
• small islands
• quality of life
• tourism impact

关键词:

• 慢城市
• 可持续旅游
• 小型岛屿
• 生活质量
• 旅游的影响

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Therez B. Walker

Dr. Therez B. Walker is a lecturer in tourism management. Her research work focuses on sustainable tourism development in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and how islands can maximise linkages between tourism and other sectors of the local economy.

Timothy J. Lee

Dr. Timothy Lee is Associate Professor at University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia. He has published more than 180 refereed articles in journals (including 60+ in the SSCI-indexed), books and conference proceedings.