Opportunities for Slow Tourism in Madeira

Josep-Francesc Valls, Luís Mota, Sara Cristina Freitas Vieira and Rossana Santos
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Josep-Francesc Valls: School of Technology and Management, University of Madeira, 9000-082 Funchal, Portugal
Luís Mota: School of Technology and Management, University of Madeira, 9000-082 Funchal, Portugal
Sara Cristina Freitas Vieira: Tourism Project, University of Madeira, 9000-082 Funchal, Portugal
Rossana Santos: School of Technology and Management, University of Madeira, 9000-082 Funchal, Portugal

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 17, 1-23

Abstract: The slow tourism movement is gaining popularity as more destinations focus on the local environment and heritage experience. The approach to slow tourism usually occurs either when traditional destinations exhaust their life cycle with an evident reduction in sustainability, or when newly emerging destinations decide to develop in this way. The case of Madeira is different; the island has several decades of tourism development without excessive pressure or overcrowding, and in planning for the future it wants to sustain these conditions. Seeking to understand Madeira’s perception of the development model, we surveyed entrepreneurs in Madeira’s lodging, restaurant and bar, shopping, transportation, intermediation, and tourist activity industries, as well as its public sector. Even without having encountered the popularized the ideas of slow tourism, Madeira’s tourism entrepreneurs show significant alignment with the values of quieter tourism. In contrast to its mature counterparts (i.e., Europe’s other popular sun and beach destinations), for Madeira it is not a question of destroying or rehabilitating, but rather of continuing sustainable development processes. Our results suggest that although slow tourism is typically a reaction to a very advanced phase of the life cycle, it can be the result of an endogenous impulse, as is true for Madeira.

Keywords: alternative tourism; circular economy; destination life cycle; sustainability; values (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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