Slow Tourism in Vojvodina – Motives and Goals of Consumers

Abstract

Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world characterized by numerous new forms aimed at satisfying the sophisticated needs of the modern consumer. In such circumstances, the concept of slow tourism is gaining in importance with emphasized need for slowing down the pace of life. Slow tourism offers a solution to this need. In developing countries, this concept frequently tied with sustainable tourism, is linked to social movements such as: “slow food” (authentic, local food), “slow cities” (environmentally responsible and peaceful environment) and “slow transportation” (local buses and trains). The aim of the paper is the explanation of this phenomenon from the perspective of consumers. The authors conduct research based on a model consisting of: six general slow tourism motivations (relaxation, self-reflection, escape, novelty-seeking, engagement and discovery), two universal goals of slow tourism (revitalization and self-enrichment) and travel outcomes (satisfaction, future return intention and recommendations). The sample included 320 respondents from the territory of the Republic of Serbia who have visited some of the destinations in Vojvodina labeled as “slow place” in the past two years.

Tourist motivation for slow travel: A case study of the Vojvodina Region, Serbia

“…Since slow tourism is a relatively new type of travel, scholars have mostly concentrated on defining this idea. Few studies have been done on this subject (Robbins and Cho 2012;Oh, Assaf and Baloglu 2016;Özdemir and Çelebi 2018;Đuranović et al 2019), and previous research on the reasons why visitors engage in slow tourism is extremely limited and is just now beginning to be relevant in the literature. One of the most important aspects of creating higher-quality goods and services at the destination is considering what inspires visitors to choose slow tourism (Özdemir and Çelebi 2018).…”

Goals and Outcomes of Slow Tourism: Case Study of Vojvodina Province

“…On the other hand, the authors Dickinson and Lumsdon (2010) define slow tourism as: "Conceptual framework that includes tourists who travel "slower" and closer to their home destination, while staying longer at a selected destination and using sustainable and local forms of transport, consuming food specific to the place where they visit, etc.". According to the definition of Dickinson and Lumsdon (2010), many other authors (Caffyn, 2007;Yurtseven and Kaya 2011;Đuranović et al 2019) state that the basic principles on which slow tourism is based: devoting some time to a destination that is visited through getting to know people, culture, traditions and surroundings. The author Georgica (2015) agrees with all definitions above, stating that according to the philosophy of slow travel, it is more important to get to know one, smaller place in detail than to get to know superficially more different areas.…”