A systematic literature review of slow tourism

Abstract

This systematic literature review focuses on slow tourism, which grew in popularity during COVID-19. It highlights the gaps in the literature for future researchers by compiling the papers published on slow tourism between 2010 and 2021. In addition, the managerial suggestions we make serve as lessons for practitioners. Developed as a systematic literature review, we used different selection criteria including papers published in English in Q1 or Q2 journals between 2010 and 2021 in the sample. This study identified the following parameters: the number of publications, the most preferred research methodology and data collection methods, and the geographical coverage of slow tourism papers. The relationship between slow tourism and sustainability is strengthened by our analysis. We identified qualitative studies, particularly in-depth interviews, as the most popular data collection method for slow tourism studies. Australia, the United Kingdom, and Poland were the most popular destinations in terms of the geographical context of these studies, followed by Italy. As the literature is missing a unified definition of slow tourism, we propose one based on the four-pillar model.

Keywords

• slow tourism
• slow travel
• slow city
• sustainability
• cittaslow
• systematic literature review