Slow Tourists: A Comparative Research Based on Cittaslow Principles
H. Ridvan YURTSEVEN, Ozan KAYA

Abstract
Slow Food is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic, member-supported organization founded in 1989 to counteract Fast Food and fast life. A further development of Slow Food is the Cittaslow Movement, which builds on the ideas of Slow Food but extends the philosophy to cities and destinations. Slow Tourism has evolved as an extension of slow philosophy to encompass travel and tourism activities. Slow Tourism can be discussed from a consumer behavior, marketing or sustainable tourism perspective. Not much research has yet been done on the slow tourists. The main objective of this paper is determining who slow tourists are. Therefore, the empirical research has been realized in Seferihisar where is the first Cittaslow and slow destination in Turkey. According to the Cittaslow principles, Seferihisar visitors are categorized into three different types: dedicated, interested, and accidental slow tourists. Results show that, there are statistically significant differences between whole attractiveness means of slow tourist types.

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