Slow Tourism (Cittaslow) Influence over Visitors’ Behavior

Abstract

The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to investigate the extent to which the image of a slow city motivates domestic tourists to visit a destination and (2) to investigate the impact of the slow city on visitors’ behavior, in terms of information search, decision making, holiday experience, and post-holiday experience. To accomplish these objectives, the study follows the rules of qualitative research methods, conducting interviews with 24 domestic visitors to Seferihisar, Turkey’s first accredited slow city. Our findings confirm that the image of a slow city influences the first three stages of visitor behavior, namely motivations, information search, and decision making. The study also shows that visitors had both positive and negative experiences during their holidays and that the slow city had a positive influence over their future intentions.

Citation

Cosar, Y. and Kozak, M. (2014), "Slow Tourism (Cittaslow) Influence over Visitors’ Behavior", Tourists’ Behaviors and Evaluations (Advances in Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 9), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 21-29. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1871-317320140000009002