(by Carmine Consentino, Italy, and Mirela Schreiber, Croatia)

SLOW TOURISM is a non-profit, international association, established in 2007 for the promotion of responsible and innovating tourism, aimed at safeguarding the individual right of each citizen to enjoy the nature and landscapes, culture, gastronomy, history and human traditions of a specific territory.

SLOW TOURISM is more than an association: it is a movement aiming at the promotion of a responsible and sustainable tourism, protection and safeguarding of valuable tourist destination, towards the training and information of the visitors and residents (tourist operators, local administration, citizens etc.) in order to preserve the ancient value and sense.

SLOW TOURISM invites to a slow way of benefiting from tourist activities, to sightseeing a few places by entering in deep contact with them, live them, taste them, assimilate them and  at the same time to protect them as invaluable human and social heritage belonging to all mankind and that need to be saved for the next generations too.

SLOW TOURISM exhorts demanding curious, educated  visitors to live intense emotions each corner of the territory, to discover also the unknown and remote places which also are part of the local culture, of the daily nature, worth to be discovered and appreciated in its real aspects.

SLOW TOURISM fosters the social, i.e. responsible tourism, which respects both natural and cultural diversities, requiring spirits of adaptability to new and unusual habits. It encourages residents and visitors to share the most peculiar features of the territory with positive and reciprocal curiosity.

SLOW TOURISM invites, accompanies and assists rural and urban territory to promote an hospitality and reception policy to improve the attraction of a place in a perspective of social and environmental growth and sustainability.

SLOW TOURISM promotes the concept of “Slow Life”, representing a "return" to the abandoned, valuable model of lifestyle that is a base-value of a sustainable society.

SLOW TOURISM aims to go beyond the simple tourist demand /supply dialectic and the passive fruition to get to a full interaction planned and managed consciously by the operators of the territory. Operators and visitors will thereby, share the tourist product and the interaction  will no more be just a purchase.

09/15/2008   day 329 Comment 0

The Project is closed! Please visit the RURAL FAIRS project pages on www.poduzetnicki-centar.hr for the download of the brochure on Slow Tourism we have issued in English and Croatian. Also visit the RURAL FAIRS project blog on WHATAPROJECT.COM for some closing milestone for both projects. Thank you for "watching us" and join the Slow Tourism initiative in your respective territory! Mirela Schreiber schreiber@poduzetnicki-centar.hr

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"Wanderings around Turopolje" The second „slow route“, called „Wanderings around Turopolje“, was held on 16 May, in a form of one-day tour and was organized by Mrs. Snjezana Spehar. This kind of tourism tour has already become traditional for spring time in Turopolje. This year, the „Wanderings“ have toured around the area of Posavina, visiting some less attractive tourist facilities, but very interesting and important in recognition of this area. A group of almost 70 tourist visited the archaeological site of old Romanian town as Andautonija, the church in village of Veleševec, specific for the authentic pattern drawn on its inside walls, villages of Bukevje, Orle and the area of Turopoljski lug. The tour was organized within the “BRASS music festival” of Public Open University Velika Gorica. Therefore, the program included some concerts on private fish-pond “Petko” in Bukevje, which was glorified by visitors. The tour completed with traditional dish: lamb goulash served in restaurant “Posavina”. The “Wanderings” were also guided by irreplaceable Mr. Kazimir Sipusic and Mr. Ivan Knezovic.

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Slow Tourism in the media The slow tourism initiative presented on the kick-off workshop held in Velika Gorica on 19 February received the significant attention of the local and regional media. The two local and one regional TV stations published some press-statements and brought the story on the potentials of the slow tourism movement for development of tourism in rural areas of Zagrebacka County and continental Croatia in a whole. Take a look at some of the other press clipping we have filed here!

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Slow Tourism workshop in Velika Gorica VG Entrepreneurship centre hosted over 30 guests on its first public kick-off workshop held on 19 February in Public Open University of Velika Gorica. The participants, deriving mostly from tourism boards, catering companies and cultural associations, were introduced into the ideas of the slow tourism movement. Opening the workshop, Mirela Schreiber, the project manager, presented the objectives of Rural Fairs project, with the accent on the slow tourism component. The participants were introduced to the potential as well as the existing tourism programmes by Mrs. Snjezana Spehar, the creator of tourist programme called “Wanderings around Turopolje” and Mr. Stjepan Sipusic, the tourist guide who created the special programme for Valentine’s day in Velika Gorica which was well-accepted by the tourist agencies and the general public. The participants opened many issues relevant for the sustainable development of tourism both in Velika Gorica and the Zagrebacka County, which have continued during the informal part of the workshop in the lobby of the conference hall, during the cocktails. The event was covered by both the local media and the regional and national television stations. Take a look at some photos!

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First "slow tour" in Velika Gorica Slow tourism in Velika Gorica has started fast in its implementation. The first one-day „slow route“ was organized by tourist agency „Samoborcek“ on 15 February, in a form of special tourist package for Valentine’s day, casually named „Ljubica, I am going to kiss you!“. The tour was created and guided by Mr. Kazimir Sipusic. It gathered about 50 guests from all over Zagrebacka County, who visited the old town of Lukavec, traditional ethno-house in Donji Dragonožec, historical chapels in Rozenica and Cvetkovic Hill. Upon returning to Velika Gorica, the members of cultural society of Buševec performed the scene from famous Croatian novel „Breza“, written by Slavko Kolar: this performance illustrated the old habit in courtship, and was played in a picturesque parish church courtyard and brought out the largest enthusiasm and recognition of the traditional romance within and courtship the group. Some further tales on one of the greatest love stories of the destination (August Senoa and Slavica Istvanic) had been found by the visitors in Museum of Turopolje. The program ended with some dinner in restaurant „Posavina“, served under the name of the „Dish for lovers“.

02/01/2008   day 102 Comment 0

Public Kick-off Workshop Fixed for 19 February! The date of the public workshop for the kick-off of the slow tourism initiative was agreed and fixed with the project partners - the regional Tourism Board of Zagrebacka County and the local Tourism Board of Velika Gorica. It will be held in the Town Hall of Velika Gorica, which is the largest town in Zagrebacka County and the heart of the dissemination of the slow tourism initiative, on the 19 February.

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Interest of the tourist agencies The project team has started rising interest among the tourism agencies operating on the area of Zagrebacka County. On our today's meeting with some agencies, they have committed to narrow cooperation in fortifying the network of individual tourism sites, museums and other exhibition venues of the historic, cultural and ethnological value. The project team has gained valuable feedback on the actual problems in organization of the tourism routes and visits from the practise of the agencies.

01/18/2008   day 88 Comment 0

Three cultural associations - local partners of the Club (by Mirela Schreiber, Croatia) The second meeting on the topic of SLOW TOURISM CLUB fortified our liaisons with the local communities of Scitarjevo, Busevec and Turopolje. The representatives of the local cultural associations with long tradition and international experiences have expressed their commitment and interest in their individual engagement into coordination of activities as well as in the creative and operational running of the future SLOW TOURISM CLUB of Croatia.

01/16/2008   day 86 Comment 0

Partnership with the Regional Tourism Board of Zagrebacka County (by Mirela Schreiber, Croatia) We have met Mrs. Rasperic, the director of Regional Tourist Board ofZagrebacka County, and discussed the development of the SLOW TOURISMinitiative on the county level. Mr. Rasperic recognized thepotentials of this initiative as a valuable organizational structurethat may bring many benefits to the tourism development of the region. Themeeting was highly operative and we have agreed on some jointactivities in approaching the local tourism boards in the County, aswell as some further joint media and public campaigning andawareness-rising activities. The first public presentation and workshop for the SLOW TOURISM CLUB kick-off was fixed for 19 February 2008 in Velika Gorica.

01/07/2008   day 76 Comment 0

Poll on the Public Forum of Velika Gorica (by Mirela Schreiber) The visitors of the on-line public forum of Velika Gorica have been invited to post their opinion on a small public poll on the types of tourism destinations of their preference (http://www.forum.gorica.hr/index.php/topic,3730.0.html). The purpose of the poll is to receive some feedback on the individual preferences of people regarding the various types of tourism offer (i.e. cultural, historical, gastronomic etc.), in order to filter some points of special touristic interest for creation of the adequate tourism packages. The participants have also commenced some discussions on the slow tourism issue among themselves. The poll shall continue for 40 days, after which we will publish another poll, which would have more of the educational and awareness-rising contents.

01/04/2008   day 74 Comment 0

Workshop with the Local Level Partners in Velika Gorica (by Mirela Schreiber, Croatia) We have held a closed workshop on the tasks and the prospectiveorganization of SLOW TOURISM CLUB with the future local-level partnersin the area of Velika Gorica. The participants have agreed toengage the capacities of the local cultural associations and clubs inthe future organization of tourism development in their respectiveareas. The participants have expressed their faith in thepromotional and organizational capacities of the future Club insupporting the development of rural areas. Additionally, the slowtourism concept has been identified as an ideal and sustainable modelfor tourism development in the region.

12/03/2007   day 39 Comment 0

Croatia: Lead Partner to Protect the Hedgehog! (by Mirela Schreiber, Croatia) Being supported by the overall lead partner, who had protected the visual identity of the SLOW TOURISM CLUB in Italy, the Croatian lead partner has submitted the documents for protection of the visual brand and the verbal name of the SLOW TOURISM CLUB. The application was submitted to the Croatian State Intellectual Property Office. It is expected that the registration should be finished and the brand protected in spring 2008.

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Kick-off Meeting with the Tourism Board of Velika Gorica (by Mirela Schreiber, Croatia) The first kick-off meeting with Mrs. Milada Mesaric on the SLOW TOURISM CLUB foundation was held in Velika Gorica today. We have discussed the legal, operational, organizational, funcitional and touristic issues of the prospective Club to be founded in Velika Gorica. The participants identified the importance of the network of the local Tourism Board offices in Croatia as the main chains in the Club's promotion network. Yet, the implementation issues that would secure not only the long-term sustainability of the Club but also the adequate growth of the network and the slow tourism capacities in the rural areas of Zagrebacka County should be identified and mobilized as well. The parties identified the certain local cultural associations as the possible local contact (reference) points for the SLOW TOURISM CLUB network. VG Entrepreneurship Centre shall organize another kick-off meeting with the cultural associations, as well as the series of meetings with the other regional and local tourism boards and municipality management in order to mobilise the key associates.

10/23/2007   day 1 Comment 0

SLOW TOURISM CLUB Established in Italy! (by Mirela Schreiber, Croatia) The roots of the SLOW TOURISM CLUB international network have been set with the establishment of the first SLOW TOURISM CLUB! This non-governmental non-profit association was registered today in Campobasso, Italy, as an initiative of the partners within the network of the ARD - Association Rural Development (ASR - Associazione Sviluppo Rurale, www.atsr.net).