Slow Tourism in Gascony
- simplygascony
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
“Slow tourism" is an approach to tourism that is presented as an alternative to mass tourism. It forms part of the wider sustainable tourism movement. It can be seen as the tourism industry equivalent of the ‘slow food’ movement, which emphasises the enjoyment of local food and traditional recipes over fast food and mass consumption.
With this in mind, slow travel places an emphasis on discovering the culture, history, and characteristics of the local area, rather than creating an itinerary and attempting to cram in as many different travel experiences as possible. In addi
tion to emphasizing meaningful and authentic engagement with a travel destination, slow tourism also promotes concern about the local environment and sustainability in general.”
Here are some of our suggestions:
One of the best ways to experience a country area like Gascony, is through buying, preparing, and tasting its food and wines – especially if you start with the local markets and the small, independent wine makers.
October Blog – “Gascon Food”
November Blog – “A Tale of Two Cooks”
Visit your local village or town and see if you can find evidence of the culture, activities and wars of past generations that have shaped the buildings in Gascony that you see today. For example, the pilgrims that for the last 1000 years have been walking through Gascony, across the Pyrenees and on to Santiago de Compostela in Spain; the fortifications built during The 100 Years War; the development of the ‘Bastides’ (new towns) during the medieval period from c.1100 to c.1400; the Wars of Religion in the C16th; the French Revolution in the late C18th and the Napoleonic Wars of the early C19th.
A very good ‘slow’ way to explore the countryside, the markets, wineries and villages is by electric bike. Our Working Partner e-Velo Gers was set up on the brilliant and environmentally sound principle that the business would have a number of bike-hire bases spread across Le Gers, accessible to anyone without the need to travel great distances to pick up a rental bike. it doesn’t make environmental sense (and it is very expensive) to transport electric bikes long distances in a diesel van so that people can bike short distances while on holiday. Why not give it a try? Every SG guest who already tried this had a wonderful experience!
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