Potentialities and preferences for alternative forms of sustainable tourism. The case of rural and intergenerational tourism

This chapter gives a social-psychological analysis of tourists’ preferences and experiences concerning alternative (more sustainable) forms of tourism. After a discussion of the principles and definitions of sustainable tourism, the literature on tourists’ preferences for sustainable tourism will be reviewed and the potentialities of alternative forms of tourism for tourism sustainability will be highlighted. Subsequently, two examples of alternative tourism experiences will be introduced and critically discussed in the light of such literature: the case of rural tourism and that of intergenerational tourism. The former is considered to be promising form of tourism able to improve the culture and the economy of rural areas and agricultural production. An interesting case is that of China. During the last 20 years, thanks to a policy of governmental incentives, some Chinese rural areas have seen the birth and progressive growth of various models of rural tourism. These combine the tourists-citizens needs to experience a style of simple life and the enhancement of agriculture. This chapter will present and analyse the framework and the characteristics of that type of sustainable tourism. The second kind of alternative tourism (intergenerational tourism) refers to the tourism experiences ideated by the Italian Laboratory for Intergenerational Meetings and implemented over the past twenty years in various Italian cities. In a time when relationships among generational groups are mostly superficial or non-existent, the Laboratory has proposed a series of research/experimentations of tourism activities aimed at reducing the distance between groups of different generations. An interconnected set of activities combining indoor (e.g. computer lab, theatrical performances) and outdoor (eg. explorations of historic and natural trails) experiences have been devised to foster communication among participants of different ages and to strengthen their relationships by reducing reciprocal prejudices and stereotypes. The chapter will sum up the results of the investigations carried out during the many research/experimentations that have taken place over the years.