CittaSlow: Hospitality and Sustainable Urban Tourism Development. The Case of Vizela (Northern Portugal)

This study focuses on the Slow Cities or CittaSlow movement, which advocates a sustainable and green model of urban social development. Based on the example of the city of Vizela (Northern Portugal), we propose research on how the ideology of slowness can be applied in these urban settings. Thus, the study results in the search and documented identification of how, through education, they permeate the principles of good practices in sustainable tourism. It is, therefore, a proposal for a bottom-up model of strategic management of the sustainable cultural development. Furthermore, we propose to evaluate how environmental conservation practices and identity strengthening contribute to the tourist valorization of cities with population density according to the CittaSlow model. Based on the case study method and using open techniques (qualitative/deductive), pre-existing data collection, focus groups, and participatory research were used. Based on the information provided by the CittaSlow Education project, now complemented by the indicated procedures, it was possible to substantiate the key role of “education” in the implementation of CittaSlow values with a view to sustainable urban development.