The "STOP Overtourism" Movement
“Adventure travelers and operators can lead the way in shunning the kind of hit-and-run selfie-stick tourism that so overcrowds places.” – Jonathan Tourtellot
Hi. I am Divertimento Group’s founder and am delighted to share how this all got started... Living in Rome, working in Venice and visiting Florence often, I had often voiced the phrase “selfie-stick tourism” in my head, but had never seen it actually written. Then I read Jonathan Tourtellot’s quote (above) in an “Adventure Travel News” article written by Norie Quintos (@NorieCicerone).
Overtourism is the term that embraces Divertimento Group’s “raison d’être”. Few individuals know more about the topics of Overtourism and Sustainable Tourism than Jonathan Tourtellot. He is founder of a marvelous nonprofit called Destination Stewardship Center which promotes itself as an extension of the work started by the National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations that Tourtellot founded and ran for many years. The internet is filled with articles calling not only for governments and travel professionals to come up with solutions to the world’s mass tourism problem – but there is also a plea for tourists do do their part as well.
Articles such as Phile Davies’ “Tourists encouraged to re-think bucket lists to avoid overtourism” is a prime example. The article explains how “travelers are being encouraged to seek alternatives to the usual hot spots and instead consider different destinations and activities, away from the crowds”. Another great line from an excellent article about overtourism by Daphne Rousseau of france24.com suggests that “Some of the most popular destinations are becoming victims of their own success, leaving the sector scrambling to respond to concerns about overcrowding and environmental damage”.
This re-thinking of Italian travel and Divertimento Group’s STOP Overtourism Movement what we would define in Italian as the “anima aziendale” or our company’s soul.
We invite travelers and travel professionals to join us in our STOP Overtourism Movement.
We will provide spectacular photos, visitor reviews, extensive destination profiles/background history and carefully planned itineraries that will help promote our less crowded, lesser-known, truly out-of-the-ordinary Alternative Cultural Adventures. We will help encourage experienced Italian travelers to #RethinkItalianTravel – to leave celebrate life and leave their comfort zone at home!®
Divertimento Group’s “Call-To-Action”
We want to encourage all travelers and travel professionals who love Italy to participate in the creation of a new generation of tourists – ready to be stimulated and enticed by smaller, less-crowded places and appreciative of the joy that these lesser-known, culturally rich “alternative” locations can give.
MURANO Workshops and Private Tutorials
Our Glass Tourism Division is creating cultural exchanges and small group full immersion courses or private sessions on the island of Murano! No other travel company in the world can combine travel-educational opportunities with internationally acclaimed Murano Maestri (for more info write Lesley[at]divertimentogroup.com)
