In recent years, the term cultural travel has increasingly gained ground in the tourism world, referring to a new type of activity where recreational tourism and cultural activities blend.
According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), cultural tourism is “all those movements of people related to cultural purposes: study vacations, attendance at live performances, cultural events, festivals, visits to archaeological sites, visits to monuments, religious pilgrimages, and so on. Cultural tourism, therefore, is a practice directly connected to the local lifestyle and allows outsiders to immerse themselves in it, partially absorbing its identity and character.”
Since the end of the pandemic, the number of culture-related itineraries around the world (or even just in Italy) has increased considerably. This is because the forced pause due to the lockdown experience led many to reconnect with their own traditions, resulting in a journey of discovery almost backward into their own history.
Today, we at Meeters, also thanks to our proven experience in organizing events let’s look at some examples of cultural travel, analyzing why their popularity has grown. Even with a great cultural trip, you have the chance to make new friends and have interesting experiences!
Why Take Part in Cultural Travel?
Unlike classic tourist experiences, cultural travel focuses more on the experiential than the sensory. Taking a cultural trip means being a tourist in a unique and authentic way, even stepping out of your comfort zone in favor of the typical practices of a place. It means respecting local schedules, discovering new foods, meals, places, smells, flavors, and customs.
But this is only one side of a more complex coin: major cultural events like festivals or live shows concentrate the cultural aspect around a single moment, leaving the tourist free to manage the rest independently. Depending on the international nature of the event, among other things, tourists have the opportunity to connect with locals and learn about their customs and traditions.
This desire to broaden horizons, especially after the total lockdown period, has given travel renewed commercial appeal.
Who Might Be Interested in Cultural Tourism
We feel that cultural travel is something we can recommend to practically everyone, but for different reasons.
A cultural trip is a perfect example of stress relief thanks to the presence of meaningful activities and experiences. Taking a cultural trip in a city, for example, means being bombarded with many different stimuli: everything needed to push aside thoughts and problems that might otherwise spoil a vacation aimed simply at relaxation.
Of course, that's not all: cultural tourism tends to have positive effects on the body and spirit of the traveler. Scientifically, we might talk about serotonin production and the creation of new neurological pathways; emotionally, the benefits are immeasurable.
The experiences you can have truly make a difference for personal growth: learning about a new culture, engaging with a new way of thinking, or even just a new language offers the same advantages as reading the right book at the right time: it’s not something that happens every day.
What Are the Most Interesting Destinations for Cultural Travel?
Now, let's address the elephant in the room: where should you go if you want to take a great cultural trip?
The answer is quite simple: anywhere there is history. Some places, such as North America or the major US metropolises, are less suitable than countries like France, Germany, Greece, or Italy.
Now we’ll give some examples of itineraries for cultural travel.
Jordan
Jordan perfectly encapsulates all the requirements for a great cultural trip. It’s a nation where history has been preserved in artifacts, where nature meets human work repeatedly, and where the sense of discovery remains strong due to the vast number of things to see and touch.
There’s also room for simple relaxation tourism, but it’s hard not to feel immersed in another world while walking through Petra or crossing the Wadi Rum desert. More information can be found here!
Spain
Talking about a single possible cultural itinerary in Spain is quite difficult, also due to the vast history and the central role that various dominations have played in shaping local cultural identity.
Changing region means entering a different universe: between Seville and Madrid, for example, there are immense differences, opposite histories, tastes, and aesthetics that evoke different worlds.
Given its proximity to Italy, Spain is a perfect country for a low-cost trip, with little concern about language barriers due to the obvious similarities between our languages.
Portugal
The westernmost region of Europe can also be quite interesting for cultural travel. Portugal and Spain share a similar approach regarding the combination of Christianity and Arab culture, with blends of architecture and styles that transport any tourist back in time.
Regions like the Algarve mix this cultural richness with natural beauty, cities like Lisbon offer great emotions tile by tile. Here too, there’s truly an embarrassment of choice in creating the perfect cultural travel itinerary to suit your expectations.
Italy
The easiest example to give when talking about cultural travel is undoubtedly Italy.
Our country is the cradle of so-called Western culture, and a walk through cities like Rome or Florence makes it clear what we mean.
Considering there are no language barriers nor physical barriers (since renting a car is probably much easier), there’s no need to limit yourself to provincial capitals or big cities.
Every region has its own stash of well-hidden treasures that can truly fill your heart with joy: you just need to give them the chance to do so!