How Meet Piemonte tours are sustainable?
Sustainable tourism in Piedmont is achieved by respecting the socio-cultural identities of farmers, artisans and small family-run businesses that Meet Piemonte includes in its tours.
We bring our international guests to visit such communities and we make them aware of local traditional values, promoting cultural interactions. We achieve positive and long-lasting impacts in offbeat rural territories as well as in visiting historic stores and independent shop owners located in cities centers where the competition of large commercial organizations is ruthless.
8 benefits of Sustainable Tourism in Piedmont
1 – Short and long-terms economic impact
Small food and wine crafters cannot access large-scale distribution mostly because of their limited production. That is a consequence of:
- producing niche-products
- doing so within defined geographical areas
- often, following traditional and unique operational procedures.
As our guests convene at these workshops and farms there is an instant positive economic benefit coming from the tasting and from the possibility to purchase products on the spot.
Moreover, guests establish long-term commercial bonds that will last for years after the tour is over and often increase the producer’s visibility abroad, through word of mouth recommendations.
2 – Fighting against rural territories marginalization
Sustainable tourism in Piedmont contributes to fighting the marginalization of offbeat communities who struggle to keep their roots in remote territories. Living and raising a family in rural areas far away from major urban centers can be challenging.
By promoting their business operations, we help young entrepreneurs who made the life choice to coming back to the countryside investing energies and funds. The positive impact is definitely on the long term as rural areas being repopulated after decades of emigration towards the big industrialized cities.
3 – Biodiversity and natural heritage
Farmers who cultivate indigenous and less-known grape varietals, niche-produce, and those who work for maintaining in shape the undergrowth of truffle woods, are the first ones responsible for the preservation of biodiversity.
The extraordinary variety of plants and crops grown in Piedmont benefits the ecosystem on several levels and, nonetheless, it prevents damages caused by intensive agriculture.
Meet Piemonte works hard, especially in multiple-day tours, to expose guests to such less-known products which, despite their lack of popularity among international travelers, deserve the attention because of ancient historical roots or high quality standards.
By doing so, we help the production chain of niche-products to exist and, indirectly, sustainable tourism in Piedmont contributes to keeping the richly varied landscape and natural heritage of the region.
4 – Small groups travel vs. big groups
If tourism is considered to be a recent business opportunity in Piedmont and mass-tourism is not yet an issue as in other regions of Italy, Meet Piemonte is very sensitive about preserving the atmosphere of these lands.
Because the logistics of our tours often would not allow big buses to reach offbeat farms on narrow country roads, we proudly focus on small group tours and individual travelers who engage in more intimate experiences, away from crowds.
Moreover, travelers who understand the added value of touring in such way, benefit from visiting places where most tourist don’t get to go.
We know that our business model may result in smaller profits compared to operators who deal with big buses but we are well aware of the fact that small numbers have less impact on the ecosystem than having hundreds of people visiting at once.
Besides all resources that Piedmont has to attract visitors, what really makes the region unique is that feeling of authenticity and cultural exchange with locals that resists until mass tourism won’t arrive.
5 – Sustainable Tourism in Piedmont through cultural exchange
Our guided tours to workshops and family-owned wine cellars are anything but standard experiences. In fact, the interaction with the owner or family members who open the doors of their homes, is priceless.
The long-lasting memory that our guests treasure after a tour is that human interaction and cultural exchange with locals.
6 – Food and local supply chain
A sustainable lifestyle begins with food: in our food tours and in all meals included in our Lake Como, Barolo, Portofino Tour we select, with the help of restaurant owners, local ingredients and traditional menus. We protect the local economy by using ingredients that did not have to travel on cargo ships.
That way, what our guests spend for their vacation is equally distributed among different operations throughout the region, from farm to table.
We spend energies to make our guests aware of the supply chain that exists behind the food served to them. We consider such aspects an evidence of the quality of all our culinary experiences.
Nonetheless, our sustainable tourism in Piedmont selected seasonal ingredients only. As a result, tours are different depending on the time of the year when we run them.
7 – Eco-friendly accommodations
Meet Piemonte is constantly monitoring the region to locate new eco friendly hotels or b&bs built or restored with efficient insulation and with heating and cooling systems that avoid or contain the waste of energies. We are fond of buildings that are harmoniously integrated in the local territory and respect the esthetics of the surrounding landscape.
Our guests feel completely plunged into the destination since the moment they wake up in the morning and so their travel experience gets to the next level.
We aim to reach those travelers who expect from the bedroom much more than just a place to sleep. On the contrary, the accommodation should have some sort of character that reflects the atmosphere of the region and that can be achieved not only with an accurate interior designing but with the respect of the environment where the building is situated.
8 – Guests personal achievements and awareness
As monitored on reviews and feedback, our guests achieve personal growth while on tour and welcome informative experiences set to make them more aware of sustainable tourism practices that will change their future travel choices.
