THE JOURNAL IS PUBLISHED

THREE TIMES A YEAR

in April, August and December

Review Paper

QUALITY DIMENSIONS IN SLOW TOURISM: TRENDS AND PERSPECTIVES FROM A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Vedran Zubović and Ema Petaković Ikica

University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Republic of Croatia

Tourism faces challenges from today’s fast-paced lifestyles, in response to which slow tourism is gaining traction, promoting fewer but richer, more sustainable travel experiences focused on quality over quantity. This study reviews 47 research articles from the Web of Science and Scopus to analyze slow tourism’s impact on the sustainability and perceptions of tourism and service quality. It identifies six key quality dimensions: spatial quality, product and service quality, the local quality of life, travel experience quality, perceived service quality, and transport quality. The originality of the study stems from the synthesis of the findings from various sources which enrich the insight into the dynamics and consequences of soft tourism for both travelers and destinations.

Keywords: 

slow tourism, slow travel, quality, tourist destination, quality dimensions, sustainability

JEL Classification: 

Q56, Z30, Z32
doi:10.5937/ekonhor2601083Z
Economic Horizons, 2026, 28 (1). Published online April 24th 2026

Since October 2020, the Journal is referenced in SCOPUS

SCImago Journal & Country Rank

Since March 2015, the Journal is indexed in DOAJ

DOAJ

Since November 2013, the Journal is indexed in ProQuest – ABI/INFORM

ProQuest – ABI/INFORM

Since October 2013, the Journal is indexed in Cabell’s Directories

Cabell’s Directories

Since September 2013, the Journal is indexed in Index Copernicus Journals Master List 2012

Index Copernicus Journals Master List
ICV 2020 = 90.77

Since March 2013, the Journal has been evaluаted and accepted for listing in EconLit (American Economic Association Publications)

EconLit

Since January 2013, the Journal has been included into EBSCO’s databases

EBSCO

Since November 2012, the Journal has been included into Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory 

Ulrich’s Web

Since October 2020, the Journal is referenced in SCOPUS

SCImago Journal & Country Rank

Since March 2015, the Journal is indexed in DOAJ

DOAJ

Since November 2013, the Journal is indexed in ProQuest – ABI/INFORM

ProQuest – ABI/INFORM

Since October 2013, the Journal is indexed in Cabell’s Directories

Cabell’s Directories

Since September 2013, the Journal is indexed in Index Copernicus Journals Master List 2012

Index Copernicus Journals Master List
ICV 2020 = 90.77

Since March 2013, the Journal has been evaluаted and accepted for listing in EconLit (American Economic Association Publications)

EconLit

Since January 2013, the Journal has been included into EBSCO’s databases

EBSCO

Since November 2012, the Journal has been included into Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory 

Ulrich’s Web