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 co-founder of Divertimento Group with Estelle Carol of WebTrax Studio. I am delighted to share how this all got started… I had worked in Rome and Venice on and off for many years (thanks to my fluency in Italian) and had visited 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. Tourtellot calls for teamwork among government representatives and travel industry professionals, which perfectly embodies the spirit behind Divertimento Group – what we would define in Italian as the “anima aziendale” or our company’s soul.

Divertimento Group’s “Call-To-Action”

Tourtellot’s “Call to Action” targeted to the travel industry gave rise to the foundation of our company - in partnership with the Chicago agency who had sent me to Italy.

Divertimento Group’s raison d’être is to encourage all 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.

A new generation of tourists:

Divertimento Group will work with travel professionals on sensitizing travelers to the “Stop Overtourism Movement” and on communicating the benefits of Alternative Cultural Adventures.

We invite 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 start #RethinkItalianTravel – to celebrate life and leave their comfort zone at home!®