Expo 2015 and Development of Slow Tourism: Are the Tourism Product Clubs in the Territory of Varese Successful?

Many Italian destinations currently live the challenge of rejuvenation, after being flourishing tourism destinations for years. After having lost their popularity, these destinations enter stagnation and enjoy a revamp in tourism arrivals and receipts only in conjunction with the hosting of different events. For a tourism development based on event tourism, EXPO Milano 2015 (as of now EXPO) is currently one of the most important opportunities to make up for the lost time. Conscious of the opportunity provided by this worldwide event, Italian local authorities and stakeholders have tried to give impulse to different tourism initiative that could have boosted tourism development in these areas. In the Varese area one of the destination looking for a tourism second chance, the development of different tourism offers, i.e. clubs have been promoted. Cycling, horse riding, food and wine, and cultural clubs are the soul of this offer that empathizes the slow enjoyment of the beauty of this territory, deeply rooted in the slow travel experience, and the success of the tourism development depends on them. Therefore the aim of this paper is to explore whether, after few months from EXPO opening, these clubs have created the expected tourism development, embedded clubs sustainable goals.