Positioning a trekking trail as a slow tourism experience: the case of Pekoe Trail, Sri Lanka

Purpose Slow tourism is an emerging concept, grounded in sustainability that emphasises unhurried travel, extended stays and meaningful community engagement. Despite extensive conceptual exploration, research on integrating slow tourism principles into experiential tourism models remains limited. To address this gap, this study examines the potential of positioning a dedicated trekking trail as a slow tourism experience through a qualitative case study of the Pekoe Trail in Sri Lanka. The study specifically explores how existing attributes of a dedicated trekking trail align with the core characteristics of slow tourism and how they contribute to sustainable destination development. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a qualitative research design, with semi-structured interviews conducted with 12 supply-side stakeholders selected through purposive and snowball sampling. The interview findings were further validated through observations conducted during a focused investigation of stage one of the Pekoe Trail. The five characteristics of slow travel proposed by Lumsdon and McGrath (2011) served as the primary benchmark for assessing Pekoe Trail’s alignment with slow tourism. Findings The findings demonstrated that Pekoe Trail, as a tourism experience, aligned closely with the slow tourism characteristics of slowness, mode of travel, travel experience, sense of place and environmental consciousness proposed in existing scholarly discourse. The findings further revealed that creating experience add-ons is a unique characteristic that underpins the trail's slow-tourism potential. The study uncovered that while the Pekoe Trail generates positive impacts across the triple bottom line, it continues to face challenges in sustaining these commitments over the long term. Research limitations/implications Given the exploratory nature of this study, the use of purposive sampling and a single tourism case study may limit the generalisability of its findings. Furthermore, the analysis is based solely on supply-side perspectives and does not consider tourists’ perspectives on slow tourism. Originality/value This study contributes to the growing body of slow tourism scholarship by bridging the gap between its conceptualisation and practical application. Its originality lies in examining the alignment between slow tourism principles and trekking trails from a supply-side perspective, an area that remains underexplored in existing literature. By extending slow tourism discourse to trekking trails, the study demonstrates how these settings can facilitate slower, more meaningful travel experiences while supporting sustainable development. The findings provide insights for destination planners and tourism stakeholders on developing trekking trails that embody slow tourism and enhance their long-term sustainability.