PRESS RELEASE
The art of gentle and relaxing travel
Slow travel is all about easing up the pace and taking time to appreciate
your surroundings – the Erwin Hymer Group and its associated brands offer the perfect means to do so
Bad Waldsee/Dusseldorf, 25/08/2016 – The best weeks of the year are here: it’s
holiday time. Time to shift down a gear. To take your foot off the accelerator. To
pause en route and experience things more intensely. To explore destinations at
your leisure instead of simply ticking them off as you go. In short: to embrace
slow travel.
Slow travel is the alternative to “high-speed tourism”, says Jeanette Huber from the
Frankfurt-based think tank Zukunftsinstitut, which conducts research into the key
trends of our time and their consequences for the future of society and the economy. In
her view, “high-speed tourism” overloads what should be the best time of the year with
expectations, impressions and stock sensations, imposing time constraints and demanding minute planning. This turns leisure time into a source of stress. By contrast,
slow travel encourages curiosity and attention to detail, which can lead to surprising
discoveries.
The slow travel phenomenon is rooted in the mega-trend towards individualisation. It is
part of a growing desire to organise our own lives – including our ideal holiday. In an
age when our world appears to be spinning out of control, with increasingly complex
work routines and advancing digitisation, it’s more important than ever to take time out
now and then to switch off and relax.
“Today, less is more. And that trend is evident in the tourism industry too. Slow travel is
a big thing for the Erwin Hymer Group and its brands,” says Jan de Haas, board member of the Erwin Hymer Group, adding “It goes hand in hand with other key concepts
Brands of the ERWIN HYMER GROUP Bürstner I Carado I Dethleffs I Eriba I Etrusco I Goldschmitt I Hymer I Laika I LMC I McRent I Movera I Niesmann+Bischoff I rent easy I Roadtrek I Sunlight I 3DOG camping such as individuality, flexibility and manageability. Consequently, our portfolio includes
motorhomes and caravans – for sale or rent – that are ideally suited to this new type of
high-quality travel experience.”
Further, faster, slicker? Not with slow travel. “By slowing down, organising your leisure
time with care and learning to truly appreciate your surroundings, you avoid the passive, box-ticking style of tourism which leaves a shallow taste at the end of the day,”
says Jeanette Huber. In her view, slow travel is about engaging instead of merely looking on, being open to the unexpected, and being vigilant yet trusting when it comes to
things we perceive as foreign and exotic.
In order to reach the relevant target groups, the Erwin Hymer Group also plans to focus
increasingly on digital services in future. The interactive online travel portal
www.freeontour.com has already proved successful, enabling practical news and
background information on specific destinations and routes to be shared by the community. Similar slow travel-promoting initiatives include the new pitch reservation portal
integrated in Freeontour, and the new travel magazine “Ins Blaue” available at
www.ins-blaue-magazin.com.
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About ERWIN HYMER GROUP
With a turnover of more than 1.6 billion Euros, ERWIN HYMER GROUP is Europe’s largest manufacturer of
motorhomes and caravans. The group sells more than 36,000 vehicles annually and employs a staff of some
5,000 in its associated companies.
The following motorhome and caravan brands are part of the ERWIN HYMER GROUP: Bürstner, Carado,
Dethleffs, Eriba, Etrusco, Hymer, Niesmann+Bischoff, Laika, LMC, Roadtrek and Sunlight, Europe’s largest
motor home rental company McRent and rent easy, the chassis specialist Goldschmitt, the accessory specialist
Movera as well as the tent caravan manufacturer 3DOG camping.
www.erwinhymergroup.com
Press contact:
Jacqueline Casini
Head of Corporate Communications
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +49 (0) 7524-999-8448
Mobile Phone: +49 (0) 151 – 44 34 55 83
Brands of the ERWIN HYMER GROUP Bürstner I Carado I Dethleffs I Eriba I Etrusco I Goldschmitt I Hymer I Laika I LMC I McRent I Movera I Niesmann+Bischoff I rent easy I Roadtrek I Sunlight I 3DOG camping