Project “Turismu in Corsu”: tourism and Corsican language

Corsica faces multiple struggles regarding its future. The population has grown fast for the last 20 years, real estate speculation shines more than ever (mocking day after day ecological and social matters). Times are hard for minorities in a country such as France and we Corsican want more than anything to preserve our identity.

At the same time, it is very important to share our history, culture, and traditions. It is, after all, what made one day some people want to come and spend their vacations in Corsica. So it is always an honor, and a real pleasure, to share something with visitors. So some of us asked ourselves: how could we use tourism to strengthen our identity?

The Turismu in Corsu project

Language preservation is one of the top matters in Corsican society. It has to be saved, it has to regain its role in our everyday life. But how can tourism help a regional language? Thinking about it among a more global project aiming at rebuilding a cultural, social, and economical link between Corsica and Italy, my friend Giorgio (founder of the site www.corsicaoggi.com) and I started to work on the Turismu in Corsu Project. The objective here is to provide ways for people to experience “true and immersive travel”.

The concept is based upon the mutual understanding that exists between Corsican and Italian speakers. The final aim is to give the traveler all the resources he needs to build a 100% Corsican trip. The Turismu in Corsu Project is something we consider sustainable for tourism in Corsica.

• It gives back to our language a true role in our society.
• The Corsican language becomes a professional tool.
• It focuses on sharing experiences and stories, uniting people.
• Italy is the closest country to Corsica.

Today we still consider Turismu in Corsu as a project, we are far from our objective to provide a massive choice to future travelers. A website is open with a few pieces of information, available in Corsican, Italian, and French (we think about the people that know something of our language but not enough to go through a full Corsica/Italian website).

Let’s hope that this project will emerge… Among others that still wants to make Corsica a more sustainable place. Just like SustainableCorsica.com.