How important is tourism in the Italian interior areas? An analysis of pilot areas

Abstract

The contribution analyses "How important is tourism in the Italian interior areas? An analysis of pilot areas, with attention to the context, reading instruments and policy implications. The capacity of hotel and extra-hotel accommodation (expressed in beds) confirms the tourist vocation of some areas, while highlighting the limits of others. The results show that clusters do not follow any specific geographical pattern, but each area fits into a group that has similar characteristics. Another example is the areas of Cluster 1 (Antola Tigullio and Val Simeto), which are characterized by a high incidence of protected areas. According to Robinson and Novelli (2005) niche tourism seems to be able to provide the best answers to the internal areas and peripheral regions precisely because it is more sustainable and less harmful to the environment. They often try to get in touch with the resident population and discover traditional customs, foods and wines. Without these small efforts, the interior areas in the eyes of the tourist will be equal to other tourist destinations, and therefore they will lose this challenge.

Keywords

Internal areas; tourism tourism; Italy; Networks of enterprises; Local authorities; territorial indicators

JEL codes

R58; R11; R23