Published on 15 Dec 2022
A new scientific paper by Raiyani et al. explains the importance of Information Communication Technology tools in fostering social innovation and cultural tourism development in lesser-known localities.
Cultural tourism represents 37% of the global economy of the European tourism industry, and it is on the rise with an annual expansion rate of 15%. Cultural tourism is an opportunity for economic development and heritage preservation. It isn’t important only for big cities and mainstream tourist destinations, but it can improve the life and opportunities of small, rural localities as well.
The potential of cultural tourism for local communities and remote areas development is huge. However, it also has its drawback. And it is called lack of destination management.
A destination is a geographical location that the tourist decides to visit, that hosts all the tourism services and infrastructures. Lack or poor destination management results in a burden for the local community and can be critical for small and remote locations.
In fact, each touristic site has its own carrying capacity. Which is the maximum number of tourists that a given destination can manage without negative impacts on its environment, culture or economy.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can enhance the quality of destination management, avoiding local communities the burden of a touristic flux that exceeds the site carrying capacity. Through ICT tools it is possible to reinforce tourism activities while developing genuine tourism offerings that relies on local productions and traditions.
The paper from Raiyani et al. “Sustainable Cultural Tourism Strategy and Promotion: An ICT Management Platform” describes an ICT tool applied to the case of the eight pilot sites of the TExTOUR project. These pilots are eight sites chosen among lesser- known destinations. The aim of the project is to develop a collaborative work methodology and a strategy of cultural tourism development for each of the pilots.
The ICT management platform will make it possible fostering the implementation of the cultural tourism development action plans, monitoring and validating it.
Read the paper to know in depth the structure and backbone of the platform and how it will support and drive innovation in TExTOUR project and beyond.
