For decades, tourism has been portrayed as a driver of development capable of generating widespread benefits. Today, this promise is revealing its contradictions: pressure on local communities, inequalities, loss of identity, and an often uneven distribution of value.
Even high-spending, low-volume tourism does not automatically guarantee greater balance. The issue is not just about how many visitors arrive, but about who decides what constitutes a desirable destination, for whom it is designed, and who bears the cost of its transformation.
Yet even tourists who are better informed about the impacts of travel often continue to expect a perfect, limitless experience—a mindset fueled in part by destination marketing that has, for years, reinforced a sense of entitlement.
The panel explores the transition toward a new tourism agreement based on shared responsibility: among visitors, residents, industry stakeholders, and institutions; between development and conservation; and between carrying capacity and the identity of local areas. It is no longer just a matter of attracting visitors, but of deciding what kind of tourism to enable, under what conditions, using what tools, and with what benefits for the community.
SPEAKERS
Francesco Maria Barbini
University of Bologna Direttore del Centro di Studi Avanzati sul Turismo - CAST
Rikke Holm Petersen
Wonderful Copenhagen Director of Marketing, Communication & Behavior
Barbara Marcotulli
Advisor in Communication & Experience Design
Davide Bomben
Il Diamante - Quality Group Responsabile progetti speciali e sviluppo
Paola Olivari
Travel Guide Giornalista
