A dish goes viral, and everyone wants to try it. A mountain lodge in the Dolomites draws long lines of tourists for a doughnut that’s become famous on social media. Restaurants, regions, and experiences risk becoming increasingly similar as they chase the same trends and the same audiences. Food, thanks to its extraordinary ability to generate attention, images, and shares, is one of the key players in this phenomenon. But this dynamic affects the entire tourism industry.
Communication does more than simply describe an offering—it helps shape it. It generates expectations, guides demand, and can even transform products, experiences, and regional identities to align them with what algorithms reward. The risk is an increasingly homogenized form of tourism, in which the pursuit of visibility takes precedence over the celebration of differences. Even the debate over UNESCO recognition of Italian cuisine raises a question: how can we celebrate an extraordinary heritage of traditions, knowledge, and local identities without reducing it to a gastronomic postcard—reassuring and identical everywhere?
Generative artificial intelligence can further accelerate this trend: tools that facilitate content creation risk flooding the market with indistinguishable messages and narratives when they are not guided by expertise, creativity, and a strategic vision. But this same technology, if used thoughtfully, can also become a valuable resource for small tourism businesses.
From the case of the Val di Fassa doughnuts to the unconventional decisions made by Trippa Milano—which removed some of its most-photographed dishes from the menu—to the use of AI in the tourism industry, the panel discusses challenges, thought-provoking ideas, and possible alternatives.
The issue isn’t about giving up visibility or demonizing technology, but about regaining the ability to choose what to communicate, who to reach, and what kind of interest to generate. Because the audience that comes to a restaurant, a hotel, or a destination is also the result of how we’ve chosen to present ourselves.
SPEAKERS
Michele Pozzobon
Burici General Manager
Paola Sucato
PR and communications consultant, digital strategist in the food and tourism sectors
Pietro Caroli
Trattoria Trippa Owner & Co-founder
Anthony La Salandra
SMARTLAND: Veneto Regional Innovation Network Cluster Manager
Alberto Lupini
Italy at the Table Direttore
