The opening premise of this ASL session was that Italy’s cultural heritage and tourism resources are capable of offering great development potential if certain strategic issues are resolved. In particular, it was stressed that heritage assets must be harnessed as a lever for wealth creation, tourist offerings need to be upgraded, and most importantly, there needs to be a renewed focus on the pivotal relationship between development and infrastructure.
It was suggested that whilst there is undoubtedly an endemic lack of resources, it is also true that the use of those available should be optimized through comprehensive policies. Culture, which is not exclusively linked to tourism, needs to be considered to a greater extent from the perspective of creative output in its broadest sense. The fact that cultural offerings are today consumed en masse was seen as making it crucial to think in terms of two different approaches to cultural policy: one aimed at conservation and the other at production, the latter having hitherto always been deemed to be of secondary importance in Italy.
Those in attendance felt that a local development model based on culture and creativity could raise the profile of a diverse and innovative range of products (spanning design, fashion, software and publishing) capable of being combined with the second arm of the strategy, namely, tourism. Experiences abroad confirm the validity of such an approach and highlight that a land already naturally rich in ideas and stimuli can provide an ideal backdrop for cultural production. It was conceded, however, that there could be a risk of wasted resources, for which reason any grey areas need to be resolved, particularly in respect of the appropriate role to be played by the public and private sectors. To that end, it was seen as vital to get beyond the idea of simple “sponsorship” and to think in terms of establishing relationships of exchange, including as regards responsibilities, between the public and private spheres.
In relation to human resources in both sectors, it was observed that unfortunately the skills being taught do not match the demands of the labor market, a problem which needs to be addressed at its root, starting from educational institutions and universities.
Turning to consider the tourism sector, it was felt that the concept of “capitalizing” means managing cultural assets on the basis of marketing criteria, without forgetting the importance of digital platforms in this regard. It was noted that Italy has not offered any new “tourist products” in almost fifty years, a fact compounded by seriously problematic infrastructure in the southern regions of the country. In an unmediated market where customers choose their own destinations, Italy was described as losing ground due to its difficulty in adapting to the latest practices. Indeed, the regionalization of the tourism market has to date not produced the desired results, leading instead to a fragmentation of supply not in keeping with the preferred methods of new flows, notwithstanding that Italy’s “hundred cities” are still an undeniable asset.
Lastly, the participants highlighted the need for Italy to come up with a more effective approach to cultural diplomacy so as to ensure that it does not pale in comparison to other countries better able to communicate their unique selling points. In terms of accessing EU funds, it was suggested that Italy could do more by putting together proposals for projects that exploit new technologies, as well as others exploring various ways of making the most of so-called “low seasons”. The sheer variety of destinations that Italy has to offer was seen as another strength, as reflected in figures for the maximum number of nights spent by tourists from China, the US and Russia, Nevertheless, it was felt that efforts are needed to ensure that this embarrassment of choice does not weaken Italy as a recognizable – or even symbolic – brand.