Debate at this ASL session focused on examining the impact in Italy of global developments in tourism, with the participants acknowledging from the outset that both quantitative and qualitative changes in the industry require the country to formulate appropriate strategies if it wishes to ensure that the sector remains a key lever of its economy.
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.
Discussion at this national roundtable got underway with the observation that tourism is another largely underutilized resource that features prominently in the (somewhat copious) catalog of Italy’s untapped potential. For decades, the sector has constantly been held up as representing the epitome of the country’s missed opportunities, along with culture and natural heritage, with which it is clearly interlinked.
