Author: Patrizia BATTILANI, Sabina Rita SGOBBA

Author: Patrizia BATTILANI, Sabina Rita SGOBBA

E-mail: ,

Department: Dipartimento di scienze economiche

Institution: Università di Bologna

Title: The role of local actors in the tourist development of UNESCO sites: the case of ALBEROBELLO

Abstract:

This paper focuses on the endogenous dynamics among the local actors (inhabitants, entrepreneurs, artisans, retailers, and so on.), which can promote the development of World Heritage Sites. It analyses in particular the dynamics activated on a local level in Alberobello, a town in the South of Italy inserted into the WHL in 1996 for its Trulli (small houses with a round base and a conical roof), which, over the last twenty years, has registered a strong increase in the number of tourist arrivals and overnight stays. The considerations stemming from this work derive from the comparison of Alberobello with other UNESCO sites: Matera, Rauma and Cesky Krumlov.

All these sites are very different from each other and, based on the analysis we carried out, we divide them in two categories: destinations with tourist traditions and "non-tourist" destinations. Alberobello is part of an already launched tourist context but, undoubtedly, UNESCO played a crucial role in its tourist development. Cesky Krumlov, too, is part of a tourist context whose importance is nationally recognised. Thanks to UNESCO, both towns were inserted into regional tourist circuits, which modified their tourism supply according to the greater attention paid to these places. Unlike Alberobello and Cesky Krumlov, Rauma and Matera are not part of an already launched tourist context and therefore they can't enjoy the positive externalities which it can create. Matera, in particular, was already a tourist reality before its inclusion into the WHL, however despite the attractiveness of its "Sassi" never became a top tourist destination. As for Rauma, UNESCO and tourism do not represent an economic and cultural resource and, therefore, the entry into the WHL did not influence its tourist development.

That being said, we believe that the towns located in tourist regions use better the UNESCO recognition and insert it in their tourist strategies. This implies that the economic potentialities of UNESCO sites are connected with the presence of local actors knowing the tourist sector and the realisation of tourist projects on the regional and national level. Consequently, without appropriate tourist policies, the cultural element does not produce effects on the tourism demand.

This is in line with that part of the economic literature claiming that culture is not able to create tourism (Cuccia, Cellini, University of Catania, Faculty of Economics, Catania: 2007, Is cultural heritage really important for tourists? A contingent rating study). Take for example the study carried out by Cuccia and Cellini on the UNESCO site of Scicli, in Italy. The authors claim that the cultural element is not important and tourists don't take it into account when choosing their holiday destination. However this paper provides a different view. In our study, we conclude that the cultural element does influence regional tourism, however it does it more by strenghening and improving the original tourism product than inventing a brand new one.

Unlike other sites, Alberobello has been able to better “exploit” the UNESCO recognition. This paper aims at understanding whether the success of Alberobello is related to the commitment and work of local actors or is due to the general tourist trend of the region it is located in. Considering such factors, this work focuses on what kind of long time perspective local actors put into force and describes the stages that allowed Alberobello to candidate as a UNESCO site, in order to underline the participation and the role played by the different stakeholders in this process. Moreover, through surveys and interviews, the paper analyses the strategies adopted by inhabitants and local tourist operators for giving value to the presence of UNESCO both on a economic and a cultural level (Sdrali, Despina and Chazapi, Katerina Harokopio: 2007, Cultural tourism in a Greek insular community: THE RESIDENTS’ PERSPECTIVE). Finally, thanks to a questionnaire, we will provide the profile of the tourists arriving in Alberobello. The questionnaire focuses on the reasons why these people decide to visit the town, the itinerary chosen for their journey and their tourism consumption (Wolfe, Hodur, Leistrit: 2009, Visitors to North Dakota Heritage and Cultural Tourism Sites: Visitor Profile, Motivation, Perceptions, and Family Decision Making).

This survey takes also into account the analysis of time series describing both regional and local tourist movement. Such resources (the historical analysis of how Trulli became part of both a local and a global heritage; the surveys and interviews with local stakeholders; the questionnaires to tourists; the time series of data concerning tourism and local economy) give us the chance to reflect on a number of issues such as:

1)  What features does the cultural tourism of a UNESCO site acquire, in a region dominated by beach tourism?

2)  How has cultural heritage become an economic resource?

3)  What effects can the inclusion in the WHL produce on the local culture? Can it foster the cultural sustainability?

Author Bio:

Patrizia Battilani is professor in Economic history at the University of Bologna. She has published many books and several essays, mainly concerning the history of tourism , the economic history of Italy and the history of cooperative enterprises. She sits on the Advisory Board of the Journal of Tourism History. Her publications include, amongst others, Des grands Hôtels aux entreprises familiales: la transition vers le tourisme de masse dans les pays de la Méditerranée, Entreprises et histoire, 2007, 47; The rise of a service-based economy and its transformation: seaside tourism and the case of Rimini, Journal of Tourism History, 1,1, 2009; Cooperation, networks, service. Innovation in outsourcing, Carnagie Publishing, Preston UK, 2010; A Special Kind of Business: the Cooperative Movement 1950-2010...and Beyond (with Harm Schroeter), forthcoming, Cambridge University Press.

Sabina Rita Sgobba holds a Master’s degree in Tourism Economics and Management from the University of Bologna (Italy). She wrote two graduation thesis about the economic impact of UNESCO World Heritage designation. She collaborated with the Public Record Office of Rimini for the organisation of a number of cultural initiatives and last November, in association with Confcommercio Imprese per l’Italia, she published a report regarding the tourist potentialities and cultural identity of a group of towns located in Emilia Romagna.