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Nicola Bellini on… sustainable urban tourism

Urban Voices #28, June 2022

Nicola Bellini

Professor of Management at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa, Italy

Nicola Bellini is Professor of Management at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa, Italy. In 2022 he has been the expert in charge of the ex-ante assessment of the Sustainable Tourism thematic area under the Urban Agenda for the EU. He was director of the tourism management institute at the La Rochelle Business School, France (2014-2018) and Director of the Regional Institute for Economic Planning of Tuscany - IRPET, Florence, Italy (2009-2011). He is author and editor of books and articles on regional innovation, place marketing and cultural tourism. Recent publications include: Tourism in the City. Towards an Integrative Agenda on Urban Tourism (editor with C. Pasquinelli), Berlin: Springer, 2017; Pasquinelli, C., Trunfio, M., Bellini, N., & Rossi, S.. Reimagining urban destinations: Adaptive and transformative city brand attributes and values in the pandemic crisis.

What circumstances led to the decision to introduce a new thematic priority on ‘sustainable tourism’ under the Urban Agenda for the EU? When will it effectively come into place? 

It is a decision taken under the Slovenian Presidency of the EU at the informal meeting of Ministers responsible for Urban Matters in November 2021, the so-called “Ljubljana Agreement” and the process will be formally launched in the second half of 2022. It is a step forward of the Urban Agenda for the EU both in terms of method (that implies a more detailed preparation) and of contents. Dealing with the multi-faceted relationship between cities and tourists, i.e., their “temporary citizens”, means tackling fundamental aspects and problems of urban societies, economies, and cultural identities.

And, of course, the timing is highly relevant. We are at the time of the possible recovery after the pandemic crisis. It is the time when the tourism of the next future will be shaped. Only a shared awareness and commitment may lead us to a better, more sustainable tourism and this might be the most important contribution of the new partnership on sustainable urban tourism.

 

What are the key elements of sustainable urban tourism? What is so peculiar about urban settings that requires an extra reflection on sustainability of urban tourism?

Cities have been one of the main drivers of the spectacular growth of tourism in this century. We travel to cities not just to visit monuments, but for a full immersion in the life of places that are (economically, socially and culturally) at the core of the contemporary world. This concerns large metropolitan areas, but also (and most notably in Europe) small and medium-sized cities.

Tourism has become a major source of wealth and jobs for many cities. But tourism can also disrupt some of the complex balances that characterize urban settings, as highlighted by the debate on the so-called overtourism.

The evolution of urban tourism (leading to greater attention to peri-urban areas and the urban-rural connections) makes borderlines less clearcut than in the past. Still some sustainability issues are especially relevant in cities and specific to urban settings. One could also add that, for several reasons (e.g., the role of historic centres in shaping the local identity, the emergence of mono-functional “tourist ghettos”, the relevance of “anti-tourism” movements, etc.), European cities deserve an even more specified approach.

What can EU cities learn in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic for their tourism?

First of all, cities must not “forget” COVID-19. The main lesson learned concerns the extreme vulnerability of this industry and of its place within the overall urban development. Threats are still there, and we must not be unprepared to possible downturns as we were at the end of 2019.

The “back to normal” approach is very tempting nowadays but is extremely dangerous in this respect. A lot can be done in developing a more balanced and also a more innovative urban tourism, in terms both of products and of business models. Tourism growth is not over but needs to be of a different kind.

How can we integrate the discourse on digital transition in cities with the sustainable tourism one?

The two discourses are tightly connected. A sustainable destination needs to be a “smart” destination, exploiting the full potential originating from digital transformation and the new opportunities to work on big data. The issues related to the management of tourists’ flows within cities are just one example where technology may and will make the difference.

However, digitalization is a tool, not the one-size-fits-all solution. It requires to be “re-invented” and framed within a strategic view on the role of tourism in urban development that must be specific and place-based. In my view, this will be the most difficult challenge ahead.

Only a shared awareness and commitment may lead us to a better, more sustainable tourism and this might be the most important contribution of the new partnership on sustainable urban tourism.