The Via Francigena: A Strategic Model for Territorial Marketing and Culture Development

Sustainable and experiential tourism, specifically linked to the slow movement, is a theme which, in the post-pandemic context and with the advent of supra-tourism, is today one of the main vectors for the valorisation of the Italian cultural and landscape heritage, offering prospects for economic and social development at a global level. It is therefore a question of seeing alternative forms of tourism in which, as recommended by the Council of Europe and UNESCO/ICOMOS, a systemic approach is developed based on the human-centred approach, in which local communities, together with institutions and private companies, become engines of territorial development to stimulate the social and economic growth of this sector. This article addresses the issues of destination management and territorial marketing as innovative models for sustainable cultural tourism, and the qualitative methodology is pursued through the analysis of a case study, "the Via Francigena del Sud", a path which represents a bridge between Europe and the Mediterranean, whose function as a cultural hinge is still extremely relevant. The paper contributes to the literature by highlighting how the integration of public-private partnerships acts as a resource multiplier in the field of sustainable tourism, enabling the development of projects in which the various actors in the system work together to produce value for the community.