Tourism is a sector in continuous growth despite the uncertainties of the last few years. Well implemented, tourism is a possibility for the development of backward communities. It is more than travelling and consumption, and it has great potential when it comes to culture, nature, knowledge and personal experiences, which let improve mutual understanding.
INCULTUM project deals with the challenges and opportunities of cultural tourism with the aim of furthering sustainable social, cultural and economic development. Through the project, tourist activities are being promoted, aiming at the optimal use of environmental resources, maintaining essential ecological processes and protecting natural resources and biological diversity. The sociocultural authenticity of the host communities is respected, preserving cultural and traditional assets, contributing to intercultural tolerance and understanding. The activities scheduled into our 10 pilots cases are aimed at generating viable long-term economic resources, providing local agents with opportunities for stable employment and services, thus contributing to the settlement of the population in less favoured areas. The work that is being carried out involves analysing the potential of peripheral areas to be managed by local communities and stakeholders. Innovative participatory approaches are being adopted, transforming locals into protagonists, able to reduce negative impacts, learning from and improving good practices to be replicated and translated into strategies and policies. Additionally, pilots are identifying and comparing drivers and barriers that account for the success or failure of participatory models. Pilots will also enable us to assess outcomes and analyse the pre-conditions needed for a future full implementation and scaling-up of potential solutions. Pilots are providing quantitative and qualitative data that will be combined with official statistics and the exploitation of previously untapped data sources. Findings will enable us to suggest recommendations for effective and sustainable policies in this sector.
