Sustainable Tourism Summit
- redazione
- Apr 1
- 2 min read
April 3-4, 2025 | Amalfi | Arsenale della Repubblica
Over-tourism and crowd tourism are compared with local communities: Italy's top destinations for tourism excellence embrace the criteria and value frameworks of Cittaslow – the International Network of Cities for Good Living. These themes will be discussed at the national summit organized in Amalfi on April 3-4, 2025.
<< DESTINATIONS and COMMUNITIES for More Sustainable Tourism >>
Three Cittaslow cities—Amalfi, Pollica, and Positano (the latter being one of the four founding cities of Cittaslow in 1999)—will lead the debate on "quality of life" in small and medium-sized cities that are particularly attractive for national tourism.
How can we balance tourism development, essential for many urban realities, with quality of life for residents and visitors alike? How to manage incoming tourist flows, prioritizing gentle and sustainable mobility? How to ensure safe access and quality services? What should be the relationship between hotels, non-hotel accommodations, gentrification of historic centers and suburbs, and the rights of residents? How to optimize the management of public spaces through innovative forms of tactical urbanism and protection of common goods? How to use fiscal tools to improve urban quality and reinvest in services for tourism and commerce?
"In our territories and the cities that belong to Cittaslow," explains Luca Della Bitta, coordinator of Cittaslow Italy and Mayor of Chiavenna (SO), "we have implemented 'slow' tourism policies that mitigate the negative impacts of uncontrolled tourism, enhance local communities, and experiment with innovative tourism planning models, such as Amalfi's territorial limited-traffic zone (ZTL territoriale) and our own summer outdoor management along 'trails with services,' as well as the Homeland project for 'alternative snow,' which avoids using ski lifts."
The experience of the 305 international Cittaslow cities follows an essential, though not sufficient, guideline: proposing and applying a "sense of limit" to tourist numbers based on timing and location to allow real governance of tourist flows. This goes hand-in-hand with environmental priorities, including managing waste collection during peak seasons, carbon-neutral transport services, energy efficiency, and the crucial role of resident communities, who must always have a say in decisions affecting them and have the opportunity to present ideas and projects aimed at improving living quality.
Attached is the program coordinated by the Mayor of the Cittaslow city of Amalfi, Daniele Milano. Live streaming will be available on the Facebook page of the Municipality of Amalfi.
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