Tourism Development in Inner Mountain Areas—The Local Stakeholders’ Point of View through a Mixed Method Approach

Duglio Duglio,Zavattaro Zavattaro,Peira Peira,Letey Letey,Lombardi Lombardi,Bonadonna Bonadonna

doi:10.3390/su11215997

Abstract

Tourism in inner areas, especially in the mountains, is a complex phenomenon due to the different tourist’s needs and to the specific local features that vary considerably from one destination to another. Consequently, a unique tourism development strategy cannot be defined and adopted anywhere. When considering tourism-based territorial development in mountain areas, it is crucial to take the vision of local stakeholders into consideration. To drive different and/or unexpressed opinions towards shared tools, this study analyses the local stakeholder’s point of view using a mixed method consisting of a Delphi method followed by a Group Nominal Technique. The research was performed in Soana Valley, a small mountain community in the Northwestern Italian Alps. It involved 17 local stakeholders divided into three main groups—local administrators (n = 3), hospitality operators (9) and retailers (5). Results show how operators converge on three common aspects—local food product offering, territorial promotion and collaboration among operators, on which the community should focus to build a territorial integrated tourism offering.

Highlights

Mountains are very popular tourism destinations in the world, second only to coast and island resorts [1], accounting for about 15% of worldwide tourism and with an economic impact between 70 and 90 billion U.S Dollars per year [2]
When considering tourism in mountain areas, the complexity of this sector has to be taken into account—mountain tourism largely depends on specific features of the area and involves a huge range of activities as influenced by environment and cultural heritage
When considering small mountain areas, as the area here studied, should the stakeholders’ opinions represent the starting point for shaping a tourism strategy, but it is important to devise with locals a shared vision and related tools

Summary

Introduction

Mountains are very popular tourism destinations in the world, second only to coast and island resorts [1], accounting for about 15% of worldwide tourism and with an economic impact between 70 and 90 billion U.S Dollars per year [2]. Mountains are all over the world, covering 24% of the land surface [3]. Their characteristics vary widely based on climate and vegetation as well as animal species and human activities. For instance, accounts for seven mountain chains [1]—the most important is probably the Alps—which exist in different countries with peculiarities in terms of biodiversity, natural constraints and opportunities as well as culture, traditions and economic activities. For instance relaxation, sports, leisure, wellness [4,5], and a mountain destination may not always be able to provide all the desired responses [4]

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion