AIEST

16/06/2026

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 75𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐈𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 ⛰️

This year’s AIEST Conference is more than just another academic gathering.

To celebrate its 75th anniversary, AIEST returns to its roots: 𝐒𝐭. 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧, 𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐳𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝, the city where the association was founded and where some of the earliest discussions that shaped modern tourism research took place ✨

🏛️ The conference will be hosted by colleagues from the University of St. Gallen (HSG), one of Europe's leading institutions in business, management, and tourism research, represented by hosts 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐁𝐢𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐫, 𝐏𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐫.

📍 Participants will meet at the Radisson Blu Hotel St. Gallen, located in the heart of the city and providing the ideal setting for four days of discussion, networking, and collaboration.

🌍 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝?
• Celebrate 75 years of international tourism scholarship
• Connect with researchers, practitioners, and industry leaders from around the world
• Experience Swiss hospitality and the rich cultural heritage of St. Gallen
• Contribute to shaping the future of tourism research and practice

💡 The conference will explore some of the most pressing questions facing tourism today - 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡.

🔗 Link to discover the full conference programme, themes, and registration details in the comments

𝐖𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐭. 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 2026!

09/06/2026

🛒 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦: 𝐀 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝?

What if one of the most revealing windows into a destination is not a museum, landmark, or restaurant - but a 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭?

Inspired by a recent article from Condé Nast Traveller on emerging travel trends for 2026., it suggest that travellers are 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬, and 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐬 as part of their 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. From regional snacks and beverages to pantry products and kitchenware, everyday retail spaces are becoming destinations in their own right.

Rather than simply buying food, visitors are e𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐬, 𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐬- one shopping aisle at a time.

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐈𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:
❓ Are grocery stores becoming part of the visitor experience?
❓ What opportunities does this create for destinations and local businesses?
❓ Should food retailers be considered tourism stakeholders?

📖 Find the article in the comments!

💭 Have you observed similar trends in your destination? We would be interested to hear your observations and experiences!

02/06/2026

🌱 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐢: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐜𝐲?
Today, we remember Carlo Petrini, a visionary who transformed the way we think about food, culture, communities, and sustainability.

Through the 𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, Petrini championed the idea that food is much more than a product. It is heritage 🏡, identity 🍇, biodiversity 🌾, and a powerful connector between people and places.

Long before concepts such as regenerative tourism and place-based development entered mainstream discussions, Petrini was advocating for 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬.

His ideas continue to resonate strongly with the tourism and hospitality sectors, raising 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝:
❓ How can tourism better support local food systems while preserving authenticity?
❓ What role should destinations play in protecting biodiversity, traditional knowledge, and regional products?
❓ Can food experiences become a catalyst for deeper connections between visitors and host communities?
❓ How do we balance the growth of food tourism with the preservation of the cultural and environmental assets that make places unique?

As we reflect on his remarkable legacy, we invite the AIEST community to share their thoughts: 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘰 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘪'𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 “𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳” 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵?
His legacy reminds us that sustainable tourism is not only about where we travel—but also about what we 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞, 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲. 🌍

📖 Inspired by a recent New York Times article. Please find the link in the comments!

25/05/2026

75 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬.
𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦. 🌍

𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 1951, AIEST has connected researchers, practitioners, and destinations across borders — evolving alongside the tourism industry itself.

From post-war reconstruction to today’s discussions on sustainability, resilience, and innovation, AIEST has remained a 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞.

As we approach the 75𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐈𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 2026 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐭. 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧, Switzerland 🇨🇭 - now only 3 months away - the images below highlight some of the milestones, transformations, and moments that have shaped the AIEST journey over the past 75 years.

We look forward to welcoming you to St. Gallen for this special edition ✨

15/05/2026

🏛️ 700,000 residents.
✈️ 8 million visitors.
🧱 A city continuously adapting its infrastructure just to keep functioning.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 2026.

A recent Guardian article reports that the city is considering 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 in parts of its historic centre after years of growing visitor pressure.

What makes the discussion particularly interesting is not simply the scale of tourism — but the type of transformation taking place.

The article points toward a phenomenon becoming increasingly visible across destinations:
📍𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
📍 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬
📍 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬
📍 𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

𝚃̲𝚑̲𝚒̲𝚜̲ 𝚛̲𝚊̲𝚒̲𝚜̲𝚎̲𝚜̲ 𝚒̲𝚗̲𝚝̲𝚎̲𝚛̲𝚎̲𝚜̲𝚝̲𝚒̲𝚗̲𝚐̲ 𝚚̲𝚞̲𝚎̲𝚜̲𝚝̲𝚒̲𝚘̲𝚗̲𝚜̲ 𝚏̲𝚘̲𝚛̲ 𝚝̲𝚑̲𝚎̲ 𝙰̲𝙸̲𝙴̲𝚂̲𝚃̲ 𝚌̲𝚘̲𝚖̲𝚖̲𝚞̲𝚗̲𝚒̲𝚝̲𝚢̲:
• At what point does a𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 - and start 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞?
• 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 “𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝” 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦?

Perhaps the challenge is no longer overtourism alone, but the gradual standardisation of place itself.

💬 If so, could future destination competitiveness depend less on making places more consumable, and more on preserving what still makes them feel real?

🔗 𝙵̲𝚒̲𝚗̲𝚍̲ 𝚝̲𝚑̲𝚎̲ 𝚊̲𝚛̲𝚝̲𝚒̲𝚌̲𝚕̲𝚎̲ in the comments!

04/05/2026

🎣 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐟𝐥𝐲-𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞… 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲?

A recent New York Times article highlights exactly this: anglers fishing for trout in the canals of Treviso, Italy—just steps away from cafés, bridges and everyday urban life.

What makes this compelling is not just the contrast, but the fact that it is not designed as a tourist attraction. It is a long-standing local practice, made possible by clean, spring-fed waterways that remain integrated into the city.

👉 It raises a relevant question for tourism: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 - 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦?
🌿 nature embedded in urban environments
🎣 traditional practices persisting in modern contexts
👀 experiences hiding in plain sight

💬 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬—𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫?

🔗 Link to 𝚝̲𝚑̲𝚎̲ 𝚊̲𝚛̲𝚝̲𝚒̲𝚌̲𝚕̲𝚎̲ in the comments!

The waterways of Treviso, Italy, are teeming with carp, chub and trout, inviting anglers to wade in and discover a serene world hidden in the heart of a city.

17/04/2026

✨ 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐀𝐈𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞

We are delighted to announce the launch of the 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐀𝐈𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞!

Designed with a fresh and modern approach, it marks an important step forward in 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 of tourism experts, researchers, and practitioners 🌐

More than just a website, this is a 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 for the AIEST community - designed to help you 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞, and 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 everything in one place 💡

🔍Here’s what you can do on the platform:
• Discover latest events and activities
• Create and showcase your personal profile
• Connect with other members
• Explore collaboration and networking opportunities
• Keep track of your membership details and the events you’re registered for

We warmly invite you to 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 and stay connected with the latest developments. 👉 𝙳̲𝚒̲𝚛̲𝚎̲𝚌̲𝚝̲ 𝚕̲𝚒̲𝚗̲𝚔̲ in the comments

We believe this new space will further 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 to share insights, build partnerships, and contribute to the future of tourism 🌍

13/04/2026

𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐈𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬?🌍

𝐈𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞, on Lake Garda, 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲- estimated at up to 75,000 people - pushed the historic center to its limits, with severe congestion on the narrow bridge and streets leading into the town.

At peak moments, pedestrian flows became so dense that a𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝, affecting both residents and the visitor experience.

Instead of introducing caps, tickets, or pricing mechanisms, local authorities chose a different approach. They introduced “𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬”: 𝐨𝐧-𝐭𝐡𝐞-𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 (“𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲”) 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.

✨𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞:
• preventing bottlenecks
• discouraging behaviors that increase congestion (e.g., stopping, sitting, blocking paths)
• improving the overall flow and shared use of space

This reflects a shift from controlling volumes: 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬.
💡 What makes this interesting is that t𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞, rather than how many tourists arrive.

⁉️ 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞: 𝘐𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴… 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴?

As tourism continues to grow, approaches like this suggest that “soft governance” tools—nudging, guiding, and designing movement—may complement (or sometimes substitute) traditional restrictive measures.

👉 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰? 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞.

🔗 𝚂̲𝚘̲𝚞̲𝚛̲𝚌̲𝚎̲ - 𝚛̲𝚎̲𝚌̲𝚎̲𝚗̲𝚝̲ 𝚊̲𝚛̲𝚝̲𝚒̲𝚌̲𝚕̲𝚎̲ 𝚋̲𝚢̲ 𝚃̲𝚑̲𝚎̲ 𝙶̲𝚞̲𝚊̲𝚛̲𝚍̲𝚒̲𝚊̲𝚗̲: in the comments!

03/04/2026

𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦: 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 ✨
Easter is often framed in tourism as a simple seasonal peak: a moment of increased flows, short trips, and the consumption of experiences.

But the literature invites us to look beyond 👀

Research on religious tourism shows that 𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 are not merely drivers of demand, but 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, deeply shaping travel motivations (Raj & Morpeth, 2007). At the same time, the event tourism perspective highlights how recurring events can become 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲-𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 (Getz, 2008) 🧭

Yet, there is another layer.

𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫, by definition, is 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧🌱
From this perspective, it connects to the growing 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦, where 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 (Reisinger, 2013; Smith & Diekmann, 2017).

💡 This raises an interesting question for both research and practice: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 “𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝,” 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞?

A form of tourism that goes beyond consuming places, and instead contributes to their economic, social, and cultural regeneration 🌍

✨ 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐥, 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐈𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 🌼

📚 Key literature references in the comments!