Integrated Innovative Strategies of Sustainable Tourism through Regeneration of Minor Historic Centres

Since tourism is one of the fastest growing economic sectors, cities and regions should develop effective tourism policies capable of overcoming challenges related to economic, environmental and social sustainability by reconciling traditional values with contempo-rary requirements of innovation. Hence, territorial development strategies, many European regions pursue through policies, programmes and plans oriented to sustainable tourism, aim at integrating coastal resorts, which are characterized by high environmental and social impacts, and minor historic centres of the hinterland, which are rich in under-utilized resources. By doing so, they intend to reduce socio-economic imbalances and depopulation trends in inland areas and boost territorial cohesion. Integrated actions should be planned in order to pursue common and closely interconnected goals: territorial safety; promotion of the natural and cultural diversity of the area; increase in the value of the notable under-utilized resources; trigger for growth processes. In the light of these remarks, this paper proposes possible models of sustainable tourism development based on the enhancement of local resources, particularly referring to some research activities on desirable scenarios for Calabria Region.