Tourism and Cultural Heritage. Past and Future for New Prospects and Strategies of Sustainable Local Development

Tourism is considered not only one of the major and dynamic sectors in international industry and trade but also as means for new quality jobs, poverty eradication, gender equality, and the protection and promotion of natural and cultural heritage. Besides, it has been identified by the United Nations (UN) as one of the ten sectors to drive the change towards a Green Economy and was included in the Rio+20 Outcome Document as one of the sectors capable of making a significant contribution to the three dimensions of sustainable development. Also Culture and Cultural Heritage are essential components of sustainable development and critical elements of human rights-based approaches. They represent a source of identity, innovation and creativity for the individual and community and are important factors in building social inclusion, providing for economic growth. In the light of these remarks, with reference to the case study of Calabria, an EU lagging Region in the South of Italy (Convergence Objective), the paper outlines the possible prospects of sustainable development for the current 2014-2020 programming period, and further, that envisage an increasingly active and influential role of local communities and of Urban and Regional Planning, in view of integrated approach and multilevel governance.