A plan for sustainable tourism. Tools and strategies to guide local authorities.

Tourism is becoming increasingly important in spatial planning. Over the past six decades, the tourism industry has experienced continued growth. It is therefore not surprising that tourism management is globally a key priority. However, there is a conflicting relationship between the tourism economy and environmental and social impacts. The research project aims to define an innovative methodology to help public authorities to manage tourism in a sustainable way. The idea is to integrate the calculation of the Tourist Carrying Capacity - the maximum number of tourists who can visit, at the same time, a destination without causing negative impacts - into the Strategic Plans for Tourism. Tourism’s collapse caused by the pandemic is forcing many destinations to rethink their economic model, by focusing on sustainability and innovation. This is an opportunity to develop tourism plans that take into account the carrying capacity.