Local Government and Networking Trends Supporting Sustainable Tourism: Some Empirical Evidence

This paper shows how network forms of organization may support sustainable tourism in specific territorial areas. Since sustainable tourism is concerned with social, ecological and economic demands emanating from territorial entities, networks, with their different forms and characteristics, may promote awareness about such demands and therefore help to fulfil them. To make sustainable development possible, however, networks should be characterized by a guiding centre (often represented by public bodies or NGOs) adequately representative of territorial subjects. Networks should therefore promote participatory processes, on one hand, but provide for effective decision-making moments, on the other. The first part of the paper presents some theoretical analysis, examining possible models and cultural approaches for the development of sustainable tourism in specific territorial areas. In the second part, the paper provide some empirical evidence based on the comparison of two territorial parks, showing the validity of our theoretical approach. Keywords: destination management; territorial sustainable development; sustainable tourism; tourism networks; territorial parks.