Synergies, complementarities and potential competition across touristic vocations in Italian municipalities

Source abstract

This paper develops and empirically tests a conceptual framework to examine how the alignment and misalignment of touristic vocations between municipalities and their surrounding provincial contexts are associated with variations in tourism demand in Italy. The framework conceptualizes local tourism systems as spatially interdependent, where municipalities are embedded within wider regional structures that shape flows of visitors. Four types of spatial interactions are identified – synergy, competition, complementarity and isolation – emerging from different configurations of cultural and natural vocations across territorial scales. Using a cross-sectional analysis of Italian municipalities, the empirical results show that natural destinations benefit from vocational alignment through synergy effects, while cultural areas experience competition. Mixed-vocation municipalities consistently achieve the highest tourism performance, illustrating the advantages of diversification and cross-vocational complementarities. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of accounting for the touristic vocations heterogeneity and promoting coordinated regional governance to foster cooperation and balanced territorial development. The results suggest practical implications for regional policy, as the framework can assist policymakers in designing coordinated regional strategies that leverage local complementarities, mitigate competition among destinations and support the long-term resilience and sustainability of tourism systems.