Tourist Walking Trails in Italy and Argentina: Navigating Political Recognition and Socio-Territorial Innovation
Abstract
:1. Introduction: Social Innovation and Tourism
1.1. The Increasing Importance of Walking Trails and Social Innovation in Tourism
1.2. Research Aims and the Selection of Argentina and Italy
2. Theoretical Background
2.1. Social Innovation: Some Definitions for a Growing Debate
2.2. Social Innovation and Public Local Policy
2.3. Social Innovation in Tourism: The Potential in the Walking Trails
2.4. Tourism and Walking Trails: Statistical Difficulties and Legislative–Institutional Uncertainties
3. Materials and Methods
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- Three institutional contacts at the national level (IN).
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- Two institutional contacts at the regional or local level (IR).
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- Five trade association representatives in the walking trail sector (AC).
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- Four experts from the tourism sector with particular experience in the field of walking trails (ET).
4. Results
4.1. Walking Trail Trends in Recent Years
As far as I know, there have been a few attempts to create walking trails, particularly here in the Buenos Aires area…mostly these trails were linked to food and wine itineraries […] In my opinion, this is a growing trend, but there is the national experience launched by the Ministry, “La Ruta Natural”, which is a good project for the promotion of tourism and also of walking trails.(Interview ET1_Arg)
The walking trails have enjoyed great success recently. Of particular note was the boom of summer 2021, when people were still travelling abroad because of the pandemic, thus greatly benefiting the trails, the Via degli Dei being at “full capacity” for example.(Interview ET1_It)
4.2. Walkers’ Trends in Recent Years
I don’t think there is any official data, or at least I don’t know of any other than the ministry website, but as we have seen there is no such data.(Interview ET2_Arg)
Today the big push is for the 5- to 7-day walks with certain logistical features (easy access by transport, etc.). However, the issue of the number of beds remains, and even more so of beds at an affordable cost.(Interview ET3_It)
In my opinion, shorter walks (up to 15 days), and circular walks (i.e., with a loop route) […] This confirms a trend already present in past years: women are very active in walking on their own, the average age is rather high (around 50), the emergence of particular phenomena such as the Via degli Dei (also chosen by many young people, perhaps because it links two important university towns).(Interview ET1_It)
Among the growing motivations, I would say walking as something “challenging” is an experience in itself. Then also a way to get to know the area, so walking as an experiential opportunity. Or even for faith, there are still some of those.(Interview AC1_It)
4.3. Walking as an Opportunity for Social Innovation
Certainly as an incubation project we believe that this form of tourism is necessary to inculcate a cultural change […] We work with our students, we have a degree programme in hostelry, students are very interested in these subjects. I don’t know if there have been specific programmes as public policy on this aspect.(Interview ET2_Arg)
After the 2010 to 2015 programme with Macri everything was cancelled. No special attention was given to environmental education.(Interview. In1_Arg)
There was a network that had worked to strengthen ties with schools, but unfortunately it did not move forward. Some experiences saw progress, but very small ones. In France there is a much more deeply rooted culture in this area: for example, many schools send their students on a two-week walk to experience the Grand Randonée trails.(Interview ET1_It)
Regarding networks between walkers and local actors, yes and no. It depends: if there’s a solid association behind it, yes. Sometimes maybe it’s easier with guides. But in my experience sometimes a bond was formed and sometimes not.(Interview AC2_It)
Trails cannot be founded on politics, because if you connect them to the initiative of a mayor and an administration those who come after will invest in something else thinking that a different solution is better, even if only to distance themselves. That’s why it is important to invest in training.(Interview AC1_It)
4.4. Walking Trails as an Opportunity for Marginal Regions
The three programmes I talked about (Huella Andina, Senderos Argentinos, and Ruta Natural) have always had at their core the idea of involving the whole country, and in particular the more natural and inland areas. But, in my opinion, there is a fundamental problem, which is that these programmes have always been something conceived from above…. The provinces should have been more active, they should have followed the projects more to get them to the local regions, to the tour operators…. There are various experiences that have come together in the “Red Argentina de Turismo Rural Comunitario (RATuRC)”. It is an experience promoted by the ministry to support local communities, their self-management and self-determination for tourism proposals. In particular, for indigenous communities… We recently collaborated with the Ministry on this initiative in the II Encuentro de Turismo Cooperativo Mutual y de Base Comunitaria.(Interview IN1_Arg)
Among our recent projects, we have continued to work on making our regions known and the experiences of sustainable tourism visible. As the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, we have created an interactive map, namely the Catalogue of Cooperative, Mutual and Community-Based Tourism. We believe it is very important to promote local experiences [77].(Interview IN1_Arg)
The experience of the community tourism network has become significant. For example, with the Pueblos Que Latan project we managed to bring together 33 local experiences, each with its own particular traits. A unified project was presented to the province of Buenos Aires. Other small towns in rural areas are joining because there’s a lot of interest in working to strengthen local communities, and not only the indigenous ones.(Interview.IR2_Arg)
It is not necessarily the case that this proliferation of walking trails is always positive. At a strategic level it is impossible to seriously promote and structure walking trails in all regions. And then we don’t have 450,000 walkers a year in Santiago! […] As Machado said: “Without a walker there is no trail”. We should build on what exists and already works, and develop others on these cornerstones.(Interview. ET3_It)
The open secret of these trails is sharing: those who walk want to share their experience, to understand and see, taste and smell, and hear about it […] The trail is not only made of beauty but of people who experience it and who know how to talk about it.(Interview ET2_It)
It would be one of the reasons to structure a walking trail: to divert the itinerary from a city to an inland area that is beautiful but where you would otherwise not go. The biggest supporters of walking trails are the small villages crossed by the route. Their businesses see the difference and many would close without them.(Interview AC1_It)
4.5. Networking the Walking Trails
I am currently not aware of any national policies in this area, and I believe that the only initiative of this kind is Ruta Natural. Argentina is a very big country and full of tourism resources […] We’re trying with private individuals, with the incubator we’re planning activities with some small hotels, as part of the community tourism network. These activities can be useful and are a good example of how a public university can operate locally, particularly in the more inland areas, far from the big cities where many tourists go […] Here, as far as public policies are concerned, there’s a big problem related to continuity. It has always been this way, every new government resets what the previous government did regardless.(Interview.ET1_Arg)
Basically, all attempts have gone nowhere, either because the area cannot be regulated or because it is very much delegated to the regions […] 130 major trails surveyed by Terre di Mezzo in Italy…and 130 different trail markings! […] The promotion of the trail is mainly done free of charge, by word of mouth, advertising or TV or radio don’t reach the target. The walkers know each other and recognise each other […] But if there are trails in Italy it’s thanks to the associations (track, walk, mark, etc.) that are still very much linked to their local communities. However, there is some attempt at national coordination. For example, some Trail Networks have sprung up […] but they remain more like formal associations, which struggle to propose joint initiatives.(Interview.ET2_It)
I think the world of walking trails is full of “egocentrics”: 90% are the product of one person or a small group of people who sometimes trademark or otherwise have a personal interest (financial or ego) in maintaining control over the process, and this does not help much. They are often enthusiasts but not professionals. I have a lot of friends who are trail builders, but if we want to make progress we need to structure the public–private relationship more.(Interview ET3_It)
In Italy there is no impediment to building a trail if certain parameters are not taken into account: it’s a more “anarchic” situation than in France or Spain! On the other hand, it was also an asset to create many trails. But now we need more rules.(Interview ET4_It)
5. Discussion: Social and Regional Innovation: Argentina and Italy Compared
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
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Topics | Italy | Argentina |
---|---|---|
Recent Walking Trail Trends | High local vitality combined with high “improvisation” in creation and organization of many trails | Important national attempts to launch this sector but severely affected by governmental changes |
A growth started in the last twenty-five years and increased in the last five-six years despite COVID-19 | Perception of growth in tourism as a whole as well as in walking trails | |
Recent Walkers’ Trends | A more established data system but problems estimating walkers’ trends, some national reports point out a growth in flows and cross-cutting features | Difficulty having data on walking trails as well as on tourism, no national reports, no clear perception of walkers’ flows and features |
Brilliant but isolated activities with schools, need for more coordinated governance and clearer guidelines | Discontinuity of public policies and top-down initiatives with lack of local involvement | |
Walking as Social Innovation | Tourism as a regional and local matter, attempts to provide a national frame have not been successful so far | Some national and local good practices but scarce follow-up and a weak regional level |
Walking Trails for Marginal Regions | Proliferation of walking trails as synergic and “anarchic” at the same time without a national coordination | “Community tourism” and “cooperative tourism” as a growing innovation for inland natural areas and indigenous communities |
Building Blocks | Italy | Argentina |
---|---|---|
Key characteristics
| Growing attention to walking trails as a response to needs for community identity and social innovation, with local initiatives also attempting to meet territorial regeneration needs in some marginal areas. In some cases, trails considered as examples of community mobilisation and social entrepreneurship initiatives. In some cases, walking trail tourism has favoured the development of marginal areas, also thanks to the walkers themselves. | Trails are a great opportunity for the development of regions. With the Ruta Natural, an attempt was made to link rural and urban tourism. The growing demand for post-pandemic trails reflects a social need for outdoor activities and experiential tourism. Experiences of community tourism involving local actors respond to the need to promote and protect local values and capital. |
Objectives
| Backwardness of Italy compared to other contexts, particularly the Camino de Santiago (Spain). The topic of sustainability emerged less than expected but is probably taken for granted by many respondents. Recent growth in the sector and therefore attempts to measure and monitor it, but the level of reliability is still lower than for the Camino de Santiago. | One of the aims of the Ruta Natural is to promote sustainable tourism. In addition, it pursues environmental education and strong communication through a section of the website to make all possible trails known nationwide. However, it is difficult to create monitoring and evaluation tools at the national level. |
Approach
| The initiatives are not systematic or well-structured, highlighting a widespread lack of established methodology and accountability. | Ruta Natural is the result of a study and analysis of the national context, carried out by experts from the Ministry. In this sense there is a “top-down” approach. |
Questions: do the interviews mention methodologies to support process and relationship dynamics, transparency and traceability in trail management? | A strong “bottom-up” dimension emerges in the walking trails versus a weak “top-down” dimension. | However, there is a lack of clarity on how initiatives are monitored and evaluated in terms of social and environmental impact. |
Process
| Despite the growth in the number of walking trails, many projects are still cursorily managed and volunteer-based. | The overall objective is to create a national approach to foster experiential tourism experiences. |
Question: does any phased process emerge in the interviews and is there a focus on what happens after the initial implementation? | Long-term sustainability is therefore a common concern. | The focus on what happens after the initial implementation is less evident, with a need to develop long-term strategies. |
Governance
| Difficulties in creating stable and collaborative networks, with continuity in policies and involvement of local and national actors that is often fragmented. | Significant local experiences are involved in the RATuRC network, which seem to be launching participatory processes of local tourism development. Difficulties in collaboration between the Ministry and intermediate levels such as the provinces and with local actors. Due to changes in government, there is a resetting of what was done before. |
Systemic conditions
| Funding mechanisms are growing, albeit with some rigidities and some issues with allocation. Human capital seems to be a widespread resource, but it can have the unwanted effect of making trails very “personal” and not very “communal”. | Opportunities arise in general from the university “third mission” and thus from incubators to foster the birth and implementation of walking trails. Opportunities related to specific training (also linked to the role of the university) to foster skills creation, especially for young people. |
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Coscarello, M.; Manella, G. Tourist Walking Trails in Italy and Argentina: Navigating Political Recognition and Socio-Territorial Innovation. Land 2024, 13, 1405. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13091405
Coscarello M, Manella G. Tourist Walking Trails in Italy and Argentina: Navigating Political Recognition and Socio-Territorial Innovation. Land. 2024; 13(9):1405. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13091405
Chicago/Turabian StyleCoscarello, Mario, and Gabriele Manella. 2024. "Tourist Walking Trails in Italy and Argentina: Navigating Political Recognition and Socio-Territorial Innovation" Land 13, no. 9: 1405. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13091405