Digitalisation and development policies to enhance cultural heritage in inland and marginal areas: a pilot study on the Gargano agritourism sector

Starting from the state of the art, it is possible to establish that currently the agritourism represents a peculiarity, as well as one of the driving forces, of the Italian tourism sector. The main purpose of this study is to investigate what is the status of digitalisation processes in the development policies of the agritourism sector, with particular reference to agritourism operators present in the inland and marginal areas of the Apulia region; therefore, preservation and enhancement of local cultural heritage are key priorities. The research question can be summarised as follows: how does digitalisation play a role in the development of the agritourism sector, particularly in inland and marginal territories? To this end, the study is based on pilot research and will refer to the territory of the Gargano National Park. The methodology provides for an empirical investigation conducted starting from a structured interview to investigate the sentiment of local agritourism operators towards Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The selection of operators and municipalities was randomised in order to obtain a more representative data. In the later stages of the research, interviews will be conducted with an equal number of operators per location. The data collection and interpretation process in the pilot study, while not allowing for broad statistical inferences, enable logical-formal inferences and preliminary reflections on the current dimension of the topic under investigation, as well as discussions on the state of the art based on the newly acquired data. This pilot study highlights an increasing interest and greater awareness of the importance of ICTs, such as Blockchain technology, in the tourism and agritourism sector of Gargano; however, there is also a significant lack of digital culture and limited knowledge of both the limitations and potential of digital technologies in the tourism industry. The practical implications of the present work are the following: enhancement of customer experience; operational efficiency; marketing and visibility; environmental sustainability. In this regard, emerging technologies and ICT, combined with the unique characteristics of the territory and the already strong tourist appeal of the Gargano and surrounding areas, will provide operators in the sector with an advantage in the national and international market and enter the mechanisms of Tourism 4.0, as indicated in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), hence paying particular attention to the UNWTO strategies and guidelines established during the G20 meeting of September 2022