Implementing smart tourism destination governance: the case of Naples

Starting with a methodological framework aimed at identifying a destination governance structure that can support a smart-oriented development strategy, this chapter discusses the potential of a place or tourism municipality for implementing a Smart Tourism Destination Governance (STDG) model. To illustrate the application of this framework, we consider the city of Naples, a prominent tourism destination in Southern Italy. The city was chosen because, starting in 2013, it was formally involved in several initiatives inspired by the “smart city and communities” paradigm. The main source of data for this study consists of in-depth qualita- tive interviews conducted by the first two authors with numerous local tourism stakeholders. Additionally, this primary source was complemented with secondary information obtained from official documents. The critical analysis of the results provided valuable insights into how contextual conditions of the tourism destination, particularly in terms of competitive positioning, collaboration attitudes among stakeholders, and a collective “smart orientation,” are pivotal factors for the viability of a smart tourism destination governance model. These factors, in turn, significantly shape the specific trajectory of smart development. The chapter is organized into five sections. Following the introduction, the second section presents the STDG model proposed by the authors, based on an extensive literature review. This model draws upon various managerial theories to understand tourism destination gov- ernance and places a central focus on the “smart paradigm” and its constituent dimensions. The third section details the research methodology and the rationale for selecting Naples as a relevant tourism destination within the Mediterranean basin. The fourth section presents the empirical findings from the case study. Finally, the last section delves into the discussion, emphasizing the implications for both theory and practice.