Abstract
Since the 1980s, in response to the growth that has affected tourist flows, a new behavioral paradigm aimed at promoting responsible tourism experiences – more respectful of the cultural heritage and traditions of local communities – has emerged globally (Butcher, 2003; Aime, 2005; Latouche, 2005; Hall, 2008). The papers aims to describe the experience of IT.A.CÀ, a cultural event that for over 10 years has involved hundreds of local, national and international realities, one of the most virtuous good practices in promoting responsible tourism and in the enhancement of local realities in Italy. Within the project, every year a series of local events, part of a national Festival, are realized. During the days of the Festival associations, institutions and local authorities set up a tourist offer capable of promoting an ethic tourism, aimed at raising awareness among institutions, travelers, industry and tour operators towards a sustainable and socially responsible development of the territory. After having illustrated the history of the initiative and explained the principles on which the network is based, the paper focuses on Naples, which hosted the Festival for the first time in 2018. On the basis of the data collected in the context of an action research, carried out in Naples in October 2018 on the actors involved in the organization and promotion of this (large) event, the paper presents an analysis of the initiative with some policy indications