Italia-Croatia

NEXT GENERATION TOURISM: 

INNOVATION, TERRITORY, AND BUSINESS TO BUILD THE TOURISM OF THE FUTURE 

Fasano, December 1–2, 2025 

The Fasano area is becoming the starting point for a new vision of tourism, where tradition and innovation meet to design more sustainable and participatory development models. This idea inspired Next Generation Tourism, the capacity-building workshop promoted by Puglia Culture, Tecnopolis Science and Technology Park of the University of Bari Aldo Moro, and the Municipality of Fasano, as part of the Interreg GUSTI project – Gastro UpScaled Tourist Itinerary in rural regions of Croatia and Italy (Italy–Croatia Programme 2021-2027). 

The initiative will involve businesses in the tourism and agri-food sectors, agritourism businesses, local producers, artisans, and cultural operators in two days of experiences, meetings, and operational discussions, to share skills, best practices, and new business ideas. The goal: to create a network of businesses capable of innovating while remaining rooted in the values and identities of the local area. 

The workshop will be held on December 1st and 2nd, 2025, from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, alternating experiential visits, workshops, and pitches from companies already experimenting with sustainable and integrated tourism models. 

The first day, Monday, December 1st, will take place at the National Museum and Archaeological Park of Egnazia and will be dedicated to the theme "Heritage and identity as a lever for innovation and sustainable development processes linked to agri-food and tourism.". The morning will be a journey through cultural and archaeological heritage, the Via Francigena, agrobiodiversity, and the Piana degli Ulivi Millenari (Plain of Millenary Olives). The afternoon will be dedicated to a workshop with businesses in the tourism and agri-food sectors, sharing experiences and solutions developed locally. 

The second day, Tuesday, December 2nd, will be held at I Portici – “Ignazio Ciaia” Community Library in Fasano and will explore the theme “Social Development, Culture, and Digital Sustainability for the Destination.”. After a tour of Fasano's historic center, dedicated to the rites, traditions, and intangible heritage of the Fasano area, the afternoon will be devoted to the final workshop and the shared drafting of the "Future Tourism Manifesto," which will bring together the visions and proposals that emerged during the workshop. 

The workshop will be coordinated by Paolo Grigolli, a tourism and cultural management expert with extensive experience managing complex projects and organizations. In Puglia, he recently led the "Puglia Destination Go" project, promoted by the Puglia Region and Pugliapromozione, dedicated to the creation of Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) and strengthening the regional tourism governance model.