Responsible Editor: Maria Dolores Sánchez-Fernández, Ph.D. Associate Editor: Manuel Portugal Ferreira, Ph.D. Evaluation Process: Double Blind Review pelo SEER/OJS

A sustainable strategy of redistribution of the tourist flows in region, in south . Coastal tourism as a development factor for the natural parks

Angelo Bencivenga¹ Marcella De Filippo² ABSTRACT Basilicata region, in south Italy, is delimited by the Ionian and the Tyrrhenian seas and includes territories Livio Chiarullo³ morphologically different with four protected areas, two regional and two national. This lack of homogeneity of Delio Colangelo4 the territory reflects on the tourism dynamics of the region. Coastal territories are more profitable in terms of flows, while in the inland territories, except , the weight of tourism is still too low. In the protected areas, except the Regional Park of Murgia Materana, flows are marginal and tourism cannot activate a significant local development process. Given this framework, the Fondazione Mattei conducted a study aiming at the ¹Department of sustainable tourism – determination of strategic guidelines for the planning of a local development based on the integration between Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Foundation – market forces and forms of social control. This planning aims at the redistribution and deseasonalization of coastal FEEM (Italy) flows through the integration between coastal and rural tourism in the inland. To evaluate the integrated tourism E-mail: [email protected] product potentiality, Eni Enrico Mattei foundation analyzed some national case studies and conducted a survey on the consumer of the Ionian Coast. Analysis measured the tourism competitiveness of the protected areas in Basilicata by the use of Dwyer and Kim’s model combined with Balanced Scorecard method. The more appealing ²Department of sustainable tourism – products for the coastal demand and more competitive products in the market of green destinations have been Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Foundation – identified by BCG matrix. The analysis outlined the necessity of a strategy of integration of the four protected FEEM (Italy) areas in order to increase their market share and several tourism segments should be enhanced to increase the E-mail: [email protected] potential of the nature-based tourism product of Basilicata. Keywords: Redistribution of the tourist flows; Tourism competitiveness; Sea and inland tourism integration; Natural parks ³Department of Economic, Energy and environment – Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Foundation – FEEM (Italy) E-mail: [email protected]

4Department of sustainable tourism – Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Foundation – FEEM (Italy) E-mail: [email protected]

______How to Cite (APA)______Received on February 15, 2017 Bencivenga, A., Filippo, M., De, Chiarullo, L., Colangelo, D. (2017). A sustainable strategy of Published on December 08, 2017 redistribution of the tourist flows in Basilicata region, in south Italy. Coastal tourism as a development factor for the natural parks. International Journal of Professional Business Review, 2 (2), 96–112. http://dx.doi.org/10.21902/2525-3654/2017.v2i1.28

Intern. Journal of Profess. Bus. Review; São Paulo V.2 N.2 2017, pp. 96-112, Jul/Dec 96 A sustainable strategy of redistribution of the tourist flows in Basilicata region, in south Italy. Coastal tourism as a development factor for the natural parks

INTRODUCTION 2015 far exceeded those of July and August, a One of the defining features of tourism is its phenomenon restricted, however, to the seasonal nature. In the space of a year, periods summer period only. Indeed, busy periods still of high tourist flows concentrated in certain alternate with seasons when demand is very low, areas alternate with times of slump and an during which many facilities are closed and small almost total lack of demand. This phenomenon coastal centres are deserted. impacts on the economic sustainability of the In contrast with this area, packed with tourists sector, which, in many cases, is not profitable for in the summer with good positioning in terms of the whole year, and this also creates serious visibility and demand, both domestic and impacts in the social and environmental sphere. foreign, there is the mountainous hinterland, still Periods of few visits are followed by times in an exploratory phase of tourism with potential when the destination is subject to tourist flows for greater value. (Statistical Data of the Tourist that significantly impact on the quality of life of Agency of Basilicata, 2015). the residents and the environment that has to The redistribution of the tourist flows over sustain this burden. The flows of tourists to time and space is, therefore, the most important Basilicata, a region situated in the south of Italy challenge facing a region that, from a position of are also highly sensitive to the seasons. weakness, is now building a brand and its Indeed, while the Basilicata continues to reputation. So The goal of this work is to indicate stand out in Italy for the decidedly high rates of a possibly solution to overcome the seasonal room night in tourism due to the increasing situation of the tourism in the Basilicata region, renown of its main centres of attraction, in particular we will indicate a way to move primarily Matera, the seasonal effect overall on coastal tourism to internal areas characterized tourism, measured as the proportion of visitors by the presence of natural areas. in July and August against the total, still remains To reach this purpose, first, through the data, very high when compared to the national we illustrate the will of coastal tourists to visit average (51% against 39%). natural areas, then we will show the However, in recent years, the seasonality has characteristics of those natural areas to locate been mitigated, due to more marked flows of their main resources. Therefore we will use the cultural, wine and food and environmental Growth–share matrix (Boston Consulting Group tourism. Seaside tourism has also been less matrix) in order to identify the natural areas seasonal, especially on the Ionian Coast, where tourist products capable of intercepting the the increase in tourists in June and September tourist request..

Intern. Journal of Profess. Bus. Review; São Paulo V.2 N.2 2017, pp. 96-112, Jul/Dec 97 Angelo Bencivenga, Marcella De Filippo, Livio Chiarullo & Delio Colangelo

The dynamics of tourism in Basilicata and Matera attained a 15% share of the total opportunities for the sustainable redistribution of overnight stays in the region and 32% of the total the flows through the main centers of attraction number of guests. Significant performances have In 2015, tourism in Basilicata, the land of the also been seen in areas of seaside tourism. In Lucani people, displayed significant growth in Metepontino, the Ionian coast of Basilicata, in terms of arrivals and stays, with a double-digit particular, visits exceeded 1,200,000 units for the increase in the former (+ 16.5%) and 10% in the first time, with an increase of 4%, the highest in latter. The reason for this growth lies principally recent years. The growth in its power of on the tourist arrivals linked to the city of attraction is confirmed by the data on arrivals, Matera, much of this interest is due to the which increased by 13%. designation of Matera as Capital of Culture. Tourism in the hinterland, by contrast, In absolute numbers, an increase was displays a stationary trend, especially the recorded of around 205,000 visits, which led to protected areas of Basilicata, with the exception an overall amount of overnight stays of more of the parks of Murgia Materana and Pollino than 2.3 million. The increase in arrivals was even where, despite the fact overnight stays received more marked and reached almost 675,000 units, a boost of 19.5%, this growth only concerned the a new all-time high and the sign of the growing, municipality of Viggianello, which, in a year, widespread appeal of the region on the tourist almost tripled the number of visits, while other markets. tourist businesses slowed down significantly, and The greater growth of guests compared to it is here that the greatest slowdown in overnight stays can be ascribed to the enhancing the accommodation provision is seen development of less "stationary" types of with average rates of use lower than 12%. tourism, such as those to cultural destinations, These areas currently play a secondary role in which involve shorter stays. From this point of the regional tourism dynamics. It therefore view, it is no coincidence that almost 2/3 of the seems clear that, from the point of view of arrivals registered regionally are concentrated in sustainable development, a strategy is required the city of Matera, which acted as the driving to create balanced growth in all the local tourist force. areas. In this light, the positive balance of last

Intern. Journal of Profess. Bus. Review; São Paulo V.2 N.2 2017, pp. 96-112, Jul/Dec 98 Angelo Bencivenga, Marcella De Filippo, Livio Chiarullo e Delio Colangelo

season in Metapontino, and the extraordinary Overall, they attract 41% of the arrivals exploitation of the visits to Matera, could registered in Basilicata but these are brief visits, certainly give impetus to accelerating the as shown by the data on the average stay of 1.8 development process, especially in the inland nights compared to 3.7 nights regionally. areas. Murgia Park, which encompasses the city of The nature parks, although they cover 25% of Matera, draws 60% of all tourist visits to the territory, have seen less than impressive protected areas. These are significant numbers numbers remain static (with the exception of the for the area, in continuous growth in recent years Murgia Materana park), a consequence of the driven by the Matera's visibility as a European Basilicata’s lack of competitiveness in terms of Capital of Culture. Parco dell’Appennino Lucano, nature tourism, are certainly among the first which welcomes 23% of the total arrivals, is the destinations that require intervention. second natural area in terms of arrivals. The issue of enhancing the region’s natural The marked presence of business flows resources is fundamental, not only because of connected to mining and other extractive the effect they have on the territory's geography activities in the Val d’Agri and the dynamics of and because they are capable of activating this phenomenon, creating a fluctuating demand development processes that simultaneously for workers, have produced an oscillating embrace the economy and respect for the trajectory in the tourist flows. Then there is the environment, but also because of the positive Parco Nazionale del Pollino1, which registered dynamics that generally characterise the sector, 15% of the total arrivals. from which Basilicata could benefit in order to Associated with significant demand for nature increase its market appeal. The number of visits tourism, Pollino is the only protected area that, to national and regional protected areas and in the last five years, has displayed marked other areas subject to constraints exceeded 102 periods of decreases in the flows, with the million and the forecasts for the future are even exception of 2015. Finally, the Parco Regionale better: 58% of national and European tour del Gallipoli Cognato commands an even more operators expect an increase in demand. (12th marginal share, since it sees only 2% of the Ecotur Report On Nature Tourism, 2014). arrivals; the emphasis in the Park is so firmly on hiking that it influences the performance of the Tourism in Basilicata's protected areas: accommodation sector, which, notwithstanding characteristics and limits the attractive power of the locations, struggles to The system of Basilicata’s protected areas, increase the provision of beds. made up of 2 national parks (National Park of In general, the flows of the protected areas in Pollino and the National Park of Appennino recent years have remained decidedly seasonal Lucano Val D'Agri Lagonegrese) and 2 regional with a low rate of stays. An analysis of the status parks (Gallipoli Cognato e Piccole Dolomite quo reveals the strong and weak points of the Lucane Park and Murge Materane Park), cover individual destinations. 23% of the region.

1 It is made clear that Parco Nazionale del Pollino is an interregional park but the analysis refers only to the Lucania side.

Intern. Journal of Profess. Bus. Review; São Paulo V.2 N.2 2017, pp. 96-112, Jul/Dec 99 A sustainable strategy of redistribution of the tourist flows in Basilicata region, in south Italy. Coastal tourism as a development factor for the natural parks

The Murgia Materana park, as already history.Matera is in the southern region of emphasised, has witnessed significant growth in Basilicata2) gives the park good visibility in the recent years due, above all, to the visibility guides and on the web, bringing an increasingly Matera has gained. While, on one hand, the large catchment area, on the other there is the attractive power of the Sassi (The Sassi and the danger of basking in reflected glory. Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera, The analysis of the demand, in fact, reveals registered as Unesco site in the 1993, is the most segmentation entirely to the advantage of outstanding, intact example of a troglodyte cultural tourism and discovering the territory, to settlement in the Mediterranean region, the point that these two segments overall attract perfectly adapted to its terrain and ecosystem. 70% of visitors to the destination. Enjoyment of The first inhabited zone dates from the the environmental resources was cited by 20% of Palaeolithic, while later settlements illustrate a the sample as the reason for visiting.. number of significant stages in human

Strong points Weak points Opportunities Threats

Basking in the reflected UNESCO site Signage and trails Matera 2019 glory of Matera

Secondary attraction of Diversification of provision No independent Important cultural heritage flora and fauna (not only cultural) provision

Good visibility in guides Diversification of the

and on the web tourist catchment areas

Good bed provision Internationalisation

Quality of the tourist

services

Swot analysis: Parco della Murgia Materana Source: Tourism in the Parks. Analysis of the competitive potential of protected areas: the case of Basilicata, Feem, 2015

The Parco dell’Appennino Lucano is the most development. The mining and extraction recent regional area to be designated protected activities in the park and the business flows that and, as such, still has poor visibility. derive from them could, if managed properly, This is due to lack of action on the brand, present an opportunity to promote the territory, which has untapped tourist potential; the lack of connections and signs and the very limited recreational provision are real constraints on its

2 http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/670

Intern. Journal of Profess. Bus. Review; São Paulo V.2 N.2 2017, pp. 96-112, Jul/Dec 100 Angelo Bencivenga, Marcella De Filippo, Livio Chiarullo e Delio Colangelo

increase clients and convert the business flows to recognition and attraction of its values. Setting nature and leisure tourism3. aside the business flows, the main demand is for The encouraging figures of the increase in nature (39% of clients) and tourism directed at beds are tempered by a fluctuation in the flows, the wine and food resources (22%). Less interest mostly linked to the requirements of the oil is found in the cultural heritage, sports and the industry. However, the opportunity offered by discovery of the territory. (Tourism in the Parks. the awarding of the European Charter for Analysis of the competitive potential of Sustainable Tourism is a real chance to promote protected areas: the case of Basilicata, Feem, tourism in the territory and the greater 2015).

Strong points Weak points Opportunities Threats

Variety of the natural, wine Poor visibility in guides and food and cultural The newest park in Italy Extraction activities and websites resources

Local and seasonal Poorly structured tourist Variety of traditional events tourism. Static nature of Business tourism provision the flows.

Limits on collective Increase in

mobility accommodation facilities

Poor recreational European Charter for

provision; Sustainable Tourism

Lack of signage and trails

Swot analysis: Parco dell'Appennino Lucano Source – Tourism in the Parks. Analysis of the competitive potential of protected areas: the case of Basilicata, Feem, 2015 Parco del Pollino is one of the first protected which tourism is given only marginal areas established in Italy where the emphasis is consideration as a resource and opportunity for on nature and the provision of tourist activities. the territory. The demand is marked by tourism Although it has a recognisable brand and good driven mainly by the enjoyment of the natural visibility in guide -books and on the web, it has resources (57% of the sample) and sports (16%) seen a reduction in the tourist flows in recent and only marginally interested in the other years and, according to the local operators, it resources. seems to be sliding into a phase of stagnation in

3 Chiarullo L. et al., Il turismo business legato al settore della Basilicata, in Becheri E., Maggiore G., 19th Report estrattivo: opportunità e minacce per un'area interna on Italian tourism, Mercury 2013.

Intern. Journal of Profess. Bus. Review; São Paulo V.2 N.2 2017, pp. 96-112, Jul/Dec 101 A sustainable strategy of redistribution of the tourist flows in Basilicata region, in south Italy. Coastal tourism as a development factor for the natural parks

Strong Points Weak Points Opportunities Threats Good visibility on tourist European Charter for Tourism as secondary Decreasing flows guides and websites Sustainable Tourism resource Seasonal tourism and New attraction: the flight Arbereshe culture tours of the eagle Recognition for natural Strong emphasis on nature Lack of signage and trails resources Rich provision of sports Difficulty in collective

tourism/activities mobility Lack of events Swot analysis: Parco del Pollino Source – Tourism in the Parks. Analysis of the competitive potential of protected areas: the case of Basilicata, Feem, 2015

Finally, the Parco di Gallipoli Cognato is a to tourism dedicated exclusively to visiting protected area covering a limited area and villages and sports activities, predominately attracts marginal flows within the regional hiking. Current demand is mainly from the nature tourist economy, nevertheless aiming at future and sports segments, which were the main growth as the visibility and attractive force of reasons for visiting for 72% of tourists. Around a Castelmezzano and Volo dell'Angelo increase. quarter are interested in the enjoyment of the The risk, however, is that the nature provision cultural heritage (13%), wine and food (8%) and continues to be a secondary product compared tradition (7%).

Strong points Weak points Opportunities Threats Overshadowed by Flight of Proximity to the provincial Limited area Flight of the angel the Angel and capital Castelmezzano Poor visibility in guides Castelmezzano, the most Rich natural heritage Lack of capacity and on the web beautiful town in Italy Difficulty in collective Only suitable for sports Increase in beds Integration of offer mobility tourism Tourism chiefly involves Flight of the angel touring Swot analysis: Parco Gallipoli Cognato Source – Tourism in the Parks. Analysis of the competitive potential of protected areas: the case of Basilicata, Feem, 2015 The design of the research: Objectives positioning them better on the market of nature Given the foregoing. The aim of this study is to destinations, taking account of key factors identify a strategy for development of protected presented by the hinterland. areas trying to shift the flow of tourists in coastal Integration between the coast and the areas to inland areas in order to solve the hinterland, in recent years, has been a recurring problem of the seasonal nature of tourism and theme in the European tourism policies. They are simultaneously foster the growth of inland areas moving in this direction and, as part of the not yet characterized by sufficient tourist development plans for the Mediterranean area arrivals. and, in particular, the Adriatic-Ionic region, at risk At the same time the work intends to act of gradual marginalisation, they identify the land- on the competitiveness of the protected areas, sea connectivity as a precious opportunity.

Intern. Journal of Profess. Bus. Review; São Paulo V.2 N.2 2017, pp. 96-112, Jul/Dec 102 Angelo Bencivenga, Marcella De Filippo, Livio Chiarullo e Delio Colangelo

Among these policies, there are the projects The reference population from which the Odyssea Fim4 (the Odyssea parteners are Corsica sample was extracted includes tourists on region, region, and holiday in Basilicata, intercepted in countries region) and Adristorical Lands which are that fall in the Ionian Coast (Metaponto, Nova examples of excellence in the field of cross- Siri, Pisticci, Policoro and Scanzano Ionico); fild border cooperation and shared integration with a significant flow of tourists from where between coast and hinterland. The first, which is inland areas are called to draw. Specifically was being developed as part of the Italian-French adopted a non-probability sampling, “Maritime” Programme, is aimed at enhancing interviewing randomly tourists. the lands around the tourist ports and the The number of surveys collected was 165 creation of tourist itineraries as a unique way to questionnaires. The questionnaire was divided enable rural areas to benefit from substantial into two sections, the first section aimed to sports tourism. identify the kind of the holiday that visitors were A similar project is Adristorical Lands, which is enjoying at the time of the interview, the based on the idea of the port as a “gateway” to methods of selecting the destination and the the territory, that is, a favoured route from the means of transport they use most. Moreover, coast to the hinterland. In this light, the the habitual tourist conduct of the interviewees itineraries designed to incentivise the was surveyed and, specifically, the type of interactions between coast and rural areas are a holiday they usually take and the attitude to valid instrument for promoting multicentre travelling during the low season. development that respects the environment. The purpose of the second section was to sound out the degree of interest in visiting the METHODOLOGY hinterland, the motivations for travelling, travel In order to assess the level of interest of times, what kind of tourist products they would tourists in the coastal strip and their willingness choose and the what kind of tourist services they to visit the hinterland, as well as the features the would like to test. integration product must have to convince them The results of the survey produced good to explore the hinterland, a territorial marketing feedback on a structured tourist product that analysis was undertaken using the instrument of presents a range of good quality services. Half the “choice experiment”, which enables the level the sample stated that the journey should last of satisfaction in certain existing kinds of tourism “between 50 minutes and a maximum of an to be evaluated and new products to be created hour”, while 40% would be willing to travel for a to meet the trends in demand by discovering maximum of 2 hours. Among the tourist preferences and needs.The analysis was carried products offered, chosen based on the features out through the submission of a questionnaire to of the hinterland, more than half those tourists on the Ionian coast. The interview interviewed chose the nature and cultural questionnaires took place during the summer products. (August-September). At this point, due to the indications from the survey and taking account of the match between

4 http://www.odyssea-fim.eu/

Intern. Journal of Profess. Bus. Review; São Paulo V.2 N.2 2017, pp. 96-112, Jul/Dec 103 A sustainable strategy of redistribution of the tourist flows in Basilicata region, in south Italy. Coastal tourism as a development factor for the natural parks the requirements expressed by tourists in terms The results of the two analyses were entered of type of provision and travel times (see graphic in a BCG (Boston Consulting Group) matrix, a tool below) and what is available in the protected that enables the strategic assessment of tourist areas, a tourist analysis was carried out on the products with greatest potential for growth in parks. In particular surveys were aimed at relation to the trends in demand and the measuring the tourist competitiveness using the provision of key factors, which determined the Dwyer and Kim model associated to the Balanced most competitive tourist products for coastal Scorecard method in particular with the purpose demand and on the market for green of identifying factors for the enhancement of destinations natural areas in the market of nature destinations.

The concept of competitiveness and its One of the most recent adaptations, the measurement is emerging as a necessity for the analysis perspective of which is shared, in-depth consideration of the main objectives of considers, in addition to traditional competitive policies of tourism development and planning. factors, the Web and ICT, seen as facilitators of Among the evaluation models, one of the the development of the demand and the most commonly used is that of Dwyer and Kim processes of co-creation and sharing of the (2003), which define competitiveness as “the process of acquisition, consumption and post- ability of a destination to deliver goods and consumption of the tourist services (Pilotti, services that perform better than other 2013). Given the foregoing, a theoretical model destinations on those aspects of the tourism was proposed in the study with 4 categories of experience considering as being important by factors contemplated - supply, demand, web and tourists” (Dwyer, Kim 2003). ICT, the destination’s image – and a set of 63 The model is made up of 4 categories of indicators (see graphic below) selected on the factors:1) resources, 2) destination management basis of the availability, reliability and immediacy 3) influential factors, such as localisation and in collection. Finally, the integration was carried safety 4) the characteristics of the demand. out of the model updated with the Balance Scorecard method (Kaplan, Norton, 1994), which

Intern. Journal of Profess. Bus. Review; São Paulo V.2 N.2 2017, pp. 96-112, Jul/Dec 104 Angelo Bencivenga, Marcella De Filippo, Livio Chiarullo e Delio Colangelo takes on remarkable importance in the planning major problems on which to build a strategy of of a destination (Butler,1980), since it enables relaunch and redefinition of the tourist the swift identification of the success factors and structure.

Set of Indicators Tourist

Provision Economic sustainability of Tourist resources by Accommodation provision the accommodation Marketing segment by category provision NATURE TOURISM APPEARANCE IN LOCAL PERSONNEL SUPPLY/DEMAND % QUALITY HOTELS CATALOGUES EMPLOYMENT% ratio TOURIST OFFER SAMPLE % P.L. IN MOST CULTURAL TOURISM REQUESTED NON-HOTEL % USE OF LOCAL ARTICLES ratio ACCOMMODATION WINE AND FOOD TOURISM INCREASE IN BEDS IN FIVE % USE OF FOODSTUFFS

ratio YEARS KM0 DISCOVERY TOURISM INCREASE IN QUALITY % SALES OF TYPICAL

ratio HOTELS PRODUCTS INCREASE OF NON- SPORTS TOURISM HOTELACCOMMODATION ratio ON REQUEST

Set of Indicators Tourist

Demand

Size of demand Segmentation of demand Quality of demand Customer satisfaction INCREASE IN ARRIVALS IN NATURE TOURISM PUBLIC AWARENESS OF A OPINION OF FIVE YEARS DEMAND-SUPPLY ratio PARK ACCESSIBILITY AND SIGNS INCREASE IN VISITS IN FIVE CULTURAL TOURISM MAIN MOTIVATION FOR OPINION ON THE VARIETY YEAR ratio VISITING PARK OF THE TOURISM PROVISION INCREASE IN AVERAGE STAY WINE AND FOOD LACK OF TOURING OPINION ON TOURISM ratio OUTSIDE THE PARK ENVIRONMENTAL ENJOYMENT SERVICES SEASONALITY DISCOVERY TOURISM OPINION ON WINE AND ratio FOOD QUALITY EXTENT OF TOURING SPORTS TOURISM OPINION ON ENJOYMENT ratio OF CULTURAL ASSETS INTERNATIONALITY INDEX OPINION ON QUALITY OF ENTERTAINMENT INCREASE IN OPINION ON THE INTERNATIONALITY INDEX PROFESSIONALISM OF THE OPERATORS OPINION OF THE EASE OF FINDING INFORMATION OPINION ON QUALITY/PRICE RATIO

Intern. Journal of Profess. Bus. Review; São Paulo V.2 N.2 2017, pp. 96-112, Jul/Dec 105 A sustainable strategy of redistribution of the tourist flows in Basilicata region, in south Italy. Coastal tourism as a development factor for the natural parks

Set of Web and Ict Indicators

Destination’s online visibility Accommodation facilities’ online visibility

WEB POSITIONING OF THE DESTINATION WEB PRESENCE STRUCTURE

OPTION TO BOOK ONLINE

PRESENCE ON BOOKING

OPINION ON BOOKING

PRESENCE ON TRIPADVISOR

OPINION ON TRIPADVISOR

PRESENCE ON TRIVAGO

OPINION ON TRIVAGO

PRESENCE ON PARK’S WEBSITE

Set of Indicators Destination’s Image online photos Tripadvisor tourist guides DMO vs UGC RATIO NUMBER OF COMMENTS ON APPEARANCE IN NATURE PHOTO TRIPADVISOR NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL GUIDES CULTURE PHOTO RATIO OPINION ON TRIPADVISOR DETAILED INFORMATION FREE TIME PHOTO RATIO RATIO OF NATURE OFFER VS PARK OFFER IN GUIDES WAY OF LIFE PHOTO RATIO RATIO OF CULTURAL OFFER VS PARK OFFER IN GUIDES TRADITIONS PHOTO RATIO RATIO OF NATURE OFFER VS PARK OFFER IN GUIDES FOOD AND WINE PHOTO RATIO RATIO OF FOOD AND WINE OFFER VS PARK OFFER IN GUIDES RATIO OF SPORTS OFFER VS PARK OFFER IN GUIDES Source: Tourism in the Parks. Analysis of the competitive potential of protected areas: the case of Basilicata, Feem, 2015

The results: Sea tourists preferences for an visitors and, for this reason, represent a much integrated product more easily intercepted catchment area that can The interviews with seaside tourist produced be directed to the hinterland. reassuring data regarding the actual application The main means of reaching the destination is of the integration strategy. Specifically, while the car, which is an important advantage for the 51% (on the total ammount of 165 respondents) immediate application of the integrated product state they are on holiday in Ionian Coast tourist in the light of the deficiencies encountered locations for the first time, 49% are regular regarding public transport. Another favourable

Intern. Journal of Profess. Bus. Review; São Paulo V.2 N.2 2017, pp. 96-112, Jul/Dec 106 Angelo Bencivenga, Marcella De Filippo, Livio Chiarullo e Delio Colangelo factor from the perspective of the seasonal accommodation among nature tourists (12th balancing of the flows is the attitude to out-of- Ecotur Report On Nature Tourism, 2014). season visits: 55% of tourist stated they took Its positioning on the agency circuit, the level other trips in addition to summer holidays, both of sustainability of the facilities and the opinion in spring and winter. While the main reason for of the tourists about the current services are current holidays is seaside activity, more than good. The demand situation is also favourable, half those asked said the natural and cultural considering that the flows have increased resources were factors that might persuade significantly, the seasonal nature and influence them to visit the hinterland. of hiking are limited and flows of foreigners are The remaining 45% might be interested in a increasing. wellness, sports or wine and food product. For Finally, awareness of the Park among visitors, 50% of respondents, the journey to reach the the degree of digitalisation of the interior locations should last from fifty minutes accommodation facilities and the online profile to a maximum of an hour, while 40% would be and reputation are all high. However, the willing to travel for a maximum of two hours. competitiveness of the image in the national and Among the services requested was an efficient international guides is average and often there is public transport system, improvements of which only a brief mention of the Park as part of a more must be made. Accommodation facilities in detailed description of Matera. The aspects typical villages, food and wine provision in line currently seen as uncompetitive are: the with local traditions and good, widespread provision of the food and wine and cultural signage and trails were also requested. resources is lower than demand, the average The competitiveness of Lucania’s parks stay is less than two night, the number of visitors As mentioned, the integration of the Dwyer whose main reason is to visit the protected area and Kim model with the Balance Scorecard and the online users whose searches target the method enables the assessment of the tourism Park. performances of the four Lucano parks and, at Then in terms of competitiveness there is the the same time, the identification of strongpoints Parco del Gallipoli Cognato, which promotes a and major problems. full package of resources for nature, cultural and Specifically, the survey showed that all the discovery products in excess of demand and has parks have intermediate levels of seen a substantial increase in beds, especially in competitiveness displaying positive trends in the most popular non-hotel accommodation various factors, while not lacking areas for facilities, with a high opinion of the services and improvement. Murgia Park currently has a higher a good level of digitalisation among the facilities. degree of competitiveness compared to the The number of arrivals is also growing. The other natural areas of Basilicata. It stands out for degree of competitiveness in the following its diversified nature, sports and discovery factors is average: available beds in the most provision, even more than currently requested; popular non-hotel accommodation facilities, for its competitive accommodation system, given seasonality and awareness of the protected area. the existence of a sizeable number of beds in Critical points are: the provision of too few quality hotels and the most popular non-hotel resources to meet the demand in the sports and food and wine segments, the lack of beds in

Intern. Journal of Profess. Bus. Review; São Paulo V.2 N.2 2017, pp. 96-112, Jul/Dec 107 A sustainable strategy of redistribution of the tourist flows in Basilicata region, in south Italy. Coastal tourism as a development factor for the natural parks quality hotels, the low sustainability index of the Finally, in the case of the Parco Nazionale facilities in terms of the indirect and allied dell’Appennino Lucano, supply exceeds demand economy, the lack of agency circuits, the high for nature, cultural, food and wine and sport level of hiking, the five-year decrease in visits and products. The positives are: an increase in beds average stays, a limited rate of internationality over five years for the most popular non-hotel that has not grown over the years, a low accommodation facilities, the sustainability of percentage of visitors who come for the the accommodation facilities and awareness of protected areas and users who look for and leave the protected area among visitors. reviews of the Park, in addition to a derisory Average values are found regarding the presence in national and international guides. increases in arrivals and visits, the seasonal Then there is the Parco del Pollino, whose nature and hiking, the degree of digitalisation of strongpoints are the diversified provision, in the facilities and the volume of the online excess of demand, in the nature and discovery searches for the destination. The opinions on the segments, the increase in beds in the most services range from good to satisfactory. Factors popular non-hotel accommodation facilities, requiring action are: the limited sports provision, high visibility in the catalogues of national and the decrease in beds, the lack of availability of international tour operators, the widespread beds in quality hotels, the decreases in the awareness of the Park among visitors and the average stay, a low rate of internationality, the positive opinion of the services delivered. The absence of tour operator catalogues, the limited number of searches for the destination on the digitalisation of the facilities and a weak image web and the number of reviews on TripAdvisor reflected in little coverage in the guides, a are also high. derisory number of reviews on the web and a low An analysis of the data on the seasonal nature percentage of tourists who consider the Park of the flows produces average values due to their main reason for visiting. hiking and the main reason for the stay. This is also due to the level of digitalisation of the The strategic positioning of the nature product hospital system and the coverage in Italian and After analysing the competitiveness, the study foreign guides. However, there are gaps that now aims to identify the right strategies to need to be covered, including the limited improve the positioning of Basilicata natural provision compared to demand for discovery, areas into the market taking into account the wine and food and sports products, the five-year analyses conducted on the domestic tourist decrease in beds, the lack of beds in quality situation, the preferences of coastal tourists, the hotels and a still low level of sustainability of the competitive structure of the market. facilities with regard to the allied economy. Currently, the Lucano parks do not display There are also critical factors for demand, very positive performances in the market of such as the decrease in arrivals, the visits and Italian protected areas, only the Parco del Pollino average stays over the five years, a low is in a more promising position. According to internationality index that has not seen any Ecotur (12th Ecotur Report On Nature Tourism, increase in years and a low level of digitalisation 2014), the Parco nazionale del Pollino lies in sixth among the accommodation facilities. place among the ten most requested of Italian

Intern. Journal of Profess. Bus. Review; São Paulo V.2 N.2 2017, pp. 96-112, Jul/Dec 108 Angelo Bencivenga, Marcella De Filippo, Livio Chiarullo e Delio Colangelo tour operators and is the first and only protected the need to consider the Lucano parks in the area in . analyses not as individual units but as a tourist- Finally, a local chamber of commerce survey territorial aggregation, since the competitor has on the awareness of tourists regarding Italian a substantial numerical advantage over the parks showed that only Pollino was recognised in individual destinations. This initial result is, of the catchment areas of demand. It emerged itself, a strategic indication: the integration of from the surveys conducted that only 33% of the parks could be a real opportunity to break tourists were interested in nature and that a visit into the markets with numerous advantages for to the protected area was the main reason for the domestic competitiveness of the staying for 25%. destinations. The rates of increase in the arrivals and visits, Aggregating the data, it is clear that the with the exception of the Parco della Murgia due integration would have the positive effect of to the presence of Matera, were negative and establishing an almost complete correspondence require repositioning. The marginal presence of between the provision offered and the tourism the Parks in the main tourist information and demand for nature, cultural, wine and food and agency channels (web and guides) is an territorial discovery products; it would additional sign. additionally guarantee a variety of The Boston Consulting Group matrix was used accommodation able to respond to market in order to identify the tourist products with the demand, with a beneficial influence on the greatest potential for development compared to seasonality and internationality of the flows. the demand, taking account of the competitive Moreover, a more varied provision could reduce context. The Matrix is based on two dimensions: the phenomenon of touring outside the the relative market share which is the protected areas and persuade tourists to extend destination’s share of the market compared to its their stays in the destinations. main competitor, and the sector’s rate of Aggregation could, finally, ensure easier growth. On the basis of these two dimensions, access to the channels of promotion-advertising the matrix is subdivided into four quadrants, in and improve the visibility both on the web and in which the products are classified as competitive, the guides. The results of the matrix confirm that less competitive, attractive or less attractive. the wine and food product, also demanded by During the analysis, BCG matrix was used to coastal tourists, demonstrates the highest evaluate which secondary products in relation to potential. It displays both a high growth rate and the main product, that is, nature, on which it is a high market share. intended to focus, could contribute to the The Lucano parks are very competitive in this strategic positioning of the destinations with product as demonstrated by the fact that they regard to a main rival, identified as the Parco have 7 geographically-branded products. Wine Nazionale d’, which is the most popular and food is the most profitable product both with among nature tourists (according to the 12th regard to the potential demand and that of the Ecotur report). coast. An initial examination of the number of It is important to underline, in this regard, that arrivals and the turnover of the protected Lucano the wine and food demand currently exceeds areas compared to the competition made clear supply in three out of four parks, that is, Murgia

Intern. Journal of Profess. Bus. Review; São Paulo V.2 N.2 2017, pp. 96-112, Jul/Dec 109 A sustainable strategy of redistribution of the tourist flows in Basilicata region, in south Italy. Coastal tourism as a development factor for the natural parks

Materana, Pollino and Gallipoli Cognato parks, churches and the city of the Sassi, which gained notwithstanding the fact there is a significant international renown in 2019 through Matera, wealth of resources. the product is certainly strategic, mature and The cultural and discovery products, on the able to generate certain income for low other hand, display a low growth rate and a high investments. market share: while cultural reasons are not the Among the four parks, those that should focus major driving force of tourism within the parks, most on cultural products to fill the gap between they do command a large slice of the market. supply and demand are Parco della Murgia, for What's more, it's the second most popular which it is necessary to enhance the connection option for coastal tourists. between the natural resources and the cultural Considering the vast wealth of cultural wealth of Matera, the driving force for the resources in the rural areas and the uniqueness regional flows, and Pollino. of the Parco della Murgia Materana with its stone

A different approach is required for the sports complete the range, with the revival and product, which is marked by a low development restructuring of the existing facilities from the rate and a low market share: this is a product that perspective of bringing together resources and generates limited profits and tends to be enhancing the provision without major eliminated or is retained in order to complete the investment. range. In reality, taking account of the fact that demand for sports tourism currently exceeds CONCLUSIONS supply in three of the four parks (Pollino, Gallipoli One of the main problems of the tourism Cognato and Appennino Lucano), which are sector is its seasonality. The tourism of Basilicata, developing hiking itineraries connecting the and in particular the tourism of the Ionian coast, three protected areas and that, through the is characterized by high seasonality of flows, formula of major attractions like the Flight of the mainly concentrated in the summer months of Angel in Gallipoli Cognato and the Flight of the July and August. Eagle in Pollino, the parks can play the card of This area, characterized by substantial experiential sports tourism, the arrivals, by good ranking in terms of visibility and recommendation is to keep it in the portfolio to demand both domestic and foreign, contrasts

Intern. Journal of Profess. Bus. Review; São Paulo V.2 N.2 2017, pp. 96-112, Jul/Dec 110 Angelo Bencivenga, Marcella De Filippo, Livio Chiarullo e Delio Colangelo with the inland territory and protected natural The analysis of questionnaires administered areas that are still in an exploratory phase with to tourists in Basilicata characterized by a an high potential yet to be put in value for the motivation linked to the sea has shown that tourism industry. These assumptions enable us there is a willingness to discover the hinterland, to forecast an integrated development of the not far from the coast, characterized by the coastal and natural areas. presence of natural parks with its relative A "product mix" that would allow spreading resources such as natural tourism resources, the flows of the Ionian Coast, at the same time to cultural and anthropological ones. Finally, we build a tourism product in line with the demands tried to understand what are the tourist products of the post modern market, more and more with greater development potential that interested in an offer that integrates service protected natural areas should build on quality, typical offer and uniqueness of the considering the key factors of the territory and experience. An integration implemented by the tourism demand. diversifying and balancing the tourism of the For this purpose it is chosen to use the Boston coastal strip and the use of hinterland with its Consulting Group matrix that has the purpose of natural and cultural heritage. providing a representation of the structure of a A tourism that takes its cue from the new destination in order to allow management to holiday motivations, linked to the discovery of adopt the most effective strategies for a fair two territories geographically close but with an allocation of resources. The matrix is able to antithetical tourist offer, whose integration identify the most competitive products on which could produce positive effects in terms of the destination should point to. tourism development.

REFERENCES d’Amore F., Petrillo P.L , Severino F., a cura di, Butler A. Letza S.R. and Neale B. (1997), Linking (2009) Ambiente, turismo e competitività the Balanced Scorecard to Strategy, Long Range sostenibile, p.11, Rubettino editore, Catanzaro. Planning, Vol.30, No.2. De Filippo M. et al, (2013) Per un assessment Cannas R. e Giannone M. (2011) “Ecoturismo: concreto delle potenzialità turistiche delle aree scenari internazionali e marketing turistico”. In E. protette. XXXIV Conferenza Italiana di Scienze Becheri e G. Maggiore (a cura di) XVVII Rapporto Regionali, 2013. sul turismo italiano. Milano: FrancoAngeli. Eurobarometro, (2014) Preferences of Chon K.S., Mayer K.J. (1995), Destination Europeans towards Tourism. competitiveness models in tourism and their Fazio E, (2011-2013) Una metodologia integrata application in Las Vegas. Journal of Tourism per l’analisi della Competitività di una Systems and Quality Management. Destinazione Turistica: un contributo all’analisi Cracolici M. F., Nijkamp, P. (2009), The una piattaforma informatica, Tesi di dottorato in attractivenessand competitiveness of tourist "SCIENZE DEL TURISMO: MODELLI, POLITICHE E destinations: A study of Southern Italian METODOLOGIE" CICLO XXIV, Università degli regions.Tourism Management, 30 (3). Studi di Palermo.

Intern. Journal of Profess. Bus. Review; São Paulo V.2 N.2 2017, pp. 96-112, Jul/Dec 111 A sustainable strategy of redistribution of the tourist flows in Basilicata region, in south Italy. Coastal tourism as a development factor for the natural parks

IPR-FONDAZIONE UNIVERDE (2014), L’attrattiva Parks and Protected Areas for Tourism, turistica della rete dei parchi italiani,. WTO/UNEP/IUCN, Madrid.

Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (1992). The Osservatorio Permanente sul Turismo Natura (a Balanced Scorecard - Measures That Drive cura di), (2015) XII Rapporto Ecotur sul Turismo Performance. Harvard Business Review, 70(1). Natura.

Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (1993). Putting the Pilotti L. et alt., La competitività dinamica degli balanced scorecard to work. Harvard Business ecosistemi territoriali. Il caso degli eco-sistemi Review, 71(5). turistici multilocali tra Italia e Svizzera, in Sinergie Journal 91/04. Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (1996a). Linking the balanced scorecard to strategy. California Porter M., (1997) La strategia competitiva, Management Review, 39(1). Compositori, Bologna.

Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (1996b). Using the balanced scorecard as a strategic management Stern, C. W. and Stalk, G. (1998) Perspectives on system. Harvard Business Review, 74(1). Strategy from the Boston Consulting Group, John Wiley & Sons, New York,. Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (2000) Balanced scorecard. Tradurre la strategia in azione, Editore Ritchie J. B, Crouch G.I., Hudson, S. (2001), ISEDI, (ISBN 88-8008-074-1). Developing operational measures for the component of a destination Kim, C.W., K.T. Choi, S. Moore, L. Dwyer, B. competitiveness/sustainability model: Faulkner, R. Mellor and Z. Livaic (2011), consumers versus managerial perspective. Destination Competitiveness: Development of a Wallingford: CAB Publishing. Model with Application to Australia and the Republic of Korea, unpublished report for the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Department of Industry, Science and Resources, European Travel Commission (ETC), (2011), Australia; Handbook on tourism product development. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and McNeely J.A., Thorsell J., and Ceballos-Lascuráin European Travel Commission (ETC), (2007), H., (1992) Guidelines: Development of National Handbook on tourism market segmentation – maximizing market effectiveness.

Intern. Journal of Profess. Bus. Review; São Paulo V.2 N.2 2017, pp. 96-112, Jul/Dec 112