New technologies in smart tourism development: the #iziTRAVELSicilia experience

This article deals with the topic of SMART tourism and focuses on the role of digital storytelling platforms in cultural heritage promotion and content cocreation. It examines izi.TRAVEL web-based platform and its app, exploring the case of a participatory bottom-up project in Sicily. Launched as #iziTRAVELSicilia, the project aimed at bridging the gap in digital communication and promoting Sicilian cultural heritage and tourist attractions. It involved thousands of local people as “digital Ciceroni”, representing the “heritage communities” cited by the Faro Convention, and could be recognized as good practice of cultural content and value co-creation. The article also investigates how a digital participatory platform can develop sustainability and awareness in SMART tourism, by stimulating people’s involvement in cultural heritage promotion and participation in cultural content cocreation. This research offers both theoretical and empirical contributions. It contributes to the debate on tourism management strategies by enhancing knowledge about innovative and participatory marketing tools. Furthermore, the article offers insights for policy makers on the possibility for defining territorial promotion strategies through the active involvement of both local people and tourists.