Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy: towards a people-centred heritage branding approach

ABSTRACT

The valorization of the UNESCO WHC emblem as a brand icon overlooks the marketing statement of local heritage sites that are not designated as world heritage. This practice leads to competition rather than collaboration which could result in endangering the intangible cultural heritage expressions and authentic cultural knowledge. Moreover, the tourism market deals mostly with the cultural landscape as a semi-customized product valorizing the role of publicity which might have a high negative impact on the conservation statement of the cultural asset. Consequently, this research investigates the interconnection between the fundamentals of branding and conservative management to enhance the outstanding values of cultural identity manifestations. It is an empirical study that reviews the branding statement of the Italian cultural landscape of Civita di Bagnoregio. It applies an integrated method that combines qualitative and quantitative analysis. It assesses 20 interviews with the key site stakeholders and more than 7000 social media posts. The findings of this study draw a proposal for a people-centred heritage branding approach that seeks to generate a lifelong learning memory for the community and a long-term brand image for the visitors’ mentality.

KEYWORDS:

• Heritage branding structure
• cultural landscape
• people-centred approach
• cultural value perception
• circular cultural tourism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mohamed Amer

Mohamed Amer is a PhD researcher in Urban Heritage and Mass Tourism at the architecture department, Roma Tre University, Italy. He obtained his M.A. in Heritage Conservation and Site Management from BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, Germany. He has a multidisciplinary innovative research background in heritage management (tangible and intangible), urban heritage development, community engagement and cultural identity, visitor management and interpretation, heritage marketing and sustainable cultural tourism. In his research, he adopts a people-centred approach valorising dynamically the socio-economic role of a community as a part of decision-making stakeholders in the urban, rural, and/or cultural landscapes. He is a member of ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Committee. For more information, you can review a LinkedIn profile: www.linkedin.com/in/mohamedbadryhcsm/

Manal Ginzarly

Manal Ginzarly is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Lebanese American University. She obtained her M.S. in Urban Design from the American University of Beirut and her PhD in Engineering Sciences and Technology from the University of Liège, Belgium. Her inquiry is multidisciplinary. It combines urban governance, sustainable development, heritage management, and tourism management. In her research, she focuses on people’s construct and definition of heritage and on the co-production of heritage knowledge. She develops novel methods that integrate traditional and innovative tools to grasp the range of cultural values attributed by the different stakeholders – including locals, tourists, and decision-makers – to the historic urban landscape. She works on methodological approaches dealing with social media to foster civic engagement in heritage management and to provide additional knowledge on the diversity of heritage places and attributes.

Maria-Francesca Renzi

Maria Francesca Renzi is a full professor in the Department of Business Studies at Roma Tre University. She teaches quality management, corporate social responsibility and quality systems. Her areas of interest involve quality management in the public and private sectors, service quality, quality and environmental management systems, and corporate social responsibility. In these fields, she has published 92 scientific contributions. She serves as coordinator of many national and international research projects related to TQM diffusion. She is involved in several national committees as quality assessor. She is part of the NetMuse network and a member of the Italian Academy of Commodity Science.