Reframing Cultural Heritage as a System: Participatory Approaches to Tourism Management in Verona (Northern Italy)

This chapter examines the impact of mass tourism on Verona, a UNESCO World Heritage city in northern Italy, with a focus on both the risks of overtourism and the opportunities for sustainable development. Combining statistical evidence with a qualitative thematic analysis of interviews conducted with residents, local associations, administrators, and tourism professionals, this study highlights the main challenges affecting the city: overcrowding at iconic sites; displacement of residents due to the growth of short-term rentals; rising costs of living; pressure on historic shops and artisans; and degradation of the historic urban landscape. In addition to these criticalities, this research identifies strategies and innovative proposals for rethinking tourism as a resource for cultural promotion and local development. Stakeholders emphasize the need to diversify tourist itineraries, strengthen cultural programming, integrate digital tools to improve visitor management, and promote environmentally responsible practices. The findings stress the importance of inclusive governance, stronger collaboration between institutions and communities, and long-term planning to rebalance tourism flows while preserving the city’s cultural identity. By positioning tourism as both a challenge and a potential driver of heritage-led urban transformation, the case of Verona contributes to the wider debate on sustainable tourism in historic cities and aligns with the principles of the UNESCO historic urban landscape approach.