Culture & Tourism in Rome

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Drawing upon advanced theories on creative tourism, overtourism, and so-called .... repositioned itself as the home of the medieval painter Hieronymus Bosch ...
Culture & Tourism in Rome: What is the Future of the Eternal City? A New Storytelling to Save the Old History Alessia Agostinelli University of Barcelona, Department of Economics and Business Master’s Degree in Cultural Management Course in Creative Cities II

Abstract The discourse over active forms of tourism consumption and the changing landscape of cultural tourism have been popular amongst academics in the last decades. Within cultural tourism, new effective marketing strategies to attract flows of tourists in destinations have been developing original patterns. Creative tourism appears to be one of the most successful forms of this type of visiting, resulting in unseen forms of interactions between locals and visitors, and many engaging activities within the visited place, to overcome the usual sense of estrangement of the outsiders. The success of creative tourism has been apparent in many city destinations worldwide and has generated a trend of new storytelling to better sell the socalled ‘city image’. However, the growing number of visitors has led to overtourism and bad management of the cities themselves, resulting in unpleasant experiences both for local inhabitants and tourists, who are often not welcomed anymore. One of the cities that suffer the most for overtourism is Rome, whose brand image has always related to its glorious past and extensive cultural heritage sites. The worsening situation in the Italian capital, with public policy management, political and institutional instability, have caused spread exasperation in local citizens and consequently discomfort in tourists. Thus, a renovation of Rome’s image and narration seems to emerge as a key step for its future. For these reasons, the present paper aims at providing viable solutions for a new storytelling of the Italian capital. Drawing upon advanced theories on creative tourism, overtourism, and so-called film-induced tourism, the work analyzes the connection between film productions and city branding. Then, the essay proposes the use of cinema as possible tools for a repositioning of Rome in visitors’ minds, in the attempt to drive them in new places within the city and foster a balanced use of assets and resources. Creative Tourism as New Paths in Cultural Tourism

The entire world we live in is based on interactions and on the attempt to establish connections. When speaking of tourism, interactions between locals and foreigners are the ground for a successful international development of a city. Within mass tourism, cultural tourism has emerged over the years as a leading niche the market has fragment into and it has been defined as a form of economic development by UNESCO1. Cultural tourism is mainly centered on the consumption of cultural and artistic sites and attractions, particularly in major city destinations (Richards, 2001). Such tourism has then developed a new form of relationship engaging both locals and tourists in a co-creation and active process: the creative tourism. Nowadays, people need more spare time, and a greater sense of wellbeing to balance the longer and harder times of work; this explains the growing need of experiences and active involvement within the visited communities. The activities of creative tourism can then include the participation in cooking and art classes, to foster certain skills, as well as domestic partnerships with locals by staying at their places rather than in hotels, as the success of social communication platforms like Airbnb confirms2. Such activities all engage visitors to establish a relationship with local cultures and add value to their experience of the 1

Programme “Culture, tourism, development”, Division of cultural policies and intercultural dialogue, Culture Sector, UNESCO. Tourism, Culture and Sustainable Development. Mike Robinson & David Picard (2006). Available at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001475/147578e.pdf 2 Richard suggests a more integrated way for city destinations, to think about locals and visitors’ connection. The desire to experience the community they visit, moves tourists to prefer the existing local facilities for their staying. Airbnb and Couchsurfing now have an important impact on the tourism market and disclosure to visitors some areas that previously were the preserve of locals, and services that were never designed for tourists.

new country or city (Urri, 2005). Therefore, creative tourism offers visitors the opportunity to learn new skills, gain a sense of achievement and create a unique souvenir, such as a painting, crafted object or food product (tangible culture). It provides a lasting emotional attachment as well to the destination and can encourage tourists to recommend the city where the experience has occurred or revisit it (intangible culture). The growing desire to experience local cultures requires the formation of innovative products of cultural and creative tourism and in this regard, the creative potential of the cinema industry can be a valuable route. To address the issues of overcrowding in top destinations and give a further sense of “local experience” to tourists, destinations can develop new themes and storytelling and enhance the tourist’s experience and impressions by making their visit unforgettable (Kobyak, Ilina & Latkin, 2015). Although the combination of film productions and tourism attraction has not been fully studied yet, the power of cinema as a factor in promoting tourism has been recognized by many researchers (Tooke and Baker, 1995; Beeton, 2005). The successful use of cinema for touristic purposes3 has even engendered the definition movie-induced tourism4, a new form of cultural tourism which still receives little attention from both academia and practitioners due to the lack of knowledge and understanding on the benefits of film on tourism (Walaiporn, 2009). This paper aims then at suggesting a new storytelling for a popular destination like Rome, to stimulate growth of tourist flow away from popular sites within the city by availing of film products for a renovated narration of Rome’s present reality. Overtourism and Possible Solutions The involvement of tourists in the destination includes the integration between the two counterparts: if visitors want to experience the inner city from a local perspective, the locals themselves must learn how to offer such an experience, without damaging the territory. Following 2017, when Barcelona locals took to the streets in anti-tourist protests, while Venice and Amsterdam implemented new policies to deal with overcrowding, studying a possible new relationship is particularly relevant5. In a recently published report from the World Travel and Tourism Council, Coping with Success: Managing Overcrowding in Tourist Destinations6, such problems have emerged from a general pattern of “overcrowding” in major tourist cities. The study identifies five key consequences of overtourism: alienated residents, degraded tourist experiences, overloaded infrastructure, damage to nature and threats to culture and heritage7. Although a unique answer to overcrowding cannot be provided, as cities have different dynamics and needs, the study 3

As suggested by the research Movie induced tourism. By R. Riley, D. Baker., C. S.VanDoren (1998), “movie induced tourism” can be beneficial for local communities and has been proven as one of the most effective methods of marketing to potential tourists. 4 Film-induced tourism is a collective term used for the study of tourist visits to a destination or attraction as a result of the destination being featured in films , DVDs or television (Hudson and Ritchie, 2006a; 256). 5 “Why Barcelona Local Hate Tourists” article by A. Lòpez Dìaz. Published by The Independent in August 2017. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/barcelona-locals-hate-tourists-whyreasons-spain-protests-arran-airbnb-locals-attacks-graffiti-a7883021.html 6 The World Travel and Tourism Council, in partnership with McKinsey, (December 2017). Coping with Success: Managing Overcrowding in Tourist Destinations. Available at: https://www.wttc.org//media/files/reports/policy-research/coping-with-success---managing-overcrowding-in-tourism-destinations2017.pdf 7 In extreme cases of alienated residents, damage to nature, and threats to heritage, cities are limiting or even banning certain activities. In 2017, for example, Amsterdam banned the opening of additional tourist-focused shops in the city centre. In Rome drinking in the streets between midnight and 7 a.m. has been prohibited by officials. Fines for climbing on, eating near, or splashing in the city’s fountains have also been implemented.

suggests that the path forward depends on a mix of tactics. The study identifies five of them: smooth visitors over time, spread visitors across sites, adjust pricing to balance supply and demand, regulate accommodation supply, limit access and activities. Each tactic offers an array of actions, rules, regulations, taxes, and fees to shape tourism and tools for the promotion, marketing, and creative use of technology. Each city needs to identify the actions to address their specific challenges. However, once tailored, the right mix of these tactics can tackle the problem of overcrowding. In particular, the tactic of geographically spreading visitors, can be beneficial for both locals and tourists: a more even distribution of visitors can prevent the bottlenecks that cause long wait times and strain on infrastructures8. This strategy is gradually becoming a trend in western countries. The United Kingdom’s plan to spread tourists to various neighborhoods in London, and not only the top attractions, and across Scotland’s terrain, has started to bear fruits9. The tourism department of Venice has launched the campaign, “Detourism: Travel Venice Like a Local,” for the promotion of “slow and sustainable tourism”10. In the next paragraphs, the tactic of spreading visitors’ flows will be combined with the development of a marketing tool often used to foster the destination’s creative potential, storytelling. Storytelling as a Tool for Tourism Marketing In the period of the “experience economy”, with tourists now inclined towards experiencing, learning and participating in local cultures, the storytelling, based on creativity and supported by recent technologies, is becoming an effective destination marketing tool. With technology, the audience can join in the storytelling process, thus impacting positively on engagement and facilitating the development of long lasting relationships. New digital technologies, particularly the use of social media, facilitate new tourist experiences based on storytelling and offer new ways to develop and communicate such experiences. Strategically structured and successfully activated destination storytelling increase value, reputation and competitive power of a city. The narration of a city includes both tangible and intangible qualities that create brand value; it is important how the destination is perceived, both externally (by tourists) and internally (by citizens). Besides the tangible assets like natural beauties, historic places, monuments, etc.; intangible qualities like stories makes a destination different, valuable and positively perceived by well. Thus, storytelling is a fundamental part of a city’s charm and a valuable tool to make the city readable to tourists, to attract new flows of visitors11, and to drive them to specific activities. As explained by Greg Clark, urbanist and global advisor on strategies for city development and investment12, storytelling is a fundamental resource to address three key objectives for cities: it creates a sense of

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Achieving a better spread of visitors can be challenging, particularly because first-time tourists usually want to see the “must-visit” sites. Therefore, cities may focus on repeat visitors by promoting less visited attractions. 9 The plan represents an example of a wide-ranging marketing campaign: to learn more, see “Britain level tourism high level marketing plan 2017–18,” Visit Britain, March 2017, visitbritain.org. 10 Started in 2014, the campaign spreads its messages through multiple channels including a digital magazine and social media. 11 In cultural tourism, the shift towards storytelling is well illustrated by the brand-new narration of the city of Den Bosch, in the Netherlands. To emerge as a competitive destination, it changed its marketing campaign and repositioned itself as the home of the medieval painter Hieronymus Bosch (Marques, 2013). The link to a famous figure has brought the development of numerous events and the opening of new touristic attractions. The new image of Den Bosch has also favoured relationships with other cities which have a Bosch link, including London, Madrid and Los Angeles. Richard G. (2014). 12 “Interview with Greg Clark on City Branding and Urban Development: Challenges and Opportunities”, article published by Place Brand Observer in October 2017. Available at: https://placebrandobserver.com/interviewgreg-clark/

belongingness in citizens and fosters a sense of welcoming for tourists; it represents an element of uniqueness and competitiveness, and it fosters collective action within the city. The Storytelling of Rome When speaking of Rome, the story telling is probably easy to frame: The Eternal City, built on the seven hills, covered in cobbled streets and enriched by invaluable cultural heritage sites. Over the centuries Rome has been the center of an Empire, a religious focal point, a major archaeological hub and an artistic limelight. Besides the imposing ruins from the Roman Empire, Rome hosts some of the most important works of art of the medieval age, Renaissance and the Baroque, Neoclassicism and even Fascist Architecture. Rome is the city of good food, good people and good weather, all summarized by the expression “La Dolce Vita”, Fellini’s 1960 film who inspired millions of tourists to live the dream of one of the most romantic destinations in the world. Nonetheless, the Eternal City has now very little of what the Italian director portrayed in his work. Seeing an empty Trevi Fountain13 as it happened to Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekber in La Dolce Vita, is impossible at any time of the day or of the year, due to the extraordinary convergence of tourists around it. Meanwhile, Emiri, sheikhs, Russian billionaires and Asian tycoons are buying Fellini’s celebrated Via Veneto piece by piece14. The preservation of the city and the development of its possibilities to enhance balanced forms of tourism, as previously discussed, is particularly relevant and interesting when it comes to the city of Rome. The Italian capital has always been a central destination for international cultural and religious tourist flows as the most important tourist attraction in Italy and one of the main in the world. Its leading role as a holiday destination has been for decades almost unintentional, given the abundance of historical and artistic amenities and heritage, which contribute to a collective imaginary of the city15. Despite the social, financial and political circumstances that have affected Rome at international popularity16, tourism has not been refrained. In 2016, Rome was still the main tourist destination with over 25 million presences (6.3% of the national total); followed, by Milan (2.7%) and Venice (2.6%)17. Like other Southern European destinations18, where in the last two decades tourism has surged, Roman residents have been progressively 13

Completed in 1762, the world famous Baroque fountain features was the setting for an iconic scene in Fellini’s film La Dolce Vita starring Anita Ekberg and Marcello Mastroianni. Since then, it has become on of the most popular tourist attractions in Rome. 14 “Roma, di chi è ora la strada della dolce vita”, article by G. Malatesta. Published on La Repubblica in August 2016. Available at: http://www.repubblica.it/venerdi/articoli/2016/08/11/news/roma_di_chi_e_la_strada_della_dolce_vita145805817/ 15 In recent years, local governments have invested in a tourism offer which is strongly linked to the historical artistic value of the city center, also in the attempt to lengthen the average tourists stay. The noticeable increase in city tourism is linked to lifestyle’s changes: as today people work longer than in the past, they concentrate reduced spare times in short trips. Low-budget airlines facilitate this trend: 50% of these trips are by air and 40% with cheap flights. 16 “Rome is on the verge of collapse and needs urgent repair, leaders warn”. Article by N. Squires, published by The Telegraph in July 2015. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/11741933/Rome-is-on-the-verge-of-collapse-andneeds-urgent-repair-leaders-warn.html 17 Most recent data provided by The Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT). Available at: https://www.istat.it/it/files/2017/10/movimento_2016_rettifica.pdf?title=Movimento+turistico+in+Italia++30%2Fott%2F2017+-+Testo+integrale.pdf 18 “'Go home': Overcrowding causes angry backlash against tourists in Europe's hottest destinations”. Article published by Traveller on August 2017. Available at: http://www.traveller.com.au/go-home-overcrowding-causes-angry-backlash-against-tourists-ineuropes-hottest-destinations-gxqlw5

complaining that a sharp rise in tourism is making life in the city center intolerable. Then, to tackle the problem of overcrowding, some changes should occur towards a right use (rather than exploitation) of the touristic “soul” of Rome. Local government and policy makers need to reposition the city appeal and provide to tourists something new. A New Storytelling for Rome through Film Productions Cultural tourism in Rome is mostly concentrated in the city center and neighboring areas, narrowing the most visited attractions to nothing that has been built after 192519. The top destinations of any official guide, website and app drive tourist flows in the city center and classic sites20. The convergence in few spots results in negative impacts on the local communities living there, as not only the streets and public transports are continuously occupied by visitors, but because they see the prices of rent and services constantly on the rise21. The idea suggested in this work for a new storytelling of Rome is then focused on a more contemporary, and realistic, narrative of the city. The possible outcomes of such a technique would be a decentralization of cultural tourism within the city center, with a consequently easier management of the activities in these areas, a revaluation of others and the outskirts of Rome, and an increase in jobs in these new cultural destinations. According to Butler (1990), television and cinema often influence people’s holiday destinations22, while Gartner (1993) suggests that the process of shaping a destination image is highly constituted by popular culture, a theory later endorsed by Hyounggon and Richardson (2003). Within cultural consumption, academics confirm the increase popularity of both ‘high’ and ‘popular23’ cultural forms (Richards and van der Ark, 2013). As part of pop culture, films can then be useful instruments to foster a new perception of the city in the eyes of both tourists and locals. In the Italian film scene, a wide generation of young directors is progressively emerging, adding a new perspective to the story telling of the capital. More and more films, along with TV shows24, are now focusing their attention to the forgotten areas or Rome and neighboring areas and cities, like Ostia, with films like Don't Be Bad25. One of the most successful Italian films in recent years has been They Call Me Jeeg26, directed in 2015 by Gabriele Mainetti. The film headed an encouraging trend that focuses on the current political issues of Rome27 19

Victor Emmanuel II Monument, built in honour of the first king of a unified Italy, was completed in 1925. According to the Italian Tourism Bureau, the 5 most visited places in Rome are: The Colosseum (4 million tourists a year), Pantheon (3.95 million tourists a year), Trevi Fountain (3.5 million tourists a year), Sistine Chapel (3 million tourists a year) and The Roman Forum (2.5 million tourists a year). 21 “Mercato immobiliare: il turismo tiene i prezzi stabili in centro”. Article published by Roma Today in October 2017. Available at: http://www.romatoday.it/casa/prezzi-case-roma.html” 22 The influence can be voluntary, involuntary, accidental, conscious or unconscious. Butler suggests that films and television now penetrate easier into society due to a general decrease in reading. 23 Pop culture associated with the Beatles, for example, brings to Liverpool over half a million of tourists per year, generating an economic impact of around £70 million (UK Music, 2014). 24 Suburra: Blood on Rome (Suburra) is one of the international success of Italian tv production. This crime drama web television series set in Rome was developed for Netflix, making it the first Italian original television series produced by the company. 25 Italian: Non essere cattivo, is a 2015 drama film directed by Claudio Caligari. The film was selected as the Italian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards. 26 Italian: Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot. The plot concerns a lonely misanthropic crook named Enzo, living in the outskirt of Rome, who gets superhuman strength after being affected by radioactive waste in the Tiber waters. 27 The film often hints at corrupted politicians, a sensitive contemporary issue in Rome, since trials are underway in what’s known as the “Mafia Capital” scandal. 20

and on locations often discriminated because far from the famous destinations28. Previous case studies, conducted both at European and international level, have proven that film induced tourism can be effective in attracting tourists to certain destinations. A publication based on Yorkshire29, for example, highlighted how many high-profile TV shows appearing on the small screen during the 2013 Christmas period have significantly increased the popularity of the location at international level. Production companies are now investing millions, with many local businesses feeling the benefits. The only products able to gain a significant international resonance and long-term impact are, however, the big productions that can get into the international circuits. In Rome it happened when La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty) by Paolo Sorrentino, supported by the Rome Lazio Film Commission, entered in the circuits of the big film studios and was awarded with the Oscar for the Best Foreign Film in 2014. The role of the Regional Film Commissions, institutions born relatively recently (the first was founded in region of Emilia Romagna in the late Nineties) is becoming increasingly important in endorsing film productions. Their functioning is often based on mechanisms of public and private partnership aimed at catalysing Italian film and television products, supporting them in the various phases of the work. Also, within the new cultural strategies implemented on a regional scale, these actors often propose to transform the film and television products in tools of territorial marketing. In Lazio, the region of Rome, film productions are starting to surge, both at independent and big production level, giving space to new landscapes and perspective on a territory often unknown to international tourists. Therefore, policy makers and local government should maybe invest more resources in the production of quality content that can function as an innovative marketing tool for the city of Rome and for the surrounding areas, which have as well important natural and cultural heritage to be shared and that is often forgotten. Conclusions The paper showed how the new trend of creative tourism is fostering new relationships between locals and visitors, enhancing contacts and attracting major flows of visits. It also displayed how storytelling is becoming a useful marketing tool in the narrative of cities. However, the negative outcomes of increased tourism in major destinations, has been presented referring to current studies in the sector. Then, by focusing on the case of Rome, which is one of the major receivers of visitors in the world, the work has proposed a new storytelling for the Italian capital. The need for it seems to be due to both reconcile the contemporary image of Rome, often associated only with its past cultural heritage, and consequently to balance the high numbers of tourists only focused in certain attractions in the city centre. Based on theories on film induced tourism, the tool for this objective have been film productions, to foster a new idea of Rome and highlight a diverse landscape and territory outside the most classical destinations. Previous success from both independent and production houses in the creation of quality products appear to point towards a growth of local productions for the enhancement of the territory. Due to a growing power of the 28

The film has been mainly shot in the quarter of Tor Bella Monaca, in the outskirt of Rome, and in Torvajanica, location of the Roman coast located in the municipality of Pomezia. 29 The Integration of Film-induced Tourism and Destination Branding in Yorkshire, UK. N. O’Connor, S. Flanagan and D. Gilbert. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TOURISM RESEARCH. Int. J. Tourism Res. 10, 423–437 (2008). Other interesting case studies on the subject are: Changes in Local Residents’ Perceptions and Attitudes Towards the Impact of Film Tourism: The Case of Eat Pray Love (EPL) Film Tourism in Ubud, Bali. Published in Film Tourism in Asia (January 2018) and Film Tourism (Not) in Taiwan: A Research Report on Film Tourism in Taiwan (January 2015) by Adam Yung Lam.

regional Film Commissions in endorsing the entrance of film into international circuits, the paper suggests a further development of the relationship between these actors and film makers. Such a connection, could positively impact the city of Rome, by reducing the number of tourists within the classical destinations, as well as the local communities that would find themselves in the spotlight. For these reasons, further research in the field of creative and film induced tourism, shall be conducted, in order to find new solutions and paths to create a balance relationship between locals and tourists, and within the destinations as well.

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