Roots Tourism in Unconventional Socio-Economic Contexts

The article explores the phenomenon of invisible tourism and roots tourism, two little-known phenomena that can generate significant economic, social and cultural impacts. Invisible tourism develops through the use of private homes, while roots tourism refers to travel to the places of origin of emigrants and their descendants.

- Scientific and/or policy framework

The contribution is part of the scientific debate on unconventional tourism, with particular attention to the role that these forms of tourism play in the development of local communities. The link between private home tourism and roots mobility is examined, in a framework that requires new methodological approaches to grasp the real dimensions of these phenomena invisible in official statistics.

- Methodology adopted and hypothesis formulated

The analysis is based on a qualitative survey conducted by the Research and Studies Centre on Tourism of the University of Calabria. The central hypothesis is that there is a reciprocal relationship between invisible tourism and roots tourism, with the ownership and use of homes as a key element in maintaining the link with the places of origin.

- Most important and innovative results The study highlights how these forms of tourism contribute to the economic and social development of local communities. Furthermore, it proposes a rethinking of tourism policies to enhance these unconventional practices, suggesting the adoption of more effective tools for their measurement and integration into local development strategies.