Rethinking Tourism for Collective Well-being

One of the GDD events scheduled for year 2025 will take place in Como, at the University of Insubria.

Consistently with the vision of Doughnut Economics, the event positions tourism between ecological boundaries and social foundations. It addresses a number of pressing issues, including overtourism, climate change, and resource management. Special attention is paid to the need to foster participation of the local community in designing a community-based tourism development model that can reconcile sustainability and inclusion.

In-person event open to the public and students
Event supported by the university
Organized by GIT (Gruppo Iniziativa Territoriale) Members of Banca Etica from the province of Como
and EURICSE, European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises
Location: Università dell'Insubria, Via S. Abbondio, 12 Como, Italy

The Como GDD 2025  investigates tourism, which today more than ever is at the crossroads of global challenges and local dynamics. Faced with climate crisis, profound social and societal transformations, demographic changes and digital innovations, there is indeed a pressing need to reflect on role, impact and challenges of tourism.

The concept of sustainable tourism requires careful examination from multiple perspectives: environmental, economic, social, and cultural.

Against this background, the Doughnut Economics Festival will shed light on the findings of recent research conducted by the University of Insubria, particularly the NODES project (North-West Digital and Sustainable).

Following an introduction focused on the environmental boundaries and social dimensions of the doughnut model, and critical presentation on the importance of ethical finance, contributions will address the following themes:

• Overtourism by highlighting the tensions between visitors and residents, and the implications of climate change on tourism practices and natural resource management.
• The role of Third Sector organisations in managing tourism governance by paying attention especially on how alternative tourism models that are rooted in local contexts and responsive to the needs of local communities can be co-designed. 
• Issues of participation, social justice, and the stewardship of the common good will be examined in light of both practical experiences and theoretical reflections, demonstrating that sustainable tourism cannot be separated from a democratic and inclusive vision of development.
• Good practices and future perspectives drawn from both local and national contexts, which contribute to reinterpreting tourism as a collaborative process that can hage a role in constructing the meaning of places.

The aim of this event is not only to present scientific findings but also to stimulate critical reflections by actively engaging local administrators, researchers, practitioners, and citizens interested in envisioning new forms of tourism. Accordingly, rather than seeking for answers, participants will  generate meaningful questions and reflect on possible pathways for shared research and action.

The event will nonetheless shed light on the value of places and territories not merely as attraction containers for tourists, but as lived spaces, taking responsibility for building—through tourism—a more equitable, resilient, and conscious future, where sustainability is not just a slogan, but a guiding principle in political, economic, and cultural choices with a view to shaping concrete and lasting practices.