The role of local actors in tourism development of Unesco World Heritage Sistes. The case of Alberobello.

This paper focuses on the endogenous dynamics among the local actors (inhabitants, entrepreneurs, and so on) who can promote the development of World Heritage Sites. It analyzes the evolution of Alberobello, a town in the south of Italy added to the World Heritage List (WHL) in 1996 for its Trulli (small houses with a round base and a conical roof), which, over the last twenty years, has registered a strong increase in the number of tourists’ overnight stays. Based on three different surveys and interviews, realized between 2007 and 2012, the paper investigates the economic impact of a UNESCO designation. The main finding is that even when listing on the WHL has no impact at the regional level, it certainly contributes to the economic growth of a local area, provided, of course, the local community endeavours to make this happen, by channelling investment in physical and human capital toward a cultural form of tourism.