The Travel and Tourism Industry Competitiveness in Italy: The Italian Regional Policies in the nrrp Framework

The covid-19 pandemic has significantly affected the Italian tourism industry and its competitiveness. In response, Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan has outlined mea- sures to support tourism businesses in enhancing regional competitiveness. The study evalu- ates the alignment of the interventions detailed in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan with the structure of regional tourism industries, considering aspects such as environment, in- frastructure, natural and cultural resources, technologies, and labour market conditions. The analysis employs the competitiveness index of Italy’s tourism and travel sectors, applied at the regional level. The objective of this work, based on the regional competitiveness index results, is to develop tourism policies that, accounting for structural differences, reduce disparities in tourism development trajectories. The study utilises the regionalised index to propose ways to improve tourism’s competitiveness and resilience across all Italian regions. Ultimately, it aims to provide a broader perspective on how recovery plans can foster the growth and strengthening of Italy’s tourism system.