Smart Tourism Governance for Urban Bioregion: An Evaluating Approach to the Relationship between Coastal and Inland Areas of South Sardinia

In recent years, the governance of smart tourism has been radically changed from a strictly technological approach to one that highlights the issues of place. This has led to the definition of territorial ecosystems, not necessarily linked to administrative boundaries, but which can be linked to the urban bioregion. The latter in fact allows for a polycentric organization of the tourism structure based on small territories, identified through the study of the relationships between human settlement and the environment. This polycentric bioregional approach is even more significant in island contexts that by their geographical configuration have natural and demographic disadvantages. The aim of this chapter, with this background, is to frame the concept of smart tourism in an island bioregion as a possible development approach for inner areas through linking tourism goals with coastal areas. To this end, the authors, starting with a theoretical discussion of the relationship between smart tourism and urban bioregion in an island system, analyse the historical region of Sulcis Iglesiente, characterised by a complex infrastructural and urban system polarized around two major centers (Carbonia and Iglesias). Smart tourism emerges as a central aspect of policies aimed at countering depopulation, social exclusion and economic depression in less developed inner areas. The methodological approach used combines geo-spatial analysis and spatial syntax techniques to describe in quantitative terms the distribution of cultural heritage components, relevant habitats, opportunities for recreational activities, tourism-related services and accessibility conditions. The paper concludes by identifying patterns of centrality and integration that can enhance tourism potential in an island bioregion.