Measuring Culture for Well-Being and Sustainability: The New Frontier of Tourism Development

The definition of culture and cultural activities is not yet statistically well-defined. Nevertheless, the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) has decided to allocate significant sources of funding to culture, both in terms of improving its accessibility and in terms of enhancing the value of the territory. It remains challenging to determine the economic value of the demand for culture, as well as its connection with tourist flows. The link between the cultural enhancement of the territory and tourist flows remains uncertain. Cultural travels represent an important motivation, although family expenditure still has a relatively small share compared to the total expenditure. Similarly, municipalities show significant variability in terms of public spending on culture. It is advisable to include regional and sub-regional level indicators to complement the data, and how possible to provide a cultural satellite account.