Sustainable urban development perspectives in the era of tourism experience

Today in economic and management field it is taken for granted that the reason of a tourist service is basically the promotion of experiences. Indeed, tourists travel in order to live unconventional experiences. Consequently, the competitive advantage of the destinations essentially originates from the ability to meet such a need. And yet, which are the suitable tools to make the experience lived by tourists unforgettable? In this respect, the specialized literature offers a wide and multifaceted array of opinions. This essay highlights the problems and the issues of a specific school of thoughts, which sees the experience basically as a vehicle of spectacular suggestion. In this sense, experience and entertainment are quite the same, whereas in order to reach the optimum in the tourist offer it is necessary the building of artificial scenarios. In these scenarios, which can also be defined "dramatic", the tourist can feel the extraordinary of situations which otherwise may be taken for granted (for example visiting the historic part of the city or going to shopping centers). The building of such scenarios surely confers sensationalism to a mere tour. However, how can these scenarios be included in cultural landscapes already established without somehow compromising also their authenticity? This paper arises exactly from this issue. In the attempt of giving an answer, the issue will be looked at from a perspective which takes into consideration philosophic, anthropologic and sociologic reflection. Therefore, this perspective is inter-disciplinary and basically epistemological. The aim of this essay is to develop a theoretical background feasible in defining an optimal experience. On the contrary, the building of an alternative model of experience is up to the future development of the research. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.