“Energy Tourism” in Italy: A Real Possibility?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36253/bsgi-7612Keywords:
tourism, energy transition, renewable resourcesAbstract
As the energy transition process towards a wider and more conscious use of renewable energy sources has been accelerating and interest in environmental issues has been growing over the last few years, tourism has in turn been increasingly focusing on areas hosting plants and facilities for the production of renewable energy. Based on a thorough examination of the extensive available literature, the present study will firstly outline the issue and then offer an evaluation of the first and most prominent energy tourism experiences on both a national and international scale. The aim is to highlight both the potential and criticalities of these emerging tourism models so as to assess whether they can be profitably further developed in Italy.
Metrics
References
Agarwal, S., Busby, G., Huang, R. (a cura di, 2017). Special Interest Tourism. Concept, Contexts and Cases. Wallingford-Boston, CABI. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1079/9781780645667.0000
Alekseeva, N., Hercegova, K. (2021). Energy and industrial tourism: a specific niche on the tourism market. E3S Web Conference, 250, 01002. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202125001002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202125001002
Bagnoli, L., Betti, S. (2021). Il Parco Eolico fra Energy Tourism e accettazione sociale. Documenti Geografici, vol. 2, 283-295. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.19246/DOCUGEO2281-7549/202102_19
Beer, M., Rybar, R., Kalavsky, M. (2018). Renewable Energy Sources as an attractive element of industrial tourism. Cur. Is. in Tourism, 21(18), 2139-2151. DOI: 10.1080/13683500.2017.1316971 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2017.1316971
Benaszkiewicz, M. (2023). Tourism and heritage in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. London-New York, Routledge.
Bolognesi, M., Magnaghi, A. (2020). Verso le comunità energetiche. Scienze del Territorio, Special Issue, 142-150. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13128/sdt-12330 DOI: https://doi.org/10.13128/sdt-12330
Caracciolo, E., Raso, S. (2017). Toscana. Colline del vapore (2017). Castagneto Carducci (LI), Viatoribus.
Carr-Haris, A., Lang, C. (2019). Sustainability and Tourism: the effect of the United States’ first offshore wind farm on the vacation rental market. Resource and Energy Economics, 57, 51-67. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reseneeco.2019.04.003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reseneeco.2019.04.003
CEGLab. (2024). CEGLab – Laboratorio del Centro di Eccellenza per la Geotermia. https://www.ceglab.it
Consorzio per lo Sviluppo delle Aree Geotermiche. (2024). Consorzio per lo Sviluppo delle Aree Geotermiche (Co.Svi.G.). https://www.cosvig.it
Cori, B., Da Pozzo, C. (2012). La Toscana: una regione di regioni. In Macchia, P. (a cura di). La Toscana in evoluzione. Pisa, ETS, 299-319.
Cresta, A., Greco, I. (a cura di, 2020). Energia e territorio. Per una geografia dei paesaggi energetici italiani. Roma, Società Geografica Italiana (XIV Rapporto).
dal Verme, M., Lipari, D., Lucido, G., Maio, V., Surace, V., Liberatore, P. (a cura di, 2023). Rapporto statistico 2021. Energia da fonti rinnovabili in Italia, Report marzo 2023. Roma, Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE). https://www.gse.it/documenti_site/Documenti%20GSE/Rapporti%20statistici/Rapporto%20Statistico%20GSE%20-%20FER%202021.pdf
ENEL. (2024). Enel Green Power. https://www.enelgreenpower.com
Frankfurter Rundschau. (2024). Frankfurter Rundschau. https://www.fr.de
Frantal, B., Urbankova, R. (2017). Energy Tourism: An emerging field of study. Current Issues on Tourism, 20(13), 1395-1412. DOI: 10.1080/13683500.2014.987734 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2014.987734
ENEL (2024). Geotermia e sviluppo sostenibile: Toscana eccellenza della transizione energetica. https://www.enelgreenpower.com/it/storie/articles/2024/10/geotermia-toscana-sviluppo-sostenibile.
GSE [Gestore Servizi Energetici] (2024). Rapporto statistico 2023. Solare Fotovoltaico. https://www.gse.it/documenti_site/Documenti%20GSE/Rapporti%20statistici/Solare%20Fotovoltaico%20-%20Rapporto%20Statistico%202023.pdf
Glasson, J., Durning, B., Welch, K. (2022). The Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms on Local Tourism and Recreation – Evolving Lessons from Practice. J. Of Energy and Power Technology, 4(4), 035. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21926/jept.2204037 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21926/jept.2204037
International Renewable Energy Agency. (n.d.). Country Rankings. https://www.irena.org/Data/View-data-by-topic/Capacity-and-Generation/Country-Rankings
Italia Nostra (2024). Gli Stati generali contro l’eolico e il fotovoltaico a terra fanno il pieno di adesioni. https://www.italianostra.org/news-nazionali/gli-stati-generali-contro-leolico-e-il-fotovoltaico-a-terra-fanno-il-pieno-di-adesioni-non-si-puo-salvare-il-pianeta-danneggiando-il-paesaggio-e-la-biodiversita/
Hecher, M., Vilsmaier, U., Akhavan, R., Binder, C. R. (2016). An integrative analysis of energy transition in energy regions: A case study of ŐkoEnergienland in Austria. Ecological Economics, 121, 40-53. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2015.11.015 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2015.11.015
Jiricka, A., Salak, B., Eder, R., Arnberger, A., Pröbstl, U. (2010). Energetic Tourism: Exploring the Experience Quality of Renewable Energies as a New Sustainable Tourism Market. Sustainable Tourism, 139, 55-68. DOI: 10.2495/ST100061 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2495/ST100061
Legambiente (2024). Guida turistica dei parchi eolici italiani, Edizione 2023. Roma, Legambiente.
Legambiente (2025). Scacco matto alle rinnovabili 2024. https://www.legambiente.it/uploads/2024/02/Scacco-Matto-alle-Rinnovabili-2024.pdf.
Liu, D., Upchurch, R. S., Curtis, C., Lusby, C. (2016). Chinese domestic tourist perceptions of wind farms experiences. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 24(11), 1569-1583. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2016.1158826 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2016.1158826
Lukic, I. (2023). Tourism and Offshore Wind in Middelgrunden Off Copenaghen, Denmark. Copenhagen, Ocean Multi-Use Blueprints Collection.
Lun, L. M., Volgger, M., Pechlaner, H. (2015). The potential of energy tourism: A multiple case of study on renewable energy-based tourist attractions. In Reddy, M. V., Wilkes, H. (a cura di). Tourism in the Green Economy. London, Routledge, 161-175.
Macchia, P. (2018). Le evoluzioni del turismo in Toscana a cavallo del secolo (1993-2013): da fenomeno polare a fenomeno areale? Storia del Turismo. Annale, 11, 107-130.
Macchia, P. (2019). Il turismo: nuova forma di sviluppo per le aree marginali della collina toscana. In Salvatori, F. (a cura di). Atti del XXXII Congresso Geografico Italiano, Roma, 7-10 giugno 2017: L’apporto della Geografia tra rivoluzioni e riforme. Roma, A.Ge.I. 3037-3045.
Martinez Reyes, A., Lieu, J., de Vries, G., Hoppe, T. (2024). Introducing a typology of energy regions: a systematic literature review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Rev., 207, 114961. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2024.114961 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2024.114961
Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Sicurezza Energetica (2023a). La relazione sulla situazione energetica nazionale nel 2022. https://www.mase.gov.it/sites/default/files/Archivio_Energia/LARELAZIONESULLA SITUAZIONE ENERGETICANAZIONALENEL2022_MASEluglio 2023.pdf.
Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Sicurezza Energetica (2023b). Piano Nazionale Integrato per l’Energia e il Clima. https://www.mase.gov.it/sites/default/files/PNIEC_2023.pdf
Mordue, T., Moss, O., Johnston, L. (2020). The impacts of onshore-windfarms on a UK rural tourism landscape: objective evidence, local opposition, and national politics. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 28(11), 1882-1904. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1769110 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1769110
Pavlakovič, B., Demir, M. R., Pozvek, N., Turnšek, M. (2021). Role of Tourism in Promoting Geothermal Energy: Public Interest and Motivation for Geothermal Energy Tourism in Slovenia. Sustainability, 13(18), 10353. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su131810353 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su131810353
Potocnik, J. (2022). Preserving and presenting heritage through sustainable energy tourism: The case of Kobarid in Slovenia. Sustainability, 14(2), 659. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020659 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020659
Prinsloo, F. C. (2015). The impact of renewable energy structures on tourism. Stellenbosch, University of Stellenbosh.
Rudolph, D. (2014). The Resurgent Conflict Between Offshore Wind Farms and Tourism: Underlying Storylines. Scottish Geographical Journal, 130(3), 168-187. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14702541.2014.914239 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14702541.2014.914239
Scott, D. N., Smith, A. A. (2017). “Sacrifice Zones” in the Green Energy Economy: Toward an Environmental Justice Framework. McGill Law Journal, 62(3), 861-898. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1042776ar DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1042776ar
Sedlacek, S., Tötzer, T., Lund-Durlacher, D. (2020). Collaborative governance in energy regions – Experiences from an Austrian region. Journal of Cleaner Production, 256, 120256. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120256 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120256
Segreto, M., Principe, L., Desormeaux, A., Torre, M., Tomassetti, L., Tratzi, P., Paolini, V., Petracchini, F. (2020). Trends in Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy Across Europe – A Literature Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(24), 9161. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249161 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249161
Smythe, T., Bidwell, D., Moore, A., Smith, M., McCann, J. (2020). Beyond the beach: Tradeoffs in tourism and recreation at the first offshore wind farm of the United States. Energy Research & Social Science, 70, 101726. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2020.101726 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2020.101726
Stadtgemeinde Güssing. (2025). Güssing - Meine Stadt. Stadtgemeinde Güssing. https://www.guessing.co.at
TERNA (2022). Dati statistici sull’energia elettrica in Italia 2022. https://download.terna.it/terna/ANNUARIO STATISTICO2022_8dbd 4774 c25facd.pdf
Terna S.p.A. (2024). Terna Driving Energy. https://www.terna.it
The Middelgrunden Offshore Wind Farm – A Popular Initiative (2021). https://www.middelgrunden.dk/wp-content/uploads/202401/mg-pjecc_72dpi_rgb.pdf
Tverijonaite, E., Sæþórsdóttir, A.D. (2024). Hydro, Wind, And Geothermal: Navigating the Compatibility of Renewable Energy Infrastructure with Tourism. Tourism and Hospitality, 5(1), 16-31. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp5010002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp5010002
Un viaggio in Toscana. La via della geotermia dalla Val di Cecina all’Amiata (2015). Arcidosso, C&P Effigi.
Vordoubas, J. (2022). Possibilities of Developing Energy Tourism in the Island of Crete, Greece. European Journal of Energy Research, 2(4), 1-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24018/ejenergy.2022.2.4.79 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24018/ejenergy.2022.2.4.79
Weiler, B., Hall, C. M. (1992). Special interest tourism. London, Belhaven Press.
Zotz, A. (2008). Őkoenergie-Tourismus in Güssing. Integra, 1, 18-19.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Paolo Macchia

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.



