Tourism and twin transition: a digital and sustainable future

Tourism is no longer just a journey. In a global context where travellers’ habits are rapidly changing and environmental awareness is increasing, the tourism sector is facing a historic turning point.

The twin transition, the dual digital and ecological transition promoted by the European Union, now represents the key to building a tourism industry capable of innovating, being sustainable, and creating long-term value.

For a country like Italy, one of the most visited in the world, and for a region like Sicily, a crossroads of cultures, remarkable landscape and cultural resource, this path is not only necessary: it is a strategic opportunity.

However, transformation requires adequate tools, widespread skills, and targeted investments, especially for small businesses that form the backbone of the sector. Embracing the twin transition today means rethinking tourism as an intelligent, connected, and territory-respecting system.

Tourism 4.0 and sustainability to innovate of Italian touristic sector

Although the tourism sector is one of the main drivers of the national economy, it still lags behind in adopting digital technologies. Only 31% of businesses use e-commerce, and artificial intelligence is employed by just 14% of companies. This gap is even more pronounced when looking at the differences between large companies, where the digitalization rate reaches 61%, and small and medium-sized enterprises, which stop at 15%.¹

This delay represents a challenge, but also a great opportunity for the Italian market, which shows signs of growth in the adoption of digital tools to address the sector's current complexity. How adding new technologies can help small touristic businesses? These technologies help small tourism businesses to optimise operations, personalise the guest experiences, and reduce their environmental impact, through smart resource management and data-driven decisions.² ³

This includes business intelligence, useful for real-time analysis of users behaviour and anticipating market trends; artificial intelligence, which allows for more efficient management of supply and demand; smart hospitality, which personalizes travellers’ experience; augmented reality technologies, increasingly used especially in cultural and museum tourism; and never-ending tourism, which extends the value of the tourist experience beyond the time and space of the visit, by offering digital content, virtual tours, and online activities that engage travellers before departure and after their return, fostering a continuous connection with the destination. ⁴

These technologies not only improve the quality of services but also help reduce the sector’s environmental impact. Digitalization enables the dematerialisation of processes, the optimisation of infrastructure management, the development of environmental monitoring tools, and offers travellers transparent information about the ecological footprint of their stay. ⁵

In this perspective, digital transformation intersects with the development of ecotourism, promoting a new approach to travel, more conscious and responsible. Tourism businesses can adopt smart systems for waste management, energy and water saving solutions, and online platforms that clearly inform about the environmental impact of their facilities. ⁶

At the institutional level, the commitment to more sustainable and digital tourism is reflected in the National Strategic Tourism Plan 2023–2027, which aims to coordinate the sector’s stakeholders to identify intervention priorities and shared strategic guidelines. The NRRP (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) also plays a central role, with investments for a Tourism 4.0 strategy focused on three fronts: the Tourism Digital Hub, to make the tourism system more accessible and interconnected; integrated funds for the competitiveness of tourism businesses, allocated to infrastructure, credit access, and enhancement of hospitality assets; and the Caput Mundi – Next Generation EU program, designed to strengthen the appeal of major tourism events. ⁷

Sicily, between tourism potential and twin transition

Sicily is one of the Italian regions richest in tourist attractions, thanks to its geographical position, cultural and natural heritage, and its ability to attract visitors all year round. Tourism is a key resource for the regional economy, with strong growth potential in terms of employment, investment, and territorial development.⁸

In this context, the Twin Transition plays a crucial role in strengthening the competitiveness of Sicily’s tourism system and revitalizing local businesses with an innovative and sustainable approach.

An important step in this direction was the memorandum of understanding signed between Sicindustria and the Regional Department of Tourism, with the goal of supporting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the sector through dedicated tools, services, and initiatives. These include training activities, participation in trade fairs, and international missions aimed at promoting internationalization, digitalization, and sustainability among Sicilian tourism businesses. ⁹

However, the region still faces significant structural obstacles. The digital divide is wide, and many businesses — especially small and medium-sized ones, which dominate the tourism sector — lack the technological infrastructure and skills necessary to embrace the transition. This is compounded by the limited access to ultra-broadband and the need for more substantial investments in digital technologies, smart networks, and innovative services.¹⁰

Another fundamental element is the visibility of the local tourism offer, often fragmented and underpromoted. Businesses need digital tools to effectively promote their services and reach new markets, in a vision of integrated and sustainable growth.¹¹

In parallel, it is increasingly necessary to move beyond the enhancement of high-density tourist areas, often affected by over tourism, and instead redistribute tourism flows toward rural territories, where tourism can generate inclusive economic development with lower environmental impact. Initiatives such as EXTOR (Experiential Tourism for Sustainable Rural Development) promote sustainable models focused on community engagement and low-impact experiences, while supporting local entrepreneurship through digital visibility and capacity building.¹² This approach responds to concrete challenges such as CO₂ emissions, water resource depletion, and the destruction of carbon sinks, which are exacerbated by mass tourism in urban and coastal destinations. Transportation remains the largest contributor to tourism’s carbon footprint, followed by energy-intensive lodging and imported food systems. ¹³

Investing in rural infrastructure, capacity-building, and smart technologies contributes to a more balanced and resilient tourism model; one that supports climate action, reduces negative externalities, and encourages equitable development across the territory.

To make sicilian tourism more sustainable, it is essential to support business development through targeted investments, transition support services, and public policies that encourage training, innovation, and collaboration among local stakeholders. Only in this way will it be possible to turn the challenges of the twin transition into a concrete opportunity for revitalization, with lasting positive impacts on the territory, the economy, and the quality of the tourism experience.¹⁴

In this context of profound transformation, the TRANSFORM project takes shape, created with the goal of strengthening the skills of workers and small and medium-sized enterprises in key sectors of the green and digital transition. Through a collaborative approach inspired by the Living Lab model, TRANSFORM fosters dialogue between public and private actors, aiming to align training pathways with the real needs of the labour market and to support a fair and sustainable transition.