Key research themes
1. How can Geographic Information Systems (GIS) enhance the design and planning of cultural tourist routes?
This research theme explores the application of GIS technology for the systematic analysis, mapping, and creation of tourist routes that leverage cultural and heritage assets. It matters because GIS enables a data-driven and spatially precise design of itineraries, allowing for optimization based on tourism potential, heritage distribution, accessibility, and user demand. This approach responds to the observed lack of rigorous methodology in traditional tourist route design, providing actionable insights for heritage activation and tourism promotion.
2. What roles do cultural, historical, and socio-political factors play in shaping the development and dissemination of cultural tourist routes?
This theme investigates how local identity, historical narratives, and cultural politics influence the creation, reception, and promotion of tourist routes. Understanding these dimensions matters because routes are not solely logistical constructs but also cultural products that embody collective memory, heritage politics, and regional distinctiveness, which affect public engagement, authenticity, and tourism sustainability.
3. How do digital representation techniques complement traditional surveying methods in the documentation and visualization of heritage sites for route design?
This focus area considers methodological advances that integrate technological tools—such as laser rangefinders, 3D scanning, and digital modeling—with conventional survey practices to effectively capture the complexity of heritage sites. Such integration improves precision, visualization, and interpretative capacity, critical for detailed planning and presentation of heritage-based tourist routes.