IT.A.CÀ Festival (Festival of Responsible Tourism)

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The IT.A.CÀ festival, born in 2009 in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, has developed a relevant national network over the years, distinguishing itself as the first and only event in Italy and Europe dedicated to responsible tourism and tourism innovation with a sustainable perspective. Its reach extends from southern to northern Italy, offering a unique journey through different territories and connecting resilient and passionate communities that promote the freedom to migrate and the right to stay. The festival transforms the tourism experience, moving from incoming to becoming, to harmonize the sustainability of tourism with the well-being of citizens.

The MISSION of IT.A.CÀ, a festival dedicated to migrants and travelers, is to create innovative and fruitful relationships between locals and tourists, promoting understanding of the principles of responsible tourism among travelers, businesses, institutions and tour operators.

The FESTIVAL represents a dynamic network of responsible tourism actors, interacting in innovative ways and co-designing content, participation methodologies, communication practices and synergistic cooperation. It is configured as:

– A promotional showcase for the actors involved and for the host city/territory.

– An experimental laboratory where an approach to sustainable tourism is researched.

– An experiment in participatory and planning democracy, where discussions do not remain merely theoretical, but are transformed into concrete actions.

The festival is committed to implementing and promoting services and events aimed at developing the tourism economy in a sustainable and responsible manner. This includes:

– Environmental sustainability: Enhancement of the environment as a distinctive feature of the area, with the protection and renewal of natural resources and heritage.

– Economic sustainability: Income generation and employment to support populations.

– Social sustainability: Ensuring conditions of human well-being that are equally distributed across classes and genders.

It should be noted that each year there is a stop in Bologna or in the Emilia-Romagna region, strengthening the festival’s link with its city of origin and with the region that saw the birth of this initiative. The constant presence in Emilia-Romagna helps to keep alive the link between IT.A.CÀ and its history, as well as to consolidate the region’s important role in the context of responsible tourism and sustainable tourism innovation.