Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy: towards a people-centred heritage branding approach

ABSTRACT The valorization of the UNESCO WHC emblem as a brand icon overlooks the marketing statement of local heritage sites that are not designated as world heritage. This practice leads to competition rather than collaboration which could result in endangering the intangible cultural heritage expressions and authentic cultural knowledge. Moreover, the tourism market deals mostly with the cultural landscape as a semi-customized product valorizing the role of publicity which might have a high negative impact on the conservation statement of the cultural asset. Consequently, this research investigates the interconnection between the fundamentals of branding and conservative management to enhance the outstanding values of cultural identity manifestations. It is an empirical study that reviews the branding statement of the Italian cultural landscape of Civita di Bagnoregio. It applies an integrated method that combines qualitative and quantitative analysis. It assesses 20 interviews with the key site stakeholders and more than 7000 social media posts. The findings of this study draw a proposal for a people-centred heritage branding approach that seeks to generate a lifelong learning memory for the community and a long-term brand image for the visitors’ mentality.