This paper provides a theoretical contribution by investigating how digital technologies are currently reshaping the museum value chain in the Infosphere, an information environment where boundaries between the offline and online worlds are rapidly becoming blurred. This study applies Porter’s value chain to museum management to understand (1) how ICTs impact the primary production processes of museums, and (2) how museums are currently relocating in the new emerging environment. The study is conducted through an extensive literature review on museums and digital technologies. The research results identify four approaches to digital transformation: (1) a back-office approach to improve the preservation of cultural heritage; (2) an onsite approach to enhance the quality of the museum experience; (3) an online approach to extend the museum experience beyond museum doors; and (4) an onlife approach based on multisensorial and interactive technologies, LOD and IoT, to create a wider, more accessible and hybrid museum experience.

In the context of increasing interest in the contribution made by culture to the implementation of the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the present research investigates how intangible cultural heritage (ICH) can help sustainable tourism in rural areas. Adopting a case study methodology, we analyzed the “Marche Food and Wine Memories” project, an initiative promoted by CiùCiù, a winery based in Offida, a small village in the Marche region (Italy). After discussing the strategies and tools adopted to enhance rural heritage, the analysis focuses on the involvement of local communities and businesses in the different phases of the process. The research aimed to understand: (1) the project’s current contribution to the economic, social, cultural and environmental dimensions of sustainability; and (2) its strengths and weaknesses and possible future improvements. The research findings confirm the high potentialities of ICH-based initiatives for sustainable tourism development in rural areas, but also reveal the need to improve the level of networking with local businesses and highlight gaps in marketing and management skills. Finally, the results provide policy and managerial implications for similar ICH-based initiatives.

This paper investigates the contribution of marketing research to cultural heritage conservation and sustainability, based on the assumption that the comprehension of the meaning of cultural heritage by new and extended audiences is a prerequisite for the future survival of tangible and intangible heritage. After discussing steps and achievements in the scientific debate on museum marketing, current gaps and possible further developments are considered. Since the early 1980s, marketing research has investigated visitors’ profiles, motivations, and behaviors, and has progressively focused on improving the experience of cultural heritage, especially through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in museums and heritage sites. A literature review suggests that scant attention has been paid to qualitative research that is aimed at investigating the knowledge and skills of visitors and non-visitors and their understanding of the value of cultural heritage. Moving from these results, and taking into account recent data about the attitudes and opinions of people in Europe on cultural heritage, the field research focuses on the perception and communication of local cultural heritage among young generations. The results of six focus groups conducted in 2016 with undergraduate and postgraduate students (University of Macerata, Italy) are analyzed. The research findings reveal a number of difficulties and limitations with regard to communicating and understanding the value of heritage. In order to better investigate these gaps, the outcomes of this preliminary study could be tested and put to cross-analysis using different methods. However, they do provide useful evidence for understanding the link between audience development and cultural heritage sustainability.

In the context of increasing attention on museum sustainability, this research adopts a dictionary‐based, content‐analysis approach to measure the degree of sustainability disclosed in European museum annual reports and similar documents. The analysis is carried out through the lens of institutional theory, assuming that the presence of formal and informal regulations positively affects the level of sustainability in annual reporting practices. Furthermore, the paper discusses the level of sustainability disclosed by different types of museums and the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the extent of sustainability‐oriented reporting. The article compares top public museums in the UK and France, the European countries where accountability practices are most deeply rooted for legal and cultural reasons, and where the most visited museums in the world are located. The findings show that the type of museum and the country significantly affect the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) score, whereas mentioning COVID‐19 or the year of publication does not.

In the current globalised world, the milieu can be a competitive advantage for companies rooted in their local production context, as is the case for the agri-food industry (Riviezzo et al., 2016; Sgroi et al., 2020). Effectively exploiting the relationship between a company, its environment and local assets can be a successful marketing strategy that can trigger a virtuous circle that benefits sustainable tourism development (Askegaard & Kjeldgaard, 2008; Napolitano & De Nisco, 2017). One fundamental tool for exploiting this potential is digital marketing (Marzo-Navarro & Pedraja-Iglesias, 2021). Within this framework, the present research investigates whether and how the wine industry in the Marche region (Italy) communicates its relationships with the milieu and cultural heritage on official websites. We developed a model to analyse the web marketing strategies adopted by 83 wineries belonging to a non-profit association whose main objective is the promotion of wine tourism. The model is structured in four sections: 1) corporate data, 2) content, 3) accessibility, 4) technical aspects. Starting with the gaps identified in the scientific literature on this topic, when we analysed the content dimension, we included information related to corporate and local cultural heritage, branding, and services and partnerships. The results show that the relationship between milieu and cultural heritage is not significantly communicated on the website, revealing much room for improvement. The evaluation model and the managerial implications could be applied to all companies in the agri-food sector and, more generally, in the made-in sector.

During the past fifteen years, economic and managerial studies have devoted increasing attention to the role of cultural and creative industries, especially in promoting urban regeneration and local development in metropolitan areas. Less attention has been paid to culture-led development in marginal and fragile areas. Moreover, there is increasing policy and research interest in post-disaster resilience, and it is well known that rebuilding communities is even more important than physical reconstruction. This paper contributes to advance knowledge by interconnecting these research fields. We focus on inner areas and take as a specific object of analysis a wide area affected by the earthquakes that struck Central Italy between August 2016 and January 2017. Drawing on empirical data collected through semi-structured interviews with local cultural and tourism managers, we examine initiatives of horizontal and vertical cooperation that unfolded in the first two years after the earthquakes and we discuss issues and prospects of ‘adaptive resilience’ that may emerge thereinafter. We suggest that the wealth of bottom-up cultural experiences launched after the earthquake, and their high degree of inclusiveness can be considered as signs of the social capital that can sustain the post-earthquake economic recovery.