Digital nomadism and tourism development: Stakeholders’ perceptions of an inner area

FRAMING OF THE RESEARCH. Starting from the definition of digital nomadism and its consequences for the destinations, the study debates on sustainable tourism development opportunities for minor destinations. PURPOSE OF THE PAPER. Identification of enabling factors that contribute to the establishment of a destination for digital nomads and analysis of the stakeholders’ perceptions about the impact of digital nomadism for the local development. METHODOLOGY. The research adopts the case study method. An explorative study was conducted through eight interviews with key stakeholders, analyzed with a thematic analysis. RESULTS. If the coworking and Internet infrastructure are enough developed, the target of digital nomads is interesting for minor destinations that align with the principles of sustainability. Tourism products focuses on this new segment are still no defined. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS. Our study is limited to one case study. Nonetheless, Valsugana (in the Autonomous Province of Trento, Italy) is representative of minor tourism destinations that are facing stagnation and high seasonality, and considers sustainability as the starting point from which to re-define destination management strategies. MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS. The research shows the roles of key stakeholders and gathers views and expectations about this new phenomenon identifying structural, cultural and socio-economic factors, as well as opportunities and challenges for relaunching minor destinations. ORIGINALITY OF THE PAPER. The research adopts a supply-side approach and analyzes the potential of digital nomadism for the development of minor destinations. The segment of digital nomads as a means to revitalize these destinations require stakeholders to offer services and products different from the traditional ones. The case could represent a training ground to study the changes in the development of the destination by considering its life cycle.