From April 8th to April 10th, UNIMONT – Alpine Hub of the University of Milan, in collaboration with Lombardy Region, organized the second international workshop of the Living Labs of the Interreg Alpine Space Project TranStat (Transition to Sustainable Ski Tourism in the Alps of Tomorrow) in Chiesa in Valmalenco (SO), involving partners from 6 Alpine countries.
The event hosted partners from the 9 ski resorts involved as key studies, all located in the Alpine region, where participatory workshops and engagement with local stakeholders were organized to define future strategies for the sustainable transition necessary to face the effects of climate change in areas still mainly focused on winter tourism.
The workshop was a strategic meeting for representatives from ski resorts, policymakers, and the academic world to discuss possible future strategies for promoting off-season tourism, fostering shared processes with the local people and greater territorial resilience.
The context of Valmalenco – one of the two Italian living labs involved in a collaborative venture between UNIMONT and Lombardy Region – allowed participants to learn about the approaches adopted by municipalities, thanks to the presence of the mayors of Chiesa in Valmalenco, Lanzada, and Caspoggio. Climate change has already posed significant challenges to winter tourism and, consequently, to territorial identities, and the municipalities of Valmalenco have worked to diversify local tourism.
The project, which will continue until 2025, will involve further participatory events for the two Living Labs in Chiesa in Valmalenco and Maniva to develop local analyses and perspectives.
