counts more than 585 mapped experiences in Italy. Turismo DOP rests on three fundamental axes—authenticity, education, and sustainability—that transform the certified quality of agri-food products into a cultural lever and a driver of growth for local communities. Through a multidisciplinary analysis that integrates legal sources, empirical data, and scientific studies, a framework emerges in which the enhancement of Geographical Indications becomes a tool for territorial governance, cultural promotion, and economic regeneration. Keywords: Turismo DOP, Geographical Indications, Territorial sustainability, Authenticity, Food education, Rural governance. I. INTRODUCTION Over the last decade, the relationship among territory, the agri‑food sector, and tourism has undergone a profound transformation. Globally—according to Grand View Research and the Food & Wine Tourism Forum—the food and wine tourism segment is set to grow over the next years at an average annual rate of +20% for gastronomy and +13% for wine. At the same time, the UN Tourism Global Conference on Wine Tourism (October 2025) highlighted that, although global wine consumption is declining, wine tourism continues to rise. Regarding the link between Geographical Indications and tourism, a recent oriGIn survey— covering 28 GI associations across 17 countries on 5 continents—reports highly significant figures: an annual average of 32.3 million visitors, i.e., more than 1 million tourists per year for each of the 28 GIs considered. In Italy, according to ENIT data, food and wine tourism has grown by +176% over the last ten years and the phenomenon carries increasing weight for the GI sector. Its evolution has also involved Fondazione Qualivita which, starting in 2015, launched a scientific and strategic pathway to recognise tourism linked to Geographical Indications as a structural lever of local development. In 2018, during a Qualivita roundtable in Modena entitled “Turismo DOP – Le esperienze dei Consorzi di tutela italiani per lo sviluppo e la promozione del territorio,” (PDO Tourism- Experiences of the Italian Consortia for the development and promotion of the territory) the term “Turismo DOP” was used for the first time and entered public debate. This marked the birth of a new concept: tourism based not on the simple consumption of typical products, but on authentic experiences that narrate the territory through certified supply chains, producers, and traditions. 316 MAURO ROSATI
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