Isabella Mavellia : Founder – Cultural Entrepreneur :

From hospitality to heritage governance: the creation of SMAPS.

SMAPS (Sustainable Maps) were developed as a strategic response to the need for more balanced, inclusive, and sustainable tourism models in historic cities.

Through structured collaboration with hotels and hotel groups, public institutions, cultural organizations, and local businesses, we designed micro-cultural routes that support the diversification of visitor flows, the protection of cultural heritage, and the socio-economic vitality of local communities.

Grounded in the principles of the Faro Convention, SMAPS adopt a heritage-led, people-centred approach, recognising cultural heritage as a shared resource and a driver of social cohesion, innovation, and sustainable development.

Each SMAP operates as a micro Cultural Route, aligned with the vision and values of the Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes Programme, promoting:
🔹 transnational and local cooperation
🔹 the valorisation of tangible and intangible heritage
🔹 integrated governance models between culture, tourism, and the private sector

The creation of SMAPS relied on the activation of multi-stakeholder alliances, bringing together institutions, cultural actors, hospitality networks, and economic operators within a common framework of responsibility and long-term impact.

By embedding these routes within hospitality infrastructures, hotels become interfaces between visitors and cultural ecosystems, supporting informed, respectful, and conscious forms of mobility.

SMAPS demonstrate how innovation can serve heritage governance, strengthening institutional cooperation while translating policy frameworks into concrete, operational tools for sustainable tourism.

Venice does not require higher visitor numbers, but higher quality governance, coordination, and awareness.

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hashtag#Venice hashtag#SMAPS hashtag#GreenerEU

European Commission European Parliament BETA Europe (Bringing Europeans Together Association) ITB Company European Institute of Cultural Routes, Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe Programme Greener EU Startup Insider

From micro-cultural routes to heritage governance tools

SMAPS: Building Sustainable Tourism in Venice Through Cultural Heritage, Innovation, and Alliances

Venice is not only a global tourism destination; it is a living cultural ecosystem shaped by centuries of exchanges, communities, craftsmanship, and intangible heritage. Yet, like many historic cities, it faces increasing pressure from mass tourism models that prioritise volume over value.

SMAPS (Sustainable Maps) were created to respond to this challenge by offering a heritage-led, people-centred approach to tourism, grounded in innovation, cooperation, and long-term sustainability.

At their core, SMAPS are micro-cultural routes designed to guide visitors through lesser-known areas of Venice, fostering meaningful engagement with local heritage while supporting balanced visitor distribution and local economies.

A heritage-led vision inspired by the Faro Convention

The conceptual foundation of SMAPS is strongly aligned with the Council of Europe’s Faro Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society, which recognises cultural heritage as a shared resource and emphasises the role of communities, access, and participation.

In this spirit, SMAPS:

• Place people and communities at the centre of heritage interpretation
• Promote shared responsibility between visitors, residents, and institutions
• Treat cultural heritage as a driver of social cohesion, innovation, and sustainable development

Rather than presenting Venice as a static monument, SMAPS frame the city as a living heritage landscape, where tangible and intangible elements coexist and evolve.

Micro-cultural routes aligned with the Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes

Each SMAP functions as a micro Cultural Route, aligned in vision and methodology with the Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes Programme.

These routes:

• Connect tangible and intangible cultural heritage
• Encourage slow, conscious, and place-based exploration
• Support intercultural dialogue and cultural exchange
• Translate European cultural policy principles into local, operational tools

By working at a micro scale, SMAPS allow for context-sensitive tourism development, respecting the carrying capacity of neighbourhoods while enhancing the quality of visitor experience.

Building alliances across institutions, culture, and the private sector

A defining element of SMAPS is their multi-stakeholder governance model.

From the outset, the project was developed through structured collaboration with:

• Public institutions
• Cultural organisations
• Hotels and hotel groups
• Local businesses and economic operators

These alliances reflect the growing need for integrated governance between culture, tourism, and the private sector. SMAPS demonstrate how public–private cooperation can move beyond sponsorship models to become a shared framework for responsibility, storytelling, and impact.

Through this approach, cultural heritage is not extracted or commodified, but collectively valorised.

Hotels as cultural gateways

Within the SMAPS model, hotels play a strategic role as interfaces between visitors and the local cultural ecosystem.

By integrating SMAPS into hospitality infrastructures:

• Hotels become cultural gateways, not just accommodation providers
• Guests are empowered to explore Venice in a more informed and respectful way
• Visitor behaviour shifts from consumption to participation

This model transforms hospitality spaces into points of cultural mediation, strengthening the relationship between visitors, heritage, and local communities.

Innovation as a tool for cultural valorisation

Innovation within SMAPS does not aim to replace tradition, but to enhance accessibility, interpretation, and engagement.

Through design, storytelling, and hybrid tools, SMAPS:

• Make complex heritage narratives accessible to diverse audiences
• Support digital and physical integration
• Enable scalability and replication in other territories

Innovation, in this context, becomes a means of governance, translating policy frameworks into tangible experiences and measurable outcomes.

Towards a sustainable tourism model for historic cities

SMAPS represent a practical response to one of the central questions facing historic cities today:

How can tourism support cultural heritage rather than erode it?

By combining:

• Heritage-led methodologies
• Institutional alignment
• Multi-stakeholder alliances
• Hospitality sector engagement
• Innovation-driven tools

SMAPS offer a replicable model for sustainable, culturally responsible tourism development.

Venice does not need more tourists.

It needs more aware travellers, stronger alliances, and smarter governance tools.

SMAPS are one step in that direction.

M.Z.I. Dalton Zahir | LinkedIn from TT Desk :