Experience Co-Design and Sustainable Tourism: 10 International Case Studies

1. Introduction

“Designing Travel Experiences in Sustainable Tourism: Analysis and Comparison of International Case Studies” is the title of the thesis recently presented by Claudia Porcu at IULM University in Milan. (originally written in Italian). (Porcu, C., 2025).
I had the pleasure of supervising the project as thesis advisor, supporting a research path that skilfully combined theoretical reflection and applied case studies with critical insight.

The work begins with a fundamental question: how can we design a tourist experience that is truly sustainable, both for people and for places?

Through the comparison of ten international case studies, Claudia explores the role of design (and co-design) in shaping journeys that leave a positive impact—both within and beyond the traveler.

This contribution is not only relevant to academic discourse but also valuable for professionals working—or aspiring to work—in the field of experiential, sustainable, and transformative tourism.

2. The Co-Design of Tourist Experiences

In recent decades, the concept of tourist experience has evolved: from a simple recreational activity to a complex process that interweaves emotions, meanings, and relationships. Designing an experience today means creating intentional connections between people, places, and values—through method and attentive listening.

Authors such as Pine and Gilmore (1999) and Schmitt (1999) defined experiences as memorable, multisensory, and relational events.

These views are complemented by the Tourist Experience Design model developed by Maurizio Goetz and myself (Rossi A., Goetz M., 2011), which structures the design process in five phases: from the analysis of distinctive elements to the detailed mapping of touchpoints. The Tourist Experience Design model treats experience as a flexible “project-product,” capable of responding to the demand for personalized and meaningful tourism.

Claudia Porcu’s thesis further explores contributions from scholars such as Manzini, Binkhorst, and Ritchie & Crouch, highlighting that experience design is not merely about shaping offers—it’s about activating authentic relationships among visitors, communities, and places.

In this context, co-design becomes essential: a participatory approach in which local actors are not just implementers, but co-authors of the experience.

The benefits? Experiences become more contextualized, sustainable, and authentic, reflecting the human and cultural value of the territories.

In short, design—and especially co-design—is now a pillar for innovating tourism in an ethical, participatory, and transformative direction.

3. Sustainable Tourism as a Value Framework

From niche concept to strategic paradigm: in recent years, sustainable tourism has become a key reference for destinations and tourism professionals.

According to the UNWTO, sustainable tourism is tourism that takes into account economic, social, and environmental impacts, aiming to generate fair benefits for visitors, communities, and destinations.

In her thesis, Claudia Porcu critically examines the concept, noting that there are multiple approaches to sustainability, shaped by different cultural contexts and goals.

Among the main types identified:

Green tourism / Ecotourism – focused on natural environments
Responsible tourism – centered on ethical relationships with communities
Solidarity tourism – with an educational and social dimension
Slow tourism – emphasizing relaxed rhythms and local immersion
Regenerative tourism – aimed at improving both people and places

These forms move beyond a logic of consumption and promote a more conscious and participatory way of traveling.

Within this framework, experience design emerges as a key tool to give concrete shape to sustainability—not as a label, but as a guiding principle in the design process.

By acting on storytelling, modes of enjoyment, and relationships between actors, design helps embed sustainability into every phase of tourism development, making it visible, lived, and shared.

4. A Research Path Bridging Theory and Practice

The thesis investigates how design and co-design can foster sustainability in tourism across its three dimensions: environmental, social, and economic.

To do so, it analyzes ten international case studies of co-created experiences, selected for their geographic variety, stakeholder engagement, and innovation.

The methodology combines multidisciplinary academic sources with a comparative analysis based on documents, interviews, and multimedia materials.

Objective: to understand how collaborative practices can generate shared value and strengthen a more conscious and enduring form of tourism.

5. Ten Cases of Tourist Co-Design: Experiences, Territories, and Sustainability Models

5.1. Mill Elf Journey (Lapland, Finland): Local Culture and Phygital Technology

At the Rovaniemi museum in Lapland, the Mill Elf Journey experience combines local storytelling with digital technologies.

Inspired by traditional tales and enhanced with QR codes and multimedia content, it guides visitors through a physical and digital journey.

Designed using eye-tracking techniques and empathy mapping, it promotes regional identity and stimulates intergenerational curiosity.

Despite some issues related to human interaction and narrative flow, the project demonstrates how experience design and lightweight technologies can enhance cultural sustainability.

5.2. Aquafire (Portugal): Sustainable Gastronomy and Co-Design

In central Portugal, a team of students and stakeholders co-designed Aquafire, an immersive restaurant built with reclaimed materials and based on zero-kilometer cuisine.

The project integrates nature, food, storytelling, and active learning, with positive impacts on branding, community engagement, and responsible tourism.

The format has also been replicated internationally. While accessibility and seasonality remain challenges, this case shows how gastronomy can serve as a strategic lever for sustainable experiences.

5.3. Sila Landscape (Calabria, Italy): Landscape, Community, and Emotional Mapping

In the Sila National Park, the Sila Landscape project engaged communities and visitors in mapping “places of value” to create new emotional pathways.

Using GIS tools and participatory practices, it fostered slow tourism, social cohesion, and a new collective narrative.

Results include increased attendance and engagement.

The main challenges? Governance and infrastructure. Yet the model demonstrates how landscape can become a participatory tool for sustainability and attractiveness.

5.4. Sustainable Island Mauritius: Authentic Experiences and Regenerative Tourism

Mauritius launched a post-pandemic initiative to rethink tourism through a regenerative lens, based on co-creation, positive impact, and sustainability.

Experiences such as beekeeping tours, tea plantations, or local biscuit workshops blend culture, environment, and participation.

The model empowers communities and creates new offers, though it remains fragile in terms of costs, long-haul travel, and local perception.

5.5. Slow Tourism and Co-Design in Apulia (Italy): The Via Appia in the Brindisi Plain

In Apulia, five municipalities along the Via Appia co-designed slow and regenerative tourism experiences through the EU Heriland program. Workshops and digital tools helped enhance local heritage and activate new routes and services. The initiative created bonds and awareness, but requires adequate resources, time, and infrastructure to be fully consolidated.

5.6. The Diffused Botel of the Lakes: Biophilic Tourism and Co-Creation on Water

On Lake Lugano (Switzerland), the floating Botel offers an off-grid experience centered on environmental sustainability, biophilia, and shared responsibility.

Guests actively participate in managing the accommodation and the territory.

The project enhances the local context and attracts a cultured, slow-travel audience, though it risks remaining elitist and reliant on a delicate balance between environmental and economic sustainability.

5.7. Kaohsiung: Community Tourism and Cultural Co-Creation

In Kaohsiung, Taiwan, a community tourism project brought together universities, residents, and local associations to co-create experiences in fishing villages.

Activities—such as excursions, games, and participatory tours—were designed using service design and customer journey mapping methods.

The model yielded positive impacts on tourist satisfaction and community empowerment but requires strong skills, balance, and complex stakeholder management.

5.8. Ceutì: Smart Technologies and Co-Created Content for Sustainable Tourism

In the Spanish municipality of Ceutì, the Be Memories project transformed local heritage into a digital experience through solar-powered Smart POIs.

The content, co-created by the community, offers stories and testimonies accessible via smartphone.

The model promotes accessibility, participation, and technological sustainability, though it reveals issues with digital inclusion and infrastructure maintenance.

5.9. Sawankhalok: Strategic Co-Creation and UNESCO Culture

In Thailand, the Sawankhalok district developed a creative tourism plan tied to the UNESCO site of Si Satchanalai, based on multi-level co-creation and participatory planning.

The model enhanced culture, lodging, and marketing through workshops, maps, and shared quality standards.

It strengthened local empowerment and inclusive governance, though challenges remain in managing divergent interests and ensuring intercultural replicability.

5.10. Elisaari: Self-Awareness and Experiential Nature-Based Tourism

On the Finnish island of Elisaari, a project by Aalto University piloted regenerative tourism based on introspection, nature, and co-design.

Through workshops, evocative mapping, and service prototyping, it promoted wellbeing and sustainability.

The initiative attracted a mindful audience and renewed the local offer, while facing potential environmental risks linked to rising demand.

6. Comparative Case Analysis: Co-Creation and Sustainability Between Innovation and Community

The comparative analysis of the ten case studies shows that co-creation is not merely a support methodology but a strategic lever for rethinking the entire tourism process.

In diverse contexts—such as islands, parks, art cities, and inland areas—participatory design has enabled the enhancement of latent resources, the strengthening of local identities, and the improvement of the visitor experience.

Each project integrated sustainability in different ways—environmental, cultural, economic—demonstrating that there is no one-size-fits-all model but rather a plurality of adaptable trajectories.

From immersive experiences in natural landscapes (like Elisaari and the Botel of the Lakes) to narrative paths guided by phygital technologies (as seen in the Arctic and Ceutì), a common goal emerges: to make the tourist not just a consumer, but a co-author of the experience.

Moreover, the active involvement of local communities proves to be essential.

Where residents, businesses, and institutions are part of the design process, stronger engagement, new skills, and resilient networks are generated.

It’s not just about “making people participate” but about “designing with them,” fostering a virtuous cycle of innovation, sense of place, and positive impact.

The cases presented demonstrate that it is possible to combine meaningful experiences for travelers with tangible benefits for local areas.

Co-creation thus becomes a shared language for regenerating tourism, starting from the real values and needs of people and places.

7. Conclusions: From Project to Impact

Claudia Porcu’s thesis offers a concrete reflection on how design and co-creation can become strategic tools to develop authentic and sustainable tourism experiences.

The theoretical analysis, supported by ten international case studies, shows that actively involving communities, tourists, and stakeholders not only enriches the projects but also increases their effectiveness and impact.

Three key takeaways emerge from the comparison:

Tourist experience design must be participatory: the most effective solutions arise from collaborative processes that enhance local resources.
Sustainability is a cross-cutting lens: not just environmental, but also economic and cultural, shaped by the specificities of each territory.
Technology doesn’t replace relationships—it enhances them: digital tools, augmented reality, and phygital storytelling can enrich the experience when embedded in a coherent and context-sensitive project.

Ultimately, this thesis contributes to the conversation on sustainable tourism by offering an updated and flexible methodological framework.

For destinations, this means shifting from pre-packaged offerings to co-created experiences capable of generating shared and lasting value.

It’s an invitation to rethink tourism as a shared space of creation, connection, and regeneration.

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And you? Do you work in a destination, a museum, or a tourism business?

Which stakeholders could you involve in the co-design of your next experience?

Share in the comments an example you know—or a challenge you’re currently facing.

Or, if you’d like to discuss how to activate effective co-design processes, feel free to write to me. I’d be happy to hear about your case and reflect together on how to get started.

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THESIS:

Porcu, C. (2025). Il design delle esperienze di viaggio nel turismo sostenibile: analisi e confronto di casi internazionali (Tesi di laurea, relatore: Prof. a contratto Andrea Rossi). IULM, Milano.

Essential Bibliography:

Ducci, M. (2022). Lo sviluppo del turismo lento attraverso la co-progettazione: il caso studio della piana Brindisina
Duxbury, N. (2021). Cultural Sustainability, Tourism and Development. London: Routledge.
Giusepponi, K., & Johnson, C. (2020). La co-creazione del valore nel turismo esperienziale. Un caso di turismo biolifico: Botel Diffuso dei Laghi.
Guerra, R., & Gonçalves, E.C. (2023). Co-creation of sustainable tourism and hospitality experiences: Education and Organizations in Search of New Business Models.
Hanni-Vaara, P., Haanpää, M., & Miettinen, S. (2024). Designing New Phygital Service Experiences for Hospitality.
Higgins-Desbiolles, F. (2020). The politics of sustainable tourism: Activism and Community participation. Journal of Sustainable Tourism.
Neuburger, L., Beck, J., & Egger, R. (2018). The Phygital Tourist Experience: The use of Augmented and Virtual Reality in Destination Marketing.
Pine, B.J., & Gilmore, J.H. (1999). The Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre & Every Business a Stage. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Rong-Da Liang, A., Tung, W., Wang, T.S., & Hui, V.W.S. (2022). The use of co-creation within the community-based tourism experiences. Tourism Management Perspectives, 48.
Rossi, A. (2024). Digital Media and Tourism: Innovation in Communication and Personalized Experiences (English Ed.). A. Rossi
Rossi, A., Goetz, M. (2011). Creare offerte turistiche vincenti con Tourist Experience Design. Milano: Hoepli.
Schmitt, B.H. (1999). Experiential Marketing: How to Get Customers to Sense, Feel, Think, Act, Relate. New York: Free Press.

Image: Andrea Rossi