How this Italian island hopes to become a blueprint for sustainable tourism

Excerpt from independent.co.uk

Procida might be Italy’s greatest anomaly. A tiny islet off the coast of Naples, its pastel-painted fisherman’s cottages and quiet bays of black sand have somehow managed to stay off the radar for most tourists.

Unlike other parts of the region, such as Capri or the Amalfi coast, Procida doesn’t depend on tourism for its cash. The maritime industries of fishing and sailing still dominate the local economy. Outside the summer months, when nearby Neapolitans descend on the island to escape the heat of the city, it’s remarkably quiet.

All that could change this year. With Procida named this year’s Italian Capital of Culture – the first island ever to take the crown – increased visitor numbers are a certainty. In a country notorious for overtourism, the rest of Italy will no doubt look on with intrigue. Can this little island, no more than two miles across, find a balance while walking the tightrope between healthy tourism and local life?

According to Agostino Riitano, the man behind Procida’s historic Italian Capital of Culture accolade, it can. Procida 2022 will not become a “Disneyland”, he says.

“We have not planned any marketing campaign to enter the circuits of mass tourism,” he adds, emphasising that preserving the island’s authenticity is vital to the year’s events. “We want to generate a ‘return tourism’. The relationship with Procida does not end with the journey, but stimulates long-term relationships.”