Executive Summary

Sardinia’s Tourism Value Depends on Territorial Health

Sardinia’s long-term value as a tourism destination depends on the health and resilience of the territorial systems that sustain it: coastlines and seas, beaches and dunes, wetlands and landscapes, water resources, cultural heritage, local communities, public infrastructure and effective governance.

The island’s tourism economy is substantial and growing. In 2024, Sardinia recorded 4,441,322 accommodation arrivals and 18,860,976 overnight stays through the regional Ross1000 system. Arrivals increased by 13.76% and overnight stays by 15.40% compared with 2023, while average stay length reached 4.25 days. These figures confirm the strength of visitor demand. They do not, however, establish whether that growth is environmentally sustainable, geographically balanced, socially equitable or resilient to climate change.[uniolbia]

This distinction is central to destination management. Tourism pressure cannot be measured through visitor totals alone. It depends on the timing and concentration of demand, the sensitivity of individual places, the type of accommodation used, transport patterns, public-service capacity, ecological condition and the extent to which communities retain economic value.

Sardinia is not a uniform destination. Annual regional figures may conceal very different circumstances between municipalities, coastal areas, protected sites, ports, cities and inland communities. Some locations may experience intense seasonal pressure on beaches, roads, water networks, waste systems, public spaces and sensitive habitats. Other areas may require carefully managed tourism to support employment, local enterprise, cultural continuity and the long-term viability of services.

The island’s demographic context makes this issue more important. Sardinia had 1,562,381 residents at the end of 2024, a fall of 8,072 people, or 0.5%, compared with the preceding year. Tourism therefore operates within a territory facing population decline and uneven local economic conditions. The question is not simply whether tourism generates expenditure, but whether it contributes to sustainable livelihoods, local enterprise, public-service quality and the capacity of communities to remain viable.[istat]

Biodiversity is central to this question. Marine habitats, coastal systems, wetlands, forests, rural landscapes and ecological connectivity are not a separate environmental layer added to tourism policy. They are part of the productive capital of the destination. They contribute to landscape quality, water regulation, coastal resilience, local identity, recreation, food systems and visitor experience. Their degradation can weaken destination value while increasing the cost of infrastructure, adaptation and environmental management.

Sardinia has important institutional assets. These include protected terrestrial and marine areas, environmental monitoring systems, regional tourism data infrastructure, a climate adaptation strategy and the Sardegna2030 sustainable-development framework. ISPRA identifies Sardinia among Italian regions with a high presence of marine protected areas. The regional climate adaptation strategy addresses coasts, infrastructure, hydrogeological systems, forests, inland waters and urban areas. Sardegna2030 provides a long-term framework for sustainable development.[indicatoriambientali.isprambiente][portal.sardegnasira][regione.sardegna]

The existence of these assets does not by itself demonstrate delivery. A protected area may lack sufficient monitoring, staffing or visitor management. A climate strategy may not yet be fully translated into local investment and operational decisions. Tourism data may be detailed in some areas while leaving important gaps concerning water use, waste, emissions, resident experience and economic-value retention.

The paper therefore argues for a shift from tourism growth as an end in itself towards destination value as a wider management objective. This means assessing tourism through the combined condition of natural capital, climate resilience, community benefit, infrastructure capacity, cultural integrity and governance effectiveness.

The strategic task for Sardinia is to ensure that tourism strengthens the territory rather than extracts from it. This requires place-based and seasonal management, transparent indicators, coordinated institutions, protection of ecological systems, climate-responsive infrastructure, lower-impact mobility and greater capacity for local communities and enterprises to retain value from the visitor economy.