Smart Marinas. The Case of Metropolitan City of Cagliari

Mundula, Luigi; Ladu, Mara; Balletto, Ginevra; Milesi, Alessandra

Nautical tourism market and especially the sector of yachting and marinas is very dynamic. It contributes decisively to the development of local economies of Mediterranean countries and Northern Europe cities. Particularly, marinas (specially designed harbors with moorings for pleasure yachts and small boats) development takes place in coastal areas, which are generally fragile and threatened environments. On one hand marinas are highly desirable for development of recreation and tourism infrastructure, but from the other they are threatened by climate change impacts due to sea level rise. Moreover, marinas are the most complex and highest quality types of port for nautical tourism. They facilitate many nautical tourism activities by providing safe points to access to the water and providing secure locations to store boats. Many marinas also provide additional nautical and ancillary leisure activities and can be visitor attractions in their own right. They also create demand for boating and other tourism products and services and facilitate linkages between nautical and coastal tourism. They have the potential to act as economic hubs for regional development and can catalyze the development of coastal tourism in specific locations. In this perspective, the role of marinas could be reconsidered, transforming them in smart gateway able to push in sustainable way local and regional economy moving the touristic flows from the coastal to the internal areas.