The Tourist Economy as Embedded in Social Networks in Tuscan Versilia

Since 2016, the consolidated text of the regional tourist system of Tuscany has defined “a homogeneous tourist destination” the whole territory of Versilia. The area is not homogeneous in many respects and is characterized by divisions depending on geo-historical and social motives. The most perceived one is the division between Alta Versilia and Bassa Versilia. Based on the theoretical existence of a net of social relations that influences the economic-territorial outcomes, the survey has put in evidence how the relational network connecting the tourist companies of the coastal area does not extend to the entire Versilia, completely excluding the hilly and mountainous area. This network of company managers, however, is self-aware and has equipped itself with modern digital communication tools to improve the efficiency of the entire tourism industry. Seen “from the coast”, the territory of Alta Versilia is a virgin strategic resource because it offers the possibility of future differentiation of the tourist offer, currently specialized only in the bathing segment.