Building from scratch? An “inner connectivity” framework for soft urban tourism development

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to define a framework for urban tourism development, providing a rationale for tourism planners pursuing a competitive, sustainable and inclusive tourism destination model for urban settings. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual framework is proposed, discussed and exemplified in a specific geographical context. Findings The soft urban tourism development framework adopts a place-based approach to tourism destination building and suggests an integration method grounded in tourism urbanicity. Research limitations/implications The proposed tourism development model is based on theoretical premises. Empirical research should test the potential and pitfalls of this approach. Practical implications The proposed framework is a cognitive tool for strategy making in those cities that either need to radically re-envision city tourism or are attempting to build an urban tourism destination from scratch. Originality/value The paper contributes to the urban agenda in tourism studies. It proposes a framework emphasising the urban character of tourism and exploiting the multifunctionality of urban contexts for competitive niche tourism development.