No abstract

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how the participatory and crowdsourcing project #iziTRAVELSicilia could be a key to the dissemination of 3D models on cultural heritage. This project has been recognized as a best practice both in territorial digital marketing and in digital promotion and valorisation through storytelling and crowdsourcing culture. #iziTRAVELSicilia has already involved thousands of people, producing more than 180 museum and tour audio guides. It has become a real model of participation in the co-creation of cultural values. In this paper we briefly present the project and the case of the Archaeological Museum ‘Paolo Orsi’ in Syracuse (Italy), as best practice on digital dissemination through platforms such as Google Street View and izi.TRAVEL itself, revealing how this platform has been already largely used for the dissemination both of existing 3D models and for new 3D models, such as those made by USF IDEx for the ‘Paolo Orsi’ Museum. Specifically, a collection of 26 ancient sculptures has been virtualized via laser scanning and digital photogrammetry in a participatory experience of measurement science. The global dissemination of those 3D models through izi.TRAVEL’s platform and other alternatives platforms will represent a significant contribute to the digital accessibility of the Museum of Syracuse but also the starting point of a metrological 3D database of ancient Sicilian sculpture generated entirely crowdsourcing.

The aim of this article is to present a large‐scale regional project conducted in Sicily, #iziTRAVELSicilia, which consists of an online platform and app. My point of departure is an overview of the literature on the use of digital storytelling and Information and Communication Technologies for heritage promotion. I will then delve into the project itself, whose primary purpose was to use digital communication in order to enhance Sicilian cultural heritage, by involving more than 3,000 native Sicilians, forming ‘heritage communities’, and by developing more than 180 audio guides. I will argue that this project is a good example of participation in the co‐creation of cultural values through the digital promotion and valorisation of heritage and territories, as articulated in the Faro Convention. The participatory co‐creation of cultural content provides greater visibility of Sicilian cultural heritage, demonstrating the cultural values of the #iziTRAVELSicilia project itself. Finally, I will delineate izi.TRAVEL's role in encouraging people to promote their heritage through emotional and creative storytelling.

This article deals with the topic of SMART tourism and focuses on the role of digital storytelling platforms in cultural heritage promotion and content cocreation. It examines izi.TRAVEL web-based platform and its app, exploring the case of a participatory bottom-up project in Sicily. Launched as #iziTRAVELSicilia, the project aimed at bridging the gap in digital communication and promoting Sicilian cultural heritage and tourist attractions. It involved thousands of local people as "digital Ciceroni," representing the "heritage communities" cited by the Faro Convention, and could be recognized as good practice of cultural content and value cocreation. The article also investigates how a digital participatory platform can develop sustainability and awareness in SMART tourism, by stimulating people's involvement in cultural heritage promotion and participation in cultural content cocreation. This research offers both theoretical and empirical contributions. It contributes to the debate on tourism management strategies by enhancing knowledge about innovative and participatory marketing tools. Furthermore, the article offers insights for policy makers on the possibility for defining territorial promotion strategies through the active involvement of both local people and tourists.