The governance of multilevel networks in tourism. The case of 'Autunno in Barbagia

Sometimes, tourism destinations, as broad products whose ingredients - attractions, access, amenities and ancillary services - are provided by interdependent individual stakeholders in a specific geographic area, include multiple administrative perimeters, local governments and communities. From a governance network perspective, this implies the development of complex coordination and integration mechanisms, at least at two different levels: the inter-institutional level, which refers to the interplay between local governments, and the public-private level, which refers to activities and relationships between socio-economic actors within each area. This paper, through the analysis of the critical and revelatory case of 'Autunno in Barbagia', investigates governance and operational issues within multilevel tourism networks in order to highlight the strengths and weaknesses affecting their constitution process, functioning and viability.