Cultural Tourism in the Perspective of Wellness: Towards a Model of Smart Wellness Destination Cultural Driven

Research background Cultural heritage plays a fundamental role in the creation of tourism value, contributing to the enhancement of the symbolic capital of places and to the differentiation of the value propositions of businesses and tourist destinations. In Italy, this function is amplified by the country's extraordinary historical and cultural wealth, vibrant human presence, and distinctive biodiversity. However, Italian cultural heritage today faces a paradox: while some destinations, such as major art cities, are affected by overtourism, many others—such as historic villages and inland areas—suffer from under tourism, risking abandonment and a loss of value. Purpose of the article: Considering this imbalance, the paper proposes an interpretive model that distinguishes between different types of cultural destinations, highlighting their characteristics, challenges, and opportunities in relation to the growing wellness tourism market. It explores how cultural heritage— both tangible and intangible—can serve as a strategic asset to attract an increasingly international demand for authentic wellness experiences, by promoting the Italian lifestyle encapsulated in the slogan "Italian way of living." Methods: This study adopts a conceptual research design based on a qualitative and interpretive approach, aimed at developing a theoretical framework that integrates culture and well-being into a new typology of tourism destinations. The goal is to explore the interconnections between cultural resources, experiential well-being, and sustainability. . Findings & Value added: The study provides a new interpretation of culturally driven tourist destinations, combining the ability of destinations to generate well-being for tourists by proposing personalized value offers in a slow manner or standardized offers that can be used quickly. Moreover, the concept of smart wellness destinations cultural driven is introduced to generate value and well-being for both travellers and host communities, while respecting ecosystem limits and local specificities, and revitalizing areas currently excluded from major tourism flows.