Crhistian Joel Gonzalez Cuatianquis (p)

Mingji Cui

In recent decades, understanding the quality of life across territorial contexts has gained prominence in social well‐being and policy planning. This systematic review critically examines measurement instruments used to assess territorial life satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Drawing on diverse methodologies, the review maps conceptual frameworks, quantitative scales, and qualitative approaches that capture residents’ subjective evaluations of territories. Central to the analysis are instruments that evaluate accessibility, environmental quality, local governance, public services, and socio‐cultural vitality.

The review addresses key research questions: What conceptual frameworks and theories underpin current measurement practices? How do quantitative and qualitative instruments compare in terms of reliability, validity, and cross‐context applicability? What methodological challenges have been identified, and how might future research overcome these limitations? To answer these questions, a comprehensive literature search will be conducted across academic databases and gray literature sources. Studies will be included if they empirically evaluate measurement tools for territorial life satisfaction, while those lacking a territorial focus or empirical validation will be excluded.

Data extraction will utilize a standardized form to document study attributes, with qualitative synthesis and meta‐analytical techniques employed where applicable. Quality appraisal of primary studies will ensure robust conclusions grounded in high‐quality evidence. Preliminary findings indicate a wide array of instruments—from standardized Likert scales to participatory mapping techniques—with significant variability in operational definitions of satisfaction.

This review aims to consolidate best practices in measuring territorial life satisfaction, provide theoretical insights into underlying frameworks, and offer policy‐relevant recommendations. By highlighting methodological strengths and limitations, the study seeks to inform urban policy initiatives that enhance livability, reduce spatial inequalities, and promote sustainable development. Ultimately, the synthesis will support a more nuanced understanding of territorial satisfaction, fostering evidence‐based interventions that improve the quality of life for communities globally. It ultimately bridges research with urban practice.

Mingji Cui (p), Iori TAKEHI, Hiroyuki SHIBUSAWA

Oana Mihaela Stoleriu

Japan's inbound tourism experienced a significant decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, it has recently demonstrated a rapid recovery. Since December 2023, the number of international visitors to Japan has surpassed the levels observed during the corresponding period in 2019, prior to the pandemic. While inbound tourism is steadily recovering, more than 70% of international visitors continue to stay in the three major metropolitan areas (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Aichi, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hyogo), indicating a regional imbalance in visitor distribution similar to the pre-pandemic period (JNTO 2024).
"The New Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan," announced on March 31, 2023, designates attracting international tourists to regions outside the three major metropolitan areas as a key policy objective. To facilitate the attraction of international tourists to local regions, it is essential to identify the areas with high concentrations of inbound tourism demand and analyze the correlation between demand and regional characteristics, tourism promotion strategies.
With the rapid development of international tourism, research on tourism demand has been conducted globally. Sarath D. (2003) proposed an international tourism demand model based on consumer theory, while Raana S. B. (2021) analyzed the correlation between place attachment and tourist satisfaction. Additionally, Muryani P. (2020) examined the impact of factors such as income and relative prices on tourism demand using panel data. However, most of these studies focus on national-level analyses or internal factors influencing tourists, and relatively few studies have explored the relationship between tourism demand and the characteristics or policies of specific destinations.
This study aims to clarify inbound tourism demand in regional areas and the factors influencing it by utilizing location data of international visitors to Japan. Specifically, it models inbound tourism demand at the municipal level and analyzes the characteristics and patterns of high-demand areas. Based on these findings, the study identifies key challenges aligned with tourism needs and proposes strategies for attracting international tourists to regional destinations.

Oana Mihaela Stoleriu (p), Teodora Georgiana Mihaila, Bogdan Constantin Ibanescu

Piergiorgio Pilo

Social media platforms have become a major factor influencing the way we imagine, visit and experiences destinations. Online reviews often surpass the informative role and credibility of traditional information sources like tourist brochures or websites. Based on subjective perceptions and experiences, visitors’ reviews shared online do not always overlap the official understandings and delineations of a territory. However, their role of social media data in shaping travel perceptions, planning and behaviour, continues to increase.
Centered on visual content, Instagram is one of the most influential platforms in tourism and a key resource for understanding how tourists perceive, illustrate and interact with destinations. Furthermore, the study of geolocated Instagram images allows a deeper understanding of their territorial implications, such as spatial visiting patterns, the most or least visited areas, or the perceived limits of a destinations.
This study aimed to analyze the differences between official (i.e. administrative and historical) and social media-induced limits of a tourist destination. The case study is one of the most famous rural destinations in Romania - Bucovina, well known for its well-preserved rural traditions, mountain landscapes and several UNESCO labeled churches. The tourist destination named Bucovina is a concept created and strongly promoted since 2008 by local authorities as part of the marketing strategy for the tourist capitalization of the department of Suceava (a NUTS 3 territory). On the other hand, the name Bucovina refers to a larger historical region that expanded beyond the limits of Suceava department and the frontier with Ukraine.
In this context, our research aimed to identify the geographical limits of the tourist marketing concept known as Bukovina based on people’s spatial perceptions expressed through Instagram geotagged posts. Therefore, our study data is represented by Instagram geolocated posts associated with the hashtag “discoverBucovina”, which is the most popular hashtag connected with this destination.
The analysis of places associated in people’s perceptions and posts with Bucovina, together with the location of tourism facilities and flows, highlights a new spatial perspective regarding this destination, compared to the administrative and historical delineations. Keeping in mind the limitations of social media data but also its powerful influence of the tourism market, this study highlights a very relevant, dynamic and experiential reality that is much needed in the conception of effective tourism capitalization and promotion strategies. The results are of interest not only to the academic environment but especially to local and national authorities and DMOs.

Arianna Martinelli, Piergiorgio Pilo (p)

Stefania Tonin

The film industry is a key driver of cultural and creative industries (CCIs), contributing to economic vitality and fostering innovation. Beyond its economic role, cinema functions as a socio-political tool, shaping values and exerting soft power. While prior research has examined films’ societal impact, little attention has been given to the factors influencing filmmakers' choices of socially relevant themes. This study explores how film characteristics and regional socio-economic contexts shape the intellectual content of European films, particularly film d’essai. Using a dataset of approximately 1,400 European films (2012–2022) sourced from IMDb and Wikipedia, we apply Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) for text analysis to identify dominant narrative themes. These themes are mapped to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) using an expanded SDG dictionary. We employ probit and logit models to assess the factors influencing the likelihood of a film being classified as intellectual, incorporating socio-economic indicators such as human capital, GDP, and the presence of creative clusters. The expected results suggest that films produced in regions with higher human and social capital are more likely to address intellectual and socially significant themes, such as sustainability and equality. Additionally, major European film hubs act as incubators for cultural and ideological trends. This research enhances our understanding of cinema’s role in shaping contemporary discourse, bridging cultural economics and sustainability studies. By systematically analyzing film content through the SDG framework, this study offers new insights into the intersection of film production, regional context, and social impact.

Stefania Tonin (p), Antonella Ardizzone, Valeria Morea

Crhistian Joel Gonzalez Cuatianquis

Public expenditure for culture is a variable used extensively to approximate public action that supports or promotes the cultural and creative industries. Reasons for public spending in the arts and culture range from public and merit goods to option demand as well as to cost disease, but applied research typically looks at the National level. Nonetheless, culture is an urban phenomenon. From a production perspective, studies on the localization of cultural markets and scenes have delineated a picture in which at the urban scale agglomeration and urbanization economies prevail. From a consumption perspective, many scholars have pointed out at the importance of local amenities and opportunities like networking to the so-called creative class. Moreover, many international initiatives recognize the pivotal role of cities for the cultural and creative industries.
This research contributes to this field of inquiry looking at the case of Italy. While this country has a great endowment of cultural heritage, its support to culture adheres the broad trend of budget cuts. In this regard, only a limited number of scientific articles report on research on Italian public expenditure especially at the local scale. We used data on the expenditure on culture for each Italian Province (n=107) for the period 2004-2019. In this study, we employ two dependent variables: one defined as the sum of current account expenditures (i.e., maintenance and salaries of the municipal cultural sector) and capital account expenditures (investments in the municipal cultural sector), and another defined as the ratio of current cultural expenditure to the total expenditure of each province. For the independent variables, we selected a set of socioeconomic indicators that approximate local development, including GDP per capita, social capital, education rate, unemployment, and the extent of green urban areas. We estimated a dynamic panel model, along with other basic models, to analyze the relationships. Our findings indicate that wealthier regions and those with greater economic output tend to allocate more resources to cultural spending. In contrast, regions with higher proportions of very young or elderly residents are associated with lower spending. Additionally, variables representing cultural institutions (such as the presence of museums) and urban management indicators (such as urban waste and population density) significantly influence municipal cultural expenditure. These results provide a nuanced understanding of how various factors interact in shaping public cultural investment, offering valuable insights for policymakers aiming to support or adjust cultural spending at the urban level.