Multiple Identities: Roots Tourist’s Perception in the Host Communities

In this work, we will look at the perception of what is known as “root tourism” by local communities specifically referring to the Italian case. The topic is not only relevant to scientific interest, but of clear national relevance as well. Indeed, a specific measure was devoted to this form of tourism in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), a document that has been drawn up by the Italian government in 2020 to find a way out of the global coronavirus pandemic’s economic crisis, within of the funds allocated to Italy under the European programme Next Generation of the European Union. We wish to offer here a reflection of a specific aspect of the phenomenon in question, which relates to the way the host community perceives and evaluates the social figure of the tourist of the roots. This is a reflection that represents an in depth analysis of an itinerary of reading about roots tourism who found his appropriate address in a document published more than a decade ago (Romita, Perri, 2009).