The recent participation of the University of Bergamo in the thematic programme of Expo Osaka 2025 offered a privileged occasion to reflect on one of the most pressing issues of contemporary tourism: overtourism. 

The conference “Rural Tourism as a Response to Overtourism: A Comparative Perspective” set out from a shared observation: while international tourist flows continue to grow—Italy alone recorded over 129 million arrivals and 458 million overnight stays in 2024, while Japan reached nearly 37 million international visitors—this quantitative expansion is often accompanied by social, cultural, and environmental tensions. 

The examples of Venice or Mount Fuji, discussed at the conference, illustrate how emblematic sites of global tourism risk being victims of their own success. Excessive visitor pressure not only undermines local quality of life but also erodes the very cultural and natural assets that constitute the destination’s appeal. 

Survey data presented by the University of Bergamo confirm the phenomenon: almost half of Italian tourists reported experiencing discomfort linked to overcrowding in 2024, and more than 40% declared themselves willing to pay a higher price in exchange for less congested and more authentic experiences. 

These findings resonate with a broader paradigm shift: tourists increasingly value depth over quantity, authenticity over spectacle, participation over passive consumption. 

It is within this framework that the Horizon Europe project CROCUS was introduced as an innovative case study. CROCUS aims to foster cultural and creative tourism in rural and remote areas, building cross-border collaborations that can unlock hidden potentials and redistribute tourism flows in a sustainable manner.

Among the most promising fields of experimentation, cheese tourism in Alpine rural areas was presented as a compelling example. The choice is not casual: cheese production in the Alps embodies centuries-old know-how, deeply rooted in community life and agro-pastoral traditions, while also offering opportunities for immersive visitor experiences. 

Recent surveys in Italy demonstrate that cheese tourism is no longer a marginal curiosity: over 30% of respondents declared having participated in cheese-related activities in the past three years, and interest in hands-on experiences—such as cheese-pairing workshops or cheese-making sessions—has grown significantly. 

The preliminary research carried out by CROCUS in Sondrio (Italy) and Graubünden (Switzerland) highlights both opportunities and challenges. On one hand, the symbolic power of cheese as a cultural product allows territories to position themselves beyond the logic of mass consumption, attracting visitors eager for experiential authenticity. On the other hand, structural barriers persist, such as fragmented coordination among stakeholders, limited infrastructure, and the difficulty of integrating heritage valorisation with broader territorial strategies. 

To address these challenges, CROCUS is activating cross-border living labs, participatory platforms where local communities, cooperatives, tourism operators, and policymakers can co-design solutions. This methodological choice not only generates innovation but also reinforces the sense of ownership among local actors, ensuring that tourism development strengthens—rather than disrupts—the fabric of rural life. 

The resonance of CROCUS at Expo Osaka is particularly significant. By placing Alpine case studies within a global forum, the project underscored how the lessons learned in remote valleys of Europe are highly relevant for international debates on sustainability. 

The Italian–Japanese dialogue revealed strong convergences: in both contexts, there is an urgent need to rebalance flows, to valorise rural and peripheral territories, and to rethink tourism as a vector of cultural continuity and community well-being, rather than as a mere economic transaction. 

In this perspective, cheese tourism is not only about gastronomy; it becomes a laboratory for re-imagining tourism itself. It shows how heritage can be mobilised to create authentic, low-impact, and emotionally engaging experiences, capable of meeting visitors’ expectations while reinforcing local identity and resilience. 

The Osaka conference reinforced a conviction that lies at the core of CROCUS: the future of tourism lies in diversifying its geographies and deepening its cultural contents. For Alpine regions, this means leveraging cheese heritage as a magnet for experiential travellers. For Europe and beyond, it means recognising that peripheral areas can and must play a central role in the global tourism map. 

CROCUS will continue to build on this vision, integrating empirical research, stakeholder collaboration, and innovative models of cultural tourism. The work presented in Osaka is only a first step, but it already signals an important shift: from overtourism to shared tourism, from mass flows to meaningful journeys.