Digital “Dialogues” on Sustainability: Stakeholder Alignment in Italian Coastal Tourism

As sustainability becomes increasingly central in tourism development, understanding how it is communicated by different stakeholders is essential for effective destination governance. This study investigates the alignment of sustainability communication among destination management organizations, accommodation businesses, and tourists in 22 Italian coastal destinations with the lens of collaborative governance theory integrated with narrative theory. By combining automated text analysis and regression models, we assess both the degree of alignment across stakeholder groups and the extent to which tourists perceive and echo sustainability messages through user-generated content. Our findings reveal a fragmented yet interconnected narrative ecosystem: while destination management organizations and non-hotel accommodations show some alignment, hotels remain largely disconnected. Moreover, tourists tend to reinforce sustainability messages when communicated by local operators, contributing to a bottom-up narrative. The observed (mis)alignment reflects weak strategic coordination, underscoring the need for shared leadership and integrated communication strategies in destination governance.