The project aims to enhance Prato’s industrial heritage as a key asset to attract visitors, developing an industrial tourism offer that combines visits to the city’s historical and contemporary sites with an innovative “never-ending tourism” approach. The goal is to draw tourists year-round, extending the real-world experience into digital and virtual realms.

This unique solution integrates physical and digital experiences, expanding the offer both in space — within and beyond the city — and in time — before, during, and after the visit. Visitors will enjoy a fully immersive and engaging experience that deepens their emotional connection to Prato. This approach will help reduce seasonality, balance tourist flows across the region, and counteract “hit-and-run” tourism.

The project will initially involve local and nearby stakeholders in a participatory process and capacity-building through thematic living labs to co-design new tourism products to be tested in the field. The proposals will combine the “physical” dimension with the “digital,” linking real visits to industrial, cultural, and natural sites with immersive experiences delivered through advanced technologies such as VR, AR, and MR, accessible at dedicated spaces throughout the city.

A digital marketing strategy will be defined to promote Prato as an attractive, sustainable, inclusive, and circular city, supported by a virtual catalog of itineraries and tourism products published on major industry platforms.

Finally, the project will implement a training program for tourism operators and build an innovative multi-level governance model through a collaborative Destination Management Organization (DMO), involving policymakers, economic operators, and local communities to design and manage sustainable tourism policies.

The DMO will develop a five-year strategy and operational plan to consolidate Prato’s vision as a continuous, sustainable, and inclusive tourism destination.