Global platforms and Local Experiences

In recent decades, design has been characterized by a process of dematerialization of the project's object and has increasingly occupied itself with the planning of experiences. Design has therefore become a bearer of intangible values in different fields and disciplines, influencing very different sectors such as indus- trial, spatial, fashion design. In parallel, in the tourism sector and in particular in the hospitality sector, the request for local, unique and authentic experiences has become stronger and stronger and is among the most significant trends detected in the most recent research reports about tourism trends. The biggest hospitality platforms try to offer a palimpsest of local activities and experi- ences and are always looking for a balance between offering a global service and facilitating satisfying local experiences. In this field, design plays a central role, but how? In some cases it has determined strong socio-cultural changes, as in the case of the diffusion of global online booking platforms, “the growth of trust” that is at the base of the sharing economy and on the other hand has encouraged the enhancement of local realities, tourism authentic and the rediscovery of values linked to small communities. Design has been a fundamental tool in these transformations. What are its possible future contributions to this continuing area of research? This paper, by first classifying hospitality and experience-sharing services, and then by analysing selected case studies, will try to present ways in which design can continue to influence the provision of these services and the role it can play in addressing the dichotomy between global platforms and local experiences.