Promoting Destination Italy. Language, Translation and Institutional Tourism Communication in the Interwar Years (1919-1939)

This book investigates Italian institutional tourism communication during the first two decades of the twentieth century, focusing on the promotional activities of the Italian National Tourism Board (ENIT) between 1919 and 1939. Drawing on materials collected within the DIETALY (Destination Italy in English Translation and Language over the Years) research project, the study analyses a selection of Italian and English-language tourism brochures addressed to Anglophone audiences. Adopting a qualitative, multimodal and translation-oriented approach, the analysis examines the interaction between verbal and visual elements, as well as the linguistic and discursive strategies used to construct Italy’s destination image abroad. Particular attention is also paid to the role of translation and cultural mediation in adapting promotional content to the expectations, values and imaginaries of British and American tourists. The study applies an analytical framework developed for contemporary tourism discourse to historical materials in order to explore the extent to which early institutional promotion anticipated modern strategies of localisation, audience design and destination marketing. At the same time, it situates these practices within a complex historical context marked by the post-war reconfiguration of Italy’s international image and the impact of the Fascist rule on promotional narratives. The findings highlight the central role of communication and translation in shaping tourism as a socio-cultural phenomenon, showing how institutional tourism discourse contributed to the construction of Italy’s national identity and international appeal during a critical period in the development of the modern tourism industry.