Representing Italy to Anglo-American Audiences in Early Twentieth-Century Institutional Tourism Discourse

This chapter examines how institutional tourism communication contributed to shaping Italy’s international image as a destination between the 1920s and 1930s. Drawing on research from the DIETALY project, it explores the strategies adopted by national bodies such as ENIT (the Italian National Tourism Board) to engage English-speaking audiences. The study focuses on English-language promotional materials that explicitly target either British or American readers. These texts are analysed qualitatively and comparatively to assess the degree and effectiveness of cultural and linguistic adaptation, in relation to the expectations of the intended audiences. Findings demonstrate that institutional discourse was not limited to basic translation but reflected a deliberate effort to craft coherent, culturally sensitive narratives and reinforce Italy’s appeal abroad. Recurring themes, strategic lexical choices and shifts in tone highlight how messaging was tailored to different readerships. By integrating approaches from history, linguistics and translation studies, the chapter demonstrates the importance of language in shaping destination identities and institutional communication practices. It offers insights into the evolving nature of international tourism promotion and underscores the role of language as a tool of persuasion, cultural mediation and identity construction.