What is Cultural Mediation

Cultural heritage interpretation requires mediation processes connecting tangibility with intangible meanings. As a performing narrative, storytelling is an effective communication strategy in cultural and heritage tourism. In particular, digital storytelling allows to segment information and adapt it to the different audience profiles in an interactive and immersive way. Tourists become participants in the mediation process by providing their stories, while local communities enrich the curatorial discourse with their knowledge and memories about the place, culture, and heritage. Tourists and residents' co-creation, contributing to strengthening perception of local authenticity and sense of belonging, enhances the experience and engagement with the place. The literature review aims to analyse the impact of storytelling and co-creation on cultural heritage mediation and the tourist experience and community engagement.