Course 2018-2019 a.y.

20487 - TOURISM CULTURE AND TERRITORIAL MARKETING

Department of Social and Political Sciences

Course taught in English
Go to class group/s: 31
ACME (10 credits - II sem. - OBS  |  5 credits SECS-P/07  |  5 credits SECS-P/08)
Course Director:
MAGDA ANTONIOLI

Classes: 31 (II sem.)
Instructors:
Class 31: MAGDA ANTONIOLI


Prerequisites

This workshop is primarily addressed to ACME students. Other students interested in attending the course as an elective should have a strong interest in tourism and destination management and marketing.

Mission & Content Summary

MISSION

Tourism is globally recognized as a key economic sector with a potential for further growth, it has positive synergies with the new economy, mainly with cultural and entertainment industries, and it is an image building sector for local places. As a multi-faceted and complex phenomenon, tourism requires specific knowledge and skills at company and territorial level. Tourism, as a hedonic product, implies also a specific use of the marketing mix. In this perspective, territorial marketing requires integration of traditional instruments with interactive web tools for communication and transaction services, specifically designed to promote a territory. Students thus acquire methodological skills and learn how to use practical tools with the aim to define proper strategies to identify and promote the value of local identities through tourism.

CONTENT SUMMARY

The course touches upon the following strategic issues:

The tourism scenario (how to compete in tourism):

  • Dynamics and trends of the tourism market.
  • Frontier issues and tourism competitiveness.

The tourism industry and the tourism supply chain (how to create value on local identities):

  • The hospitality industry (hotellerie and hotel chains, B&B, rural houses, luxury and budget accommodation).
  • Tourism intermediaries (tour operators, travel agencies, GDS, OLTA).
  • Focus on specific tourism segments (culture and creative industries, fine food and wine sector, lifestyle and traditions).

Destination management, governance and marketing (how to manage and market territories):

  • Destination policy and management.
  • Territorial marketing as a tool to manage territory and develop its own value through the promotion of goods, services, work and activities of people and organizations.
  • Define, position, target and improve local identities.
  • Use of integrated marketing communication tools to promote the territory.
  • Information and knowledge management in tourism and e-marketing.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...

The course is divided in two modules: tourism and marketing. After the successful completion of the tourism module, students will be able to:

  • Identify the relevant dynamics, sectors, strategies and scenarios within the tourism industry.
  • Enhance the awareness and knowledge of competitiveness issues in the tourism market.
  • Point out the key players and strategies of digital tourism.
  • Discuss the different roles of tourism intermediaries (b2b and b2c).
  • Get a thorough understanding of specific tourism segments (culture, creativity and luxury; food and wine; cruise).
  • Recognize the relationship between tourism and local development.

After the successful completion of the marketing module, students will be able to:

  • Discuss different place branding cases from around the world.
  • Enhance awareness and knowledge about branding issues in places and creative industries.
  • Survey academic research streams addressing branding issue.
  • Conduct case study focusing on branding and marketing for places.
  • Develop hands-on abilities on brand building and marketing for places.    

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...

The course is divided in two modules: tourism and marketing.

After the successful completion of the tourism module, students will be able to:

  • Predict tourism market trends and interpret different scenarios at national and international level.
  • Develop actions and strategies suitable to address specific issues of competitiveness in the tourism and cultural industries.
  • Analyze and compare different destination management approaches to tourism (wine routes, cruise destinations, ...).
  • Use real data to develop market strategies for the hospitality industry.
  • Develop problem solving capacities.
  • Interact with tourism actors in a constructive and professional way (through company visits and guest speakers).

After the successful completion of the marketing module, students will be able to:

  • Assess the branding strategy of a place (city; nation; region).
  • Be able to make strategic decisions on the best branding strategy.
  • Choose the appropriate methodologies related to place branding and territorial marketing.
  • Develop ability to identify strategic issues in branding of places and creative products.
  • Create a place branding strategy.
  • Interact and communicate effectively in multi-cultural contexts.

Teaching methods

  • Face-to-face lectures
  • Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
  • Company visits
  • Case studies /Incidents (traditional, online)
  • Group assignments

DETAILS

The course is based on a mix of lectures, speeches from external guest speakers, company visits and a group assignment (field project). The mix enables students to apply concepts to real-life situations and deals. Students are expected to actively participate to class.

  • Guest Speaker's talks provide the students with the opportunity to get a first hands-on approach on specific tourism managerial issues and challenges faced by professionals and managers.
  • Company visits are a chance to see the backstage of some key players and the places where management decisions happen within the tourism industry. 
  • Case studies and class discussions are fundamental to achieve a better knowledge of the topics covered within the course and ensure a proper understanding of different methodologies. They support the students in achieving better interaction in a multi-cultural context and develop critical thinking over the topics. In addition to traditional case studies/class discussions, students do a practical mock with Booking.com.
  • Group assignment (field project) are used as a final exam for the marketing module and it aims at verifying students’ ability to create a branding strategy for a place and successfully implementing it. A practical approach supports the ability of students of applying the best methodology and achieving successful strategies.

Assessment methods

  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Written individual exam (traditional/online)
   x  
  • Group assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
   x  

ATTENDING STUDENTS

Grades for attending students are computed as follows:

  • Written exam (50%) for the tourism module (first possible exam slot during the midterm break). The written exam consists of a short answer-essay exam: students are required to analyze or compare-contrast or express a documented opinion on some of the issues treated in the course and in the mandatory readings. Answers are expected to be focused, structured, and documented). No oral integration.
  • Group assignment (50%) for the territorial marketing and branding module. The group project is used as a final exam and it aims at verifying students’ ability to create a branding strategy for a place and successfully implementing it.

Both evaluations must be sufficient (grade ≥ 18). Note: the exam as attending student can be taken until September 2019.


NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

Written exam for both modules (100%). The written exam for not attendig students consists of a short answer-essay exam. Students are required to analyze or compare-contrast or express a documented opinion on some of the issues treated in the book for non attending students. Answers are expected to be focused, structured, and documented. No oral integration.


Teaching materials


ATTENDING STUDENTS

  • Collection of readings available on course reserve.
  • Class presentations and materials uploaded on the Bboard Platform.

COLLECTION OF READINGS - TOURISM MODULE:

  • M. ANTONIOLI, C. MOTTIRONI, Planning and management of European rural territories, in C. COSTA, E. PANYIK, D. BUHALIS (Eds.), European Tourism Planning and Organisation Systems Vol.I. New Perspectives and Emerging Issues, (Ch. 3- pp. 33-47), Channel view publications, Bristol, UK, 2013.
  • M. ANTONIOLI, C. MOTTIRONI, Tourist destination competitiveness: the role of cooperation. Rivista Italiana di Economia, Demografia e Statistica, LXVI (2), pp.156-167, 2012.
  • Destinations International (2017), Destination next. 2017 Futures study update, pp. i-iii; 5-32. http://mktg.destinationsinternational.org/acton/attachment/9856/f-06ca/1/-/-/-/-/Destinations_International_DestinationNEXT_2017_Futures_Study.pdf
  • R. LAW, et al. Distribution channel in hospitality and tourism, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 27(3), pp. 431 – 452, 2015. 

  • UNWTO (2018). Tourism highlights, 2018 Edition. http://mkt.unwto.org/publication/unwto-tourism-highlights

  • N. VANHOVE, The Economics of Tourism Destinations, New York, USA, Routledge, 2018, 3rd ed. 3rd ed. [Ch. 1-4; 6;8]
  • E. BRAUN, J. ESHUIS, E.H. KLIJN, The effectiveness of place brand communication, Cities, 2014, 41(1), 64-70.
  • E. BRAUN, M. KAVARATZIS, S. ZENKER, My City – My Brand: The Different Roles of Residents in Place Branding, Journal of Place Management and Development, 2013, 6(1), 18-28.

  • E. DOGAN (2018), The Dilemma of Place Branding: Transitory mega-events vs. sustainable image-building. Transnational Marketing Journal, 6(2), 101-119.

  • D. GERTNER, Unfolding and configuring two decades of research and publications on place marketing and place branding, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 2011, 7(2), 91-106.
  • A.M. GONZALEZ, L. BELLO, The construct “lifestyle” in market segmentation: The behaviour of tourist consumers, European Journal of Marketing, 2002, 36 (1/2), 51 – 85.
  • B.P. JACOBSEN,  Place brand equity: a model for establishing the effectiveness of place brands, Journal of Place Management and Development, 2012, 5(3), 253-271.
  • S. ZENKER, How to catch a city? The concept and measurement of place brands, Journal of Place Management and Development, 2011,  4(1), 40-52.
  • S. ZENKER, S.C. BECKMANN, Measuring Brand Image Effects of Flagship Projects for Place Brands: The Case of Hamburg, Journal of Brand Management, 2013, 20(8), 642-655.
  • S. ZENKER, E. BRAUN, Questioning a “one size fits all” city brand: Developing a branded house strategy for place brand management, Journal of Place Management and Development, 2017, 10(3), 270-287. 
  • S. ZENKER, F. EGGERS, M. FARSKY, Putting a Price Tag on Cities: Insights into the Competitive Environment of Places, Cities, 2013, 30(February), 133-139.
  • L. ZHANG, S.X. ZHAO, City branding and the Olympic effect: A case study of Beijing, Cities, 2009, 26(5), 245-254.
  • A. KALANDIDES, City marketing for Bogotá: a case study in integrated place branding, Journal of Place Management and Development, 2011, 4(3), 282-291.

NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

  • Collection of readings available on course reserve.
  • N. VANHOVE, The Economics of Tourism Destinations, Elsevier, 2018, 3rd ed. 
  • KOTLER, Marketing Places, Simon and Schuster, 2002. 

COLLECTION OF READINGS - TOURISM MODULE:

  • M. ANTONIOLI, C. MOTTIRONI, Planning and management of European rural territories, in C. COSTA, E. PANYIK, D. BUHALIS (Eds.), European Tourism Planning and Organisation Systems Vol.I. New Perspectives and Emerging Issues, (Ch. 3- pp. 33-47), Channel view publications, Bristol, UK, 2013.

  • M. ANTONIOLI, C. MOTTIRONI, Tourist destination competitiveness: the role of cooperation. Rivista Italiana di Economia, Demografia e Statistica, LXVI (2), pp.156-167, 2012.

  • Destinations International (2017), Destination next. 2017 Futures study update, pp. i-iii; 5-32. http://mktg.destinationsinternational.org/acton/attachment/9856/f-06ca/1/-/-/-/-/Destinations_International_DestinationNEXT_2017_Futures_Study.pdf
  • R. LAW, et al. Distribution channel in hospitality and tourism, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 27(3), pp. 431 – 452, 2015. 

  • UNWTO (2018). Tourism highlights, 2018 Edition. http://mkt.unwto.org/publication/unwto-tourism-highlights

  • N. VANHOVE, The Economics of Tourism Destinations, New York, USA, Routledge, 2018, 3rd ed. [Ch. 1-4; 6;8].

COLLECTION OF READINGS - MARKETING MODULE:

  • E. BRAUN, J. ESHUIS, E.H. KLIJN, The effectiveness of place brand communication, Cities, 2014, 41(1), 64-70.
  • E. BRAUN, M. KAVARATZIS, S. ZENKER, My City – My Brand: The Different Roles of Residents in Place Branding, Journal of Place Management and Development, 2013, 6(1), 18-28.

  • E. DOGAN (2018), The Dilemma of Place Branding: Transitory mega-events vs. sustainable image-building. Transnational Marketing Journal, 6(2), 101-119.

  • D. GERTNER, Unfolding and configuring two decades of research and publications on place marketing and place branding, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 2011, 7(2), 91-106.
  • A.M. GONZALEZ, L. BELLO, The construct “lifestyle” in market segmentation: The behaviour of tourist consumers, European Journal of Marketing, 2002, 36 (1/2), 51 – 85.
  • B.P. JACOBSEN,  Place brand equity: a model for establishing the effectiveness of place brands, Journal of Place Management and Development, 2012, 5(3), 253-271.
  • S. ZENKER, How to catch a city? The concept and measurement of place brands, Journal of Place Management and Development, 2011, 4(1), 40-52.
  • S. ZENKER, S.C. BECKMANN, Measuring Brand Image Effects of Flagship Projects for Place Brands: The Case of Hamburg, Journal of Brand Management, 2013, 20(8), 642-655.
  • S. ZENKER, E. BRAUN, Questioning a “one size fits all” city brand: Developing a branded house strategy for place brand management, Journal of Place Management and Development, 2017, 10(3), 270-287. 
  • S. ZENKER, F. EGGERS, M. FARSKY, Putting a Price Tag on Cities: Insights into the Competitive Environment of Places, Cities, 2013, 30(February), 133-139.
  • L. ZHANG, S.X. ZHAO, City branding and the Olympic effect: A case study of Beijing, Cities, 2009, 26(5), 245-254.
  • A. KALANDIDES, City marketing for Bogotá: a case study in integrated place branding, Journal of Place Management and Development, 2011, 4(3), 282-291.
Last change 18/02/2019 16:00