OVERVIEW

Communication is becoming increasingly important in the strategies for the enhancement and promotion of tourism. The narratives constructed with the aim of enhancing resources are increasingly important in the processes of attributing meanings to localities, on which their ability to intercept the needs of increasingly demanding tourists depends. The communication strategies implemented are therefore increasingly diversified and have now gone beyond traditional channels alone, finding in the world of the World Wide Web a space suitable for building increasingly refined strategies targeted on the needs of individual potential tourists.
In this context, the course will enable students to acquire knowledge and skills useful for understanding the world of tourism communication both in its traditional version (with specific reference to tourism publishing) and in the articulated forms of communication via the World Wide Web.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide students with useful tools to understand the complex system of tourism communications, with specific reference to the role of tourism publishing and social media. During the course, students will achieve useful skills for interpreting the messages conveyed by tourism communications; with this aim, specific attention will be devoted to critical reflections on the rhetoric based on the principles of sustainability and related to the  tourism promotion of territories.
The main objectives of the course are: the understanding of the strategic role traditionally played by communication in tourism promotion of territories (to this aim, various editorial productions will be analysed in detail, studying the language and the strategies pursued by different publishers); the acquisition of critical tools useful for the critical and conscious decoding of web-based tourism communication (to this aim, experiences of tourism marketing through social media will be analysed in detail); the acquisition of skills useful for examining the specific forms of storytelling dedicated to sustainable tourism practices, aimed at the construction of a peculiar value system related to tourism experiences.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The teaching proposes the study of the main tourism communication strategies of the territory, with specific reference to the role of tourism publishing, social media communications and the construction of narratives dedicated to sustainability. At the end of the course, students will be able to :

• identify the various editorial productions in the sector;
• understand the language used and the strategies pursued by different publishers;
• understand the strategic role played by communication in enhancing the tourism value of territories;
• understand the messages conveyed by tourism communications and interpret their effect on the area; 
• analyse narratives and images produced with the aim of promoting the development of tourism in the area;
• Critically analyse tourism communication processes conveyed through the web (with specific reference to social media);
• analyse specific forms of storytelling dedicated to sustainable tourism practices, aimed at building a particular value system associated with tourism experiences;
• structuring web communication strategies aimed at promoting territories.

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching will be organised in a combination of face-to-face, participatory and laboratory teaching.
Frontal and participative teaching will be aimed at identifying and understanding the topics of the course and presented in the programme. The laboratory teaching will be organised in two phases: the first part of the lessons will be based on problem-based strategies aimed at stimulating the ability to analyse concrete cases of tourism communication; the second part of the lessons will be aimed at structuring a concrete communication strategy through social media.
In case it will be impossible to hold the lessons in presence for health reasons, these will be delivered remotely using the University platforms TEAMS and/or AulaWeb.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The teaching aims to analyse in depth the various forms of tourism communication, starting from the traditional ones to communication through social media. Specific attention will be devoted to sustainable tourism communication. The main topics covered will be:

• tourism publishing and the communication of territories: actors, narratives and images
• geographical storytelling and the promotion of tourism and territories
• sustainability as a tourism narrative for the enhancement of local areas
• the role of images, maps and landscape photographs in tourism communication
• digital marketing of tourist locations and the role of social media
• The potential of influencer marketing through Instagram for the communication and promotion of local areas.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

For students who will attend lessons:

- teaching material (scientific articles and slides) uploaded by the lecturer on AulaWeb.
- the following text:

• Gavinelli D., Zanolin G. (2019), Geography of Contemporary Tourism. Pratiche, narrazioni, luoghi, Carocci, Rome.

A text to be chosen among the following:

• Gainsforth S. (2019), Airbnb commodity cities. Stories of resistance to digital gentrification, Derive-Approdi, Rome.
• Rabbiosi C. (2018), Il territorio messo in scena: turismo, consumi, luoghi, Mimesis, Milano-Udine.

For students who will not attend lessons:

- Two texts to choosen among the following:

• Del Bò C. (2017), Etica del turismo. Responsabilità, sostenibilità, equità, Carocci Roma.
• dell'Agnese E. (2018), Bon voyage. Per una geografia critica del turismo, Utet, Novara.
• Gavinelli D., Zanolin G. (2019), Geografia del Turismo Contemporaneo. Pratiche, narrazioni, luoghi, Carocci, Roma

A text to be chosen among the following:

• Rabbiosi C. (2018), Il territorio messo in scena: turismo, consumi, luoghi, Mimesis, Milano-Udine.
• Gainsforth S. (2019), Airbnb città merce. Storie di resistenza alla gentrificazione digitale, Derive-Approdi, Roma.

For foreign students: didactics material in English will be made available by the teacher if request.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

GIACOMO ZANOLIN (President)

NICOLETTA VARANI

LESSONS

LESSONS START

October 14, 2021

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The final examination will be oral and will test the acquisition of the knowledge transmitted and the ability to critically analyse it. A part of the interview will be dedicated to the discussion of the project developed during the lessons.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The preparation of students and non-attending students will be assessed on three levels:

• identification and comprehension of the issues addressed;
• ability to analyse concrete problems relating to tourism communication;
• ability to create a tourism communication project for the territory through social media.

NON-attending students are invited to contact the lecturer before taking the exam in order to agree on how to carry out the project.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

In case it will be impossible to hold the lessons in presence for health reasons, these will be delivered remotely using the University platforms TEAMS and/or AulaWeb.

NON-attending students are invited to contact the lecturer before taking the exam in order to agree on how to carry out the project.