OVERVIEW

The course provides a geographical perspective on tourism and cultural heritage, offering tools to understand how tourism contributes to the construction, representation and transformation of places and landscapes.

Starting from the foundations of tourism geography, the course will examine destinations, flows, sources and forms of contemporary tourism, from urban, coastal, mountain and rural tourism to slow tourism, walking routes, pilgrimage, roots and food tourism. It will also explore tangible and intangible heritage, landscape, geographical storytelling and representations of place, alongside phenomena such as short-term rentals, foodification, overtourism and tourismophobia.

Through theoretical readings and case studies, topics will also be explored from critical and conflictual perspectives, considering their territorial, social and cultural impacts. Particular attention will be paid to sustainability, accessibility, artificial intelligence, authenticity and contested heritage.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The educational activity aims to provide knowledge of concepts related to the Geography of tourism with an in-depth focus on tourism and cultural heritage.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide students with the knowledge and tools required to interpret tourism and cultural heritage from a geographical perspective, considering the relationships between mobility, tourism practices, heritage, representations and territorial transformations.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• understand and use the main concepts and tools of tourism geography;
• read and interpret flows, sources, data, images and representations of tourism phenomena;
• understand the processes through which destinations, landscapes and heritage are constructed, communicated and valorised;
• analyse contemporary forms and practices of tourism by relating their territorial, social and cultural dimensions;
• critically discuss issues such as sustainability, overtourism, accessibility, heritagisation, authenticity, foodification and the use of new technologies;
• apply concepts and theoretical perspectives to the analysis of case studies, developing the ability to interpret transformations in tourism territories independently and critically.

PREREQUISITES

No specific prerequisites are required. The module will introduce and review the main concepts, definitions and basic tools of tourism geography, providing all students with a common framework and progressively guiding them towards thematic insights, case studies and critical interpretations of contemporary phenomena.

TEACHING METHODS

Teaching will combine lecturer-led and participatory sessions. Lecturer-led teaching will focus on the acquisition and understanding of the fundamental concepts, definitions and tools of tourism geography and cultural heritage. Participatory teaching will be based on the discussion of case studies, academic readings and contemporary issues, with the aim of developing students’ analytical and critical interpretation skills.

Classes will make use of data, maps, images, reports and digital sources, encouraging connections between theory and application. Slides and other materials used in class, together with readings, reports, links to databases and additional resources, will be made available on AulaWeb.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course introduces the foundations of tourism geography and provides tools for interpreting the relationships between tourism, territory, landscape and cultural heritage. Topics will be explored by combining theoretical frameworks, analytical tools and sources, academic readings and case studies, leading to a critical discussion of major contemporary transformations.

The course covers:

• Geography and tourism: the origins and development of tourism geography; definitions of tourism; motivations and mobility; tourism regions and spatial models; from proto-tourism and the Grand Tour to contemporary tourism.
• Sources and tools in tourism geography: cartography, statistical data, tables, graphs and photographs; national and international sources; digital sources, big data and artificial intelligence for analysing and representing tourism phenomena.
• Demand, supply and the organisation of tourism space: flows, arrivals and overnight stays, accommodation, seasonality and strategies to reduce seasonality; tourism operators and platforms; the construction and specialisation of destinations; urban, coastal, mountain and rural tourism.
• New tourism practices and forms of mobility: experiential tourism, slow and proximity tourism, walking routes, pilgrimage and religious tourism; relationships between tourism and pilgrimage; roots tourism, memory, identity and mobility.
• Food, landscape and tourism: food tourism, typicality and terroir; food as a territorial and cultural resource; productive landscapes, heritage and identity; foodscapes; processes of foodification and the transformation of urban and tourism spaces.
• Tourism and geographical storytelling: communication and promotion of tourism destinations; images and narratives of place; the construction of tourism imaginaries; Tourist Destination Image and place branding; representation and promotion of landscapes.
• Cultural heritage and heritagisation processes: tangible and intangible heritage; the construction and attribution of heritage value; authenticity, memory and identity; the role of institutions, communities and the market; controversial and contested heritage.
• Tourism, territory and sustainability: tourism development and sustainability; indicators and tourism pressure; overtourism and tourismophobia; relationships between residents and visitors; low-intensity tourism and the search for new territorial balances.
• Contemporary challenges: accessibility and inclusion in tourism and cultural heritage experiences; climate change; new technologies and artificial intelligence applied to tourism and heritage.

The topics will be accompanied by Italian and international case studies, used to connect geographical concepts and analytical tools with concrete issues, practices and transformations affecting tourism territories.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

ATTENDING STUDENTS

Students are required to prepare the following materials:

1. Mangano, S. (2026), Geografia del turismo. Nuovi turismi per nuovi mercati, Milan, Mondadori Università: Chapters 1, 3, 4, 6.
2. Lecture slides used during classes and made available on AulaWeb.
3. One academic article of their choice from the list below:

• Bortolotto, C. (2011), «Patrimonio immateriale e autenticità: una relazione indissolubile», La Ricerca Folklorica, 64, pp. 7-17.
• Bourlessas, P., Loda, M. & Puttilli, M. (2022), «Cibo e trasformazioni urbane. Varianti di foodification», Rivista Geografica Italiana, 129(4), pp. 5-12.
• Collins-Kreiner, N. (2018), «Pilgrimage-Tourism: Common Themes in Different Religions», International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage, 6(1), pp. 8-17.
• Mangano, S., Piana, P. & Porcelloni, L. (2025), «Crisi climatica e turismo nelle valli Maira e Vermenagna (Alpi Piemontesi)», Documenti Geografici, 1, pp. 207-234.
• Mangano, S., Piana, P. & Porcelloni, L. (2025), «Tra overtourism e turismo a bassa intensità: verso un nuovo equilibrio», in R. Spinelli & A. Zanini (a cura di), Overtourism e nuovi equilibri del turismo contemporaneo. Una prospettiva multidisciplinare, Milano, FrancoAngeli, pp. 15-34.
• Mangano, S. & Porcelloni, L. (2025), «Evoluzione delle dinamiche turistiche e dell’immaginario dei borghi del Ponente Ligure tra Riviera e aree interne», in P. Piana, N. Gabellieri & A. Gallia (a cura di), La trama del paesaggio. Racconti e immagini del Grand Tour tra geografia, storia e progetto territoriale, Roma, Viella, pp. 211-229.
• Sánchez-Martín, J.-M., Guillén-Peñafiel, R. & Hernández-Carretero, A.-M. (2025), «Artificial Intelligence in Heritage Tourism: Innovation, Accessibility, and Sustainability in the Digital Age», Heritage, 8(10), pp. 1-33.
• Settis, S. (2012), «Il paesaggio come bene comune», Belfagor, 67(1), pp. 81-90.
• Storchi, S. (2019), «The ex-Casa del Fascio in Predappio and the question of the ‘difficult heritage’ of Fascism in contemporary Italy», Modern Italy, 24(2), pp. 139-157.

NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS

Students are required to prepare the following materials:

1. Mangano, S. (2026), Geografia del turismo. Nuovi turismi per nuovi mercati, Milan, Mondadori Università.
2. Lecture slides used during classes and made available on AulaWeb.

3.Three scientific articles of your choice from those listed (open access), selecting one contribution from each of the three thematic areas.

      A. Cultural Heritage, Authenticity and Transformations

• Bortolotto, C. (2011), «Patrimonio immateriale e autenticità: una relazione indissolubile», La Ricerca Folklorica, 64, pp. 7-17.
• Storchi, S. (2019), «The ex-Casa del Fascio in Predappio and the question of the ‘difficult heritage’ of Fascism in contemporary Italy», Modern Italy, 24(2), pp. 139-157.
• Sánchez-Martín, J.-M., Guillén-Peñafiel, R. & Hernández-Carretero, A.-M. (2025), «Artificial Intelligence in Heritage Tourism: Innovation, Accessibility, and Sustainability in the Digital Age», Heritage, 8(10), pp. 1-33.

      B. Tourism, Mobility and Territorial Dynamics

• Collins-Kreiner, N. (2018), «Pilgrimage-Tourism: Common Themes in Different Religions», International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage, 6(1), pp. 8-17.
• Mangano, S., Piana, P. & Porcelloni, L. (2025), «Tra overtourism e turismo a bassa intensità: verso un nuovo equilibrio», in R. Spinelli & A. Zanini (a cura di), Overtourism e nuovi equilibri del turismo contemporaneo. Una prospettiva multidisciplinare, Milano, FrancoAngeli, pp. 15-34.
• Mangano, S. & Porcelloni, L. (2025), «Evoluzione delle dinamiche turistiche e dell’immaginario dei borghi del Ponente Ligure tra Riviera e aree interne», in P. Piana, N. Gabellieri & A. Gallia (a cura di), La trama del paesaggio. Racconti e immagini del Grand Tour tra geografia, storia e progetto territoriale, Roma, Viella, pp. 211-229.

      C. Landscape, Environment, Food and Sustainability

• Bourlessas, P., Loda, M. & Puttilli, M. (2022), «Cibo e trasformazioni urbane. Varianti di foodification», Rivista Geografica Italiana, 129(4), pp. 5-12.
• Mangano, S., Piana, P. & Porcelloni, L. (2025), «Crisi climatica e turismo nelle valli Maira e Vermenagna (Alpi Piemontesi)», Documenti Geografici, 1, pp. 207-234.
• Settis, S. (2012), «Il paesaggio come bene comune», Belfagor, 67(1), pp. 81-90.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

LEONARDO PORCELLONI (President)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Classes will begin on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, and will be held every Tuesday, from 08:00 to 12:00, in Aula Magna [147], Polo Didattico di Via delle Fontane.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The examination will take the form of an oral exam.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The oral examination is designed to assess:

-        students’ knowledge and understanding of the concepts, tools and topics covered during the course;

-        their ability to connect theoretical perspectives with concrete phenomena and case studies relating to tourism and cultural heritage;

-        their ability to critically interpret territorial processes and transformations associated with contemporary tourism.

Assessment will take into account the clarity and quality of the presentation, appropriate use of geographical and disciplinary terminology, command of the course content, and the ability to make connections and develop critical reflections, including through the discussion of case studies addressed during the course.