Tourism Geography

The course will analyse tourism forms and practices as they have evolved over time and space. It will examine the actors operating in the tourism sector, the areas impacted by tourism, the representations and narratives put in place, the local development processes started, the forms of cooperation in the sector as well as the problems connected to tourism practices. Therefore, the course aims to highlight all the environmental, cultural, political, social and territorial mechanisms within communities that travel, and in the territories that welcome travellers. A special focus will be provided on the Italian tourism system, which is one of the most consolidated and diversified in the contemporary global scene.

By the end of the course, students will be able to understand the main contemporary tourism systems within the broader context of involved businesses, cultural and socio-economic contexts, as well as today's tourism and leisure practices. These systems will be analysed by students not only in their traditional and consolidated dimensions, but also in responsible, ethical, critical, solidarity-based and sustainable ones. The Italian case study will allow for an in-depth analysis of some peculiar tourism forms and practices on a national and regional scale.