TOURISM ECONOMICS AND POLICY-2

The course is one of the compulsory courses within the Economics and Tourism (ET) curriculum. It is divided into two modules, which together amount to a total of 12 credits. The course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive set of analytical tools to understand how the tourism economy functions and to critically assess the dynamics shaping this sector at both the microeconomic and macroeconomic levels. Through the use of concrete case studies drawn from both Italian and international contexts, students will be introduced to the fundamental principles of the economics of tourism and destinations, as well as to the main challenges related to the use, enhancement, and optimal management of tourism resources. The overall educational objective is to enable students to understand how tourism can be interpreted and governed as a lever for economic value creation, while taking into account issues related to sustainability, competitiveness, and territorial development. The integration of concepts consolidated in the first module with the emerging themes addressed in the second module is intended to prepare students to deal autonomously and critically with the challenges posed by the impact of tourism on local, regional, and national economies, as well as by the transformations affecting the tourism system and its broader value chain, from destinations to the individual components of the overall tourism experience, with particular attention to the role of research in the design and evaluation of effective solutions.

By the end of the programme, students will have acquired the main conceptual and analytical tools to critically examine how political economy policies shape the relationships between tourism demand and supply, the mechanisms of service production and intermediation, as well as the economic effects of tourism on territories in terms of competitiveness, development, and sustainability. Students will be able to analyse the economic impact of tourism flows using key tools and to apply theoretical principles through concrete Italian and international case studies, with the aim of understanding the regulation and governance of tourism, with particular attention to issues related to resource management, territorial impacts, and the ongoing transformations affecting the tourism value chain. During classroom discussions, students will be encouraged to develop the ability to construct well-grounded arguments and to apply theoretical concepts to concrete contexts, while also strengthening their communication skills and their ability to select and critically assess relevant and reliable sources of information.

Having passed the Microeconomics exam during the first year.

The module syllabus is organised around the following main topics:

1. The political economy of tourism and destination development.
2. Policies for competitiveness, sustainability, and resource management.
3. Production, value chain, and intermediation of tourism services.
4. Tools for analysing the impact of tourism flows.
5. Case studies applied in practice to tourism management and policy.

The reference textbook is:

Economia del turismo e delle destinazioni, 2nd edition, by Guido Candela and Paolo Figini, McGraw-Hill (2010)

Lecture notes and other materials indicated by the lecturer during the course.
Course handout in Tourism Economics.

Attending and non-attending students will take a written examination lasting a maximum of two hours, consisting of open-ended questions with a pre-assigned maximum score, covering the topics addressed in the modules on the basis of the reference texts and the materials provided by the lecturer.

written

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

The examination and the related grading scale (that is, the criteria according to which marks are assigned) are the same for attending and non-attending students. The final mark is the sum of the scores assigned to each open-ended answer, whose maximum value is indicated in advance in the exam paper:

27–30: excellent command of the topics covered and correct application in the relevant contexts
24–26: good command of the topics covered and adequate application in the relevant contexts
21–23: satisfactory command of the topics covered and application in the relevant contexts
19–20: sufficient command of the topics covered and limited application in the relevant contexts
18: limited command of the topics covered and application in the relevant contexts

The distinction (cum laude) will be awarded in cases of excellent knowledge, application skills, communication skills, and use of appropriate terminology.

The module is organised into:

A. Lectures on theoretical content
B. Discussion of case studies in the form of working groups
C. Discussion of papers assigned during the lectures

Teaching materials will be made available on the Moodle platform, organised by topic and accompanied by an introduction designed to support students in understanding the course’s learning pathway.

Accessibility, Disability and Inclusion
Accommodation and support services for students with disabilities and students with specific learning impairments

Ca' Foscari abides by Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) regarding support services and accommodation available to students with disabilities. This includes students with mobility, visual, hearing and other disabilities (Law 17/1999), and specific learning impairments (Law 170/2010). If you have a disability or impairment that requires accommodations (i.e., alternate testing, readers, note takers or interpreters) please contact the Disability and Accessibility Offices in Student Services: disabilita@unive.it.

The course promotes the sustainable development, in line with the 17 SDGs - Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda, adopted by world leaders at the United Nations. Insights on sustainable tourism are included in the course program.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Circular economy, innovation, work" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development