Insegnamento a.a. 2026-2027

Classes: 31 (I sem.)

Instructors:
Class 31: CRISTINA MOTTIRONI

Cities are increasingly shaped by visitors. Tourism, leisure and events influence how urban spaces are used, how local economies develop, and how destinations position themselves in national and international markets. The visitor economy can therefore no longer be treated as a marginal activity. It has become a central issue for destination management and urban policy, because it creates value but also raises questions about liveability, access to space, local identity and the distribution of benefits and costs. This course examines how cities address the opportunities and tensions generated by tourism. It looks at how public institutions, destination management organizations, private operators and digital platforms contribute to the planning, marketing, regulation and management of urban destinations. Students learn to interpret contemporary urban tourism trends and to apply concepts and tools related to destination governance, place branding, visitor experience, stakeholder analysis and impact management. The course combines a critical perspective on issues such as overtourism and tourism gentrification with a managerial approach to strategy design and evaluation. Its aim is to equip students with the competencies needed to develop context-sensitive tourism strategies that are feasible, evidence-based and coherent with the objectives of urban destinations and their stakeholders.

The course focuses on the visitor economy as a key force shaping contemporary cities. It examines how tourism, culture, leisure and events contribute to urban development, and how cities can govern, market and manage these dynamics in ways that create value while addressing conflicts and trade-offs.

 

The course is organized around four main areas:

• Understanding urban tourism: the role of cities in the global visitor economy; cultural, creative, lifestyle and experience-based forms of tourism; different visitor segments and patterns of consumption.
• Planning and managing urban destinations: destination governance, DMOs, public-private coordination, tourism districts, urban regeneration, place-making and the role of professional actors in the visitor economy.
• Marketing and positioning cities: destination marketing, place branding, visitor experience design, events, connectivity and the construction of urban attractiveness.
• Managing impacts and policy challenges: overtourism, short-term rentals, gentrification, resident well-being, sustainability, inclusivity and evidence-based approaches to urban tourism strategies.

 

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

 

• Describe how tourism, culture, and entertainment have contributed to the transformation of urban centers in recent decades.

• Explain the ways in which tourism-related investments shape the physical, social, and economic fabric of urban contexts.

• Understand the roles and interests of key stakeholders, including public authorities, tourism companies, institutions, residents and visitors.

• Identify and interpret the main models of urban tourism governance, destination management, and marketing.

• Evaluate the positive and negative impacts of the visitor economy on urban life and discuss appropriate policy and planning responses.

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

 

• Apply strategic approaches and analytical tools to assess and enhance the tourism potential of local experiences, cultural assets, and creative industries in cities.

• Use tools of destination management and marketing to plan and implement tourism initiatives at the urban scale.

• Address challenges in the promotion, regulation, and management of tourism in urban contexts.

• Diagnose real-world urban tourism challenges using evidence, case analysis and field observation.

• Develop feasible and context-sensitive urban tourism projects in collaboration with public and private stakeholders.

• Lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Company visits
• Collaborative Works / Assignments

The course adopts a workshop-based approach that combines face-to-face lectures, guest speaker sessions, on-site visits, and group assignments. This mix of learning methods enables students to apply theoretical concepts to real urban tourism challenges and to develop an applied understanding of destination management and urban visitor-economy governance.

• Talks by industry experts and site visits offer students the opportunity to interact directly with tourism professionals, policy makers, and destination managers, gaining first-hand insight into current challenges and practices in the field.
• Case studies and class discussions are integral to deepening students’ understanding of course topics and fostering critical thinking. They also encourage collaborative learning and the development of communication and problem-solving skills.
• The fild project is a key component of the course. It enables students to work on real-life challenges concerning cities and the visitor economy, usually in collaboration with a public institution, a destination management organization, or another relevant actor in the field. Through fieldwork, stakeholder engagement, and practitioner feedback, students develop context-sensitive proposals in response to the specific brief provided by the partner organization.

 

Active class participation is highly encouraged, as it contributes significantly to the learning process.

	Continuous assessment	Partial exams	General exam
Written individual exam (traditional/online)			x
Collaborative Works / Assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)	x
Peer evaluation	x

To assess the achievement of the intended learning outcomes, student evaluation is based on two main components:

• Final written exam (40%)

• Group field project (60%)

 

The written exam consists of open-ended essay questions based on the topics discussed in class and on the assigned readings. It is designed to assess students’ ability to critically engage with key concepts, models, and case studies presented during the course. Students are expected to develop well-structured and evidence-based arguments.

 

The group field project is based on a brief provided by an institutional or professional partner. It assesses students’ ability to analyse a real urban tourism challenge, identify relevant stakeholders and constraints, apply destination management and marketing tools, develop a feasible and evidence-based proposal aligned with the partner’s objectives, and communicate the project outcomes effectively in a professional setting.

 

Please note: Both components must be passed with a minimum grade of 18/30 in order to successfully complete the course.

The assessment for non-attending students is based on a final written exam (100%). The exam includes a combination of open-ended essay questions and multiple-choice questions. It is designed to assess the students’ understanding of the full set of concepts, models, and case studies covered in the textbooks and additional course materials specified for independent study.

 

The open-ended questions aim to evaluate students’ analytical thinking, their ability to interpret and apply theoretical frameworks, and their capacity to construct well-argued and evidence-based responses.

 

The multiple-choice section focuses on the accurate comprehension of key definitions, mechanisms, and relationships within the field of urban tourism.

The reading list is provided at the beginning of the course and consists of a combination of lecture slides and selected readings. 

These materials are designed to support and deepen the understanding of the topics, tools, and the cases discussed in class. 

The reading list for non-attending students is specified in the syllabus at the beginning of the course.

It consists of the required textbooks, from which students are expected to study all the indicated chapters. These materials provide comprehensive coverage of the concepts, models, and case studies needed to prepare for the final exam.