Insegnamento a.a. 2024-2025

CONTENTS

• Foundations of Digital Transformation in the Tourism and Travel Industry. Foundational concepts and frameworks of digital transformation and its impact on production, distribution, and delivery within the tourism sector.
• Technology, Customer Travel Journey and Visitor Experience. How digital innovations reshape the traveler’s journey, from planning and booking to experiencing and sharing, focusing on evolving customer behaviors and expectations.
• The Economy of Travel Platforms and new Business Models. The role of platform-based business models (e.g., Airbnb, Expedia, Booking) in revolutionizing the tourism industry, their opportunities and challenges.
• Smart Destinations and Digital Ecosystems. The integration of technology in managing destinations, visitor experiences, and stakeholder collaboration for more sustainable destinations.
• Latest Technological Advances in Tourism and the Future of Digital Travel. Cutting-edge technologies, including AI, blockchain, NFTs, VR, AR, and gaming, examining their applications, implications, and emerging trends in the tourism sector.

REAL-WORD INSIGHTS

• Industry Perspectives: Guest Speakers and Real-World Insights. Features industry experts from tourism and technology sectors, offering insights into how businesses and destinations are navigating digital transformation.
• Capstone Project: Innovating in Digital Tourism. A hands-on opportunity to design and present a digital innovation strategy, applying course concepts to real-world scenarios.

• Grasp the conceptual and practical tools relevant to the digital tourism context, encompassing both demand and supply dynamics.

• Understand the core pillars of digital transformation in tourism and the associated challenges.

• Analyze the roles of stakeholders and how digitalization fosters smarter, more efficient, and sustainable destination management.
• Recognize the role of cutting-edge technologies such as AI, blockchain, and VR/AR in transforming the tourism sector and their implications for business and destination management.

• Map the customer travel journey and apply the most suitable technological tools to meet the needs of hyperconnected, tech-savvy travelers.
• Evaluate and benchmark how tourism companies and destinations implement digital innovations to address market demands and gain competitive advantages.
• Develop responses to trends and challenges in digital transformation by shaping government policies, industry programs, and strategic plans in the tourism sector
• Collaborate with industry experts and peers to design innovative digital solutions for real-world tourism challenges.

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

• Guest speakers offer targeted insights into the opportunities and challenges of digital innovation in tourism, drawing from their professional experiences.
• Case studies, incidents, and group assignments foster open class discussions, enhance analytical thinking, and build problem-solving skills.
• Practical simulations with travel tech companies immerse students in a real-world context, allowing them to apply course concepts to industry-relevant scenarios.

Written Exam (50%)

The written exam evaluates students' understanding of key concepts (e.g., digital transformation, platform economy, and emerging technologies) through closed and open-ended questions. It tests their ability to apply theoretical knowledge to practical scenarios.

Collaborative Works/Assignments (50%)
Group Works/Assignments foster teamwork, problem-solving, and communication skills. They allow students to apply course concepts to real-world challenges, such as designing a digital strategy or assessing the impact of VR/AR on tourism experiences.

This balanced approach ensures students develop both theoretical understanding and practical skills aligned with course outcomes.

The reading list is included in the syllabus provided at the beginning of the course. It features both academic and trade materials and other class resources.

In compliance with intellectual property rights regulations, the materials are made available through different channels:

• On the Bocconi Blackboard platform for the course.
• Through the Course Reserve provided by the Bocconi Library