The course's primary objective is to deepen and understand the role and functions of cultural tourism marketing in the processes of analysis, planning, communication, transfer, and control of value. On a more operational level, the course aims to provide students with basic knowledge regarding:
a) the subject and evolution of marketing studies;
b) the processes and methodologies for creating value for consumers and businesses and for the consequent formulation of marketing strategy;
c) the operational techniques for market analysis and the formulation of marketing policies.
The course is enriched with the study of business cases. Topics related to digital marketing, corporate communication, and neuromarketing will be addressed as a focus.

INTRODUCTION

• The tourism market
• Tourism marketing

THE MARKETING PROCESS

• Decision-making processes in tourism marketing

UNDERSTANDING THE MARKET AND THE NEEDS/WANTS OF CUSTOMERS

• Marketing information system and tourism marketing research
• Analysis of the marketing environment
• Understanding tourist buying behavior
• Analysis of the competitive environment in the tourism sector

DESIGNING A CUSTOMER-ORIENTED MARKETING STRATEGY

• Segmentation of the tourism market
• Target selection
• Differentiation and positioning in tourism

DEVELOPING A HIGH-VALUE INTEGRATED MARKETING PROGRAM

• Design and management of tourism products and services
• Strategies and techniques for pricing
• Integrated marketing communications in tourism
• The distribution system in the tourism sector

FOCUS

• Cultural tourism
• Digital marketing
• Corporate communication
• Neuromarketing

No bridging courses.

- Knowledge and understanding: the student is expected to understand fundamental marketing concepts and methodologies that are significant in marketing planning processes. Additionally, the student should know how to formulate marketing strategies and policies. Knowledge and understanding will be fostered through lectures and examples, as well as opportunities for discussion and debate in the classroom.

- Applying knowledge and understanding: the student should appropriately apply the principles and models of marketing management to specific marketing problems and business cases. The development of analytical skills and competencies will be facilitated through classroom discussions of business examples and in-depth seminars.

- Autonomy of judgment: the student should be able to independently evaluate the most appropriate approach to adopt in different application contexts and assess the strengths and weaknesses of potential market strategies. These outcomes will primarily be achieved through discussing business cases and interaction with industry representatives invited to share their experiences in the classroom.

- Communication skills: the student should acquire a strong command of the terminology related to the course topics to describe marketing issues using appropriate language effectively. They should be able to communicate clearly and effectively with various stakeholders (e.g., managers, academics, experts). This skill will be developed through classroom discussions with the instructor and industry representatives.

- Learning skills:  the student should develop strong autonomous learning abilities that enable them to: 1) deepen their understanding of conceptual tools and operational skills appropriate for addressing various marketing decisions within companies, as well as the related models for evaluating outcomes achieved; 2) undertake further individual training or updating programs; 3) read and comprehend foundational texts and specialized articles on marketing topics. This ability will be particularly encouraged through business testimonials and supplementary materials provided by the instructor on the blended learning platform.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

As part of the course, meetings with scholars and industry professionals will be held to deepen into recent theoretical and practical marketing developments and examine business cases.

Teaching

The course includes the use of various teaching methods:

• Lectures
• Projection of slides and videos
• Testimonials from entrepreneurs and industry experts
• Classroom discussions

Innovative teaching methods

The in-person teaching method will be enhanced with:

• the use of Mentimeter to gather students' opinions on various course topics;
• exercises and in-depth studies, which students will complete using the university's Moodle platform.

Course books

Slides and notes related to lectures, group work, classroom discussions, business testimonials, and in-depth seminars.

Assessment

Evaluation is conducted through a final written exam, including open-ended and multiple-choice questions.

The evaluation criteria are: the level of mastery of the knowledge, the degree of articulation of the response, the adequacy of the explanation, the accuracy of the language, and the use of illustrative examples when required. The chosen method is justified by the need to understand the student's level of learning, both in terms of theoretical foundations and reasoning abilities.

In particular, attending students must demonstrate: 1) full knowledge of the concepts (corresponding to 60% of the overall evaluation); 2) an adequate degree of completeness and articulation in their responses (corresponding to 20% of the overall evaluation); 3) adequate explanation of the answers by applying the acquired concepts in the analysis and critical evaluation of case studies (corresponding to 20% of the overall evaluation).

The maximum achievable score is 32 points, equivalent to a grade of 30 with honours. The exam is passed if a minimum score of 18 is obtained.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Course books

To provide the opportunity for non-attending students to balance out their individual study with the content of the lessons and gain a full understanding of the course, the programme includes the following materials:

-Kotler, P., Bowen, J.T.., Makens, J.C., Baloglu, S. 2019. Marketing del turismo. Settima edizione. Edizione italiana a cura di Aurelio G. Mauri, Pearson Italia, Milano

Alternatively, students can prepare using the following English text:

-Kotler, P., Bowen, J.T.., Makens, J.C., Baloglu, S. 2016. Marketing for hospitality and tourism. Seventh edition. Perason

Assessment

The expected learning outcomes will be assessed through a written exam divided into two parts:

First part: 12 multiple-choice questions (each question is worth 2 points for 24 points). This part aims to assess the mastery of declarative knowledge and the ability to understand concepts and representations.

Second part: one open-ended question (worth a maximum of 8 points). The evaluation criteria are: the level of knowledge mastery, the completeness of the response and its contextualization within the overall course program, and the adequacy of the explanation. Each criterion is assessed based on a scale of evaluations, emphasizing the level of knowledge mastery, the completeness and articulation of the responses, and the adequacy of the explanation.

The time to answer the questions is 45 minutes, and the maximum achievable score is 32 points, equivalent to a grade of 30 with honours. The exam is passed if a minimum score of 18 is obtained.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

It is recommended that non-attending students prepare exclusively from the textbook and not from the course slides (intended for attending students).