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Free University of Bozen-Bolzano

Experiential tourism: current trends in food and wine

Semester 2 · 30180 · Bachelor in Tourism, Sport and Event Management · 6CP · DE


The course explores the growing field of experiential tourism with a focus on food and wine. Students will examine how local gastronomy, wine culture, and products with regional identity are packaged into memorable experiences for visitors. Emphasis is placed on visitor experience, event design, destination branding, and related sustainability efforts. Through case studies, guest speakers, and field visits, students gain practical insights into creating, managing, and marketing food and wine experiences and events.

Lecturers: Günter Schamel, Isabel Marie Schäufele-Elbers

Teaching Hours: 36
Lab Hours: 6
Mandatory Attendance: -

Course Topics
Theoretical foundations of the experience economy and tourism Food and Wine Destinations: Geographical Indications, regional brands Relevance of regional products and brands for experiential tourism Research methods and examples in wine and food tourism Interpreting data and research results in food and wine tourism Digital Marketing and Product Innovation in Experiential Tourism Excursion: Understanding a local food and/or wine experience Group Project: Designing a food or wine tourism experience/event including a presentation with peer review (for attending students) Review a local food or wine tourism experience/event (non-attending students)

Teaching format
Lectures, discussions and exercises, group project, study trip.

Educational objectives
Knowledge and understanding ECONOMY of corporate decisions in monopolies with regard to quality, quantity and prices of models of strategic interaction between companies in oligopolistic contexts the role of network externalities in the digital economy the strategies of vertical and horizontal differentiation of companies the strategies for maintaining a dominant position by a company the comparative advantages in the area of travel destinations price and quality strategies in the destination economic policy instruments to promote the development of destinations the basic principles of the theory of supply and demand the theory of pricing the role of artificial intelligence and algorithms in pricing mechanisms the role of the state in the economy the fundamentals of monetary economics the basics of tax policy and budget planning growth theory the theory of cooperative games and collusive behaviour sectoral analysis tools for the sports and events industry industrial policy instruments for the sports sector the impact of the organisation of sports events on regional economic growth the quality strategies of accommodation providers the pricing strategies of accommodation providers using strategic interaction models from game theory. the horizontal differentiation strategies of accommodation providers Incentives in the internal organisation of accommodation providers methods for the evaluation of external effects and public goods in the tourism and sports sector economic policy for sustainable tourism the concept of sustainability and its impact on regional development the economic systems of tourism and sports enterprises the determinants of co-operation and system building capacity between the different local tourism stakeholders. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding ECONOMICS Market analysis with the aim of selecting products and markets on which to focus business activities contextualised criteria for pricing Assessing the costs and benefits of maintaining a dominant position and choosing the most appropriate tools to achieve the objective Analysing the trade-off between price and product quality and understanding the criteria used to choose the appropriate level of quality for the context Ex-post analysis of the impact of economic policies, both in traditional contexts (with limited data) and in innovative contexts (with big data) Analysing the economic sustainability of current and future destinations Analyse the impact of public policies to increase the attractiveness of destinations Ability to argue like an economist, i.e. to apply the schemes and criteria typical of economic analysis Ability to understand the interaction between individual consumer and business decisions and market equilibrium Apply incentive theory to the relationship between incentives and consumer and business decisions Analyse the impact of different economic and fiscal policy decisions on the development of macro- and microeconomic variables Evaluate public policies to support elite sports federations and promote the organisation of events (from the perspective of policy makers) Evaluation of the factors determining the financial sustainability of sports federations and event organisers (from a management perspective) Development of economic models for the sustainable development of tourism in the local area Planning and evaluation of economic development processes in the tourism sector at macro and micro level Analysing the economic impact of economic policy measures for the tourism sector at local, regional and national level Development of a sustainable tourism development plan (from the perspective of political decision-makers) Development of economic models for sustainable tourism development at local level Critically analysing tourism policy instruments to promote local products and evaluating the effectiveness of the various instruments. Making judgements identify the main variables to be used when making judgements in complex situations; Analyse and critically report on information, experience and data to make appropriate business decisions; select the most appropriate quantitative and qualitative analytical tools to support decision making; find necessary additional information in databases, legal documents and scientific sources; find solutions by using logical reasoning and combining information and analytical tools Communication skills Graduates of the Bachelor in Tourism, Sport and Event Management will develop communication and presentation skills in order to explain, argue and summarise the complex, interdisciplinary issues of the tourism, sport and event sector in a working environment. Educational activities in the first year include courses in all three official languages of instruction, covering communication and presentation strategies and techniques, as well as the acquisition of various skills for the cultural environment related to the language. The second year includes a language course in a fourth language. Case studies, projects and exercises within the courses as well as the written exams at the end of each course also contribute to the development of students' communication skills. Achievement of this objective is assessed by means of written examinations, group work, assignments, presentations of case studies and projects and the final dissertation. Learning skills the ability to seek out up-to-date information in order to keep abreast of changes in the service sector in general and in tourism, sport and event management in particular; the ability to retrieve and utilise information from databases, research studies, legal texts, regulations and standards needed in their professional life; the ability to analyse, critically appraise and integrate data, information and experience; the ability to develop possible solutions to problems in economic and operational areas relating to those work contexts that represent a possible career prospect for graduates.

Assessment
Attending Students (attend at least 50% of the lectures): Assessment is based on a 90-minute written exam, group project work, and active participation in the lecture and group project for attending students. The grading for “students present” is based on the following weighting: written exam 60%, group project 30%, participation and discussion participation 10%. Non-attending Students (attend less than 50% of the lectures): Assessment is based on a 90-minute written exam which is identical to the exam for attending students. In addition, a 10-page seminar paper is required, evaluating a local wine or food experience and/or event. The grading of coursework for "non-attending students" is as follows: written exam (60%) and seminar paper (40%). At least 50% of the total possible points are required to pass the course.

Evaluation criteria
The written exam assesses the quality and clarity of answers, language skills, and ability to accurately relate to the topics covered. The group project assesses collaboration skills, creativity, critical thinking, synthesis skills, and judgment. Participation and discussion participation are assessed based on interactive participation in the group project and active contributions to discussions during lectures.

Required readings

Unfortunately, there is no relevant textbook in German for this course. However, students may refer to additional readings in English as background material for the lectures.



Supplementary readings

- Pine and Gilmore 2000. Erlebniskauf. Econ.

- Slocum, Curtis 2017, Food and Agricultural Tourism:Theory and Best Practice, Routledge.

- Yeoman 2015, The Future of Food Tourism, ChannelView Publications.

- Getz, Andersson, Robinson, Vujicic 2014.Foodies and Food Tourism. Goodfellow Publishers.

- Sidali, Spiller, Schultze (Editors) 2011. Food, Agri-Culture and Tourism, Springer Verlag.

- Carlsen and Charters (Editors) 2006.Global Wine Tourism, CAB International

- Hjalager and Richards (Editors) 2002.Tourism and Gastronomy. Routledge.



Further information
Performance in the group project, the seminar paper, and active participation are only valid for the current academic year and do not carry over to the next academic year. Only dictionaries and calculators are permitted as aids for the written exam. No lecture materials, recordings, or other accompanying materials or electronic aids are permitted.


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Sustainable Development Goals
This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the following Sustainable Development Goals.

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