Tesi etd-09302024-105738
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Tipo di tesi
Dottorato
Autore
IANNUZZI, TIZIANA
URN
etd-09302024-105738
Titolo
Sustainable Tourism Transitions: A multi-perspective study on Circular Economy in tourism sector
Settore scientifico disciplinare
SECS-P/08
Corso di studi
Istituto di Management - PHD IN MANAGEMENT - INNOVATION, SUSTAINABILITY AND HEALTHCARE
Commissione
Membro Prof. FREY, MARCO
Membro Prof.ssa MASILI, GIORGIA
Membro Prof.ssa GUSMEROTTI, NATALIA MARZIA
Membro Prof.ssa MASILI, GIORGIA
Membro Prof.ssa GUSMEROTTI, NATALIA MARZIA
Parole chiave
- Circular Economy
- Mediterranean
- sustainable transition
- tourism
- tourism destinations
Data inizio appello
06/03/2025;
Disponibilità
parziale
Riassunto analitico
The Mediterranean is a tourist area of international importance, which is nevertheless subject to numerous pressures due to the ever-increasing number of tourists and largely exposed and vulnerable to the effects of climate change. These changes pose significant challenges for the sector, which is subject to increasing environmental pressures and needs to find strategies to adapt and prosper. The transition to sustainable tourism has become imperative at an economic, social and environmental level. While sustainability in tourism has been the subject of analysis in the academic literature, Circular Economy (CE) has remained largely unexplored and often limited to specific aspects. The central objective of this research is therefore to provide a comprehensive and systematic overview of the implementation of CE in the Mediterranean, particularly referring to the dimension of tourism destinations. The thesis consists of three articles that contribute to this goal from different perspectives.
The first article introduces an innovative tool for measuring the circularity level of tourist destinations. This tool, composed of 54 qualitative and quantitative KPIs, is closely linked to the principles of Circular Economy and is based on a logic of 4 capitals: human, social, infrastructural and natural. Through a process of action research, it was developed to represent the state of the art of CE in tourism destinations. This tool offers a comprehensive analysis that considers all aspects of CE at the destination level. During the testing phase on nine destinations in the Mediterranean, the tool proved its validity as a decision support tool for policy makers and stakeholders. In addition to providing a general circularity result, the tool measures the level of collaboration between actors at various levels of the tourism sector and offers specific details on the main thematic categories contained in each capital.
The second article explores the views of more than 100 public and private stakeholders in the Mediterranean tourism sector through focus groups and a survey-based questionnaire, focusing on the main perceived barriers to CE implementation in tourism destinations. Although bottlenecks to the implementation of the Circular Economy have already been investigated in the literature, these remain unexplored with regard to key actors in the tourism sector. Critical issues and perceived opportunities at the territorial level emerge, emphasising the need for greater collaboration and dialogue between stakeholders to support a successful transition. This study is based on a perspective that integrates concepts from Stakeholder Theory and Institutional Theory, expanding the understanding of actor dynamics specific to the tourism sector.
The third article aims to close the circle with respect to the topic of Circular Economy in tourism, investigating instead the point of view of the main user of the services this sector offers: the tourist. The study is based on a survey and aims to investigate the psychological antecedents, subjective and objective norms, and behaviour intentions with respect to tourist destinations adopting circular strategies of more than 4,000 tourists from the four main countries from which Mediterranean tourist flows come, namely Italy, Germany, Spain, and France. The survey is based on constructs derived from Value Belief Norm Theory and Theory of Planned Behaviour, repurposed to be more appropriate to the survey context. This study aims to help identify the preferences of various possible consumers (tourists), thus helping to guide the decisions of policy makers and companies in the industry.
In summary, this thesis hopes to make a significant contribution to the in-depth study of the Circular Economy in the Mediterranean tourism sector. It offers a comprehensive and future-oriented analysis that will benefit both stakeholders in the sector and the academic community. The research fills gaps in the literature, providing a unique measurement tool for circularity in tourism destinations, deepening the understanding of the dynamics of actors specific to the tourism sector and offering meaningful data on tourists' intention to behave with respect to circular practices in tourism destinations. The findings are relevant for policy makers, tour operators and scholars wishing to promote sustainable and circular tourism.
The first article introduces an innovative tool for measuring the circularity level of tourist destinations. This tool, composed of 54 qualitative and quantitative KPIs, is closely linked to the principles of Circular Economy and is based on a logic of 4 capitals: human, social, infrastructural and natural. Through a process of action research, it was developed to represent the state of the art of CE in tourism destinations. This tool offers a comprehensive analysis that considers all aspects of CE at the destination level. During the testing phase on nine destinations in the Mediterranean, the tool proved its validity as a decision support tool for policy makers and stakeholders. In addition to providing a general circularity result, the tool measures the level of collaboration between actors at various levels of the tourism sector and offers specific details on the main thematic categories contained in each capital.
The second article explores the views of more than 100 public and private stakeholders in the Mediterranean tourism sector through focus groups and a survey-based questionnaire, focusing on the main perceived barriers to CE implementation in tourism destinations. Although bottlenecks to the implementation of the Circular Economy have already been investigated in the literature, these remain unexplored with regard to key actors in the tourism sector. Critical issues and perceived opportunities at the territorial level emerge, emphasising the need for greater collaboration and dialogue between stakeholders to support a successful transition. This study is based on a perspective that integrates concepts from Stakeholder Theory and Institutional Theory, expanding the understanding of actor dynamics specific to the tourism sector.
The third article aims to close the circle with respect to the topic of Circular Economy in tourism, investigating instead the point of view of the main user of the services this sector offers: the tourist. The study is based on a survey and aims to investigate the psychological antecedents, subjective and objective norms, and behaviour intentions with respect to tourist destinations adopting circular strategies of more than 4,000 tourists from the four main countries from which Mediterranean tourist flows come, namely Italy, Germany, Spain, and France. The survey is based on constructs derived from Value Belief Norm Theory and Theory of Planned Behaviour, repurposed to be more appropriate to the survey context. This study aims to help identify the preferences of various possible consumers (tourists), thus helping to guide the decisions of policy makers and companies in the industry.
In summary, this thesis hopes to make a significant contribution to the in-depth study of the Circular Economy in the Mediterranean tourism sector. It offers a comprehensive and future-oriented analysis that will benefit both stakeholders in the sector and the academic community. The research fills gaps in the literature, providing a unique measurement tool for circularity in tourism destinations, deepening the understanding of the dynamics of actors specific to the tourism sector and offering meaningful data on tourists' intention to behave with respect to circular practices in tourism destinations. The findings are relevant for policy makers, tour operators and scholars wishing to promote sustainable and circular tourism.
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