Abstract
The tourism sector constitutes a part of “tourism, leisure and communication” macro-sector. The companies that belong to this sector run their activity in various areas, however, the present contribution refers only to some of them, that is to hospitality and catering, travel agencies and entertainment. In this context, current research has therefore two objectives: 1) assessment if the tourism sector can be considered as an example of entrepreneurship and growth for Italian companies; 2) identification of key drivers within the tourism consumption trend. Thanks to a qualitative and quantitative method, it emerged that the tourism sector can be considered as an example of entrepreneurship and growth for Italian companies. It is justified by the features characterizing a certain region, such as climate, nature, culture and tradition that are in harmony with the companies' heritage. In addition, the sub-systems introduced in the present research have big influence on the inputs which in the same time impact the companies operating in the tourism sector.
TopBackground
Tourism sector has been widely discussed in literature as in many countries it constitutes one of the most important economic sectors (Aiello, 1996; Buhalis, 1998; Santarelli, 1997; Sciarelli and Rossi, 2007; Tribe, 2011). Some researchers have also focused on its development (Murphy, 2013).
In the current research, the relationships between wine and food sector and territory where the company operates have been taken into consideration (Vrontis et al., 2016). It was an important assumption as it enables identification of a set of traditional and cultural values which the companies operating in certain region have to respect to obtain quality certifications (Santini and Cavicchi, 2011; Sidali et al., 2011). Analysis of the link between wine and food tourism sector enables verification of their impact on regional competitiveness, lets to outline its main drivers (Bresciani and Ferraris, 2014; Contò et al., 2014; Jaffe and Nebenzahl, 2006; Sidali et al., 2011; Viassone, 2009; Vrontis and Viassone, 2013; Vrontis et al., 2011a; Zanni, 2004) and to analyse the customers loyalty to the regional brands (Contò et al., 2011; Orth et al., 2012).
Wine and food tourism phenomenon has attract attention in wine and food sector what has stimulated the competitiveness among companies operating in the same region (Hall and Macionis, 1998; Hall et al., 2000; Rossi et al., 2014) and has a positive impact on its drivers (Cambourne et al., 2000; Contò et al., 2014). Moreover, it has a positive impact on products authenticity and promotion of new opportunities in traditional food and wine sector (Sidali et al., 2011; Woodside and Martin, 2008).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Company Sub-Systems: These are the parts into which the company environment could be divided. For the purpose of detailed examination, the following sub-systems should be considered: natural-physical and technological; cultural and social; economic; political-legislative ones.
Political-Legislative Sub-System: Represented by the political regime and the legal and legislative environment, which impact on the legislative framework within which the companies operate.
Company Environment: The context in which a company operates, which could be divided in sub-systems. Such sub-systems influence the company’s input–output logic and, as a consequence, affect the customers consumption choices.
Cultural Sub-System: Influences the values and tastes of consumers, impacting on their choices in terms of consumption and also creating trends in tourism market.
Natural-Physical and Technological Sub-System: Represented by the natural factors and some factors developed by humans which impact on the tourism sector.
Human Needs: The needs of each individual. They represent specific life necessities dictated by perceptions of aspects that are lacking. Such human needs are classified in different categories: primary needs(essential to meet basic life conditions); secondary needs(are not necessary in a strict sense).
Social Sub-System: Represented by the division of society into groups or classes, as well as the relations between these groups and the possibility of social mobility.
Tourism Sector: It constitutes a part of macro-sector “tourism, leisure and communication sector” and is made of several types of companies operating in the following activities: hospitality and catering; travel agencies; entertainment; publishing; telecommunications and IT services.
Economic Sub-System: Represented by the general economic system, which dictates the living standards within a community.