BSc Business Management Dissertation: Italian Tourism and COVID-19

This dissertation examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Italian tourism. It begins with an introduction to the background and context, followed by research questions, aims, and objectives. The literature review explores the determinants of Italian tourism, the reasons for its decline during the pandemic, and the steps taken for recovery. The methodology section details the research process, approach, strategy, methodology, tools, sampling approach, and ethical implications. The findings, presented in Chapter 4, are followed by a discussion in Chapter 5, and the dissertation concludes with recommendations and implications for further research. The study utilizes primary research and quantitative tools, including surveys, to analyze the impact of the pandemic and identify strategies for attracting future customers. The research highlights the negative impact of the pandemic on Italian tourism, emphasizing the importance of understanding the determinants of tourism and the strategies for overcoming the challenges. The dissertation also includes an abstract, acknowledgements, and references.

BSc (Hons) Business Management Top up
BMP6001 Dissertation
Italian tourism and pandemic
Name:
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Table of Contents
Abstract 4
Acknowledgement 5
Chapter 1: Introduction 6-7
1.1 Background/Context of the Research 6
1.4 Research Questions 7
1.5 Research Aims and Objectives 7
Chapter 2: Literature Review 7-12
2.1 Introduction of Literature Review 7
2.2 Main body with heading and sub-headings 7-12
2.3 Conclusion of Literature Review 12
Chapter 3: Methodology 12-17
3.1 Research Process 12
3.2 Research Approach 13
3.3 Research Strategy 13
3.4 Research Methodology and Tools 13
3.6 Sampling Approach 14
3.6 Ethical Implications 17
Chapter 4: Findings (Data Presentation) 17-33
Chapter 5: Discussion (Data Interpretation) 34-35
Chapter 6: Conclusion, Recommendations and Implications for
Further Research
36-37
7.1 Conclusion 36
7.2 Recommendations 36
7.3 Implications for Further Research 37

References 39
Appendices 41

Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this research is to analyse the impact of Covid-19 on
Italian tourism. There is need of understanding the problems that are faced by Italy
due to Covid-19. There is need of forming the strategies that will help to overcome
the problem.
Design/methodology/approach: The use of primary research is done to analyse
the data. The use of quantitative research tools is done. The survey method is used
in order to know about the view point of the respondents.
Findings – It is analysed that the tourism sector in Itlay has faced losses due to
Covid-19. They have to develop the strategies that will help them to attract the
customers in future. There are various problems that are faced by tourism sector due
to Covid-19.
Practical implications – This study finds the negative impact of pandemic on Italin
tourism. The determinants of tourism are also important part of this research.
Originality/value– This is first paper regarding the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on
the tourism in Italy.
Key words – Covid-19, pandemic situation, Italy, Tourism.
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Acknowledgement
First of all, I am thankful to God for making me capable that I am able to carry
on the research. I am also thankful to my teachers and supervisors that have given
me opportunity to conduct research. Also, my teachers helped me at each and every
stage of conducting this research report. Due to the guidance and support I am able
to complete the overall project effectively and at right time.
Now, I am able to understand the impacts of Covid-19 on tourism sectors
properly. All the reason of losses and the impact on the firms operating in tourism
sector were analysed. I am thankful to the local people, shopkeepers and the
travellers who helped me to complete the research effectively. Their answers and
support were necessary to analyse the impact properly.
In the end, I want to thank my family members for helping me to reach at this
position. Also their support was necessary to complete the research during this time.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Background/Context of the Research
There are regular changes in the market and that impacts the operations of
business organisation. It is seen that recently the world has faced the issue related
to Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic has direct impact on the hospitality industry
and its operations. People around the world are scared from the pandemic and this
impacts the tourism industry (Del Chiappa, 2021). The major tourism destinations
around the world are facing issues related to pandemic. The people were in need of
living at a safe place and were not willing to go out for the purpose of leisure. The
virus was spreading at a rapid rate and due to this reason people were not ready to
step out of the house. Italy is a European country with a long Mediterranean
coastline. It also has left a powerful mark on Western culture and cuisine. It is the
capital of Rome and is home to Vatican as well as landmark art and ancient ruins.
There are various famous places at Italy that attracts huge tourist. Italy has faced
major issues due to pandemic situation the tourism destinations have seen low
occupancy. The Italian tourism is famous part of European country. People visit the
place due to its rich culture, history, cuisine, fashion, architecture and art. Tourism is
a good source of GDP contribution. Tourism is one of the significant part of
hospitality industry and helps to generate effective employment opportunity to the
people (Collins-Kreiner and Ram, 2020). There are various famous destinations that
are present at Italy that enhances their tourism and help to earn good amount of
revenue. There id impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the Italian tourism. This research
report is based on analysing the main determinants related to the tourism. The
strategies being formulated by Italian tourism in order to overcome the situation are
mentioned in the report. It is important to critically evaluate all the strategies that they
have taken so that there is no problem faced in future. The methods and tools used
to carry on the research are also discussed in the report. In the end some
recommendations for overall research report are mentioned.
Research Rationale
The reason behind choosing the research topic is to know about the
challenges faced by Italian tourism due to the pandemic situation. The pandemic has
influence on all the sectors of business and this dissertation is being carried to know
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about the impact on Italian tourism (Roccetti and Casini, 2021). This research helps
the researcher to know about various important aspects related to the topic with the
help of literature review. It is necessary to use the research skills in effective manner
in order to gain knowledge about the topic of research. This will help to enhance the
knowledge and also develop skills after successful completion of this research
report. My personal interest is to get a good in tourism sector and this research will
help me to know about the problems faced by the tourism sector and the actions that
they have taken to improve the problem and hurdle.
1.2 Research Question (s)
 What are the determinant factors of Italian tourism?
 What was the reason of decline in Italian tourism due to COVID 19?
 What are the steps taken by Italian tourism after pandemic?
1.5 Research Aims and Objectives
Aim: To analyse the impact of pandemic on Italian tourism.
 To evaluate the Italian tourism
 To assess the knowledge about the declination in the Italian tourism due to
COVID-19.
 To analyse steps taken by Italian tourism after pandemic
Chapter 2: Literature Review
2.1 Introduction of Literature Review
Literature review is one of the important chapter of dissertation. It includes
secondary research regarding the topic with the help of articles, books, magazines,
publication research (Oztemel and Gursev, 2020). It is necessary to use
authenticated sources so that proper details and information can be mentioned. The
sources will be related to the topic and will help to understand and gain insights. The
impact will be understood by doing literature review section.
2.2 Main body with heading and sub-headings
What are the determinant factors of Italian tourism?
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According to the Tsionas, (2020) Tourism is a cultural, social and economic
phenomenon that entails the movement of people from one country to another. It
may be for the purpose of business or self-entertainment. The organisations in
tourism sector work to enhance the experience of people by attracting them and
providing them proper place to accommodate and provide them quality food. The
destination is so attractive that all the people like to visit the same. There are various
activities that are undertaken so that the people enjoy their visit.
As per the view point of Atsız, Leoni and Akova, (2020) There are certain activities
that are part of tourism and have impact on tourist activity. All the people have their
own needs and wants the tourist organisation has to fulfil. It is necessary to
understand the needs and wants of the customers and then provide them
accordingly. This will make them successful but the Covid-19 pandemic has
changed the scenario. There are certain determinants of Italian tourism that have
impact on the tourism activity. The beauty of the place is a determinant and it helps
to attract tourist towards the place. There are certain destinations that attract the
people and enhance the number of visitors. Italy is home to the greatest number of
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world. The monuments attract the people to
visits the place. There are certain places like Rome, Venice and Florence that
attract more and more people since centuries. It is known as city of art and this is the
reason the place is successful. Italy is ranked 34th on the list of world's safest
countries. It is safe place for the tourist and the local people ae also supporting in
nature. They build relations with clients and enhance their experience.
As per the opinion of Fernández and et.al., (2020) The place that is safe and
secure attracts the people and help them to manage their working. There is need of
taking proper care of all the determinants so that more people are attracted towards
the destination. There is need of taking proper care of all the people that come to
visit the place and are tourist. The cost of transportation is also affordable in Italy
that help tourist to visit the place. There is key role of the cost of transportation on
the tourist and there visits. They also have fixed budget and if the cost of
transportation is high then the tourist has to face issues in working. Along with that
the place is good for food and provide high quality food (Festa and et.al., 2020). The
cuisine provided by the restaurants in Italy enhances the attractiveness of the
people. It is seen that the beverage and food provided makes the people to visits the
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place again. There is need of maintain effective quality of food and provide them
complementary services so that they are attracted towards the place. It is necessary
to enhance the quality of food and to provide the famous and traditional food of Italy.
The hotels and restaurants are also designed in such a manner that they attract the
people over there. The tourists enjoy the place as the food provided to them is of
good quality. It is important to take care of all these determinants so that the
destination is able to attract more and more people towards the place. The culture of
the place also attracts the people. They take care about the history of the place and
there are certain programmes that help to know about the culture of the place. The
people like to know about the history and thus Italy attracts them. All the
determinants like beauty, monuments, art, culture transportation of the place are
combined together to make the place successful.
What was the reason of decline in Italian tourism due to COVID 19?
According to Covid-19 impact: Italy's tourism sector estimated to shrink by
100 bn euros, (2020) The Covid-19 pandemic enhanced the fear in the mind of
people. They were not ready to step out of the homes due to the spread of virus.
The tourism of Italy has shown staggering of 100 billion euros ($118 billion). The
tourist is scared to visits the place due to the pandemic situation. There is loss due
to the imposed restrictions in the areas. There was situation of lockdown being
noticed in the nation and the major expenses was on health and medical facilities.
The tourism sector is major contributor to Italy’s economy and the pandemic
situation has reduced the tourism at the place. There was fall in tourist rate at the
time if Covid-19 pandemic. The tourism industry has faced a major issue of Covid-19
that has taken the industry to loss situation. The change was observed in the
industry and the tourist organisations were unable to earn any profit. The major
reason of losses in Covid-19 is fear among the members. All the industries in Italy
were impacted by the situation and the guidelines of government was to bring
lockdown.
As per the opinion of Beria and Lunkar, (2021) The actions taken by the
government stopped the people from visiting the place. It is necessary to maintain
social distancing and live a healthy life. The travelling facilities were stopped at the
time and this is a major reason people were unable to travel. In Italy, there were high
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restrictions so that the local people are able to live a safe and healthy life. The safety
measures taken by the government is one of the reason due to which there is
decline in Italian tourism (Monaco, 2018). There is direct connection of airline
industry with the tourism industry and the restrictions caused problem’s and reduced
the sales. The accommodation facility was also not provided to the people at that
time. All the hotels were closed due to the scenario of Covid-19. This is another
reason that there were low sales observed in Italy in tourism sector. There was
problem of lack of facility due to which there was problem in the sector.
According to Coluccia and et.al., (2021) All the employees were scared due to
low sales seen in the company. They were unable to deal with the situation. The
employees were demotivated at that time as there was no tourist. The jobs of the
employees were not secured and this is the major reason of their demotivation. It is
important to maintain social security within the organisation so that all the employees
are free from disease and are able to live a healthy life. Some of the employees left
the place and went to their home town due the diseases. The food and beverage
sector also got impacted due to Covid-19. Italy tourism was famous for food and
beverages and the sector was facing issue at the time of pandemic. This caused
issues in the tourism sector and declined the sales. There was loss of jobs faced by
around 100.8 million individuals in the sector (Stolczyk, 2021). The local people have
started to come out of the homes but the major revenue was generated by the
tourists. The fear among the tourist stop them from visiting the place. They are not
ready to come out of the situation and start travelling. There is need of working
according to norms and steps taken by government. Now the situation of Covid-19 is
a major reason that has reduced the sales in tourism sector and impacted it
adversely.
What are the steps taken by Italian tourism after pandemic?
According to Găitan, (2020) There is need of working ineffective manner to
cover the losses that are being faced by Italy due to Covid-19. They need to form
effective strategies that will help the country to boost the tourism and enhance their
business operations. The major problem at that time was related to fear in the minds
of people. The strategies drawn by them are based on the gaining the trust of the
people. Italy has promised to provide health and safety place to the tourist. They are
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planning to provide effective and quality services to the clients by minimising the
crowd at the place. The use of effective techniques of sanitising will be used so that
all the clients are safe and healthy.
As per the view point of Corbisiero and Monaco, (2020) The major step taken
by Italy tourism is related to digitalisation. There is need of adopting digital
technology at the present time. The same helps them to attract the customers and
enhance the working of tourism sector. It assists in enhancing the image of the place
in the mind of customers. The use of digital marketing helps to attract people
towards the place. There is need of using the right strategies that can helps to gain
successful position. The use of better campaigns on social media persuade the
tourist to visits the place. They promise to provide security to the people and gain
their trust. The use of online payment platforms is also necessary and creates
effective image of the place. There is need of managing the payment scenario
effectively and the use of contactless payment is necessary for the tourism and its
growth. This also creates a positive image in the minds of tourist and they start
trusting the place and move out to take the services (Nikšić, Dragičević and
Barkiđija, 2018). The use of such payment must be safe and secure and the money
of people must be transferred properly. This is a necessary strategy that must be
imposed after Covid-19 in order to keep the customers safe and healthy. The use of
self-check in and self-check out is also done by the tourist organisation in order to
keep the tourist safe and healthy. It is necessary to follow all these strategies and
not to directly contact with others. Along with that proper actions are related to
maintaining quali6ty of food are also take. The food of the Italy is famous and by
taking care of health of people and are able to attract them. It is seen that the
restaurants are and the staff take necessary precautions that keep the people safe
and healthy.
As per Italy strives for balance to make tourism more sustainable, (2021) There
is need of using the concept of sustainable tourism in order to enhance the image in
market. The use of sustainable attracts more customers at the place. Italy has
provided the option of using their smart phones as the key. This helps the people to
work free from the touch on others on the keys. The concept is not popular at the
present time. There is need of using the same so that the people are able to manage
the working effectively. Also, in Italy the negative Covid-19 reports are checked
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before allowing anyone to come. The extensive spread of virus has caused the
problems for people and they are unable to manage the same. The strategies are
designed so that all these problems can be overcome and desired actions are taken.
The use of digitalisation and online services is one of the important measure that is
being taken by them at this time. All the work is now being done by online modes
and the paper work is avoided in order to attain success. There is need of enhancing
the image of the tourist destination so that people are attracted towards the place.
2.3 Conclusion of Literature Review
From this chapter, it is concluded that the Tourism of Italy is being adversely
impacted by the pandemic. There are various attractive places and determinants
that help the place to attract the tourist. The truism was major contributor to GDP in
Italy. The customers were having happy experience, But the situation of pandemic
changes the overall scenario. The overall sector has faced major issues that
reduced the sales and number of tourist in Italy. All the reasons are being analyses
to understand the problems effectively. The strategies that are being taken Italy
tourism are also mentioned as they help to start the business again and attract
various tourists. The important strategy that is being used by them is related to
digitalization. All the work can be done on digital mode so that there is less contact
and this will have positive impact on the tourist and they will visit the place post
Covid-19.
Chapter 3: Methodology
3.1 Research Process
Research methodology is an outline of given piece of work. It helps the
researcher to know about all the important tools and techniques that will be used to
carry on the research. It is systematic discussion of all the steps that are necessary
to complete the research effectively. It helps to gain information regarding a topic
and helps to conclude the same effectively (Bairagi and Munot, 2019). It can be
understood as specific procedure that is being used identify, select, process, and
analyse data related to a topic. This chapter is based on studding reliability and
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