A Theoretical Approach to Mass Tourism in Italy

The focus of this chapter is mass tourism in Italy. First, we consider leisure policies during Fascism, a period which was fundamental to the introduction of mass tourism in Italy. Secondly, we examine the boom from the 1950s to the 1970s, showing how mass tourism became the dominant model, and stressing some impacts on territory and local population. Thirdly, we discuss the first signs of crisis of this model since the 1970s, when Italy lost its international lead- ership, though some local businesses were able to withstand this crisis. Finally, we highlight some changes in tourism arising from globalization: (i) the role of new technologies; (ii) opportunities for local communities; (iii) the increasing importance of sustainability; and (iv) new social meanings attributed to tourism. Special attention will be paid to the Emilia- Romagna coast, where mass tourism is most dense and most visible, thus epitomizing the Italian variant of this model. In addition, we compare tourism trends in Italy to other Mediterranean countries, a core research focus for the Mediterranean Association for the Sociology of Tourism (AssMed), whose activities are frequently mentioned in this chapter.