Changes in the Meaning of Tourism and New Business-Territoty Relationships

Research into motivation and behaviour of tourists who visits the beaches on Romagna's Adriatic coast have made it possible to identify the many factors leading people to go on vacation and choose a particular destination. It hase also brought to light the fact that a holiday spent at any given destination may have different and overlapping images. The variety and the unpredictability of the choices and behaviour of tourists represents a radical challenge for the business models accrued within the framework of mass tourism, depriving industry professionals of precise benchmark models with regard to consumers expectations. This research targets local businesses and aims to illustrate both their perception of the changes taking place in tourism as well as their intentions for devising strategies to respond to the challenges that the market poses today.