Dario Bertocchi

Bio: Dario Bertocchi is an academic researcher from Ca' Foscari University of Venice. The author has contributed to research in topics: Tourism & Accommodation. The author has an hindex of 7, co-authored 18 publications receiving 176 citations.

Distribution of tourists within urban heritage destinations: a hot spot/cold spot analysis of TripAdvisor data as support for destination management

Abstract: The emergence of social media and Web 2.0 has a notable impact upon the tasks of destination managers as these platforms have developed into influential mechanisms affecting tourist behaviour. This...

Venice and Overtourism: Simulating Sustainable Development Scenarios through a Tourism Carrying Capacity Model

Abstract: Overtourism problems, anti-tourist movements and negative externalities of tourism are popular research approaches and are key concepts to better understand the sustainable development of tourism destinations. In many of the overtourism narratives, Venice is considered to be one of the most relevant cases of overtourism and therefore has become a laboratory for studying the different conflicts that emerge when tourism numbers continue to grow and the quality of the tourism flow continues to decline. This article is therefore focusing on Venice and on one of the possible solutions to mitigate the negative impacts of tourism represented by the concept of a tourist carrying capacity (TCC) in an urban destination. The aim of this paper is to discuss alternative methodologies regarding the calculation of the TCC, and to apply a fuzzy instead of a ‘crisp’ linear programming model to determine the scenarios of a sustainable number of tourists in the cultural destination of Venice, looking for the optimal compromise between, on the one hand, the wish of maximizing the monetary gain by the local tourism sectors and, on the other, the desire to control the undesirable effects that tourism exerts on a destination by the local population. To solve the problems related to tourism statistics and data availability, some uncertainty in the parameters has been included using fuzzy numbers. The fuzziness in the model was introduced on the basis of questionnaires distributed among both tourists and residents. By applying the fuzzy linear programming model to the emblematic case of Venice, it was shown that this approach can indeed help destinations to understand the challenges of sustainable tourism development better, to evaluate the impact of alternative policies of overtourism on the sustainability of tourism, and hence, to help design a strategy to manage tourist flows more adequately

Finding patterns in urban tourist behaviour: a social network analysis approach based on TripAdvisor reviews

Abstract: Developments in ICT and the massive growth in social media usage have increased the availability of data on travel behaviour. This brings an array of new possibilities to improve destination management through Data-driven decisions. This data, however, needs to be analysed and interpreted in order to be beneficial for destination management. Different kinds of methodologies and data have already been applied to analyse spatial behaviour of tourists between and within destinations. The novelty of our paper in this sense that we apply a relational approach by conducting a network analysis methodology on a readily available big data source: user generated content (UGC) from TripAdvisor. The collected data from the city of Antwerp, Belgium shows how locals, Belgians, Europeans and non-Europeans have distinct review patterns, but also shows recurring behavioural patterns. By comparing the relational constellation of the review network to the spatial distribution of central and peripheral attractions, hotels and restaurants, we discuss the added value of social network analysis on UGC for translating (big) data into applicable information and knowledge. The results show a dominant position of a limited number of clustered attractions in the historic city centre, and shows how geographical proximity and relational proximity are interrelated for international reviewers but less for domestic reviewers. This finding is translated into a set of recommendations for policy makers and destination managers trying to accomplish a better distribution of tourists over the entire destination.

“The Overwhelmed City”: Physical and Social Over-Capacities of Global Tourism in Venice

Abstract: Venice is one of the most famous iconic destinations and one of the most emblematic cases of overtourism affecting a historic city. Here, social movements against tourism have emerged as a reaction to vastly unsustainable tourist flows that have had dramatic and transformational impacts on Venetians’ lives. The aim of this paper is to investigate how tourism transforms the social, cultural, and everyday geographies of the city. The effects of tourism on the historic city are conceived as a process of continuous transformation and repositioning. Taking into consideration the most tangible daily practices of tourists (eating, sleeping, and buying) and the finer dynamics of Venice’s tourism problem, we translate data on these practices into a temporal and spatial analysis to better understand how dynamic the texture of the city is in relation to the tourism subsystem. A comparison between 2008 and 2019 is conducted to evaluate the impact of tourism on residential uses of the city and measure the sustainability of growth of the tourism facilities. The investigation highlighted an impressive accommodation’s growth, from 8.249 in 2008 to 49.260 in 2019 of bed places (497% growth) in the entire historical city, a similar expansion is also evident in the total number of restaurants that has increased by 160% in all districts and a variations of 4% in shops instead of a population decline of −13% in the same period. In addition, a residents’ survey in spring 2019 was conducted to better understand the intensity of these impacts and the motives for depopulation and the anti-tourism movements. We focus on how tourism, if not managed and planned, radically changes the social and urban structures of the city and the lives of local residents. We conclude by presenting some local theoretical and practical insights into the touristic pressure, provided by citizens’ associations on one side and policymakers on the other.

Knowledge management and tourism

Abstract: Abstract The study and practice of knowledge management has grown rapidly since the 90s, driven by social, economic, and technological trends. Tourism has been slow in adopting this approach due to not only a lack of gearing between researchers and tourism, but also to a “hostile” knowledge adoption environment. Its acquisition would close the gap and also provide both insights and potential applications for tourism. Research in Australia supports the assertion that this field is a late adopter of knowledge management. In response, this paper provides a model for tourism.

Whose Urban Renaissance? An International Comparison of Urban Regeneration Strategies

Abstract: Whose Urban Renaissance? An International Comparison of Urban Regeneration Strategies Libby Porter & Kate Shaw (Eds) Routledge, New York, 2009, 291 pp, ISBN 978-0-415-45682-1 Depending upon one's p...