VISITOR EXPECTATIONS AND PERCEPTIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY IN A MASS TOURISM DESTINATION Cristina Bernini, PhD – University of Bologna Emilio Urbinati, PhD – Province of Rimini Laura Vici, PhD - University of Bologna

ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe 3rd International Scientific Conference Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija Motivation Study of visitor expectations and perception of sustainability in a mass tourism destination  Extent to which tourists either recognize the presence or evaluate the importance and quality of tourism sustainable policies at the destination  The government and industry players are getting aware that sustainable tourism is necessary and maybe the only possible tourism model in medium-to-long term (Hassan, 2000)

ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe 3rd International Scientific Conference Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija SEE InTourAct Project  The paper is based on a research realized within the SEE – InTourAct Project.  The aim of the project was to improve the sustainability of tourist destinations in Adriatic region.  The Province of Rimini realized a sustainability customer satisfaction survey in order to know the perception of tourists regarding sustainability and to support the policies.  New programs, new possibilities: Italia – Croatia and ADRION.

ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe 3rd International Scientific Conference Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija Literarature review  The receipt of excellent services reinforces the loyalty of current customers and increases the potential for attracting new ones.  There are few studies investigating the relationship between destination competitiveness and sustainable tourism development through tourists’ perceptions (for a review see Chen et al., 2011; Lin and Lin, 2011).  No study highlights the level of importance of sustainability strategies in mass destinations.

ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe 3rd International Scientific Conference Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija Sustainability issues  Preservation of rural cultures and tradition  Promotion of lesser-known areas around the country  Preservation of local fauna and flora  Protection of geographic denominations of food types  Little attention has been devoted to investigate the extent to which tourists either recognize the presence or evaluate the intensity of tourism sustainable policies

ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe 3rd International Scientific Conference Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija Objectives  To improve the knowledge of tourism sustainability in mature destinations  To investigate tourists’ perceptions of sustainability experienced during their holiday and the consequent level of satisfaction  To focus on a mature and mass destination, as Rimini (Italy)

ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe 3rd International Scientific Conference Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija Methodology and data  The case study regards the District of Rimini which is one of the most famous mass tourism seaside resorts in Europe and mainly hosts seaside tourists.  Representative sample of tourists (domestic and foreigners) who have chosen in 2014 the District of Rimini (Italy) as a destination for their holidays  705 face-to- face interviews that respect the natural proportion among Italian and foreign tourists, and among tourists who visited the District of Rimini in high or low seasons.  Questionnaire composed of three main sections: i) tourist’s motivation and behavior; ii) assessment of tourism services; iii) personal information.  Mapping construction

ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe 3rd International Scientific Conference Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija Sample characteristics Freq.% and above679.5 Male Female No qualification or primary school40.57 Middle school High school Degree Employed Worker Retired Freelancer Student Self employed Housewife Manager Entrepreneur Other182.55

ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe 3rd International Scientific Conference Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija Results: who visited Rimini Only 26.67% of the sample “consumes” only one holiday per year. Above 70% of the sample distributes part of their days-off among different periods of holidays. People visiting the Riviera Romagnola often self- organize their holiday (87.52%) and choose a full-board service (65.96%). Moreover, tourists’ loyalty characterizes the District of Rimini: nearly 60% of respondents have already spent their holidays in Rimini in the past (the average number of vacation periods spent in the District is 5.28). Average no. Holidays per year Freq.PercentageTravel groupFreq.percentage Max Alone From 1 to With family From 2 to Couple Above With friends Total705 Other (colleagues, tour gruop, etc.) Package tourFreq.percentage Self-organized Board typeFreq.Percentage Tour organized Full board Total705 Half board B&B LoyaltyFreq.percentageJust overnight First time in Rimini Already been in Rimini (average no. holidays 5.28)

ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe 3rd International Scientific Conference Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija Results: Tourists’ evaluations Almost all the characteristics investigated obtain very high judgments (more than 7.5). The overall satisfaction of the tourists recorded an average score of 8.4 (the range of scores was 1-10). This result clearly shows how the area of the District of Rimini is able to respond very well to the expectations of the tourists. (score from 1 – min to 10 – max) ImportanceSatisfactionΔ =%Better-%Worse ItaliansForeignersItaliansForeignersItaliansForeigners Overall Satisfcation Holiday9,09,18,48,25%6% Hospitality (courtesy, helpfulness, solicitude, professionalism, etc.)9,08,98,78,518%24% City's services and infrastructure8,89,08,28,10%-5% Sustainability (environmental impact, renewable resources, conservation of heritage, etc.) 8,58,68,07,9-1%-7%

ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe 3rd International Scientific Conference Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija Results: the Destination Map

ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe 3rd International Scientific Conference Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija Results: sustainability initiatives TotalItaliansForeigns Waste Separation52% Cycling38%40%32% Public Transport17%19%10% Energy Saving10%11%6% Quality Of Sea Water8%9%5% Renewable Energy (i.e. solar hot water and pv panels) 8%7%9% Services For Travellers With Disabilities5%6%2% Typical Local/Traditional Products5% 3% Water Saving4% Noise Reduction2% 0%

ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe 3rd International Scientific Conference Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija Conclusions The customer satisfaction analysis resulted in a very high average score on the overall product satisfaction (of 8.4 over 10). This result clearly shows how the District of Rimini is able to fit the needs of the tourists. From this premise, it is even more interesting to highlight what emerged from the customer satisfaction analysis about sustainability. Tourists consider sustainability a less relevant factor of the holiday and a less satisfactory aspect than others The sustainability is still a feature that comes after the main and classical ones such as the sea, beach, sun, relax, entertainment. Even if there is a small expectation about sustainability, this is only partially met, especially in the perspective of foreigner tourists. On the other hand, it has to be considered that Rimini has very high degrees of satisfaction in every indicator. As a consequence, even if sustainability indicator comes after classical ones, still it has high degree too.

Thank you for your attention! Cristina Bernini, PhD – University of Emilio Urbinati, PhD – Province of Rimini Laura Vici, PhD – University of