RST Reading Tools

The proposed paper suggests a reflection about a research carried out by Macerata University (Department of Education Science, Cultural Heritage and Tourim) in collaboration with Federalberghi Ascom from Cervia and Milano Marittima, two well known seaside resorts on the Romagna Adriatic coast. The aim of the present study is to highlight the needs and wishes of the post-modern tourist who chooses one of the above mentioned holiday targets, mainly developed in the golden era of seaside mass tourism. The utilized tool is an interactive, multiple choice online survey, consisting of three sections: tourist’s social and personal features; hotel services and their liking; detection of the interests and wishes the tourist could not enjoy in the hosting area. The sample of the survey was limited to the guests registered in hotels, as they had already experienced the tourist offer for a proved number of days and were therefore in a position to express their preferences or doubts on the base of a concrete use of either the tourist facilities and the opportunities offered by the territory. The results reported in the present paper are based on the feedback from 570 forms, pinpointing the tourists’ main future needs, from which it emerges that they took advantage of every input or opportunity offered by the territory, and on the other hand would like to enjoy other opportunities, in particular those linked to a strong characterization of the local community and on substantial forms of environmental sustainability.