Person of the Month: Serena Volo

Professor of Marketing at the Faculty of Economics and Management of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (unibz), Serena Volo is responsible for the organisation and launch of the new Master’s Degree in Tourism Marketing and Policy, a two-year postgraduate programme offered entirely in English by the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, starting in the 2027/28 academic year.

Professor Volo, after several professional experiences in Europe and the United States, you chose South Tyrol twenty years ago to pursue your academic career. What convinced you to make that choice?

“My decision was driven by both academic and personal reasons. The Free University of Bozen-Bolzano offered an international research environment with multilingual teaching, as well as a small group of scholars interested in tourism. It was an environment where I could make a tangible contribution to the shared development of a small university campus dedicated to tourism.

From an academic perspective, the Province of Bolzano is an ideal laboratory for studying tourism. Here, we can closely observe how the sector evolves and interacts with community life, the landscape and the local economy. This connection with the local area is particularly direct: research questions also emerge from engaging with those who experience and manage tourism on a daily basis. Added to this was the high quality of life, which was an important consideration for me.”

Looking back on these twenty years, which experiences have had the greatest impact on your academic career, and what has given you the greatest satisfaction?

“My academic work has always combined teaching, the organisation of international conferences, scientific research and ongoing dialogue with the local community. I also served as Director of the Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism, Sport and Event Management, which I extensively restructured around ten years ago to address the emerging challenges facing the tourism sector.

The programme attracts motivated, curious and ambitious students, with whom we have built relationships of trust and professional connections that often continue well beyond graduation. It is particularly rewarding to encounter many of them today in positions of responsibility in the tourism or sports sectors and to see how their professional journeys continue to intertwine with those of the University and the local community.”

What new challenges lie ahead, and what contribution would you like to make to the education of future generations?

“I am now engaged in the launch of the Master’s Degree in Tourism Marketing and Policy, a process that is complex but also extremely stimulating. It has been developed through ongoing dialogue with businesses, institutions and local stakeholders.

Listening to their experiences, understanding their challenges and gathering their reflections on identity, values and the role of local communities has been essential in reassessing the educational offering, with a view to balancing competitiveness with tourism’s ability to create value while respecting the identity of the destination.

These activities require a significant investment of time and energy, supported by a long-term vision and a willingness to develop an educational programme capable of anticipating societal transformations and responding to the needs of new generations.”

Professor Volo, the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano aims to promote the economic excellence of the local area while opening it up to an increasingly international and sustainable perspective. Does the Master’s Degree in Tourism Marketing and Policy reflect these values?

“Tourism is a central component of South Tyrol’s economy, interacting with many other sectors. The changes we have witnessed in recent years have been rapid and complex. It is therefore essential to educate professionals capable of gaining an in-depth understanding of contemporary tourist behaviour, analysing the dynamics of the markets from which tourist flows originate, and developing marketing strategies aligned with sustainable management policies.

These challenges, further amplified by the growing spread of artificial intelligence, require us to rethink tourism marketing strategies and management and development models, identifying innovative and sustainable solutions that can be applied not only in South Tyrol but also to tourism destinations and organisations in national and international contexts.

The programme has a strong international dimension, reflected not only in its language of instruction (English), but also in scientific collaborations with scholars from other countries, in laboratories that integrate theory with practical applications, and in the opportunities offered to students to undertake periods of study abroad.

The future of tourism requires new skills, openness, vision and responsibility.”

Image: Serena Volo, Courtesy Serena Volo