Ateneo - UPO

The course aims to provide the skills needed to use and understand basic statistical tools for the analysis of tourism phenomena, applying theoretical concepts to real or realistic data.

Pasetti, Paolo. Statistica del turismo. Carocci, 2002.Buglear, John, and Elaine Chen. Stats means business: statistics and business analytics for business, hospitality and tourism. Routledge, 2025.Supplementary learning materials, lecture notes, and slides curated by the instructor will be available on the course e-learning platform (D.I.R.) at https://www.dir.uniupo.it.

The course learning objectives are structured across two levels:1) Methodological: acquisition of the fundamental concepts of statistics applied to tourism, with reference to examples and empirical evidence.2) Analytical: development of the ability to read, process, and summarize tourism data, using the technical language of the discipline correctly, independently interpreting results, and translating them into useful insights for the analysis of tourism systems.

Basic mathematical knowledge.

Teaching activities are organized into expository teaching, interactive teaching, and self-learning activities. Approximately half of the credits (CFUs) are allocated to expository teaching, while the remaining credits are divided between interactive teaching and self-learning activities. The activities include lectures, practical exercises, and interactive activities aimed at applying statistical concepts to problems of interest in the tourism sector. The delivery of teaching activities, including any interactive and innovative activities, will be adapted to the characteristics of the classroom and the teaching facilities available.

Active participation during lectures is strongly encouraged. Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/servicesstudents-physical-or-learning-disabilities Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

Assessment consists of two components: i)a written examination with applied exercises and data analysis problems; ii) an oral examination aimed at assessing the understanding of theoretical concepts and the appropriate use of technical terminology.

Preliminary concepts and the statistical system of tourism: statistical population, variables and categories; measurement scales; stages of statistical data collection.Descriptive analysis of tourism data: frequency distributions, cumulative distributions, and graphical representations; summary measures; measures of variability; analysis of concentration and heterogeneity.Bivariate analysis: joint and marginal distributions; analysis of dependence between variables; covariance and linear correlation; simple linear regression.Analysis of aggregated data and time series: statistical indicators and main tourism indicators; index numbers; descriptive models for time series.
The course will include real or simulated examples based on personal and social characteristics of individuals (gender, age, place of origin, etc.), with the main focus on the statistical interpretation of the results.

At the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. acquire the fundamental concepts of statistics for data analysis;
2. understand and interpret the main statistical measures and analyses in the tourism and economic sectors;
3. use statistical information for analysis and decision-making support.

Fragmentary knowledge or substantial errors, an inability to correctly apply the main statistical tools, and an inability to interpret the results of statistical analyses will result in an insufficient grade.

The achievement of a passing grade requires essential knowledge of the main statistical concepts and tools, together with the ability to apply them to simple problems and to correctly interpret the results. Some uncertainty in setting up or solving problems is acceptable, provided that it does not compromise the overall correctness of the solution.

Higher grades reflect greater completeness and soundness of knowledge, a more effective ability to apply statistical methods, greater autonomy in formulating and solving problems, and the ability to critically interpret results.

Excellent grades require full mastery of the course content, combined with a high degree of autonomy in setting up and solving problems, the ability to select and appropriately use statistical tools, and the ability to critically interpret the results.