MINAZZI ROBERTA

Roberta Minazzi is Associate Professor of Management at the Department of Law, Economics and Cultures of the University of Insubria (Italy), where she has been serving since 2018. She is also the Coordinator of the Master's Degree in Hospitality for Sustainable Tourism Development (HoSTDe), an international programme focused on sustainable tourism, hospitality management, and destination development.

She earned her Bachelor's degree in Public Relations from IULM University in Milan and completed a PhD in Marketing and Communication, with a dissertation on quality management in the hospitality industry. In 2005, she was a Visiting Scholar at the College of Hospitality Management of Niagara University (New York, USA), where she further developed her research in hospitality management from an international perspective.

Her research activity has continuously evolved over the past two decades, focusing on tourism management, hospitality management, service marketing, destination management, and digital innovation. While her early studies explored service quality, customer satisfaction, hotel performance, and relationship marketing, her more recent research investigates sustainable tourism, destination branding, social media marketing, online reputation management, platform economy, smart tourism, digital transformation, and the application of Extended Reality (XR) technologies for cultural heritage enhancement.

Professor Minazzi has built an extensive international research network through collaborations with universities in Europe and the United States, including Niagara University (USA), University West (Sweden), and Bournemouth University (United Kingdom). These collaborations have contributed to international publications and research projects on innovation, sustainability, digital transformation, and emerging business models in tourism and hospitality.

She has participated in several nationally funded research projects, including the Italian PRIN programme and the PNRR – NODES initiative on digital and sustainable tourism. She is currently Principal Investigator of the Cultural Extended Reality Routes (CERR) project, funded under the PNRR Proof of Value programme, which explores innovative applications of Extended Reality for cultural heritage interpretation and visitor experiences. Since 2025, she has also coordinated the University of Insubria research unit within Varese Cultura 2030, a strategic project funded by Fondazione Cariplo to support the cultural and tourism development of the Varese area.

Her current research interests include:

Tourism Management
Hospitality Management
Destination Management and Destination Branding
Sustainable Tourism
Tourism Marketing and Service Marketing
Platform Economy and Digital Business Models
Social Media Marketing and Online Reputation Management
Customer Experience
Smart Tourism and Digital Transformation
Extended Reality (XR) for Cultural Heritage
Cultural Tourism
Innovation and Sustainability in Tourism Destinations

Teaching Activities

Roberta Minazzi has been actively engaged in higher education for more than twenty years in the fields of tourism management, hospitality management, and marketing. Her teaching is closely integrated with her research activities and is characterized by a strong focus on innovation, sustainability, and the internationalization of higher education.

Throughout her academic career, she has taught at the University of Insubria, IULM University, the University of Milano-Bicocca, and LIMEC – School of Higher Education for Linguistic Mediators, contributing to the education of undergraduate and graduate students, professionals, and future tourism managers.

University of Insubria

Since 2010, she has been teaching at the Department of Law, Economics and Cultures of the University of Insubria, first as an Assistant Professor and, since 2018, as an Associate Professor. Prior to this appointment, she served as Teaching Assistant and Adjunct Lecturer in courses related to Tourism Management, Tourism Marketing, and Organization of Tourism Enterprises.

Her teaching activities cover undergraduate and graduate programmes in tourism management, marketing, and international communication.

Main courses taught:

Tourism Management
Tourism Marketing
International Business Strategies
Destination Management and Marketing

These courses are offered within the Bachelor's Degree in Tourism Science, the Bachelor's Degree in Modern Languages for International Communication and Cooperation, and the international Master's Degree in Hospitality for Sustainable Tourism Development (HoSTDe).

She has also taught marketing courses within the Promoters of Giving postgraduate Master's programme.

Coordinator of the Master's Degree Programme

Since 2018, Professor Minazzi has served as Coordinator of the international Master's Degree in Hospitality for Sustainable Tourism Development (HoSTDe). In this role, she contributes to the academic and strategic development of the programme by promoting an educational offering focused on the contemporary challenges of sustainable tourism, digital innovation, and destination management. Her responsibilities include coordinating teaching activities, designing curricula, and fostering collaboration with tourism businesses and public institutions.

IULM University

Since 2005, she has been teaching at IULM University in Milan, delivering lectures and seminars within undergraduate, postgraduate, and executive education programmes dedicated to tourism, cultural heritage, and Made in Italy.

Selected seminars and lectures:

Social Media Marketing in the Hospitality Industry
Distribution and Communication in the Tourism Sector

She has also contributed to the following courses:

Tourism Marketing
Management for Cultural Heritage
Master's Programme in Made in Italy Management

Since 2025, she has been the course leader for:

Platform Economy for Tourism
Service Quality Management
University of Milano-Bicocca

During the 2019–2020 academic year, she taught Social Media Marketing for Tourism at the Department of Sociology and Social Research, focusing on digital marketing strategies for tourism destinations and hospitality businesses.

LIMEC – School of Higher Education for Linguistic Mediators

During the 2023–2024 academic year, she taught Corporate Strategy and Product Internationalization, with particular emphasis on competitive strategies in international markets.

Teaching Areas

Throughout her academic career, Professor Minazzi has taught and developed courses in the following fields:

Tourism Management
Hospitality Management
Tourism Marketing
International Marketing and Management
Service Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Destination Marketing
Platform Economy
Service Quality Management
Cultural Heritage Marketing

Her teaching philosophy is strongly research-led and practice-oriented, combining academic knowledge with real-world applications through case studies, industry collaborations, and international learning experiences. She works closely with destinations, tourism organizations, cultural institutions, and private companies to promote innovative, sustainable, and digitally driven approaches to tourism development.