Paragon International School of Cambodia
Secondary Campus
A.Y. 2022 - 2023
CASE STUDY
on
Rome
Submitted by:
Sameed Ahsan
9INT
4-10-23
Submitted to:
Mrs. Shiela Marie Conde
Business / Travel and Tourism teacher
1
Table of Contents
I. Introduction page 3
II. About the Destination page 4
III. Statement of Hypothesis page __
IV. Methods Used for Collecting Evidence page __
V. Analysis and Interpretation of Data page __
VI. Conclusion page __
VII. Appendix page __
VIII. Bibliography and Resources page __
2
INTRODUCTION
Rome is a city steeped in history, culture, and beauty, and it remains
to be one of the most popular tourism destinations in the world,
averaging about 9.5 million visitors per year. In this case study, we
will be analyzing various sources of data and evaluating Rome’s
position on the destination life cycle.
My reason for choosing Rome as the subject of this case study is
simply due to its rich history, with ancient landmarks such as the
Colosseum and the Patheon offering a glimpse of the Roman Empire
and its influence.
And ofcourse, the beloved cuisine that spans from pasta dishes to
crispy roman-style pizza, and many, many more.
This case study will serve to educate on how well Rome is thriving as
a tourist destination, and the impact any challenges it faces has on
tourism in the vicinity.
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ABOUT THE DESTINATION
Rome, also referred to as “The Eternal City”, is the capital and largest
city of Italy, located in the central region of Lazio. It is one of the
oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, with a history that
dates back over 2,500 years. Rome was once the center of the Roman
Empire, and its rich cultural heritage is reflected in its numerous
ancient ruins, monuments, and museums. The city is home to scenic
beauty and iconic landmarks such as the Colosseum, the Pantheon,
and the Roman Forum, as well as the Vatican City, the seat of the
Roman Catholic Church. Rome is also renowned for its food, fashion,
and vibrant modern culture, making it a popular tourist destination for
millions of visitors each year.
4
STATEMENT OF HYPOTHESIS
I hypothesize that the consolidation stage is where Rome is
positioned on the tourism destination life cycle. This is because it has
well established infrastructure to accommodate and cater to its large
numbers of visitors, and has culturally historical attractions known
world-wide. Thus, it has made a name for itself as a cultural and
historical hub, consistently attracting millions of tourists every year.
5
METHODS USED FOR COLLECTING EVIDENCE
Primary Evidence:
No primary evidence available as I do not have access to local
opinions on the tourism of the place.
Secondary Evidence:
Websites: A range of websites obtained from the internet will be used
as a source of secondary evidence.
Data and Statistics: Graphs and Charts acquired from various google
searches and websites.
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ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Evidence 1
The graph above shows us a slow but steady increase from the years
2011 to 2019, with a 4% increase in occupancy rate between 2011-
2019.
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Evidence 2
The statistics below show us that Rome was the 17th most visited
destination in the world, and also the most popular destination within
Italy.
Evidence 3
8
Regarding accommodation, the chart below shows us that Rome is
the most expensive destination within Italy, with an average nightly
rate being 236 euros.
Evidence 4
9
As we can see, 64.7% of accommodation listings on Airbnb are for
entire homes or apartments, taking the majority of the pie chart.
Meanwhile, over a quarter of the pie chart was taken up by Hotel
rooms, with 27.3%. The smallest percentage, 5.2%, belonged to
shared rooms.
Evidence 5
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The below statistics show that the majority of hotels in Rome are 3-
star hotels, with 621 such hotels. 4-star hotels appear to be around
450 in number, and 5-star hotels appear to be approximately 50-100.
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Evidence 6
The statistics below reveal to us that the culture tourism in Rome was
heavily impacted by the Covid-19 Pandemic, with a drop from
approximately 80 million euros in 2019 to approximately 27 million in
2021 generated because of museums, monuments, and other
archaeological sites.
Evidence 7
12
Again, statistics prove that Rome is the most popular destination in
Italy by far, beating other destinations within the country by over 4
and a half million visitors.
Evidence 8
13
The statistics available below reveal that the most popular tourist
attraction within Rome is the Colosseum, with almost every tourist in
Rome paying a visit to it.
Evidence 9
14
Rome is the most popular tourist destination within Europe, as of
2022.
Evidence 10
From below we can see that the average temperatures in Rome
throughout the year consist of being room temperature and below,
going as low as 4 degrees Celsius.
Evidence 11
15
The given statistic below tells us that Rome gets a fair bit of rain, with
an approximate average of 61.75 mm of precipitation (calculated by
using the mean formula).
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Evidence 12
This article states that Italy has become too dependent on tourism to
survive, that there have been negative side-effects to the
environment, and that expenses such as rent have increased, causing
those who cannot afford them to leave the area.
Link to full article;
https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/05/21/without-tourism-italys-economy-
faces-disaster/#:~:text=Of%20course%2C%20mass%20tourism
%20has,has%20lost%20about%2020%2C000%20residents.)
Evidence 13
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With the given chart, we can deduce that although Rome’s tourism
industry was hit hard by the Covid-19 Pandemic, it is making a very
fast and efficient recovery.
Evidence 14
These statistics support the statement that Rome is making an
effective recovery after the loss during the Pandemic.
Evidence 15
https://www.avenlylanetravel.com/what-is-rome-like-worst-things-
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about-trips-to-rome/
The link above leads to an article talking about the negative side of
Rome as a tourist destination. It states the problems Rome has with
over tourism and crowding, leading to very busy traffic and dense
crowds. It also highlights the issue with hustlers who try to burn
holes in the wallets of tourists and the increased living standards and
cost of staying in Rome.
Evidence 16
https://romeandvaticanpass.com/en-us/blog/is-rome-safe
The article above underlines the issues Rome has with petty thefts,
the most common type of crime in the area, mainly aimed towards
tourists.
CONCLUSION
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With our various findings ranging from graphs and pie charts to
articles and written statistics, In my opinion, I still believe that Rome
is in the consolidation stage of the tourism destination life cycle. This
is because of several reasons.
Firstly, as stated by Evidence 12, the destination is dependent on
tourism, meaning that the economy is controlled by tourism activities.
Secondly, the tourist volume at the destination is steadily increasing,
as shown by Evidence 1.
Thirdly, the local economy and community is benefitting greatly from
the tourist activities, as shown by Evidence 6. Fourthly, there are
negative impacts on the destination, such as the overcrowding and
increased rental prices, also shown by Evidence 12.
And lastly, proper policies must be applied to prevent the occurrence
of petty theft that risks the safety of tourists and their possessions.
With this, I conclude that Rome is thriving as a tourist destination in
the consolidation stage but must take some steps to address its
issues or risk facing a drop in tourism popularity and all the benefits
that come with.
APPENDIX
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After analyzing our data, how do I think the tourist destination
can be improved?
● Address the overcrowding problem that comes with a large
volume of tourists. A possible solution to this would be to limit
the number of tourists that can visit at a specific time period,
such as how Mecca put a limit on the number of Pilgrims during
the Covid-19 Pandemic. An alternative solution to this would be
to promote and encourage tourists to visit other times of the
year besides peak timings.
● Government should enforce policies to minimize and eradicate
petty theft and scams targeted towards tourists. This would
ensure the safety of any tourists and their possessions when on
their trip in Rome and soothe any fears visitors have about
touring Rome.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCES
https://www.enjoytravel.com/au/travel-news/places-to-visit/50-most-
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visited-cities-in-the-world
https://earth.esa.int/web/earth-watching/image-of-the-week/content/-/
article/rome-italy/#:~:text=Rome%20is%20a%20city%20and,of%20the
%20region%20of%20Lazio.
https://www.dreambigtravelfarblog.com/blog/rome-travel-tourism-
statistics
https://weather-and-climate.com/average-monthly-Rainfall-
Temperature-Sunshine,Rome,Italy
https://www.trafalgar.com/real-word/iconic-struggling-overtourism-
destinations/
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