Roberta Garibaldi

Roberta Garibaldi is a Professor at the University of Bergamo, specifically within the Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures. She specializes in Business Economics and Management (ECON-07/A) with a focus on tourism studies. Her institutional affiliations include significant leadership roles such as CEO of ENIT (Italian National Tourism Agency) during the Draghi government and Vice President of the Tourism Commission of the OECD.

Her research interests center on food and wine tourism, cultural tourism, and sustainable local area development. She has established herself as an expert in promoting Italian tourism through food and wine experiences, with particular attention to regional development strategies and sustainable practices. Her work bridges academic research with practical applications in tourism policy and management.

Garibaldi's publication portfolio reveals strong trends in food and wine tourism research, with a clear evolution toward sustainability, digital transformation (including AI applications), and niche market development. Her recent works increasingly address cross-border tourism initiatives and rural revitalization through cultural heritage.

• Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic

As Scientific Director of major EU-funded research projects including 'Cross-Border Cultural and Creative Tourism in Rural and Remote Areas' (Horizon Europe, 2024) and 'Innovative Cooperation Business – HEI learning model for Tourism' (Other EU programmes, 2018), Garibaldi demonstrates significant grant acquisition capabilities. She serves as President of the Italian Food and Wine Tourism Association and is frequently invited as a keynote speaker at major tourism-related events worldwide.

Her leadership extends to practical applications of tourism research, having worked with UN Tourism-World Tourism Organization, FAO, and numerous national tourism ministries. The Food and Wine Tourism Report, which has published 14 volumes under her direction, represents a significant contribution to the field's empirical knowledge base.