Bringing together tourism practices: Experiences from the international student competition of Fermo (Italy)

This chapter uses practice theory to describe and discuss learning in tourism. It focuses on the potential of experiential and location-based educational methods. The chapter presents the main concepts of practice-based learning, location-based learning and community of practice. In particular, it discusses the concepts of self and community identity, peripheral participation, constellation of Communities of Practice (CoPs), boundary and brokering. The chapter then describes the case study relative to the student event arranged by the University of Macerata and the Piceno Laboratory on the Mediterranean Diet, in relation to the adopted method and the findings. Adopting the CoP framework and the location-based learning (LBL) approach, the chapter presents the case of the International Student Competition of Fermo (Italy). The combination of the concepts of CoP and LBL allowed broadening the perspective of a student event so to include the local community and, in particular, the local entrepreneurs.