Role and Activities of Revenue Manager between Individual and Team Competencies: Empirical Evidence in a Tourist Destination

Abstract

Among the new figures that have appeared in the panorama of tourism in recent decades, the revenue manager is one that most intrigues operators and scholars. It is a figure whose outlines are still poorly defined. Even their activities are still not properly chalked out. These activities, other than being often confused with mere dynamic pricing with which actually they do not coincide, take place in structures according to an extreme variety of contents and methods. Of late, the literature has examined some aspects of revenue management. These include the strategic relevance of activity, the impact in terms of performance, the operating modes and technological support in the management of variables, and so on. However, the organizational dimension of revenue management activities does not appear to be very thorough in terms of who does what and the skills associated with this role. This work is part of the research in progress at different Italian destinations to understand which hotel activities fall within “revenue management”. Linked with these activities, the research aims to find out about the knowledge, skills, and abilities required. The focus of the present paper is on Bellaria-Igea Marina in the province of Rimini. The results can be useful scholars interested in investigating these aspects. Hotels in organizing revenue management activities can also make use of these results. Further, they would come handy during the selection and evaluation of revenue managers.