The quality of web communication by Italian tourist ports

Nautical tourism is a growing form of tourism, and the Mediterranean Sea is a major destination. Italy has a long tradition in nautical tourism, as its large number of tourism ports refl ects. Ports are core actors in nautical tourism systems, devoted to meeting increasing and complex demand by nautical tourists; marketing communication is consequently a critical activity, for tourist ports, where websites play a crucial role. However, despite its importance, the evaluation of tourist ports websites is an almost unexplored research fi eld, where a large research gap exists. Our paper evaluates the quality of 51 Italian tourist ports websites using the 2QCV3Q model, a multi-purpose qualitative evaluation tool. Th e overall quality of Italian tourist ports websites was assessed on the basis of comparison to a group of benchmark ports in the Mediterranean Sea and worldwide. Results suggest that Italian tourist ports websites require improvement, especially of their content and the services provided. In this respect, our methodology provides an exhaustive assessment of the quality of a port's website and its determinants, helping to support managers in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of their website and prioritizing related actions.