The psychology of tourism is a new study field, whom at the time being has not produced the amount of interest hoped by its promoters. Especially in the Italian context, where tourism appears to be one of the most important resources of the country, it seems appropriate to explore the psychological aspects underlying the different shapes of today traveling. The psychology of tourism, as remembered by Marcello Cesa-Bianchi, allows to understand the changing of the current forms of tourism. This phenomenon, at the time being, is often described as oriented towards the research of authentic, intriguing and regenerating experiences, by which rediscover themselves and other people. Multiple shapes therefore characterize contemporary tourism, also called experiential tourism. In fact, the inherent literature alternatively describes this type of tourism, in terms of sustainable, ethical, alimentary, dark, sexual and spatial tourism. The main goal of the current paper is to provide an overview of the numerous appearances that experiential tourism takes on in the contemporaneity, underlining peculiarities and ambiguities.
Keywords: Travel, tourism, experience, research of the self.