Europe 60
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arrivals in 2017, an increase of 4.4%. France followed this with 4.5 million (+4.3%), and in third place was the UK, with 3.6 million (+1.7%). However, the USA takes third place overall, with 4.9 million arrivals (+9.9%).
MARIA ELENA ROSSI marketing and promotion director, Italian National Tourist Board (Enit)
Matera, in southern Italy, will be a European Capital of Culture next year
HOW IS ITALY’S TOURISM INDUSTRY DOING? The latest offi cial data indicates a general growth in the total number of arrivals (+5.3%) and nights spent (+4.4%) in 2017 compared with 2016. The positive trend is apparent among all types of accommodation. The top European market for Italy in terms of arrivals is Germany, with 12.2 million
Overnight stays in Italy, 2017 Country of residence of guests – nights spent
Germany 59,327,839 France 13,629,514 UK 13,252,332 United States 12,659,011 Netherlands 10,918,181 Switzerland & Liechtenstein 10,810,696 Austria 9,436,079
Poland 5,528,454 Spain 5,175,006 Russia 5,075,809
ARE YOU TARGETING NEW MARKETS SUCH AS CHINA AND THE MIDDLE EAST? Italy recorded three million arrivals from China in 2017, an increase of almost 15%. China is now our fi fth-biggest source market. We are the top European destination for overseas markets in the Schengen Area and the marketing activities of Enit are oriented to specifi c targets. These include independent travellers plus affl uent and special-interest groups, such as food and wine, nature, sports and adventure.
SOUTHERN ITALY SEEMS TO BE INCREASINGLY POPULAR; IS THIS AN AREA YOU ARE ACTIVELY PROMOTING? Enit is cooperating with the Southern Italian regions in several marketing activities to support brand positioning, especially for target markets such as families,
maths has influenced artists through the ages. A fourth will examine how human changes to the earth’s climate, land, oceans and biosphere are now such that a new geological age defined by the actions of humans – the Anthropocene – is being mooted.
New visitor itineraries There are some obvious tourism opportunities using these themes, which have been transposed into a series of new visitor itineraries, including a tour of the south’s main cave housing and rock worship sites, a literary trail and Renaissance Reinterpreted – a tour of Middle Age and
and to develop better connections with the main markets.
HOW IMPORTANT HAVE BUDGET AIRLINES BEEN? As in most countries, low-cost airlines have been crucial for tourism growth. Italy has an extended network of airports, from north to south, allowing excellent connections to all cities and regions. This is a great opportunity for further development of tourism arrivals in lesser-known areas with great potential, and helps towards a better distribution of visitors in all seasons.
WHAT IS ITALY’S 2019 MARKETING STRATEGY? Next year Italy will be celebrating the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci. Also in 2019, Enit celebrates 100 years since its foundation. The focus of the marketing strategy will be “value growth”: the value of our proposal to existing and new markets and of innovation of tourism products, focusing on the experience of the Italian way of life. This strategy will involve both the leisure and the meetings industries.
Baroque art and architecture found nearby Matera.
The organisers hope that the
city will reap a lasting legacy from 2019. In 2014, when the plans were drawn up, Matera attracted 200,000 visitors, only 30% of whom were international tourists. The goal is to increase this to a 50-50 split by next year, while Matera is planning for a total of 600,000 visitors in 2020. One boost to the region as a whole comes from easyJet,
which is now offering year-round flights to Bari from the UK, with Gatwick services running twice a week this winter for the first time – something that can only add to Matera’s appeal.
In 2014, the official estimate was that there were 21,000 tourist beds in Basilicata. In Matera itself, there were 2,600, with supply then in line with demand. That may well change after 2019 – investors may
regard Matera as something of a hotspot in the years to come.
■ The Italian National Tourist Board is exhibiting on stand EU200 and EU50.
07.11.2018 49
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