Regional Tourism Insights: Challenges and Successes Across Italy
The tourism sector is a valuable asset that must be protected and promoted. According to the speakers at the round table organized by Unione Commercio e Turismo yesterday at Palacongressi, the current situation isn’t very encouraging. We should cherish our local tourism, keep an eye on our cousins in Alto Adige, consider some adjustments to the proposal by the assessor Marco Benedetti, and let this blessed butterfly take flight.
Absent due to the flu, President Gianni Bort participated remotely, while the discussions moderated by Mario Malossini in the conference room of Palafiere revealed a broader outlook. The insights gained from contacts with officials from Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, and Piedmont provide reassurance that Trentini can sleep peacefully.
Analysis of Regional Experiences
Sergio Donati, head of the tourism department of Emilia Romagna, shared insights from fifteen years of upheaval, including laws repeatedly made and undone, as well as the appointment and liquidation of Emilia Romagna’s Apt (Aziende di Promoziione Turistica).
Claudio Pasini, vice president of API servizi, was tasked with reorganizing the sector, which, it seems, has been bearing initial results over the past year.
Most stakeholders agree on the importance of engaging both public and private sectors, promoting local products, and in some cases even marketing them—either through consortia or other effective means.
Criticisms and Positives in the Tourism Sector
The Tuscany experience, reported by API director Pierluigi Masini, was described as disastrous: “The approval of the new law was a heavy defeat,” he said. Conversely, tourism in Alto Adige, according to CEO of Alto Adige Marketing, Karl Kronsteiner, is thriving and abundant.
Besides tourism, agricultural product promotion is also coordinated there. The capital investment is evenly split between private entities and various associations (hoteliers, ski resort operators, etc.). For Kronsteiner, it’s essential to ask what the market and people want.
Piedmont Situation and Conclusions
In Piedmont, Luigi Momo, director of tourism, sports, and parks, described tourism as a relatively new sector. There exists a regional consortium called Atl (Agenzia Territoriale Locale), where public and private entities contribute their share of membership fees.
Our assessor recalled that “it is forbidden to let our guard down,” while a change is necessary to adapt to new directions in tourism. Benedetti concluded that “the reorganization plan must remain cohesive,” and emphasized the need to establish a tourism coordination body.
