Lake Garda Tourism Sees Growth in Markets and Campsite Quality Certifications

Lake Garda consolidates its position as the leading tourist destination, tallying over eight million six hundred thousand days of presence across eleven months, from January to November. “This increase, although more notable in the extrahotel sector with a +7.7 percent compared to the same period last year,” states Enrico Merenda, president of the Riviera degli Olivi Tourist Promotion Agency, “is equally significant in the hotel sector, with a +4.8 percent, resulting in an overall increase of over half a million presences. Notably, the German-speaking markets have shown strong growth, thanks to the targeted promotion conducted by us over recent years,” emphasizes the president, “in collaboration with the Province of Verona, the Chamber of Commerce, the Apt n. 13, and the category associations.” The confirmation comes from the raw data, which shows a +13.2 percent increase in German visitors, +9.8 percent from Austria, and a +12.3 percent rise from the Netherlands. “But the biggest satisfaction,” Merenda highlights, “is the incredible leap in the UK market, with nearly 100,000 presences of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s subjects (»19.3%), thanks to the widespread and persistent efforts of Garda’s tourism agencies, which are the top in Veneto for their incoming capacity.” There is also a downside: the Italian market recorded a loss of 20,000 presences, or -6.3 percent, mainly affecting open-air accommodation providers, especially during July and August. Nonetheless, camping sites remain engaged in structural refurbishments and aim for quality certification. Last summer, La Quercia campsite in Lazise became the first to obtain environmental certification, followed last month by the Du Park campsite in the same area, while other companies await their ‘promotion.’ All are working towards establishing the Quality Campsites Club on Lake Garda as well. “Obtaining the ISO 9002 certification was an important first step,” says Giovanni Bernini, owner of Du Park campsite, “to ensure a higher level of quality in services for a client base that is increasingly aware and demanding.” At the same time, this qualification process pushes the company to optimize management, considering the evolving working relationships, and delegating more responsibilities to staff. Bernini emphasizes that “this represents a clear shift in company culture, with a focus on environmental quality, understood as customer satisfaction, emphasizing relaxation and immersion in nature during vacations. It’s essential to understand the customer, meet their needs, and cater to them—considering energy savings, safety, and the guest’s ecological consciousness regarding green transportation within the campsite.” This tourist movement, favoring outdoor structures, is continuously expanding, with over 4,270,000 days of presence—an increase of just under seven percentage points from last year—and accounts for roughly 50 percent of the overall tourism trend. Consequently, campsites are moving towards optimization, exemplified by Du Park in Lazise, which spans six hectares descending from the Gardesana road toward the lake, accommodating up to 1,500 guests with around fifty employees. Its traditional foreign clientele mainly consists of Dutch and Danish visitors, especially in June and July, with Germans in September, and a growing presence of Swiss and English tourists. “With the ISO 9002 tool,” highlights Marco Zaninelli, president of the Gardacamping Association, “we are all committed—not only to improving service quality, ensuring guest safety, and maintaining staff professionalism, but especially to protecting the environment. Of course, many issues remain, particularly regarding resources. For this reason, as Assogardacamping, we are working on monitoring initiatives to achieve more rational resource use and reduce water and energy consumption.”