Valtenesi Tourism Coop Promotes Lake Garda with Fairs, Biking and Web Strategies
In recent days, the lake water had a truly threatening appearance. And the Baia del Vento, between Portese harbor and Punta dei Grosti, was shouting the rage of an incoming storm. To present their programs, the “Tourist co-op Valtenesi”, which groups together the tourism operators of the area, had chosen the island of Garda, owned by the Cavazza family (Charlotte Chetwynd Talbot, an Englishwoman, and her seven children). Cutting through the waves like young Moses, the Consolini transported hoteliers, campers, tourist village owners, provincial councilor Ermes Buffoli, mayors (Ambrogio Florioli of San Felice, Isidoro Bertini of Manerba, Massimo Pollini of Moniga), and others aboard their motorboats.
A visit to the island, followed by the report from the co-op president, “For eleven years, we have been working on the unified promotion of our companies and Valtenesi” – recalled Valentino Righetti. – “Our goal is to involve all accommodation structures (and others). We mainly want to become visible, by purchasing or renting an office at Crociale di Manerba, with an employee working for us”. These are the activities scheduled for 2002. “We intend to participate in at least ten fairs. For the main ones (Munich, Stuttgart, Utrecht, Herning), we will send our staff. Then Bern, Hamburg, Berlin, Friedrichshafen, Salzburg, Antwerp”.
Promotion Projects and Strategies
The Province of Brescia buys space at various events, leaving management to consortia and cooperatives. We have also allocated about twenty million lire for the website www.gardavaltenesi.com, with links on major lake-related sites. Additionally, the co-op has already reprinted the manual (which contains descriptions in multiple languages of the seven communes, with listings of sports facilities, bus schedules, and events).
“Now we will reissue the catalog in 30,000 copies, to be distributed at fairs and Enit offices. Anyone who purchases a full page will receive two beautiful bicycles free of charge, to offer to their guests.”
The two-wheel project is one of the program’s main points. “We will print a new publication with all the mountain biking routes” – continued Righetti. – “We will mark the routes with special arrows, which we will install, and we will establish partnerships with taverns, wineries, and farm stays for cyclist stops. Each facility will have bicycles available (totaling 200-300). And we might even organize a week of cycling, like in Cesenatico, where hundreds of enthusiasts crowd the seafront and inland areas during the low season.”
The meeting was also attended by Pier Giorgio Togni, general director of Enit, who arrived specifically from Rome. “I didn’t even know about the existence of this wonderful island, and I’m happy I accepted your invitation,” said Togni, the powerful figure at the agency which, with its various …tentacles, promotes Italian tourism worldwide. – “I want to send two messages. The events in New York will impact the budgets of September, October, and November.” But it is essential to recover and keep moving forward. “We must not wallow in despair. If possible, despite the horror of what happened, we should pretend nothing has happened and carry on,” he said. Otherwise, we play into the hands of those who want to halt progress.
As I arrived here, I heard from our representative in the United States. I invited him not to cancel the major initiatives already scheduled in New York. The other consideration: “Tourism remains the world’s leading industry. Recently, we have opened offices in India, Chile, South Korea, and Brazil.” There are still unexplored potentials, especially in Eastern Europe. But the quality can only be guaranteed by you—setting up pedestrian paths, maintaining signs, speaking foreign languages, and safeguarding the environment and territory.
