Brescia Tourism Conference Highlights Agency Oversight and Airport Delays
Travel agencies and tour operators from Brescia participated in a conference yesterday morning in the departure lounge of the “D’Annunzio” airport in Montichiari. The roundtable was convened by the Tourism Department of the Province of Brescia, which provided an update on the new mandates regarding oversight of travel agencies.
Conference Content and Airport Reality
It was also an opportunity to present to industry operators the “regulation of activities and services concerning travel and stays.” Conversely, there was a stark contrast between the conference content and the harsh reality of that “Fokker 100” with 94 seats operated by Alpi Eagles, parked inactive in the airport apron.
For three weeks, it was supposed to connect Montichiari with Olbia during weekends, but scheduling disagreements delayed the flights. Obstacles posed by the airline Meridiana, which also connects, among other routes, Villafranca’s Catullo Airport with Sardinia, had to be overcome.
The blockade caused by political issues or possible competition (Meridiana reportedly asked Alpi Eagles to land in Olbia at 5 a.m.) will have economic repercussions: someone will have to pay for parking that Fokker, which costs 8 million euros per hour while stationary.
In financial terms, if that aircraft remains unused, over 300 million euros are lost each weekend, amounting to roughly one billion euros over the three missed weekends. These funds could have been very useful for developing the projects promoted by Brescia-based agencies in our territory.
Discussions on Tourism Promotion
Returning to the meeting, Senator Elio Fontana also contributed as an expert on issues related to the tourism industry, speaking about the “interest of Regional Entities in specific local projects aimed at revitalizing regional tourism, with particular attention to agritourism.”
In his speech, the councilor Ermes Buffoli discussed the “tourism of the ‘where’,” based on the “need to know various realities of the world considered mass tourism destinations,” as well as the “why” tourism, which is viewed as more innovative than mass tourism itself, nourished by “collaboration of local entities that must promote their territory’s attractions.”
He reiterated the need for a strong alliance between the public and private sectors to create an appropriate, successful product and to establish effective dialogue by implementing innovative communication strategies.
The fundamental role of travel agencies for the success of a territory was reaffirmed, especially if “in addition to specific personnel training, adequate weight is given to basic education and professional updating.”
Yesterday’s meeting was the first in a series of encounters and collaborations between the public and private sectors, promising positive outcomes for the provincial tourism sector, well represented in the room by seven giant posters depicting the most historically significant areas of Brescia: Brescia city, Plain, Valcamonica, Valtrompia, Valsabbia and Lake Idro, Franciacorta, Sebino, and Garda.
