Desenzano Hoteliers Call for Direct Shuttle from Montichiari Airport

The Desenzano Hoteliers Consortium has addressed a serious and absurd gap: the lack of direct connections from Montichiari Airport to Lake Garda, particularly to Desenzano.

Shuttle Service and Schedules

“Yes, we wanted to provide a service—something I believe is essential—for passengers arriving or departing on Ryanair flights at ‘D’Annunzio’ in Montichiari, by offering them a shuttle bus,” confirms the president of the Consortium, Saverio Ziliani, “with schedules obviously aligned with flight timings. Our bus service operates at two times: at 10:05 AM in the morning and at 7:05 PM in the evening.”

But what services can tourists rely on when they arrive in Desenzano during evening hours?

“We have assigned an hostess to each bus, capable of providing all necessary information during the transfer from the airport. Not only that, but our information office, thanks also to the collaboration of the Comune di Desenzano, closes at 9 PM and remains open on holidays: so there are no organizational issues regarding tourist reception,” he explains.

Political Interventions and Tourist Statistics

A week ago, municipal counselor Rino Polloni also called for such a service, sending a letter to the town’s mayor, Cino Anelli. Polloni pointed out that between June 28 and early August, 8,500 tourists traveled via Ryanair flights, which connect London to Montichiari.

Eighty percent of these are said to be British tourists who choose to spend their holidays on Lake Garda. The Irish airline adopted a competitive policy on this route, offering fares of just 99,000 lire, and from next September, dropping to 75,000 lire!

This market strategy, Polloni recalled, has resulted in British capital, with about 140 people per flight, bringing nearly 300 travelers to Montichiari in total. However, the immediate problem was the complete marginalization, if not exclusion, of the Garda Riviera from information and marketing efforts.

This is evidenced by the fact that currently, no informational notices are available for tourists at the airport counters. But there’s still another idea that can be developed.

Proposals to Improve Tourist Information

“It’s not enough to provide just promotional material,” adds Polloni. “I have asked the mayor of Desenzano to establish the necessary contact with the airline to include an informational link about Lake Garda and particularly Desenzano on the www.Ryanair.com website. I know that the Irish company’s website receives many thousands of visits daily, as I have personally observed.”

So far, passengers arriving at ‘D’Annunzio’ have only been able to collect material from Broscia, Verona, and other locations. With the shuttle service and additional online contacts, English tourism could open promising opportunities for the Lake Garda market.