Lake Garda Tourism Surges with Full Hotels and New Promotional Initiatives
If a good beginning is seen from the morning, 2000 will be (for tourism) a golden year. Just look at the cars on the roads: they come from all over Italy. Many are Germans. Most hotels are fully booked, except for some sporadic exceptions – affirms Maurizio Banzola, president of the <>,Apt. Despite the uncertainty of the weather, foreigners are choosing lake destinations, and Italians have also increased compared to the past. Although the Easter holiday period is very close to that of May 1st, most reservations concern only the days up to April 25th. Almost no one has extended their holiday into the following week. Regarding the situation in detail, everything in Desenzano is fully booked until Tuesday the 25th.
Hotel situation and reservations
The majority of tourists are Italian nationals. The situation is not different at Garda Riviera, where however there are still some rooms available in four-star hotels. All booked out in Limone, with a clear predominance of Germans. Same in Toscolano Maderno, with good influx of Italians as well. Hotels in Sirmione and Salò are fully booked.
And in the other locations? “In Ponte di Legno, reservations are progressing very slowly. The hotel availability is considerable, despite snow at low altitudes. Everything is okay in Iseo”.
Promotion initiatives and tourism development
Banzola took the opportunity of the inauguration of the tourist offices in Salò and Gardone Riviera to assess the situation. The first, located under the porticoes of the town hall, was expanded by the same Municipality, which relocated the museum. Responsible: Antonella Pollini in Vassalini. “We inherited a different project” – explains Mayor Gianpietro Cipani –. And that was to move the office to a kiosk near the Rive. It didn’t seem right to us.”
Hence the decision to improve it resistance-wise. Our administration is strongly committed to tourism. We want to create the conditions for operators to come to Salò, by identifying areas for investment. We recognize that our accommodation capacity is insufficient, but we trust in the collaboration of Gardone Riviera. We can complement each other.
In the future, further work will be carried out in the Palace, without neglecting the restoration of the entrance hall, the staircase, and the portico. The Gardone Riviera office has been moved 200 meters, now located at via Reppublica 8. Responsible: Laura Kreiner. Nearby is the Carg, the Riviera Congress (with Barbara Kreiner, granddaughter of Mrs. Laura). “We found a location that offers greater visibility to the office”. In the future, we plan to move it onto the main road, with a dedicated parking lot.
The building is owned by a private individual who, in exchange for renovation work, has leased it to the municipality for five years. For its part, the <>,Apt has spent around one hundred million lire for the purchase of computers and furnishings, and to organize training courses aimed at retraining staff. Banzola, satisfied with the investment made (“Tourism is the engine of the Garda economy, and offices like these are a good calling card”), hopes to find similar solutions in Toscolano Maderno and Limone.
Feedback from operators and authorities
The president of the hoteliers of the province, Paolo Rossi, who was speaking in his own territory: “Promoting tourism does not only mean going abroad, to fairs. But creating a series of primary services: parking, town cleanliness, hospitality. We need administrations that are committed to tourism. We hope that a thousand flowers will bloom”.
Present were Aldo Minelli, director of the APT, Sergio Bassetti, president of the Carg, and Orietta Papini Mizzaro, vice president.