Enit, the Italian national tourist board, says that wellness travel is growing as travellers are hunting for more experiences that make them feel good, and that in the wake of the pandemic, the wellness sector is becoming increasingly important. 

Spas lead the demand this winter 

“In the 2021-2022 winter season 46% of travellers are combining sport with other activities in contact with nature. And some 22% practice an activity related to wellness, with spas in the lead (34%) followed by massages and spa and beauty treatments," says Enit’s managing director Roberta Garibaldi. "Half of Italian operators see this segment, together with nature, slow and sports tourism, as of growing importance.” 

Contact with nature is important

New scenarios and opportunities are thus opening up under the banner of sustainability. Natural resources are among the main reasons for travellers' satisfaction, with contact with nature (37%) indicated by tourists as the aspect that is most influencing their psychophysical wellbeing during their holidays this winter. 

Italy has the highest number of spas in Europe

For the accommodation industry nature tourism (46.6%) comes right after family tourism (49.2%) and some 47% of players see nature tourism as their best bet for the future. Italy can take advantage of this growing trend, as it is the European country with the highest number of spas, mainly due to its particular geological conformation and many volcanic areas. 

Ivana Jelinic will most likely be the next managing director of Enit, the Italian national tourist board.

While waiting for the decree that will officially ratify her appointment, which is expected within five days, the minister Daniela Santanché has sent a letter to the presidents of Federturismo Confindustria, Confturismo Confcommercio and Assoturismo Confesercenti, asking their formal opinion. 

The appointment is widely seen as a step in the right direction

The first official appearance of the new minister for tourism was at the recent Federalberghi Italian hotel federation’s council. And her first move is a pleasant surprise for the industry. Even taking into account the inevitable limits of action (and budget) of the national tourism agency -  especially compared to its international counterparts - the choice of the new Fiavet president, if formally confirmed, is certainly a step in the right direction as it puts at the head of Enit a strong and competent player. 

The 3rd. edition of Discover the Marche. Discover the Marche Region, promoted by Inside Marche Live, with the collaboration of Travel Quotidiano, was a concrete opportunity for operators, administrators, and institutions to discuss the strengths of what the region has to offer as well as the problems and needs of the sector.

“Innovation passes through digitalization” 

Maria Elena Rossi, director of promotion and marketing of ENIT Italia, the national tourist board, who was the guest of honour at the event, said that "Le Marche has much to offer from an experiential point of view. Innovation and sustainability are the pillars of this transitional stage. We are collaborating with the Marche Region on several fronts, and it is important to emphasise that today more than ever, the offer has to be digital to intercept the tourist demand.”

A qualified industry audience

For the partners of Inside Marche Live the event was an opportunity to engage with an industry audience. Among those present were the ALTE Marche Unione Montana Catria e Nerone with its President Alberto Alessandri, the Municipality of Urbino with Councillor for Tourism Roberto Cioppi presenting the city which this year is celebrating the 600th anniversary of Federico Da Montefeltro. Also present were the Municipality of Monterubbiano which, thanks to the presence of historian Walter Scottucci, highlighted the attractions of the Marche’s smaller towns, and Pesaro, Italian Capital of Culture 2024 with Marco Perugini, President of the Pesaro Municipal Council. 

The visitor is the real protagonist of the holiday

"The Alte Marche region consists of nine municipalities," explained President Alberto Alessandri, "We share nature, culture and food and wine, as well as the great resource of our rivers. The visitor will always be the real protagonist of the holiday, and will be warmly welcomed by the locals.” Gianni Rebecchi, national president of Assoviaggi Confesercenti said that pre-Covid there were over 2,700 agencies specialised in inbound travel. “Our aim is to enhance and support them. One of our first commitments will be to meet the new minister to highlight the sector's strengths and problems.”

Italy is the second country of choice for French travellers this year. If the summer season saw a general increase in foreign and domestic tourist arrivals to Italy’s art cities and seaside resorts, it also brought renewed French interest, following the encouraging results of 2021 (2,535,309 arrivals and 6,929,254 overnights). 

ENIT, the Italian national tourism board, returned to the IFTM Top Résa B2B fair in Paris Porte de Versailles from 20 to 22 September with 200 Italian destinations, 1,700 brands, 34,000 tourism professionals, and 150 conference sessions.

France is Italy’s fourth largest home market

According to the most recent available data (2021), France accounts for 13% of total foreign tourist spending in Italy (21.3 billion euros) during this phase of recovery from Covid. France is now the second largest foreign market (after Germany), pending the complete recovery of arrivals from the US. In terms of attendance France is the fourth largest home market, accounting for 6.5% of the international total (106 million), trailing only Germany (41.7%), Switzerland (7.8%), and Austria (7.1%).

The Cannes ILTM luxury fair

ENIT will also attend the ILTM luxury fair in Cannes with seven major Italian regions from north to south: Friuli Venezia Giulia (www.turismofvg.it), Lombardy (www.in-lombardia.com) with a focus on the Province of Brescia (www.visitbrescia.it), Tuscany (www.visituscany.com), Lazio (www.visitlazio.com), Basilicata (www.basilicataturistica.it) and Sicily (www.visitsicily.info), while a group of tourism professionals will represent Liguria. Some sixty tour operators will be present on the regional stands  - there will be 23 individual participants -  with the Italian representatives including TOs, accommodation facilities, hotels and  resorts, DMCs, car rental companies, golf courses, associations, festivals, airlines and more.

Welcome To Italy is a digital platform for sellers of tailor-made travel to Italy. Featuring hundreds of destinations, products and services, it is developed by the Welcome Travel Group, in partnership with Portale Sardegna Spa, and with the Italian airline Neos. An ENIT sponsorship, it aggregates the country in a single brand, governance and technology and is an invaluable tool for industry professionals selling travel to Italy.     

Massimiliano CossuLaunched online to 13,000 US travel agencies and tour operators

The new portal was launched on the US market via a webinar beamed at 13,000 travel agencies and tour operators.  “Ours is an innovative concept, a flexible tourism system that allows professionals to customize travel services and experiences from the over 500 packages that have so far been created by our Italy Local Experts,” explained Massimiliano Cossu, main partner Welcome to Italy, and Founder and Ceo of Portale Sardegna SPA. 

“We don’t sell hotel rooms, we sell destinations”

“It is an ambitious project and one of our strengths is that we reach markets where it is not possible to arrive individually, creating synergies and energies of scale to promote the flow of visitors into Italy. We don’t sell hotel rooms, we sell destinations. The smart trips in our catalogue include flights and accommodation, assistance and services. They are categorized by type, season and interests, revolve around themes, and contain an endless variety of locations, products, services and experiences chosen by our experts. Each trip is customizable, in that the travel specialists can select what they find online or ask for something additional. We are extremely flexible.”   

Smart solutions for authentic and original travel experiences in Italy

Welcome to Italy is a work in progress, continues Cossu, who adds that it is a publically traded company, and that the platform will continue to grow in volume and interest with the constant addition of new locations, products and services. Aimed initially at the North American market, with bona fide agencies having direct access, the packages are priced in dollars and are to be proposed to customers with the desired mark-up. The ultimate aim is that of providing US travel specialists with smart solutions, and the best of the pick of authentic and original travel experiences in Italy.

On 15 October Italy, with the Italian National Tourism Agency (Enit), will launch the first flagship store on the Asian market on the Ctrip platform - an innovative commercial exercise aimed at representing and promoting the evolution of Italy's tourism image. Found on the Chinese digital platform Ctrip, of the Trip.com Group a world leader in the travel industry, it consists of other platforms such as Skyscanner, and involves the Italian regions and art cities, increasing the visibility of the Italian brand on the Chinese digital system.

A ground-breaking move

This move leverages the industry-leading technology and vast user base of the global travel group to connect directly with Chinese travellers. The Flagship Store is an official showcase for the destination, and an integrated presentation tool for Italy’s image. The page will be displayed when future Chinese tourists look for inspiration to give shape to their travel dreams in the Bel Paese.

The collaboration of the Italian regions

By aggregating the contents provided by the Italian regions participating in the project, the Flagship Store Italia on Ctrip contains travel itineraries, promotional videos and information on destinations. The promotional platform is also developed in an app version for mobile devices.

Italy as a trailblazer

Italy is one of the first countries in the world invited to have its own official profile on this platform. The initiative is part of a broader strategy developed by the Italian Tourist Board for positioning on Chinese digital platforms, a strategy that includes an important presence on all major social media.

Digital investments put Italy on the world stage. Palmucci

"Digital has become an incentive to increase the users' interest in new forms of tourism, such as virtual guided visits to museums, theatrical performances or online concerts. Investments in merchandising and platforms are firmly positioning Italy on the world stage,” said Enit’s president Giorgio Palmucci.

“We are at the WTM to tell the world we can guarantee safety to those who choose our country.”

Speaking to ItaliAbsolutely Giorgio Palmucci looked back on the last 18 months. “There was a lot of uncertainty, and then the second Covid wave hit. Today there is more positivity and greater confidence in a recovery, thanks to the vaccination programme and to investments made by industry players to ensure greater peace of mind and guarantees for visitors. We are at the WTM to send out the message, to neighbouring markets and to the world, that we guarantee safety to those who choose our country.”

“We have to grow, not in volume but in value”

“Before Covid tourism was already in a phase of evolution, and we, as the operative arm of the Ministry of Tourism, were starting to think about trends, and how the ways of using a holiday and of traveling were changing. Covid accelerated these processes.  In 2019 we were worried about over-tourism. Now we need to grow back not in volume but in value, keeping people longer in our country and making sure they don’t just visit the most popular destinations.”

Boosting domestic and international markets 

“Italy is a very diversified country and we can not limit ourselves to selling certain times of year and the classical over-crowded destinations. Tourism can work 365 days a year and there is no such thing as a minor destination; what we have are amazing lesser-known destinations. The first step is to work on the domestic market as Covid has shown us that Italians do not know their country very well. The next step is to make sure that more mature neighbouring markets like Germany, the UK and France come back fast.”

“The number one variable for a holiday is safety”

For intercontinental visitors, from the USA to Canada, from Australia to Japan, and from South America to China, over these difficult months ENIT recounted a virtual story. “We told international visitors that Covid has not touched the hardware. That Italy is the same as it always was, and we have worked very hard to respond to what is now the number one variable in choosing a destination which is safety.”

We need to move fast before other destinations  

At the end of last October, before the second wave hit, the perception of 84% of international travellers surveyed was that Italian operators had done everything possible to ensure safe holidays. “The message we want to get across now is that visitors don't have to worry about Covid or anything else that doesn't add value to their stay. But if we want to be competitive we have to move fast, before other destinations.  In 2022 we will bounce back though not to the levels of 2019. It will be a year of recovery, although MICE and business travel will only kick-in later.”

Convention Bureau Italia and the Italian national tourist board ENIT (Italian National Tourism Board), together with partners YesMilano Convention Bureau, as Host Destination, and AIM Group International, as Creative Partner are organizing Italy at Hand, the MICE B2B fair, in Milan this December. European buyers can register for the Hosted Buyer Program including full participation in the three-day event, travel, hospitality and hotel accommodation in Milan at www.conventionbureauitalia.com/boxit/italy-at-hand-buyer-registration.  

45 leading Italian suppliers for 3 days of business Italian style

The exhibitor booths reserved for 45 of Italy’s top suppliers – the main Italian destinations, most important hotel and hotel chains, leading Italian agencies and conference centers - quickly sold out. The organizers say buyers can look forward to three days of business and fun in perfect Italian style with scheduled business meetings, networking and training activities. Italy at Hand: a unique opportunity for getting back to live networking.