March 26, 2025
Salerno is a crossroads that appeals for its beauty, culture and history said tourism councillor Alessandro Ferrara at the recent Mediterranean Tourism Exchange in Naples.
“Tourism can be a fundamental driving force for development”
Salerno has a wide range of tourist attractions and an exceptional blend of history, art, culture, good food and wines, as well as warm hospitality. Adding to which there is the airport, maritime station and high-speed railway making the city easily reached from anywhere in Italy and the world. It is also in a truly privileged position close to the Amalfi Coast, Paestum and Pompeii. “The city of Salerno and the whole of the Campania region are increasingly well-known tourist destinations worldwide,- said Alessandro Ferrara. – But we still have to grow, and tourism can be a fundamental driving force for development.” 
What is the profile of the typical tourist who chooses Salerno?
There isn't a specific profile of the tourist who visits our city. We welcome tourists from Italy, Europe, the Americas and Asia and generally we have more foreign visitors than Italians. As well as visiting Salerno, the city is also chosen as a base for excursions to the two the Amalfi Coast and the splendid Cilento. 
Was 2024 a good year for tourism, and what markets are you looking at?
“In addition to our natural beauty, a major boost is provided by our infrastructure system. Since it opened the Salerno-Costa d'Amalfi Airport has posted numbers that have gone well beyond even the rosiest forecasts. In addition to this, the new underground railway is under construction, as well as high-speed rail and road and sea links. All this in an area of incomparable natural beauty, with a vast wealth of historical, cultural, landscape, architectural and food and wine heritage, which makes us optimistic for further growth in the future.” Yes, we are looking at international markets, first and foremost the European market. But we are also working with American and Asian markets, and various contacts are also underway with China and areas of the Middle East.
How much does organized tourism contribute?
It represents a fundamental segment in various aspects. With a lot of coaches arriving in the city at weekends and then there are the cruise passengers, who are organised in groups with guides. There are some tour operators in Rome that include a guided tour of Salerno in their packages, and the travel by train. In addition to heritage tourism, there is also the promotion of the city based on word of mouth, which plays a significant role – and it is free of charge.
Published in Cities & Regions
Milan Malpensa airport is on an upward sswing with airlines thanks to the opening of long-haul routes.
In 2024 Milan’s two airports handled 39.6 million passengers
This is an upward trend that is not destined to stop, as is confirmed in an interview in the newspaper Il Corriere della Sera with Armando Brunini, CEO of SEA Aeroporti, the company that manages Milan’s Linate and Malpensa airports. “We have pulled it off, without being the hub of a large airline.” In 2024, thanks to a boom in new connections with China the two Milan airports handled 39.6 million passengers, 11.4% more than the previous year.
“All this without having a hub carrier”
According to Brunini, “Growth will continue, but we don't expect it to be at the same pace as 2024. The demand surprises us because it resists despite everything: the fares, the tensions and fears regarding wars and geopolitics.” In particular, the CEO highlights the significant boost in capacity offered to China, where “we have gone from three to 10 destinations. While in Asia, in the last six years, we have gone from 15 to 27 destinations, which makes us fourth in Europe for the destinations reached. And all this without having a hub carrier.”
Malpensa is a money-spinner for carriers
The great attraction of Malpensa is fact that the airport is profitable for carriers: “For some companies on medium-long flights it is the European destination where they make the most money, for others it is third or fourth. And this is thanks to the population, to the GDP which is among the highest on the continent, to the good balance between incoming and outgoing flows. And Milan has also become a destination.”
Room for more US flights
The main market is still North America, with numerous carriers and connections, but not yet enough: “There's room for more.” And Brunini has his eye on cities such as Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco and maybe even Washington, without forgetting Latin America with “Mexico City and Lima.”
Published in Transportation
Italy is universally recognized as one of the world's richest nations in terms of cultural heritage. With 62 UNESCO World Heritage sites, it holds the global record for the highest number of locations of exceptional historical, artistic, and archaeological significance.
BonusFinder Italia, the online casino comparison platform, conducted an in-depth analysis to identify the most culturally rich regions of Italy, basing the ranking on four key factors: the number of museums, theaters, archaeological sites and universities.
Topping the list is Lazio which has 94 museums, 95 universities, 157 theaters, and 20 archaeological sites, and stands out for its extraordinary artistic and academic landscape. Second is Tuscany, the heart of the Renaissance, with 70 universities and 8 archaeological sites, and Campania takes third place with showstoppers such as Pompeii and Herculaneum.
At the lower end of the ranking, Friuli-Venezia Giulia lands in 18th place, with gems like Miramare Castle. Molise, which is 19th, has Campobasso and Isernia serving as cultural hubs, and the Valle d’Aosta rounds out the list, boasting medieval castles, the Roman ruins of Aosta, and the iconic Fort Bard.
Pamela McCourt Francescone
Executive Editor
Published in Editorial
Sina Hotels’ Milan boutique hotel The Gray has won a tender for a municipal building.
The property overlooks the Vittorio Emanuele II gallery
In Via San Raffaele, a stone's throw from the Duomo the building, owned by the municipality of Milan located inside the Ciro Fontana gallery, overlooks the Vittorio Emanuele II gallery. The Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper reports that the Florentine hotel group, led by the president of Federalberghi, Bernabò Bocca, won the tender thanks to a bid for €43 million or €1.2 million per year. Given the investment needed to convert the building into a hotel, the duration of the concession has been set at 36 years, instead of the more traditional 18, to guarantee Sina an adequate amortization period.
30 new rooms, public areas and a spa
The building, which is under the protection of the Fine Arts and is on ten floors, will be an extension of the adjacent Sina The Gray, with some additional thirty new rooms and public spaces, as well as a restaurant and a wellness area. In addition to Sina Hotels the Aries Group also participated in the tender. The starting bid was €1.150 million per year, equal to about €550 per square metre.
Published in Business
A new era is taking off for Genoa airport with the 19 March opening of the new East Wing for an investment of €15 million and after 18 months of work.
Serving three million passengers
The total surface area is 5,500 square metres, of which 550 are destined for a new commercial area with Duty Free and a multi-product sales point. The new East Wing allows the Cristoforo Colombo Airport to boost its potential capacity to three million passengers and is the first important step in a broader restyling plan that, after 12/18 months of work and a further €12.6 million of investment, will completely redesign the face of the airport by the end of 2026. The new spaces also house the four security control lines equipped with the latest generation of automatic baggage inspection machinery, three new boarding gates, 250 seats (a third of which are equipped with power sockets for electronic devices) and a new boarding pier with access to the apron, which is fully air-conditioned and equipped with a lift to access the runway.
“Offering travellers the best possible experience”
“The new terminal,- said Enrico Musso, president of Genoa Airport, -has been designed and built to offer travellers the best possible experience and allows us to increase the potential capacity of the airport to a maximum of three million passengers. An ambitious goal that we are confident we can achieve thanks to the airport's strong growth potential linked to the increase in tourist flows and the huge investments underway in our area.”
The check-in desks will increase to 22 from the current 12
The restyling work will be carried out while the airport remains fully operational, and when the work is finished, the total surface area of Cristoforo Colombo airport will be 20,000 square metres (+38%), of which 1,200 will be given over to commercial areas the number of check-in desks will increase to 22, from the current 12, the number of gates to 10,from the current nine, of which three will be in the new East Wing, the number of aircraft parking spaces in front of the terminal will increase to 8 (+2) and the new lounge will be on 200 square metres (+50).
The new Genoa Airport railway station
In addition to the €27.6 million of investments in the terminal, the airport will benefit from further important infrastructural investments, with a total value of about €80 million, destined to significantly modify the accessibility and connectivity of the airport with the territory. In particular, the construction of the new Genova Aeroporto railway station and a pedestrian walkway with a moving walkway is planned to connect the airport to the new station in just six minutes, thus connecting the airport to the railway network.
Published in Transportation
Palermo Airport has posted a rise in foreign arrivals and announced new international routes.
The new year started with a positive trend
The beginning of the year has been marked by growth for Palermo airport which, in the first ten days of January 2025, recorded a 9% increase in transit passengers and a 5.5% increase in flights compared to the same period in 2024. “The start of the year confirms a positive trend for our airport,- says Vito Riggio, CEO of Gesap, the company that manages Palermo airport. -Every effort must be made to make travel increasingly safe and comfortable.”
Direct United flights from New York Newark
For the Falcone Borsellino airport 2024 was a record year in terms of passenger traffic, with 8.9 million passengers, 10% more than in 2023, and with international traffic at 30% (2,400,000) of the total number of travellers. The summer promises to bring further news as United will introduce direct flights with New York (Newark Airport) from May, while Neos has confirmed summer flights from New York JFK.
easyJet, Condor and Volotea are adding flights
Three new routes have been announced so far by easyJet: Lisbon, the only connection from Sicily, Palma de Mallorca and Bristol, while from 2026 - but flights are already on sale - Jet2 has opened Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle. Swiss, on the other hand, is adding an extra daily flight on the overnight route. And from May:Condor will fly to Rome Fiumicino, while Volotea will add flights to Heraklion/Crete and Bilbao this summer.
Aiming to close 2025 with half a million passengers
Last December ended with over half a million passengers (552,247), +8.56% compared to the same month in 2023 (508,701 and there were some 21,600 passengers from 23 December 2024 to 7 January 2025 compared to the same period in 2023/24. For 2025, a 10% increase in passengers is expected which, according to traffic estimates prepared by Gesap's planning and control office, will close at around half a million transit passengers.
Published in Transportation
After the success of the 2024 season, Dimensione Sicilia again proposes Sicilian Secrets tours and gulets to the Aeolian Islands.
Showcase the authenticity and beauty of Sicily
“This year is also starting very well,- says Julian Zappalà, general manager of Dimensione Sicilia, - and this encourages us to continue offering itineraries that showcase the authenticity and beauty of Sicily. The strength of our flagship product, Sicilian Secrets, is the regularity of the weekly departures, which allows us to offer group tours designed to guarantee a peaceful and flexible travel experience, scheduled every week from 8 March to 18 November.”
30 destinations and more than 70 guaranteed departures
The Sicilian Secrets 2025 programme is even more extensive and varied, with a calendar that includes 12 different itineraries, over 30 destinations and more than 70 guaranteed departures. The tours are the perfect combination of art, culture, tradition and extraordinary landscapes, confirming Dimensione Sicilia's commitment to creating authentic and quality experiences to discover every aspect of the island.
“Our partner agencies can count on dedicated conditions and constant support”
“An undisputed plus of many of our itineraries,- adds Zappalà, -is the private experience at Cantine Florio, which we have been offering since before the boom of the famous TV series. It is a truly special added value for this product segment, and offers our customers exclusive moments making the experience even more authentic.” To complete the Sicilian Secrets offer, we have also added the winter departures already published, with four special itineraries dedicated to the bank holidays of the Immaculate Conception, New Year's Eve, Saint Agatha and Carnival. And we always reserve special attention for our partner agencies, who can count on dedicated conditions and constant support.”
An 8-day cruise of the Aeolian Islands
“The success of our tours has motivated us to invest also in the nautical sector, with a product that has also become one of our strengths: the gulet cruise to the Aeolian Islands, with guaranteed departures every Saturday from 31 May to 27 September.” Available both in the cabin charter and the exclusive formula, the cruise offers an 8-day experience to discover the seven pearls of the Mediterranean. On board, guests can enjoy cabins equipped with every comfort, a dedicated chef and the chance to admire the eruptions of Stromboli directly from the sea.
Published in Tour operator
Air France will by flying to 14 Italian airports this summer starting on 30 March.
A return of seasonal flights
The French airline will operate over 8,000 flights to 14 Italian airports, compared to eight during the winter, thanks to the return of seasonal flights to Bari, Cagliari, Catania, Olbia, Palermo and Verona.
New flights for Milan, Rome and Florence
And there are other new developments for summer 2025. Milan Linate will get a new daily flight from Paris-Charles-De-Gaulle, for a total of five flights a day from the French hub, and up to 7 flights a day will be available for Rome Fiumicino and Florence, again from Charles-De-Gaulle.
Celebrations for two anniversaries
The use of the Airbus A220-300 will be increased on the Florence route: after the start of operations in January 2024, the flagship aircraft of Air France's short-medium range fleet will be operational on several routes. In 2025 Air France in Italy will also be celebrating two important anniversaries, the first 75 years of the Paris-Milan route and 35 years of the Paris-Bologna route.
Published in Transportation
Rome Fiumicino airport has retained the title of best airport in Europe for 2024 for the eighth consecutive year.
The survey is by the Airports Council International and Amadeus
This recognition goes to Rome’s airport in the category of hubs with over 40 million passengers, for the quality of services offered to travellers, according to the Airport Service Quality survey carried out by Airports Council International in collaboration with Amadeus.
Fiumicino first among 119 participating European airports
With a record score of 4.61 (on a scale of 1 to 5), Rome Fiumicino ranked first among all 119 European airports participating in the survey in 2024 and is the only one among the major international hubs, together with Singapore, to win all the award categories. With this result, Leonardo Da Vinci, which in 2024 handled almost 50 million passengers, is also the airport with the highest passenger satisfaction rating among all airports with traffic exceeding 25 million travellers per year in EMEA and the Americas.
Ciampino Airport won in the 2-5 million passenger category
In addition to the Best Airport award, Fiumicino was also recognized this year in the following subcategories: Airport with the Most Dedicated Staff in Europe; Easiest Airport Journey in Europe; Most Enjoyable Airport in Europe; Cleanest Airport in Europe. And once again, Ciampino's Giovan Battista Pastine airport was also recognized, winning the Best Airport in Europe award in the 2 to 5 million passenger category.
“We must urgently develop Fiumicino's infrastructure in a fully sustainable way”
“Once again this year, Fiumicino and Ciampino airports have been recognized internationally for the quality and services offered to passengers: an increasingly important and not to be taken for granted acknowledgement that once again testifies to the dedication, passion and commitment of our people and all the colleagues from companies, organizations and institutions that work synergistically in our airports,- said Marco Troncone, CEO of Aeroporti di Roma. -Looking at the traffic forecasts for this year and the next few years, we are aware that, in order to continue to guarantee this level of quality and increasingly innovative services, we must urgently develop Fiumicino's infrastructure in a fully sustainable way. Only this way will we be able to consolidate the leading role that Italy, a global reference tourist destination and high-potential transit platform, deserves in international air connectivity flows.”
Published in Transportation
Southern Italy is strategic for ITA Airways, said the airline’s chief commercial officer and CEO of Volare at the Borsa Mediterranea del Turismo (Mediterranean Tourism Exchange) in Naples.
ITA Airways to operate to 59 destinations this summer
At the start of the summer season, during which ITA Airways will be operating to 59 destinations. Of these 16 are domestic, 27 international and 16 intercontinental, to which another 12 seasonal destinations are to be added during the summer peak (3 domestic and 9 international).
“Over 7 million passengers from Rome and Milan to Southern Italy”
“Southern Italy is strategic for us, both for outgoing and incoming traffic,- says Emiliana Limosani, chief commercial cfficer of ITA Airways and CEO of Volare. -The data in our possession confirms that in 2024 we transported over seven million passengers from Rome and Milan to destinations in Southern Italy and this summer season we will offer over 500 weekly flights to Bari, Brindisi, Naples, Reggio Calabria, Lamezia Terme, Cagliari, Alghero, Palermo, Catania, Lampedusa and Pantelleria. Furthermore, Naples will host the first of seven legs (Naples-Palermo-Catania-Rome-Milan-Venice-Bari) of our Italy Sales roadshow, during which we will meet some 800 representatives of local travel agencies, who are essential partners for us.”
Codeshares with the Lufthansa Group airlines
From 30 March ITA passengers will also be able to benefit from additional connections to over one hundred destinations thanks to codeshare flights with the fie Lufthansa Group airlines: Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Air Dolomiti. New for summer 2025 are also the connections with the city of Olbia to and from Turin from 26 July to 6 September; in addition to the new international Milan Linate-Munich route, operated with two daily flights from Monday to Friday, and one flight on Saturdays and Sundays starting from 30 March. While from 7 November 2025 the company will operate the Rome Fiumicino-Mauritius route for the first time, with two weekly flights.
Published in Transportation
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