Brescia, Lake Garda and the Frasassi Caves were popular at the Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum in Las Vegas.
American travel agents show interest in Italy
Italian tourism made a strong impression in the ItaliAbsolutely Village at the Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum, with Visit Brescia and other regional operators introducing lesser-known destinations to North American professionals. From the charm of Lake Garda to the wonders of the Frasassi Caves, interest in authentic, off-the-beaten-path Italy is on the rise.
“Many were surprised by what Lake Garda has to offer”
Visit Brescia was present for the first time at the Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum and its director Manuel Gabriele told ItaliAbsolutely he was more than satisfied with the results.
“I'd say it went well. We had the opportunity to meet a very large number of tour operators and travel agents and I must say that I noticed a strong interest in Italy in general. There was also a lot of interest in discovering something new, and our destination fits in well with the requests and expectations of the American and Canadian clients present at the event. Many of them were surprised by what Lake Garda has to offer, in America it is not yet known but we are working to makes sure it is.”
“Arrivals have been growing for Sardinia and Sicily”
Another satisfied participant at the ItaliAbsolutely Village was Renata Olejnicka of Renata Travel. “We are an incoming agency in Sardinia, Sicily and Corsica and we work with both the European and the North and South American markets. The biggest market at the moment are France, Spain, Israel, Poland and England. Arrivals numbers have been growing for Sardinia, and Sicily, and with a much higher target. At the moment the United States has become quite expensive, so Europe is an interesting destination for Americans.” Having made many new contacts at the travel show Renata Olejnicka added that a lot will depend also on how fast they can respond to the many requests , “and then it is important to take care of the customers with good follow-up.”
“Interest from travel agents who have repeat customers”
For Sara Bonacucina, who was representing the Frasassi Caves, it was the second year at the Las Vegas show, and she said it allowed her to get a first-hand feel of the American market's reaction to a lesser-known destination, referring to the cave complex.
“I say lesser not because of the quality of our product, but because the destination is certainly less well known than, for example, the grand tour of Italy that Americans normally do and which includes the main cities.” But, she added, there was a lot of interest from travel agents who have repeat customers who return to Italy over and over again and who are therefore interested in discovering lesser-known destinations. We made a lot of contacts and, we hope to be able to cultivate them.”
