Italian tourism minister Daniela Santanchè, who was in Berlin for the ITB, spoke about the fundamental importance of the German market. “German visitors do not come to Italy just during the traditional seasons, but rather follow a much broader seasonality. This is why, as a country, we strive to be always ready to meet the requests and needs of German arrivals.”
German visitors like to explore lesser-known destinations
“Germany is Italy's first inbound market. In 2022, 9.4 million German visitors came to Italy, with 58.5 million overnights and a 6.2-day average stay. It is a more diverse kind of tourism, with people coming, and then returning to Italy, to discover new destinations, try new experiences, and to explore smaller and lesser-known destinations.”
“The German market feeds into other industries”
“To put Minister Santanchè’s idea into action, ENIT (the Italian national tourist board) works closely with operators, providing assistance and training, and ensuring the quality of the offer, because we know how valuable the German tourist flows are. It is a thriving market that feeds into other industries,” said Ivana Jelinic, CEO of ENIT, the Italian tourist board. “German travellers stay in Italy for at least a week. Some 25% of air arrivals in 2022 were for 6 to 8 nights (26.5% in 2021), and 81% of airport arrivals were leisure travellers.”
Focusing on Ischia, and on food and wine
The ministry and ENIT are focusing on an Ischia promotional campaign to aid the island's recovery through tourism and reposition it once again as a prime international destination. Another sector coming in for attention is food and wine,
“which represents one of Italy’s most important excellences, and is a true flagship for our country,” said Ivana Jelinic.
