The third and final day of Forum Open Air 2025, organised by FAITA Federcamping in the beautiful setting of Rome, confirmed the central role of open-air tourism within Italy’s hospitality industry.
After two days focused on training and data analysis, the spotlight turned to the present and future of a sector that continues to grow and innovate through sustainability, digitalisation and the enhancement of human capital.
Entitled “Open air: here and now”, the event brought together institutions, experts, entrepreneurs and academics to discuss how to face the challenges of a rapidly changing tourism landscape, while keeping people and territories at its core.
The day opened with remarks from Gian Marco Centinaio, Vice President of the Italian Senate, who expressed his appreciation for the progress made by the open-air sector and for FAITA Federcamping’s commitment to promoting a sustainable and modern tourism model rooted in local communities. Centinaio emphasised that open-air tourism today represents not only a strategic driver for the national economy but also a tool for enhancing Italy’s inland and lesser-known destinations:
“The open-air tourist,” he said, “is someone who explores, moves, and discovers parts of the country often outside traditional routes. It’s a form of tourism that combines nature, culture and authenticity, and that contributes concretely to environmental and social sustainability.” He also underlined the importance of better communicating the value and sophistication of this type of holiday, which is still sometimes misunderstood in the domestic market:
“I always tell the story of a friend who, when I said I was going camping, asked whether I’d be sleeping in a tent. After seeing the photos, he changed his mind. There’s still a lot to do to show how far the sector has evolved”.
From a political perspective, Centinaio called for simpler bureaucracy and closer cooperation between institutions and businesses: “Politics should not create obstacles but support growth. We need to reduce red tape and create the conditions for entrepreneurs to work better”. He concluded on a note of optimism: “Much has been achieved; now we need to maintain continuity. The goal is to meet here next year and say: what we set out to do, we have done. We’re on the right track”.
People and technology at the heart of change
The first round table of the day explored one of the most topical issues in tourism: the impact of artificial intelligence on human resources, training and the organisation of hospitality businesses. Speakers included Valeria Minghetti (CISET – Ca’ Foscari University of Venice), Marco Brogna (La Sapienza University of Rome and President of ITS Turismo Academy), Fabrizio Zezza (CEO, EasyConsulting), and Luca Vescovi (R&D, neuromarketing and AI – Jampaa.it).
Opening the session, Minghetti presented a CISET study commissioned by FAITA Federcamping and focused on four key regions – Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Tuscany and Lazio – to map the employment chain in open-air tourism. The research shows that the sector employs more than 18,000 people directly and indirectly across the four regions, confirming its labour intensity and strong territorial impact.
Job continuity, she noted, is a positive sign: over half of seasonal workers return each year to the same business or destination, demonstrating growing loyalty and stability. However, challenges remain in recruiting skilled professionals, particularly among younger generations. “Our goal,” Minghetti explained, “is to better understand the economic and social value generated by the sector and to strengthen the connection between business, education and local communities”.
Professor Marco Brogna offered a global overview of AI adoption in tourism, forecasting a 1,100% increase by 2033, with worldwide investment rising from USD 3 to 36 billion. Yet Italy, he noted, still lags behind: only 14% of tourism operators currently use AI tools, compared with 63% in the United States. “The direction is clear,” he said. “Some roles will inevitably be automated, but humans must focus on what machines cannot do: thinking, interpreting and creating value through experience”. Brogna urged tourism businesses not to fear technology but to embrace and manage it, pointing out that AI can enhance productivity, planning and decision-making if integrated into a coherent strategy.
Fabrizio Zezza then introduced a practical example with the ITS AI Lab, developed in collaboration with ITS Turismo Academy. The lab enables students to analyse real-time market data from OTAs and booking channels, simulate competitive scenarios and test pricing strategies through machine learning. “There won’t be workers replaced by AI,” Zezza stated, “but workers who know how to use it and those who don’t. The first will be more productive and aware. AI must become a daily tool, not an obstacle”.
Finally, Luca Vescovi broadened the discussion to include generative and agentic technologies. He highlighted the extraordinary growth of tools such as ChatGPT – from 240 to 800 million users in just two years – and their potential to revolutionise how travellers interact with destinations and accommodation providers: “Your customers will no longer search for information on Google; they will talk directly to an AI agent. They’ll ask where to go, how much it costs, what to do. It’s a transformation that requires websites to be designed not only for people but for intelligent agents too”.
Vescovi also presented OpenAI Rub, a project developed with FAITA Federcamping to create an integrated AI system for open-air accommodation providers, offering chatbot automation, content generation and smart communication tools for guest management and online visibility.
Open-air tourism as a driver of territorial growth and sustainability
The second part of the morning, titled “New opportunities, new markets, new horizons”, focused on how the open-air sector can continue to expand while enhancing territories, communities and infrastructure in a sustainable and innovative way.
Antonio Preiti, professor at the University of Florence and destination management expert, described open-air tourism as having evolved “from the humble handmaiden of hospitality to one of its pillars”. This shift is evident not only in numbers – Cavallino-Treporti and San Michele al Tagliamento record over 11 million overnight stays per year – but also in the wealth generated for local economies. “Camping and glamping,” Preiti said, “are no longer choices of necessity but of freedom. They combine comfort, nature and activity – experiences that create inclusive, widespread prosperity”.
Roberta Nesto, Mayor of Cavallino-Treporti and coordinator of the G20 Spiagge, presented her municipality as an example of a community that has learned to live tourism as a shared value rather than a burden. She also called for a national legal framework to recognise “elastic coastal towns”, allowing local authorities to manage high visitor flows more efficiently through flexible mobility and service policies.
Joining remotely, Alessandra Priante, President of ENIT, offered an international perspective: “Italy is already an open-air destination, but we must learn to tell that story. This is no longer tourism of destination but of motivation – nature, sport, wellbeing, discovery – and more and more young people are choosing it”. Priante stressed the importance of public-private collaboration and unified communication abroad: “When Italy presents itself with one voice, we are credible, solid and competitive. That’s our strength”.
The panel also featured contributions from Ferrovie dello Stato – Treni Turistici Italiani, promoting slow travel experiences on heritage railways, and Telepass, with projects for sustainable mobility in tourist areas. Father Enzo Fortunato, President of the 2026 World Children’s Day, reminded participants that major events can serve as opportunities to strengthen the connection between hospitality and shared values.
Milan-Cortina 2026: a sustainable legacy for the territories
The Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games were presented as a showcase of sustainable innovation. Speaking from Cortina, Fabio Saldini, Government Commissioner and CEO of SIMICO, noted that around 80% of the planned investments will leave a lasting legacy for the host territories. A highlight is the Cortina Olympic Village, built by Crippaconcept with 377 modular units to accommodate 1,400 athletes. As Sergio Redaelli explained, This structure is temporary, fully reversible and reusable – “a tangible example of sustainability applied to major events”.
According to Gianluca Caramanna, MP and Advisor to the Minister of Tourism, the project demonstrates “how the know-how of the open-air sector can inspire a new model of hospitality – efficient, inclusive and environmentally conscious”.
The keywords for the future: quality and seasonality
The event concluded with remarks from Daniela Santanchè, Minister of Tourism, who praised FAITA Federcamping for promoting a “vibrant, fast-growing and increasingly strategic” industry. She emphasised the need for stronger public-private collaboration to address upcoming challenges, describing open-air tourism as “one of the most authentic and innovative forms of Italian hospitality”.
Santanchè identified two key priorities: “The first is quality – the real challenge is service. Artificial intelligence and new technologies will eliminate mediocrity; we must aim for excellence, skill and professionalism. The second is seasonality. It’s not acceptable that at the end of summer, Italy switches off its tourism. We must build an offer that lives all year round and promote it effectively in our target markets”. According to the Minister, achieving this goal requires teamwork and a renewed focus on local potential, particularly in the smaller inland areas that embody Italy’s true identity.
FAITA Federcamping: towards a shared vision
In his closing remarks, Alberto Granzotto, President of FAITA Federcamping, echoed the Minister’s two priorities and added a third: sustainability. “Quality, seasonality and sustainability,” he said, “are the three pillars on which to build the future of open-air tourism. They require a shared vision and continuous dialogue between businesses, institutions and workers”.
Granzotto stressed the need to update regulations governing the use of spaces and facilities to allow operations beyond the summer season, and to continue investing in training, infrastructure and communication.
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