Opened by the new minister Massimo Garavaglia, the Italian “States General” of tourism were held in Rome: an online conference that brought together several figures and associations in the sector, united in the analysis of the current situation and above all in the requests to define a restart. The event gathered over 30 speakers, representing sectors of all kinds.
In this context, there is a marked absence of entire sectors, such as that of outdoor tourism. Originally there were interventions by Luca Patanè, president of Confturismo, and Vittorio Messina, president of Assoturismo. They would have been given the task of representing FAITA Federcamping and Assocamping respectively, but in the end both did not participate. The result is that none of the speeches ever mentioned the open-air tourism segment: an absurdity, given that there is a tendency on every occasion to emphasize the importance of this area on the entire sector. Below, to give an idea of which and how many figures joined, you will find a rundown of the faces of the attendees.
The event, organized by the International Association of Knights of Tourism, was introduced by the president Pietro Piccinetti, who is also the administrator of Fiera Roma. “This conference wants to give an idea of growth, we all have to bring our pebble to build the restart,” he said introducing the event. “Italy cannot remain in 6th place in the ranking of visits to cities of art, Rome cannot remain in 20th as a venue for congresses. We must all together overcome this crisis and restart tourism by becoming, like Italy, what everyone expects in the world: the leading country in tourism, in all its forms”.
The good news from Minister Garavaglia
A positive message arrived from Minister Massimo Garavaglia. “There’s a couple of good news,” he said. “The Ministry of Tourism has finally been established, a great opportunity for our country. The other good news is that we are already up and running. In Italy it is not enough to decide one thing, but it must also work. And we are ready”.
As for things to do, Garavaglia put economic support for the sector first, underlining that from this 2021, however, every opportunity must be seized, waiting for the moment when most of the population will be vaccinated. “From this point of view, it is important not to disperse skills”, he specified. “We have collected many requests and the lines of action are known and obligatory: take advantage of the period to improve structures as much as possible and then think about the digital revolution, which can give the sector many opportunities. The other positive news is that we have recovered a strong relationship with the Regions”.
The first point on which an identity of views was found is the need to promote the Italian brand as a whole. “The other fundamental thing”, added the minister, “is to make the digital revolution together, in particular with ENIT, which must become the aggregator of the digital promotion of the whole system, integrating the existing one and without replacing nobody. This can lead to an important development, but it does not end there: this is why we are in the listening phase”.
Everyone likes the new ministry
Substantial unanimity emerged among the speakers in appreciating the birth of the new Ministry of Tourism and the fact that it has also economic autonomy. Among the requests, the need was highlighted to quickly provide for the provision of refreshments, to reshape and integrate the loans already granted guaranteed by the State, to provide specific training for both young people and those who have worked in the sector for some time, to create and renew infrastructure also, and above all, digital, to develop a sustainable offer.
Marina Lalli, president of Federturismo underlined how important it is to start from a vaccination plan well done and set up on the operators in the sector. “We must be perceived as a safe destination, and I am not speaking only of foreigners, but of the Italians themselves,” she said. “You have to give the security of being able to plan a holiday knowing that they will be welcomed in well-prepared facilities from the health point of view”.
Giuseppe Roscioli, Deputy Vice President of Federalberghi, strongly requests the extension of the terms of the loans already disbursed and the disbursement of new financial resources that allow companies to arrive with less difficulty until 2023/24. Marco Misischia, president of CNA Turismo, also underlines how companies in crisis must be supported for longer periods. Tax credits, reduction of fixed costs, repayment of loans are all elements on which the Government is called to intervene.
Matteo Musacci, vice president of FIPE (Italian Federation of Public Exercises) instead emphasized how restaurant activities are never included in tourism development policies. “There are Scandinavian countries that beat us from this point of view,” he pointed out. “There, a type of tourism developed precisely linked to large restaurants. But Italian cuisine are worth 150$ billion in the world, while the second is the Japanese one, which weighs ‘only’ 44$ billion. Think about the potential of investing in this sector. Despite this, catering, gastronomy and entertainment are never mentioned in the resilience plan”.
UNWTO – “The data is terrifying”
Alessandra Priante, director of Europe of the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization) expressed strong concern about the current situation. “The data is terrifying,” she said. “Globally we have seen a 74% reduction in international arrivals and 120 million jobs are at risk. There are sectors that need a survival line that needs to be sustained. One year after the start of the pandemic, we are in a worse situation than last November, with many destinations closed to international tourism. We have pushed for a great international coordination to find solutions and we are supporters of the use of digital solutions to facilitate the journey, to make this experience more fluid. The vaccination campaigns have started, and we are happy that the vaccination passport has been proposed: everything that allows us to facilitate the exchange of information on our personal health situation and destinations is important. Otherwise, we risk being left without the possibility of moving”.
According to Giorgio Palmucci, president of ENIT, it is necessary to promote Italy together with the world of fashion, design, food and automotive, because it is about excellence. And there must also be collaboration with Italian structures abroad. “In a few days we will present the new plan, which will have particular attention to everything related to the world of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions, ed), a sector that has also suffered from smart working,” he said. “There is a demanding job to do. This situation has highlighted the weight and role of tourism for our country. The funds allocated to Italy by the Recovery Fund will allow us to have a much more important focus on the sector and I hope that despite a difficult year we can soon return to the extraordinary results of 2019, with growth also in value and not only in volume”.
Finally, interesting words came from Katharina Strecker, Councilor for Economic and European Affairs of the German Embassy. “To have a little more certainty in planning and to regain confidence in travel destinations, it takes close cooperation and coordination at the European level, such as a common test strategy,” she said. “The recovery of German tourism towards Italy is particularly close to our hearts, because the German economy is only good if the Italian one also works. And tourism is an important component. In the micro we are perhaps competitors, but at the macro level our economies are so intertwined that the well-being of the Italian economy is closely linked to that of Germany. Many of my compatriots can’t wait to go back to Italy”.
At the end of this day of the conference, the intention of the International Association of Knights of Tourism is to meet within 100 days with the States General of tourism to take stock of the situation. With the hope that this time, outdoor tourism is also under the spotlight.
The list of participants:
- Pietro Piccinetti, Presidente Associazione Internazionale dei Cavalieri del Turismo
- Palmiro Noschese, Operatore del Settore Turistico (moderatore)
- Massimo Garavaglia, Ministro del Turismo
- Marina Lalli, Presidente Federturismo
- Ivana Jelinic, Presidente FIAVET
- Massimo Caputi, Presidente Federterme
- Alessandra Albarelli, Presidente Federcongressi&Eventi
- Alessandra Priante, Direttore Europa UNWTO
- Mauro Alfonso, Amministratore Delegato di Simest
- Alessandro D’Andrea, Presidente Nazionale dei Direttori d’Albergo
- Giuseppe De Martino, General Manager “The St. Regis Rome”, EHMA Member
- Carlotta Ferrari, Presidente Convention Bureau Italia
- Paolo Garlando, Founder Italy Best Golf
- Matteo Musacci, Vicepresidente FIPE
- Sebastiano Pira, Presidente Associazione italiana Food&Beverage Management
- Giuseppe Roscioli, Vicepresidente vicario Federalberghi
- Loredana Sarti, Segretario generale AEFI
- Clara Trama, Presidente Associazione Italiana Wedding Planner
- Valentino Valentini, Deputato della Repubblica Italiana
- Giorgio Palmucci, Presidente ENIT
- Stefano Fiori, Presidente Convention Bureau Roma e Lazio, Vicepresidente Federturismo
- Ignazio Abrignani, Presidente Osservatorio Parlamentare per il Turismo
- Nicola Benedetto, Operatore Turistico
- Gianluca Caramanna, Responsabile del Dipartimento Turismo Fratelli d’Italia
- Micol Caramello, Presidente FEDERAGIT
- Andrea Coia, Assessore Sviluppo Economico, Turismo e Lavoro Roma Capitale
- Cristina Inghilleri, Rappresentante per l’Europa Inghilleri Consulting Group
- Virginia Marasco, Assessore Turismo e Cultura di Cirò Marina (KR)
- Angela Masi, Responsabile Turismo M5S
- Ruggero Lensi, Direttore Generale UNI
- Marco Misischia, Presidente CNA Turismo
- Francesco Pileggi, Direttore d’Albergo
- Gloria Isabel Ramirez Rios, Ambasciatrice della Repubblica di Colombia in Italia
- Michela Sciurpa, Presidente Sviluppo Umbria
- Katharina Strecker, Consigliere Affari Economici ed Europei dell’Ambasciata di Germania
- Veronica Tasciotti, in rappresentanza della sindaca Virginia Raggi
The guidelines for campsites, tourist villages and marina resorts are ready in Emilia-Romagna