Tourism, villages try to keep up but big cities still dominate
Italian villages try to move up in a tourism market still dominated by traditional destinations. As was apparent during the last "Arts and Events 100 Italian Cities" which took place in Bologna, visitors, especially if coming from certain countries, are still mainly interested in typical mass tourism destination: Florence, Venice, Rome, Milan.
In particular, visitors coming from central or eastern Asia are interested in traditional destinations. European visitors, especially north European, are more interested in an Italy different from that of the "Grand Tour", and they look for unusual, out of the box, experiences. The rest of the world still dreams of a walk on the bank of the river Arno, in Venetian alleys or in the shade of the Colosseum. This is true for Uzbek tourists, a new market for the Italian offer. A Tourist.uz correspondent says it clearly: the new rich want to go shopping, better if in historical locations or well-known cities of art. The Emilian Motor valley, with its Ferrari and Lamborghini museum, can be of interest even if, strangely enough given its culinary primacy, food can be a problem because of the predominance of pork in traditional dishes, which is not ideal for Muslim visitors. Florence, Rome and Venice are among the most visited cities by South Korean tourists who, however, are discovering the beauty of trekking on the Alps.
Nevertheless, traditional destinations are highly favored by Eastern visitors on honeymoon. "Visiting Bologna is a good opportunity to see Florence and Venice too, as you can easily reach them from there" explains Korean Ju Yurina, one of the 75 tour operators who travelled to the city for the twenty-first edition of the event, organized by Confesercenti.
"Bologna is participating with 25 sellers", explains the Director of Confesercenti Loreno Rossi. "They are the main incoming operators of the city and in the last few years they have increased, sign that this event has had a positive response" Rossi says.
