Italy awaits Canadians with stellar experiences
By: Ian Stalker
The Italian National Tourism Board is confident Italy’s tourism trade will rebound full throttle from the coronavirus pandemic.
Maria Elena Rossi, the tourism board’s director of marketing and promotions, said during a March 16-18 virtual show for Canadian tour operators that new travel offerings will be in place for visitors when the pandemic ends.
The new “beautiful experiences” are now in the works for those planning to vacation in the country, she told those viewing Italia Workshop: Active & Leisure.
Maria Elena Rossi
The Italian National Tourism Board
Italy is working very hard to position its tourism offerings,” she said, adding tourism authorities are aware of all the “dreams” people have about visiting Italy.
Among themes tourism authorities are paying particular attention to now are authenticity and sustainability.
The show featured some 74 sellers from throughout Italy.
Salvatore Basile, who heads the tourism board’s Canadian office, noted the virtual show for Canadian buyers was a first.
“The number of Italian suppliers in regional tourist offices attending is a clear sign that Canada is still a prime market for Italy,” he said. “As soon as confidence in travel is restored, we know Canadians will resume the close relationship that brought them in 2019 to visit the (beautiful country) as their second destination of choice for all of Europe.”
Tourism authorities’ future promotions will focus on some aspects of life in Italy, such as the country’s popular cuisine, that have been featured prominently in the past. But they also plan new digital campaign themes aimed at attracting visitors. Basile noted the tourism board recently did webinars that focused on lesser-known destinations in Italy and products and services available in the country.
The webinars were done with the tourism industry in mind but Basile suggested clients of travel companies might find watching them helpful.
Meanwhile, Basile urged webinar viewers needing information on such topics as Italian safety protocols and entry requirements to contact his office.
“Please reach out,” he said. “We’re here to help.”
