Italy to shake up offer to mature markets as focus turns to the east
Ilaria Grasso MacolaItaly plans to shake up its offering in well-established markets, such as the UK, while seeking to raise its profile in Asia where it believes it has scope to strengthen its position.
Speaking to TTG at WTM London, Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT) director of marketing and promotion Maria Elena Rossi said Italy wanted to attract more high net worth travellers to visit during Italy’s off-seasons and guide them towards less popular destinations.
“Extending the season and dispersing travellers to lesser-known destinations has proved successful as second-tier cities such as Genova, Bologna and Perugia have grown very strongly over the past couple of years,” said Rossi. “There’s still a concentration of tourists in the big cities, but there’s also other areas of the country that are becoming more famous.”
Rossi told TTG Italy is also hopeful of upping its repeat rate by reaching out to potential return travellers from the US, UK and Germany through a wider, more diverse portfolio of experiences. These will tap niche markets such as sport and gastronomy through events like the Winter Olympics, which Italy will host in 2026, and The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Italy’s focus is also turning east, with the country’s tourism sector investing heavily in Asian source markets, most notably south-east Asia.
"There are countries in south-east Asia such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand where we have been investing in developing new [flight] connections,” Rossi continued. “We will invest a lot in Asia next year to raise awareness about Italy as a tourist destination.”
Rossi insisted Italy won’t lose sight of its focuses on promoting more responsible forms of travel, combatting overtourism and educating visitors to be more mindful of planet and people, despite its wider lens.
“What we can do is address the tourists to have a more responsible approach to travel by using public transport, travelling off season, consuming local produce and visiting lesser-known areas,” Rossi added. “A combination of better tourism, better visitor management and responsible travel is the only solution to get this problem under control.”
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