The Italian tourism industry has had a record-breaking year: the most popular destination among international tourists, it must now manage its growth better. But to do so it will need to take action on several fronts: on its infrastructure, which is currently not capable of absorbing higher numbers of tourists, especially in some areas in Southern Italy, and on excellence, focusing on a kind of tourism that understands and respects our artistic and cultural heritage.
The presentation of ANSA ViaggiArt, a new portal that takes the user on a journey through great beauty, combined with geographical information, food and wine itineraries and, very soon, a virtual tourist office and augmented reality features, was an opportunity to talk about the future of the tourist sector in Italy.
According to Nicola Piepoli, President of the Piepoli Institute, tourism accounts for 10% of Italy’s GDP, but we need to create synergies between companies in the sector to push this up to 12-15%. We need to look to the future, adopting a long-term strategy that focuses on tourist satisfaction and encouraging them to come back to Italy again and again.
The director of ANSA, Luigi Contu, proudly noted the agency’s ability to produce content firmly rooted in Italy, also investing in cultural journalism. It is a commitment that has resulted in two events: the recent photographic exhibition on art worth saving, held in Pesaro as part of the Festival of Cultural Journalism, and the exhibition, organised in partnership with Istituto Luce, on the great utopia of film, told through photographs and texts by ANSA, being held from 15 December at Cinecittà (Rome).
