Tourism, Ministry and ENIT at ITB Berlin to promote Italy around the world
PRESS RELEASE
TOURISM, MINISTRY AND ENIT AT ITB BERLIN TO PROMOTE ITALY AROUND THE WORLD
SANTANCHÈ: "EXAMPLE OF HOW SISTEMA ITALIA KNOWS HOW TO TEAM UP"
GERMANS IN LOVE WITH ITALY ALSO THANKS TO THE VENUS OF 'OPEN TO MERAVIGLIA'
GERMANY RETAINS TOP SPOT AS THE MAIN MARKET FOR ITALY WITH ALMOST 7 BILLION IN EXPENDITURE AND A 13-DAY MINIMUM STAY
The Ministry of Tourism and Enit (Italian Tourist Board) present the excellence and professionalism of Italy's tourism entrepreneurs at ITB Berlin, one of the industry's largest international trade fairs. The venue is an interactive and immersive pavilion featuring the participation of fifteen regions, Roma Capitale, and a vast representation of the most important Italian companies in the tourism ecosystem, including the two private partners ITA and Trenitalia, as well as the Republic of San Marino.
"ITB is an extraordinary opportunity to further increase visibility and spread knowledge of Italian beauty and expertise around the world, in front of an international audience and in a country that confirms itself as Italian tourism's main source market. Almost half of German tourists, in fact, travel to Italy again, and often the images and promotional campaign of the Venus featured in 'Open to meraviglia' have a positive influence on the choice or confirmation of Italy as a travel destination”, commented Minister Santanchè. - "And it is also thanks to Enit's valuable contribution that we are bringing both the Regions and numerous companies in the sector, as representatives of all-Italian know-how, to such an illustrious setting. The participation of a team with a unified image in international trade fairs”, the minister concludes, “is an example of the moves the 'Italian system' must make in order to aspire to ever greater success, while at the same time providing a valuable opportunity to create the best business conditions for our companies”.
"Enit data confirm Germany as the top market for Italy among its neighbouring countries, and it is essential that we maintain this position and improve tourist satisfaction," says Enit president Alessandra Priante. - "The essence of tourism is not only arriving at a destination, but above all returning there and speaking well of it to everyone. We are also seeing the big return of high-spending long haul travellers and we are consolidating an attractive position in the Middle East and Asia”, Priante continued. - "We have great confidence in the future and we are demonstrating that we are going in the right direction. With the new Enit S.p.A., strongly desired by Minister Santanchè, we will work in a smarter, more innovative way to give the right support to national tourism stakeholders, operators, and the tourism industry, by promoting our excellence in the best way possible, focusing heavily on training, and helping destinations to diversify and de-seasonalise their offerings even more effectively”.
"Italy is the top foreign country about which Germans have the most knowledge and information: cultural influence in terms of fashion, entertainment, brands, trends, cultural heritage, tourist vocation", says Enit CEO Ivana Jelinic. "The Germans love Italy so much that they choose to return again and again, which pushes us to work on presenting increasingly diversified and sustainability-oriented tourism offers”.
"With more than 12 million tourists, Germany is confirmed as the number one country of origin of foreign tourists in our country. Moreover, this is a market with great growth potential in which Italy continues to have a strong interest, as demonstrated by the presence today of the Minister of Tourism and the 200+ Italian exhibitors at the ITB fair. These events provide a valuable opportunity to present Italian excellence and the quality of our all-round offerings to the German and international public: whether it be agricultural production, tourism offerings, film production, or literature”, comments the Italian Ambassador in Germany Alessandro Varricchio.
"In 2023 Emilia-Romagna confirmed its position as the leading region in Italy in terms of tourist appeal, setting records for its presences and arrivals. The fruitful teamwork carried out by the institutions and the operators in the sector allowed us to cope with a dramatic event such as the flooding in Romagna. We will continue to invest in infrastructure and redeveloping the coastline and accommodation facilities, while at the same time focusing on major sporting and cultural events as international highlights in our region”, says Stefano Bonaccini, President of the Emilia-Romagna Region.
Focus on Germany
Below are the main Italy-Germany tourism data processed by the ENIT Studies Office.
- Germany first market in terms of origin and revenue. Looking at the first nine months of 2023, Germany retains its leading position among the main source markets with a share of 15.0% of the total international travellers for the period, also confirming its position as the main source market in terms of revenue.
- Tourism expenditure approaching 7 billion. The amount spent by German visitors in Italy in the first 9 months of 2023 stands at around EUR 6.8 billion, accounting for 16.4% of the total international revenue for the period (Ufficio Studi Enit) In 2023, the average length of Germans' main holidays was about 12 days (BAT Stiftung für Zukunftsfragen).
- The strength of the 'Italy' brand: fashion, entertainment, brand and trend. Italy is the overseas country that Germans have the most knowledge and information about:
- cultural influence in terms of fashion, entertainment, brand, trend (mean score 6.56)
- cultural heritage (6.89)
- tourist vocation (5.68)
- Germans in love with Venus: the images and adverts from the 'Open to meraviglia' promotional campaign also positively influenced 27% of German citizens in their choice and/or confirmation of Italy as a travel destination for their next holidays.