«According to the ministry’s forecasts, 2023 will be the year of overtaking, the sector will do better than 2019. We have all the credentials to do well but there is a lot to work on». This is the premise of Daniela Santanché, Minister of Tourism, in Milan during the presentation of the promotional campaign “This is Ischia”. “Tourism must be the first company in our country, shortly – announced the minister – I will present the 2023-2027 industrial plan”. 2019 was a historic year for the Italian hospitality industry with almost 437 million nights spent, of which 221 million were attributable to foreign tourists. In other words, one vacationer out of two came from abroad. “This is the sector that has suffered the most, we still have -10% of tourist flows” recalls the minister on the occasion of the inauguration of the new train on the lilac line in Milan dedicated to the “This is Ischia” promotional campaign. This initiative was promoted by Enit and Metro 5 together with the Ministry of Tourism and is a tribute and an example of a homogeneous strategic vision of the Peninsula. The campaign by the Ministry of Tourism and Enit continues internationally and will continue until April 2023 in the main Italian and international hubs with a focus on the countries from which the largest number of tourists interested in Italy come such as Germany, UK, USA, France , Spain and Benelux and sees the involvement of local heroes, citizens, rescuers and operators hard hit by last November’s landslide. After the tragedy, the international press had written about how Ischia had been buried in mud, and this caused many, too many cancellations. «Of course, we could not allow a reality like Ischia – which makes tourism its main source of income – to risk losing the Easter and summer tourist seasons. That is why we are here today, but also in Rome, in piazzale Flaminio, and then again at BIT: to disseminate this campaign which, although obviously focused on Ischia, must be put under the hat of Italia, which – let us remember – is the third brand in the world» remarked the Minister.
Passport emergency
The passport emergency, which has cost travel agencies and tour operators over 150 million in lost revenues, also seems to be in the process of being resolved. «We are doing a very important thing that will definitely be decisive. In the next ten days we will give you the structural solution – anticipates Daniela Santanchè -. We are moving. I spoke to the Minister of the Interior, this is a problem, it has caused us to lose 150 million in turnover, 80,000 trips and above all it is a problem for travel agencies who are already in great difficulty. We absolutely have to move because, as the law says, the passport must be issued in 15 days, the minister has already assured me that people’s shifts are increasing, but this is not enough. We are doing a very important thing that will be definitively decisive».
New headquarters for Enit
«Ischia takes the lead in a project to enhance even the least known territories told through the eyes of the people who live there. Sharing models and actions on a national scale creates the right synergy for a harmonious growth of tourism»” declares Ivana Jelinic, CEO of Enit. The Agency is close to opening other branches abroad: in India, Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates which will add to the 26 pre-existing ones. There is no shortage of room for improvement because nearby France, for example, is present on foreign markets with a network of offices in 48 countries. “This year ENIT has a budget of 60 million euros thanks to the funds of the Pnrr but normally in the next few years it will be 25 million” adds Ivana Jelinic.