Italy | Launched a Project to Revitalize Tourism in Inland Areas and Less Visited Provincial Capitals

The Italian Business Confederation (CI) has launched a project aimed to revitalize tourism in inland areas and smaller less visited capitals in Italy, with the goal of promoting sustainable and balanced development by encouraging year - round visitor flows. 

The initiative aims to move beyond a focus on specific peak dates to create a more consistent and sustained influx of visitors, which will in turn support local businesses such as hospitality and catering.

The project objective is to promote “quality tourism” by leveraging intangible cultural heritage to create sustained and diversified visitor flows throughout the year.

In a note from the entity, published on the digital news site of the television channel NTR24, the Italian Business Confederation pointed out that the objective of this initiative is to strengthen often marginalized areas and transform them into competitive tourist centres.

The Confederation highlights in this document that during 2024 the tourism sector confirmed its fundamental role in the Italian economy, with the country welcomed approximately 65 million international visitors, exceeding the levels of the years prior to the Covid – 19 pandemic.

During the first quarter of 2025, the tourism balance recorded a surplus of more than €21 million, equivalent to 1.0% of the GDP, and is expected that, this year, spending by international visitors will grow by 7.0 percentage points, with an average expenditure of about €930 per travellers.

The text points out that, however, the geographical distribution remains uneven, because while the northern regions concentrate the majority of visitors, central Italy registers the highest average expenditure, and in the south, as well as on the islands, strong seasonality and a fragmented supply continue to be faced.

CI’s project includes the identification of provinces where the offer is incomplete or poorly structured, with the creation of a community pact involving local authorities, companies, trade associations, as well as cultural logistics operators.

In this way, it will seek to define a coordinated and competitive tourism product, marketable in national and international markets, and expand collaboration to integrate local companies and global tourism networks.

It is estimated that companies participating in this plan will benefit from a greater presence, thanks to their access to a broader and more visible sector, in addition to strengthening influence, with the ability to impact  local strategies through technical debates, in order to achieve a widespread economic impact.

 It is expected that the generation of values will be expanded not only in hospitality, but also in transport, crafts, gastronomy and services.

In the first quarter of 2026, the operational agenda will be defined at the national and local levels, with a mapping of the tourism offer in the selected provinces, while workshops will be held with companies and key actors.

The source adds that by the third quarter of 2027, progress should be made in the launch of the tourism product, an effort that will be accompanied by an extensive national and international promotion campaign as well as a monitoring of impacts and performance, with estimates in arrivals, attendance, average expenditure and employment.

Link

https://infoturlatam.com/planifican-en-italia-revitalizar-el-turismo-en-zonas-menos-visitadas/