ITALY (eTN) – Leadership, jobs, and the south of Italy are the three lines of Tourism Italy in 2020, the Strategic Plan presented at Palazzo Chigi by Minister Piero Gnudi. This is a synthesis – from the 89-page plan – now available on the government’s website. The document, prepared by Boston Consulting Group and shared with the World Cup on January 18, is divided into three sections: industry analysis, development strategies, and actions for the short term. “This Strategic Plan is a first step to consolidate the competitive advantage of Italy and contribute to the economic development and the creation of new jobs” wrote the head of the department in the preface.
According to the estimates, in fact, the maneuvers can result in around a 30 billion euro increase in GDP and 500,000 new jobs by 2020. “The first step is to enhance the Italian heritage. A comparison between Sicily and the Balearic Islands highlights the distance between Italy and Spain. A parity of miles of coastline – 1,500 the first, 1,430 the second – our island (Sicily) has in 2010 totalled 3.7 million European tourists , while the Spanish islands Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera have reached 41.2 million nights. This figure – it says – is reported only as an example, but hints at the lost opportunities of Italy and to the need to recover competitiveness, without further loss of time.”
The delay of tourism activities in the south (Italy) is also evidenced by Istat, whose data are cited in the plan. The tourism market in Italy developed 375 million nights, of which 55% were generated from the shore districts and from the art cities, and 44% by international tourists. Veneto, Trentino Alto Adige, Tuscany, Lazio, and Lombardy regions account alone for 70% of the foreign visitors. This is because they offer the three strongest products of our country: the “four top cities,” Rome, Venice, Florence, and Milan, Lake Garda and the Dolomites. “The southern regions – reiterates the report- despite having invaluable assets of historical, cultural, or scenic, accounts only for 12% of the total and, in the decade 2000-2010, contributed with only 5% on the total Italian growth.”
In reply to the criticality of the sector, the plan lists sixty “concrete actions,” some of which cross and others are specific. The interventions were grouped into seven guidelines: governance, revival of ENIT, improving the supply, upgrading and consolidation of the hospitality industry, development of transport and infrastructure, training, and investment.
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WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- “This Strategic Plan is a first step to consolidate the competitive advantage of Italy and contribute to the economic development and the creation of new jobs”.
- “The southern regions – reiterates the report- despite having invaluable assets of historical, cultural, or scenic, accounts only for 12% of the total and, in the decade 2000-2010, contributed with only 5% on the total Italian growth.
- According to the estimates, in fact, the maneuvers can result in around a 30 billion euro increase in GDP and 500,000 new jobs by 2020.
