27-06-2018 / Web article
What are the changes that have swept the
Italian tourism sector in recent years? The turnover of the tourism industry in
2017 is close to € 70 billion, which is equal to 4.2% of the country's gross
domestic product. The arrivals from abroad were 58.7 million and Tuscany
appears as the second favorite destination for foreigners, later only in
Veneto. The growth of incoming tourism is equal to 7.7% compared to 2016. The
flow of cultural tourism is at the top for its 20 million presences and
spending that reaches more than 15 and a half billion euros. Beach tourism is
in second place with 8.2 million arrivals. Numbers that confirm the importance
of the sector in the Italian economy, which has more than 900,000 employees
throughout the boot and 105,000 in the Tuscany region.
The trends of global tourism turn towards an
increasingly demanding type of tourist, who seeks an authentic experience
through channels that are less and less conventional and mediated, at low cost
but complete. Tour operators must therefore come to terms with the advantages
and disadvantages of sharing economy and digital transformations that run at
the speed of light. In recent years, Italian entrepreneurs in the sector have
been victims of innovations that have led to greater fiscal, contributory and insurance
costs. From the privatization of the guarantee fund, to the new regional law,
from the privacy law to the European Directive on packages implemented as a
legislative decree by the outgoing government.
The meeting moments between institutions, professionals
and political figures are fundamental in order to understand the evolution of
the tourism sector and the future perspectives that must be able to combine
quality of supply, environmental sustainability and fair competition in the
demand market. The objective is to identify the best way to start a cooperation
between tourism and politics that is not penalizing for the operators and
promotes the creativity, reception and communication of this industry which is
fundamental for the Italian economy.