São Paulo is the state that sends the most tourists to Italy, according to the Agenzia Nazionale del Turismo.
Although the data on Brazilian tourists in Italy in 2016 has not yet been finalized, the expectation is positive.
In 2015, Italy received 873 thousand Brazilian tourists, a number 14,4% higher than the previous year. In total, there were 2,2 million overnight stays, an increase of 16,9%. Brazilian spending in Italy also stood out, which is among the top six of all tourists in Italy: the value grew by 5,7% last year compared to 2015.
Being the 5th destination in the world, 1st country in Unesco's historical heritage and with typical cultural and gastronomic richness, Italy tends to attract a specific audience aged 30 to 40, more educated and with an annual family income of around 40 thousand dollars, according to Roberta Milano, director of digital marketing at the Agenzia Nazionale del Turismo, the body responsible for tourism in Italy.
According to them, trips are normally made on vacation, for business, studies, conferences or visits (from relatives or friends).
The numbers were quite high and the results for this year are already positive, as the director highlighted: “[…] six of the fifteen main operators for Italy saw bookings for April and May, including Easter, increase by 20% 35% compared to last year.”
With the aim of promoting Italy in 2017, participation in fairs such as WTM-LA, held between April 4th and 6th at Expo Center Norte, in São Paulo, is being confirmed, and online actions have already begun: the focus on social media makes becomes increasingly larger, transmitting faster information to those interested in the destination and with the hashtags #italianvillages and #italia, the latter being the most used currently in relation to destinations.
The idea is to attract the public not only to Italian art, gastronomy or culture, but also to its folklore, activities linked to nature such as mountaineering, luxury tourism with the various regional shopping malls, sports such as golf, among others. Also in search of sustainable tourism, publicity is becoming increasingly greater in smaller cities, the so-called burgos, small villages that are close to the city.
Promoting other itineraries will also be a focus this year, bringing new options for religious tourism in locations beyond Rome, LGBT tourism, and food and wine tourism with packages and land tours increasingly involving Italian tradition, gastronomy, music, emotion, adventure, and everything else that Italians have to offer, reinforcing their long-standing ties with Brazilians.
