According to the Agenzia Nazionale del Turismo, growth in package sales could reach 20% this year.
Italy is the destination of thousands of people who, every year, seek leisure, lifestyle, historical, artistic and educational knowledge and emotional recovery. It is no wonder that this is the main destination for Brazilians who go to Europe! In 2016 alone, the country received more than 800 thousand Brazilian tourists. And this number is expected to grow even more in 2018.
According to Fernanda Morici, responsible for the Agenzia Nazionale del Turismo (Enit) – for the promotion of Italian tourism in Brazil –, Italy closed the first half of 2017 with 11,8% more tourists compared to the same period in 2016. “ The complete results for 2017 have not yet been released, but they will certainly be higher. In any case, this is the highest growth rate compared to countries top ten"He says.
The peninsula, in addition to having an ancient history, which provided the basis for Western culture, has the largest number of material heritage sites of humanity declared by UNESCO. Recently, “Terra da Bota” had the art of making Neapolitan pizza included as part of its now intangible heritage.
For these and many other reasons, the expectation is that, this year, more Brazilians will visit the country of good wines and beautiful landscapes. “We are working so that in 2018 there will be a growth of 10% to 20% in the sale of packages to Brazilian visitors”, informs Fernanda.
So many reasons…
Anyone who goes to Italy falls in love. There are so many attractions, including monuments, architecture, landscapes, delicious aromas, flavors and feelings. The tourist attractiveness that Italy has is justified by the charm present in its simplicity, the luxury in craftsmanship and the love in the way of producing and cultivating, characteristics so unique and historical that they made the "made in Italy" a global reference and object of consumer desire.
At every corner, a discovery of what already exists, such as the burgs, which have been worked on and stimulated as an option for tourists, in addition to religious and gastronomic tourism, a return for those in search of knowledge of their own roots.
"The affectionate relationship that Brazilians and Italians have with each other largely justifies the tourist flow from both sides," comments Senator Fausto Longo, an Italian-Brazilian elected to parliament in Italy to represent Italians and their descendants living in South America.
Longo, who was also a member of the Senate's Industry, Commerce and Tourism Committee in the last legislature, considers the work carried out by senators for the benefit of those living outside of Italy to be of great importance.
“In our case, we sought, through laws, amendments and institutional relationships, to create a dynamic that would favor tourist exchange, with actions that strengthen commercial relationships, also fighting for the recognition of citizenship for people of Italian descent, as part of the integral and growing tourism between Brazil and Italy”, he says.
The senator, who will be a candidate for re-election in Italy, celebrates the achievements, but knows that there is still a lot to be done. “We seek to create ways to make life easier for both those who live in South America and those who live in Italy, as was the case with the coordination of the agreement on reciprocal recognition of driver's licenses between the two countries, which came into force in January 15th”, he adds.
It is no surprise that Italy occupies 8th place in the global tourist competitiveness ranking, with its cultural attractions and tourist demand as its flagship. And all of this only tends to grow.
By Atila Lemos
