It doesn’t stop with Expo: now we have to ‘sell’ Italy to global tourists
Interview with Renzo Iorio
Pulling in over 20 million visitors, of whom 7 million were from overseas, Expo 2015 held in Milan proved to be an important driver of tourism. It conveyed a positive image of Italy to the world, which was picked up and amplified by the foreign press. In the following interview with the Aspen Italia website team, Renzo Iorio, president of Federturismo Confindustria and CEO of Accor Italia, explained that the tourism industry, a key sector of the national economy, must now build on this success in order to tackle longstanding issues, such as overly fragmented supply.
Expo seems to have attracted Italian tourists in the main. Did it fail to arouse interest abroad?
Expo could be said to have been a success because it was combined with a resurgence in domestic tourism. The increase – which there also was – in the number of foreign tourists was more part of a rising trend in international tourism to Italy, though not of the same order as the growth registered in domestic tourism. Nevertheless, the international exposure generated was important not just for the success of the event, but also for showing the country in an exemplary light: the fact that Expo was staged well and went off without a hitch helped create a positive impression of Italy that will certainly pay off for the country’s credibility.
Did Italy’s tourist offerings come up to scratch?
We conducted a study with Assolombarda using online reputation systems to gauge how visitors rated accommodation facilities during Expo. What emerged was a rating of 87% for value for money, which is indicative of the maturity of the hotel and lodging industry. We also saw a higher than 90% rating given for the ability to make visitors welcome, a factor which has to do with the relationship with customers and the attitude exhibited towards tourists. On the other hand, many aspects relating to the physical state of facilities, especially their age, were rated at below 80%.
These figures were accompanied by other positive trends, such as an increase in stays in areas outside greater Milan, starting with Varese (with a 46% increase in hotel stays), but also in the area around Lodi. Indeed, Expo enabled wealth to be more widely distributed and introduced visitors to less frequented destinations. I would say the country’s capacity put to the test and largely came up trumps, with some structural problems that still need to be addressed.
What are the things we need to improve?
The main problems continue to be visibility and accessibility of the country to international visitors. Today, tourism is a global industry. Italy – like all major global destinations – must look to the world at large. The markets involved are often far-flung and difficult for small to medium-sized enterprises to reach. The lack of cost benefits of this kind of fragmented set-up also makes it difficult to convey a coherent narrative about the country for global tourists.
To increase its attractiveness, Italy must work on putting across the beauty of its way of life, by imposing quality standards for its operators and staying ahead of the game in terms of sustainability, which in a broader sense is synonymous with quality of life, made up not just of clean air, but also light, smiles on people’s faces, and widespread prosperity. Indeed, this is a key element for ensuring ever greater success for the tourism market.
How is Italy viewed by those operating in the global tourism market?
I would say more favorably, if only from a psychological standpoint, thanks to reforms such as labor market changes. Italy is the top most sought-after holiday destination, as well as being the fifth-ranked destination globally and second in Europe for overnight stays. Nor should it be forgotten that we are also a country with significant outward tourist flows, which is a key factor for everyone operating in the market. It is with good reason that Accor has chosen Italy as its center of operations for a series of markets that includes Greece, Israel, Malta, and Crete. Also, for a hotel group like Accor, having a base of operations in the place that the most people in the world identify as their ideal holiday destination is a strategic plus.
