Italy
has just launched a plan that involves an investment of 20 million euros to promote the so-called "
roots tourism
" and that seeks to help
reactivate the sector
by helping, in particular, cities with less than 50,000 inhabitants.
The action is part of the
National Resumption and Resilience Plan
(PNRR), which uses funds from both the nation and the European Union to revitalize various sectors of the economy that were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic;
among them, tourism.
"We focus on the growth of tourism in our country not only looking at the big cities, but also at the small centers. We have enormous potential and we can
double or triple the tourist presence
", highlighted the Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, in Rome, during the act of launching the plan.
Basilica of Aquileia.
The plan seeks to develop, above all, tourism in inland towns.
Photo Tourism of Aquileia
"Many Italians in the world want
to discover
where their ancestors lived
. It is a message from the Italian spirit, but also from the growth of tourism," added the minister.
For her part, the Italian Minister of Tourism, Daniela Santanché, said that "roots tourism is a crucial point for Italian tourism because it targets an estimated user base of around 80 million people, and includes a
second and third generation living abroad
."
"Before the pandemic, we had more than 10 million local tourists. After that number decreased, but even so, there were six million Italians abroad who returned to our nation in 2021," he added.
Isola del Giglio, a tourist town in Italy.
Photo: Shutterstock
The minister stressed that they are "important figures because they also have interesting elements: the length of stay of visitors to Italy registers a minimum of six days, while spending in 2021 reached 4.2 billion euros
.
"
Ecosustainability and digitization
The initiatives to be carried out with the "Roots Tourism" project are inspired by eco-sustainability and digitization, focusing on valuing small towns
and rural areas
in Italy through sustainable development dynamics.
They also imply the
restructuring and recovery of houses
and infrastructures in disuse and favor providers of local services and products, for example, food and wine, taking into account the importance of gastronomy and viticulture in the country.
Aerial view of Certaldo, in Tuscany.
Photo Shutterstock
There are eight main points of development, including training tour operators, digitizing documents in city archives to
facilitate family history searches
, creating special itineraries, and a network of immigration-themed museums. and the elaboration of a "
roots passport
", in addition to dissemination actions and actions with universities.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the
descendants of Italians
represent a tourist segment of "enormous potential" and it is estimated that the "
oriundi
" are
between 60 and 80 million
people in the world.
The main countries that received Italians over the centuries are Brazil,
Argentina
, Venezuela, Uruguay, Colombia, Paraguay, the United States, Chile, Canada, South Africa, Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium and the United Kingdom.
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