ITB Berlin News 2021 - Day 2 Edition

I EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW I
While the past year has been more than difficult for the
global tourism industry, with Italy one of the first to be hit
hard, all eyes are now pointed to the future. We spoke to
Maria Elena Rossi, director of Marketing and Promotion,
ENIT – Italian National Tourist Board, and asked her firstly
to give us an overview of how her organisation has been
dealing with the current situation.
Media relations are crucial in
times of crisis management,
together with monitoring the
sentiment and the news on all
media and conversations, online
and offline. Providing reliable
information concerning the
development of the pandemic,
the safety measures of the Italian
destinations and the tourism
industry has been a priority for
the restart of travel in summer
2020, in particular for Italy
as one of the world's leading
destinations. Trust, accountability
and reliability are more than
ever crucial in re-establishing
consumer confidence. When
the borders were opened on
June 3rd, 2020, as the first
European country, we started a
global cross-media campaign,
"Travel to Italy", focusing on safe
experiences in our country, with
a diversified approach in three
catchment areas: domestic,
European and long-haul. On the
domestic market, we focused
the message on key values
such as sustainability and
responsibility, as most Italian
regions have invested in tourism
communication on the domestic
market. On the European market,
the call to action was focused on
safe Italian summer experiences.
For the long-haul markets, the
message was inspirational. With
our digital campaigns, we have
reached over 1.2bn views. Finally,
we developed a branded content
campaign in major international
magazines dedicated to Italian
art cities, aiming at the highend
contemporary traveller, to
reposition Rome, Milan, Venice
and Florence, together with cities
such as Genoa, Turin, Parma,
Bologna, Palermo, Bari, Naples,
to mention a few.
How are you communicating on
a global level now and what will
your strategy be in the short to
mid-term?
Our short-term strategy is in line
with our 2020 approach, very
flexible and alert, on the basis of
the development of safety and
sanitary management and of
the opportunities of opening of
markets in coming months. We
have an “always on” cross-media
communication activity, based on
the 3 catchment areas we have
identified. The message is both
reassuring and inspiring and will
be increasingly strong as the
bookings for the summer holidays
will start in different markets. We
WE ARE PARTNERING WITH THE
MAJOR TRAVEL COMPANIES AND
ASSOCIATIONS IN THE MAIN LONG-
HAUL SOURCE MARKETS FOR A 2022
RESTART
are mostly expecting travellers
from Europe, UK and Ireland. In
the mid-term, we are supporting
the restart of air traffic and we
will be hosting World Routes in
Milan in Q3. We are partnering
with the major travel companies
and associations in the main
long-haul source markets for a
2022 restart.
What do you think will be the
first external markets to start
opening back up to Italy?
The German speaking, the
Benelux, the Nordics, France,
UK, Ireland and Spain are the
main source markets for Italy and
we expect a prompt restart for
the summer. Sanitary passes and
corridors, presently discussed by
the international tourism industry
and IATA are very promising. Italy
has proved to be reliable and
ready to restart with all safety
measures set up by destinations
and the tourism industry as a
whole.
Will the Covid crisis bring about
any permanent change in your
activities? If so, what?
Hybrid events, artificial
intelligence for visitor
management and touchless
technologies for safe and
seamless travel are innovations
that will stay after the Covid
crisis. Also, multi-generational
travellers, smaller groups,
outdoor and more customised
experiences and a sustainable
approach to mobility and travel
behaviour are trends that have
been accelerated and will be
further developed in coming
years. Finally, the travel stop has
raised awareness of the crucial
role of the tourism industry for
communities and economic
development in many countries
and the importance to balance
growth with sustainability.
What can people see in your
virtual offering at ITB NOW?
Almost 400 sellers from the
Italian tourism industry, together
with 11 regions and several
local authorities from cities and
destinations are participating
in the marketplace. We are
very proud to be coordinating
such a large, professional and
reliable tourism community,
looking towards the future with
optimism
Thursday,
04 March 2021
13:00
ENIT – OFFICIAL
REPRESENTATIVE
OF ITALY’S
REGIONS
ENIT promotes Italy as a global tourist
destination both by marketing the
different Regions and destinations
and by developing a sustainable and
balanced distribution throughout
the year. Their strategy is focused on
value growth, which implies market
segmentation, investments both in
leisure and the meeting industry,
and stronger support for areas with
potential. Special interests such as
cycling, hiking, golfing and, in general,
active holidays are growing fast and
are consistent with the sustainable
development and value growth of Italian
tourism in the Alps, the Apennines and
the Italian Islands.
ITALY’S KEY
SOURCE MARKETS
Italy is traditionally the first tourist
destination in Europe for travellers from
extra-European countries, growing at a
higher rate compared to its competitors.
In these markets, efforts are generally
being concentrated on the luxury
segment, on Millennials and Gen Z.
Germany is Italy’s #1 market with a
value of more than €7bn in 2019. Italy’s
promotional strategy has evolved
in the last few years, focussing on
segmentation and innovation.
VISIT
BRAND CAR D
ITB SESSION
Exhibitor presentation Italian
National Tousim Board
EXPO - Stage 2
ITB BERLIN NEWS • WEDNESDAY 10 TH MARCH 2021 15