Tourism is changing its look and increasingly free of constraints. And “without constraints” – i.e. “unbound” – is the leitmotif of the three expos that opened this morning at Rimini Expo Centre.
The 59th edition of TTG Travel Experience, along with the 71st SIA Hospitality Design and the 40th SUN Beach&Outdoor Style of Italian Exhibition Group represents the most important tourism marketplace in Italy. An event featuring 2,200 exhibiting brands, a thousand foreign buyers, 58% of whom are from Europe and 42% from the rest of the world, which hosts over 200 meetings . IEG’s expo centre will show the market the best of Italian tourism, with all 20 Regions and over 50 foreign destinations, confirming its role as the reference expo for the Italian outgoing market.
The three IEG expos were officially inaugurated this morning with a talk on “Tourism’s Unbound turning point: projects for travellers with new sensibility”, moderated by Camila Raznovich, well-known host of the TV program “Kilimangiaro. Participants were Corrado Peraboni, CEO of Italian Exhibition Group, Jamil Sadegholvaad, Mayor of Rimini, Andrea Corsini, Regional Councillor for Tourism of Emilia-Romagna, Massimo Garavaglia, Minister of Tourism, Pierluigi De Palma, President ENAC, Bernabò Bocca, President Federalberghi and Roberta Garibaldi, Managing Director ENIT.
Corrado Peraboni said, “The expos are great catalysers and a multiplier of resources on the territory, and also form an important instrument of innovation. However, this is on the condition that they are part of a territory that knows how to form a system, and this is the case here in Rimini.”
“Whoever has come to Rimini in recent years has borne witness to a process of innovation that is still under way”, stressed Jamil Sadegholvaad. “We have invested a lot on work on the promenade and the management of sewage discharge in the sea, which will be completed within three years. The tourism demand has changed and increasing attention is paid to quality, with a request of more experience-based tourism, which we also satisfy with a wide range of inland villages and the old part of our town centre.”
“In Emilia Romagna, tourism is a sector that has a value of 18 billion euros and approximately 80,000 enterprises”, reminded Andrea Corsini. “We are diversifying what we offer tourists, for example with new products linked with new experiences in our area, such as the network of castles, villages and walks.”
“In the world of air transport, nothing is as it was previously”, said Pierluigi Di Palma. “Nowadays, there is a lot of energy, there are many youngsters, and we are attempting to grasp the best of new travellers. In recent years the system has stood firm and our forecasts for 2023 are optimistic.”
According to Bernabò Bocca, “The bar is being raised increasingly, and a great upgrade of the hotel system, which represent 10% of the GDP, is necessary. There is an issue of space: tourists want larger rooms and choose according to locations’ accessibility. There is also the issue of energy costs, which are currently unsustainable, and regarding which I hope the government takes action as soon as possible.”
“Increasing attention is paid to sustainability issues”, according to Roberta Garibaldi. “Nine companies out of ten in the sector are in fact looking for enterprises that respect these standards. There is also a greater tendency to choose tourism in local areas, with more direct bookings and the desire to extend tourism seasons.”
TTG is hosting the travel and hospitality markets’ most representative trade Associations and institutions. These include: ENIT, Federalberghi, FTO, Astoi, Confturismo, National Research Council, ISNART, Milan Polytechnic, FIAVET, Italian Touring Club, ISMED, Legambiente, FAITA – Federcamping, SIB – Sindacato Italiano Balneari, Osservatorio Turistico Nazionale.
TTG Travel Experience, SIA Hospitality Design and SUN Beach&Outdoor Style are held simultaneously with Superfaces, the marketplace on innovative materials for interiors, design and architecture, and IBE – Intermobility and Bus Expo, the exhibition dedicated to passenger transport and intermodality.
