The current policy framework is the National Strategic Plan for Tourism 2017-2022, which is based around four themes:
Culture and heritage: cultural and natural heritage should be enhanced through sustainable management practices and the innovative use of assets.
Competitiveness and employment: tourism competitiveness should be boosted to generate added value and increase the quantity and quality of employment.
Putting the tourist at the centre: the Italian tourism experience should respond to the demands and expectations of the market.
Integration and interoperability: the system of tourism associations and operators should be fully integrated, encouraging interoperability and partnership working.
Three strategic principles cut across all of the Plan's targets and measures:
Sustainability: a key element of competitiveness in tourism, which must conserve natural resources and landscapes and attract investment for their protection. A sustainable vision for tourism is geared towards sharing opportunities throughout the country and throughout the year, and bringing employment to new as well as established destinations.
Innovation: in relation to tourist destinations, business models, professional profiles, marketing, and the quality of services and products. Digitalisation is at the forefront of innovation, relating to the distribution of information, decision making by travellers and the expansion of information tools,
Accessibility: includes widening access to less-visited areas and giving all types of visitor the chance to benefit from tourism and fully appreciate the uniqueness of the destinations visited.
In 2016, the Ministry signed protocols with the Ministry of Economic Development and AGID, the Government’s digital agency, for the creation of new digital services for tourism, including Wi-Fi and large bandwidth networks. In a new commitment to tourism mobility, the Ministry has agreed a Special Plan for Tourist Mobility with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, with EUR 372 million available over the period 2016-2024, including EUR 90 million for investment in a ‘soft mobility’ network (e.g. cycle tracks, tourist rail services) and EUR 60 million for touring routes (Cammini), such as the Via Francigena and the Via Appia. This further develops the work begun during the 2016 Year of the Italian Routes, which had the objective to enhance the value of cultural routes.
The Tax Credit system for the tourism sector, namely the ‘Art Bonus Decree’, approved in 2014 and refinanced with EUR 460 million until 2020 aims to refurbish and modernise tourism establishments, is due to expire in 2020. It is hoped that this will continue into the future. A new hotel classification system with a special focus on sustainability and accessibility is in the process of being approved.
Greater emphasis has recently been placed from a promotional perspective on extending the national offer away from major attractions towards lesser known destinations. The objective is to diversify away from the popular iconic destinations and spread the economic benefits of tourism in both time and space by drawing on the inherent resources, history and uniqueness of places right across Italy. This strategy will develop products to meet niche interests, such as wine, sport, adventure and well-being, with new experiences offering local communities the opportunity to develop smaller scale tourism offers rooted in the place. This reflects market trends that see many visitors motivated to travel for a more personal experience centred around personal growth and self-actualisation as well as contributing positively to the places they visit.
ENIT’s 2020 marketing plan, therefore, draws on sustainable tourism principles to show the breadth of the offer. Some product strategies have been particularly successful such as cultural tourism linked to small Italian centres and smaller cities of art.
