The first International Tourism Forum in Baveno, Lake Maggiore.
The first International Tourism Forum “Meraviglia, gli Open. International Tourism Forum 2023” was held on November 24th and 25th, 2023 at the Grand Hotel Dino in Baveno, Lake Maggiore. An event organized by the Ministry of Tourism and strongly desired by Minister Daniela Santanchè, who at the opening of the forum greeted the Mayor of Baveno, Alessandro Monti, thus, “You will marvel every day at the beauty that surrounds you.”
The conference was mainly moderated by journalist Nicola Porro and featured several sessions with industry stakeholders: taste, quality, perspectives, accessibility, roots, centrality, togetherness, lifestyle, passion and beauty, moments some of which were presented by journalist Pietro Senaldi.
After greetings from the president of the Senate Ignazio La Russa and the President of the Piedmont Region Alberto Cirio, tourism aldermen from each Italian region were invited to the stage to focus also visually on the intent of create synergistic actions between the Ministry of Tourism and individual regional bodies, in order to realize the dream of make known and share the beauty of Italian culture. There were many international interventions from stakeholders of different backgrounds to underscore the desire to revive even more a sector that has suffered so much during the past few years. After all, it is only with well-focused global teamwork that we can succeed in strengthening an already structured supply chain, even with the relationships between neighboring states, often sister lands. Italy-Switzerland, for example, are a winning combination, especially on Lake Maggiore, and they could also focus together on visitor origins. As is already the case in other border areas, such as Trentino Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia with neighboring Austria: both aim to attract personas from the same places. Well-structured teamwork could yield excellent results, thus deepening the segments of markets on which to put more focus, with an eye toward seasonal adjustment.
The Forum proved to be an excellent opportunity to foster Italian tourism, placing special emphasis on Lake Maggiore, an extraordinary location that welcomed those in attendance with brilliant sunshine.
Minister Santanchè signed with Piedmont Region President Alberto Cirio and Stresa Mayor Marcella Severino a protocol to restore the Mottarone cable car on the Piedmont shore.
This territory is also in the soul of the Honorable Andrea Pellicini, a native of Luino, a frontier land on the Lombard shore of the Lake, who attended the work of the States General of Tourism and commented as follows: “The huge success of the Forum desired by Minister Santanchè in Baveno represents an international showcase for Lake Maggiore. Within a month, after the Luino conference on Oct. 20th, the Minister of Tourism returned to our lake, bringing with him the entire government team, from Francesco Lollobrigida, holder of the Agriculture Department, to Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano, from Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, to Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. The grand conclusion came with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sealing the success of the initiative. As a Member of Parliament with strong ties to Lake Maggiore, I can only thank Minister Santanchè for her unceasing work to promote the magnificent territory from which I come and which I have always tried to support“.
Among the many topics developed during the two intense days, certainly of note is the attractive force of Made in Italy: quality still proves to be among the most effective in this sector because it represents an inseparable and powerful link with tourism, capable of engaging visitors who are still seeking to discover important roots in taste, fashion, and design. An interesting cue was expressed by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who emphasized the importance of reconnecting foreign generations with their roots, an initiative that is proving successful precisely in order to succeed in reviving even those small hamlets from which many left.
The search for an alchemy between the incredible styles of the Italian fashion that enhances traditions, just as it was proposed by Dolce & Gabbana last summer in Apulia, is just one example of what can be developed thanks, however, to an harmonic international action with other states expressing great interest, such as the Americas – quality intervention by the Brazilian Alvaro Garnero who, by conducting a TV program in his homeland, has also fostered international tourism-the UAE and European flows. Representatives from various ministries spoke during the forum, as only from a choral action with those involved in agriculture, sports, disability, economy and culture can a better future for global tourism be created.
Many industry entrepreneurs in attendance truly enjoyed the two intense days of work. These include Luca Sartorio, jurist and CEO of Grand Luino srl, which is organizing major international initiatives to foster tourism development on the Lombard shore of Lake Maggiore, who comments, “Very interesting and well-organized Forum. I return home even more convinced than before about the development potential of the ‘Flowery Coast’, thanks to our ‘Lake Maggiore 2030’ project“.
The hope is to be able to synergistically propose an international launch of our pre-Alpine lakes, with proposals that go beyond the borders, in order to make people admire the natural spectacle of magnificent locations such as Stresa and Luino, but also Locarno, Ascona, Lugano and Como.
Simona Fontana
