Enhancing nautical tourism to grow Italy
Italy is endless in its natural, heritage, historical, cultural and food and wine riches. To let people discover what our country has to offer, the best means is the boat, and the most beautiful way is the sea. The nautical tourism promotion project – “Italy Seen from the Sea – Discover Where I’m Taking You” – was born from this premise, and its implementation was entrusted to Assonautica Italiana as part of the “Italian Journey – Discover the Italy You Didn’t Know” Promotion Plan between the Ministry of Tourism, Regions and Autonomous Provinces, in collaboration with ENIT. A program dedicated to active tourism, an area in which the Marche Region (pictured here is the Marina dei Cesari in Fano) is engaged as a leader in promotion. This project then aims at the enhancement of tourism in Italy and together with the promotion of boating vacations on the sea, but it is also designed for the ultimate affirmation of the economic value of recreational boating. Marinas and landings become, thanks to the project, true tourist accommodations available to tourists as well as gateways to tourist destinations on the sea and inland. And in turn, nautical operators become tourism service operators. An achievement that follows up on the institutional operation carried out by Assonautica itself so that a finally concrete promotion of nautical tourism allows for the continuation of interventions and funding toward the sector, to increase the quality, sustainability and reception of ports and landings.
“For the first time,” says Assonautica President Giovanni Acampora, “nautical tourism is being promoted as a real tourism segment, finally overcoming an approach that sees boating as reserved for a privileged few. Instead, this project is an opportunity for the affirmation of the economic flywheel value of boating vacations.” “A nautical tourism promotion plan is born,” adds Assonautica Vice President in charge of tourism and the project’s first mentor Francesco Di Filippo, “with the aim of structuring a product to be promoted to Italian and foreign boaters, whether they own a boat or not. A response to new trends of vacation enjoyment, strongly linked to experiential forms of consumption, to contact with nature, as shown by the growth in the numbers of travel on pleasure boats with nautical charter. Italy then is a real “jetty in the Mediterranean,” behind which also opens a hinterland with an immense artistic, cultural and natural heritage. Getting there by boat is beautiful, useful to the country’s economy and perfect for making sea vacations not only a real tourism segment but an opportunity to grow the economy.”