Milan is focused on securing new direct air connections to the city which will be critical as it seeks to reshape its tourism offering, World Routes 2021 has heard.
“Without direct connections there is no future for tourism in this city,” said Luca Martinazzoli, managing director, Milano & Partners and Milan Convention Bureau.
Martinazzoli said the pandemic has given Milan “an opportunity to rethink the tourism offering in the city” with a stronger focus on “quality and sustainability.”
“We’re focused on creating demand for our city and region,” he added.
Speaking alongside Martinazzoli was the Italian Ministry of Tourism’s director general Paolo Schiavo (pictured), who outlined the impact of the industry within the country.
Travel and tourism accounts for “13% of Italy’s GDP and 15% of employment,” he said, and COVID-19 has “highlighted the importance of this tourism.”
Rebuilding the air transport industry is therefore an essential goal for Italy.
“We must remember that travel and tourism are inseparable,” said Schiavo. “Effective mobility is a fundamental condition for prosperity.”
The Lombardy Region’s undersecretary for relations with international delegations Alan Rizzi also highlighted the importance of major events to the tourism recovery, pointing to World Routes and the upcoming Winter Olympic Games as examples of major successes for the region.
“International events are an extraordinary resource,” he said. “We are committed to attract an increased number of events in the future.”
Photo credit: Ocean Driven Media
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