Following the launch of the new InFerrara promotional campaign which we wrote about in recent days, we took the opportunity for a chat with Patrizia Guidi, president of Po Delta Tourism and Co.ge.tur, two of the companies in the temporary business network – together with Dinamica Media, Studio Borsetti and Elite Island – which since September 2022 has been supporting the Administration in the Inferrara tourism promotion and marketing project, with the creation of the city’s Dmo (Destination management organization, ed.).
The adoption of the DMO model underlined a precise choice by the Administration, a change of pace on a unitary proposal…
“Definitely; significant and necessary in the current tourism scenario. The real leap in quality for destinations consists precisely in putting the products expressed by the territory into a system, leaving fragmentation and parochialism in the past. Tourists choose destinations where they know they can count on a organized and easily accessible offer, and in a context like the Italian one where competition is very high it is important to stand out positively from this point of view.
In the Comacchio and Delta area, where you have been operating for almost 20 years, the Dmo is a reality that works well. Did you find any differences between the two territories?
“These are different destinations, each with their own peculiarities. But apart from this, I believe that the differences are more linked to a question of ‘seniority’ of the project. In Comacchio there is indeed a historian, the actions are also strongly shared by the operators, who have faith and who invest energy and savings in the proposed activities. In Ferrara the project is gaining ground and the results of the first year and a half are more than positive. It is a complex project, but we are committed to transmitting the information on a daily basis its potential to local operators, encouraging them to create attractive products”.
In recent years, in the Comacchio area, we have witnessed the return of an important project for non-hotel accommodation. What has changed in the perception of investors, but also of customers?
“It’s clear that, looking back a bit through history, there was a moment in which the seaside resort was the most sought after element. Following the market downturn, it was a success to have been able to describe the area in a new way, valorising the the entire system and the green proposal, which for a decade now has increasingly met the tastes and demands of the Italian market but also central and northern Europe. An entrepreneurial system that has invested and worked in a compact manner, breaking down parochialism, has also been fundamental useless and harmful.
An interesting prospect of entrepreneurial growth also for Ferrara. In the meantime, can you give us some numbers on the project?
“To date InFerrara has established collaborations with the major tourist-cultural entities in the area, trade associations and many private individuals: the network counts on the participation of over 30 qualified tourist guides and 80 activities linked to tourism. Obviously there must be a coherence of visions and operations between public and private, which will also create an attractive city for entrepreneurial investments. We have also created a true digital ecosystem that reflects the collaborations established. with a section dedicated to the online sale of over 20 experiences offered: from December 2022 to today, over 6,300 have been sold for individual visitors alone. A section for booking overnight stays is also active, in fact, I take this opportunity invite the managers of the accommodation facilities to join the project!”
You are also entrusted with the management of the tourist information office: what are visitors looking for?
“The tourist information and reception office, now IAT-R, is increasingly an important commercial and promotional hub, as well as information. It is here that the offer meets the tourist face to face: many are amazed at how much Ferrara offers, promising to return to stay a few more days. We are also able to intercept, by observing visitor flows, the possibilities for development in new markets such as France and Spain, where Ferrara has already been present in important exhibition spaces this year it is also rapidly developing the group and school tourism segment.”
Events or culture, what is tourism done with?
“Not to want to be diplomatic, but I would say it with both of them. Ferrara is a city of art and culture, no one can doubt this. Big events bring notoriety, and we know that notoriety is the first step in attracting interest on any product, including tourism”.
