The new survey carried out in collaboration with the Sintesi study center and the association’s project on quality craftsmanship was presented
(UNWEB) “In ten years, Umbrian tourism has grown by double digits and is now above pre-Covid levels. But there is still a lot of work to be done on the average length of stay of visitors and on the deseasonalization of arrivals. We think so can do by focusing on new attractors, including quality artisanal production. This is why we have developed the Umbria Artigianato Unico project”.
This is the appeal launched by Michele Benemio, regional president of CNA Tourism and Culture, commenting on the research on the evolution of the tourist movement presented this morning in Perugia in the presence of regional councilor Paola Agabiti.
“Between 2013 and 2023, and in particular in the last three years, Umbria has recorded excellent growth performances in terms of arrivals and presences – stated Benemio -. The promotion actions of the Umbria brand have certainly contributed significantly and the impulse to the San Francesco airport in Assisi given by the regional department. It is thanks to the promotion of the image of Umbria in Italy and in foreign target countries that many people have decided to come and see the beauties of Umbria. they have known our villages, the nature, the mysticism of the paths, the quality of the festivals, they have appreciated the food and wine we are capable of. The path is the right one: to do even better we must invest in our attractors”.
The research was illustrated by the CNA Tourism and Culture regional manager, Marina Gasparri.
“The survey shows tourism in good health, with arrivals and presences growing more than the national average, recording +21% and +19% respectively in the last ten years. Despite the increase in the flow of foreigners, in 2023 the Italians represent 65% of tourist presences in Umbria. It is above all our neighbors from Lazio who choose us, but tourism from Lombardy is the one with the highest growth rates (+ 36% in 2023 compared to 2013). foreign origins, with the United States, Germany and the Netherlands accounting for 37% of foreign presences, but with a significant increase in movement from Poland: promotional action should focus on these countries, also with specific missions. Encouraging signs, but with ample margins for improvement, come from the deseasonalization of tourism: although 52% of the tourist movement is still concentrated between June-September, the presences in the remaining eight months grow the most (+25% compared to +15% of summer presences ). Assisi and Perugia continue to be the most visited cities, but tourist flows in the Terni areas show good growth. The only exception is the Valnerina, certainly due to the 2016 earthquake. Non-hotel tourism is growing more than hotel tourism in terms of arrivals, but is recording a decline in terms of average stay. This growth, which has seen an acceleration especially during the pandemic, is also redesigning the accommodation offer: non-hotel structures are increasing (+89% in the years 2013-2023), hotel accommodation is contracting (-21% in the same years ten years). The results of our airport are excellent: with over 532 thousand passengers in 2023, growth in recent years has been +147%, against the national average of 37%. More than 2/3 of the passengers passing through the airport were on international flights. However, a gray area remains for Umbrian tourism: that of the days of average stay, which in these ten years have remained stable at 2.3 days for Italian tourists and 3.3 days for foreign tourists” – concluded Gasparri .
On the basis of these data, CNA Umbria presented the UAU (Umbria Artigianato Unico) project, focused on the combination of tourism and craftsmanship and on the ability to attract new tourist flows through the valorisation of craftsmanship and typical productions.
“Artisan workshops and artisanal productions in general, together with food and wine, contribute to making Umbria a unique territory – stated Barbara Ferrier, who briefly illustrated UAU -. Tailored productions, jewellery, ironwork, artistic ceramics and many other expressions of artisan know-how can make an important contribution to the development of tourism, becoming an integral part of the regional brand: it is up to us to organize them so that they become a real experience of tourist discovery of the various territories and the different excellences”.
“Consumers, especially young people, are looking for new, unique and above all customizable products – declared Ciro Schiaroli, an artisan in the fashion sector -. The artisanal product is popular precisely because it can be created to measure, becoming a unique piece. For artisan businesses, the tourism represents a market of great opportunities, in a relationship of mutual exchange: welcoming tourists into your shop, showing the product while also being able to talk about it is a great marketing operation, but at the same time the visit to the shop becomes experiential tourism and a reason to visit of that specific village, where the tourist otherwise would not have come. All amplified by digital, which helps small businesses to reach all markets, and tourists to prepare the trip and choose itineraries”.
“Restaurants can become a real showcase for craftsmanship – declared Paolo Ercolani, owner of a restaurant in Spello and member of the regional board of CNA Turismo e Cultura -, enhancing the entire local supply chain and becoming the business card of an entire territory and its productions, which would otherwise risk not being known yet another reason to visit Umbria and stay there longer”.
