BARI – Last 19 February 2024, the Puglia Region approved the “Amendments to the regional law of 13 February 2013, n.42 (Discipline of agritourism) and amendment to the regional law of 24 July 2012, n.19 (interventions to enhance the sector zootechnical)”.
The new regional law that regulates the Apulian agritourism sector, which is made up of 23 articles, will be at the center of a day of studies and discussion to be held on Thursday 16 May 2024, in the headquarters of the Alto Salento GAL, in the Li Cuti district (via Fasano) in Ostuni. The initiative, entitled “Agritourisms, the new regional law: opportunities or constraints?”, is organized by CIA Agricoltori Italiani Puglia Area Due Mari and the Turismo Verde Puglia association, will start at 5pm and continue until 8pm.
The meeting, which will be moderated by Vito Rubino (director of CIA Area Due Mari), will be attended by: Luigi D’Amico, Executive CIA Area Due Mari; Angelo Pomes, mayor of Ostuni; Luigi Trotta, director of the Puglia Region; Pietro De Padova, president of Turismo Verde Puglia; Giannicola D’Amico, deputy vice president of CIA Puglia; Donato Pentassuglia, Councilor for Agriculture of the Puglia Region.
THE 1000 APULIAN FARMHOUSES. With around 1000 agritourisms, Puglia is among the top 10 Italian regions in terms of number of structures as certified by Ismea data. Overall, there are 25 thousand agritourism companies in Italy. In Puglia, since 2015, agritourism facilities have totaled an average of almost 500 thousand visitors per year, for an annual turnover estimated at around 20 million euros. The agritourism company preserves soil and landscape from the advance of concrete, neglect and degradation which have already “burned” 2 million hectares of agricultural land in the last twenty years. Furthermore, it preserves biodiversity and combats hydrogeological instability which in our country affects 6,633 municipalities and 9.8% of the national surface area.
Italy has more than 5,000 traditional agri-food products throughout the country, one in four at risk of extinction. Agritourism is an Italian excellence, a green travel formula that is helping to support tourism in mountain and hilly areas, where 84% of the structures are located, and is an essential component of agricultural multifunctionality. It is to the credit of the agritourism companies to have recovered and valorised traditional places and buildings, landscapes and ancient varieties, as well as having revived old peasant recipes, regional dishes that are now almost unknown, protecting biodiversity and creating social capital. Overall, Italian agritourisms have a potential of over 245 thousand beds and almost 450 thousand seats for refreshments, as well as 11 thousand pitches for agri-camping and almost 2 thousand companies active as educational and social farms. The sector proves to be in constant movement with a multiplication of ideas and activities. Half of the facilities allow you to practice horse riding, hiking, nature observations, trekking, mountain biking, spa and swimming pool, courses and seminars.
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