Martina Franca, Ginosa, Castellaneta and Laterzaare the municipalities of the province that are most affected by the distance from the capital city, Taranto. We interviewed the councilors who deal with tourism to try to understand how the western Ionian side manages to maintain a constant flow of foreign visitors and be a magnet for local ones.
It emerged that the strength of these municipalities is their union. A network that allows territories to develop their own circular economy focused on valorising the hinterland and in some cases the marina. However, there was no shortage of critical issues, one in particular is present in all these locations. Analyzing the data on the presence of tourists in the summer season, numbers recovered from the Puglia Observatory dms (Digital Management System), the councilors underlined the absence of the most important data, the “passenger tourists” those who are not registered as they are not they stay in appropriate facilities, such as villages and hotels.
Own Ginosa detects partial data on tourist movement. Domenico Gigante, Councilor for Tourism stated: “The 2023 attendance decreased, around 10,000 fewer, but paradoxically this did not negatively impact our economy. Thanks to the non-hotel arrivals and the visits to the Ginosi village, through the Matera path and the ravine, we managed to keep the number of presences constant and we also caught the attention of the directors who chose our ravines as the backdrop for film productions .”
A tourism that promotes sporting, cultural and entertainment events such as the hot air balloon festival which involves all generations. “Families are very attracted to the Marina di Ginosa – begins Gigante – thanks to the awarding of the blue flag, which includes specific services and identifies clean waters, the green flag assigned through research by pediatric teams, which indicates seaside locations suitable for staying of children and finally the lilac flag for accessibility to the beaches via walkways. Furthermore, in recent days Ginosa has become a mutual friend of turtles, we take care of monitoring the nests and safeguarding these protected species”.
In addition to foreign visitors, Ginosa’s tourism is local tourism: “The inhabitants of Laterza, Altamura, Santeramo and Matera enjoy the summer season by reaching our beaches – explains Gigante – we have transport connections that the province of Taranto provides us , but this service could be increased. In fact, we are thinking of a small public transport that connects the Ginosa marina to our village which is 22 km away.”
Also Martina Franca in recent years he has focused heavily on free walking tourism, “We have created ring routes, excursions of about ten kilometers that allow visitors to get to know and discover our city – he says Vincenzo Angelini councilor for Tourism– during the walks, made accessible to all, you can come across the biblio-natures, boxes containing books dedicated to knowledge of the area, in different languages. All this work has allowed us to receive recognition as a kind city.”
Defined as the pearl of the Itria Valley for its baroque, with historic buildings of the ancient bourgeoisie and ancient churches, Martina is among the most popular tourist destinations in Puglia. It is often associated with Locorotondo, Cisternino and Ostuni: “Unity is strength. For this reason we have created ‘tourist cards’ which allow a visit, at a discounted rate, to each municipality mentioned. -explains Angelini- This favors the stay of the tourist and the stay in the local structures. Furthermore, the connections with Taranto, on the one hand, create a continuous exchange of visitors, on the other the strengthening of the railway line and the creation of a Taranto Martina Franca, Alberobello axis could further grow the economy”.
The Municipality of Castellaneta favored the promotion of the territory as ‘land of the ravines’. “We aim to discover the historic center perched on a hill and the underground part of the city with the cellars, the hypogea and the oil mills, all environments that depict the old crafts of the village – he says Anna Molfetta Tourism Councilor and adds – the Castellaneta coast road is fundamental for us, in addition to having obtained various awards such as the blue flag, it has become a common friend of turtles. Our beaches are mainly chosen by families thanks to our shallow sea, which allows for greater safety for children.” One of the objectives is to find a way to avoid missing the real attendance count. The Puglia Observatory detected 314,000 stays in 2023, but many movements in the area were not recorded. “We too are a map of the Cammino Materano – underlines Molfetta – the most popular months are March and April, also due to the high temperatures. This slow approach to the territory, in addition to being healthier, also creates the phenomenon of return tourism. The ‘walkers’, travelers passing through, are distinguished from the visitors who stay in our facilities, but still contribute to the circular economy”.
The modus operandi of all these municipalities is to enhance the hinterland, as well as The third which offers excursions and guided tours on safe paths accessible to all, with the presence of geologists and experts who allow knowledge of the flora and fauna of the area. “We manage to have very constant local tourism thanks to the summer events organized from June to September, shows, concerts, parties for all types of ages and some anniversaries that characterize our territory such as the ‘roast festival’ – he explains Sabrina Sannelli councilor for Tourism– foreign visitors, on the other hand, appreciate the walks among our ravines, and the Matera path, as we too appear as a stop on the route”.
To all this, we add the traditional cultures, which capture the attention of tourists such as the Majolica museum, a particular form of ceramic painting that is practiced today by few artisans. In the village there are around four shops that continue this process and show it to tourists. There is certainly no shortage of connections with the city and the marina of Taranto, but the ‘lands of the gravine’ will continue to work to increase the frequency of transport towards the eastern part and between the same municipalities, trying to keep the flow of tourists constant.
