Tourism: agritourism, despite the bad weather, is going strong in the Brescia area.
Agritourism is going strong in the Brescia area
Bad weather doesn’t stop the farmhouse in the Brescia area. With the start of summer, it’s time for agritourism facilities in the province of Brescia to return to full capacity. The hope is to replicate the record numbers of 2023. 2024 started discreetly: Gianluigi Vimercati, section manager Confagricoltura Brescia farmhouse thus commented on the trend for the first part of 2024: “average”.
The weather has penalized tourism
The weather had a heavy impact: the boom in attendance and bookings that is usually recorded in the period from after Easter to the start of the hot season did not occur due to the weather: on the lakes and in Franciacorta the bad weather and too many rainy days have held back tourists a bit, while in the mountains it is still too cold. However, there is no room to complain, because all in all there was no shortage of customers and bookings are in line with the season. There is a lack of foreigners, but the hope is that in the coming weeks the situation will change for the better.
“The shaky weather has penalized us a bit – says Vimercati -, now let’s see if the summer really starts. Despite everything, the farm has still held on and worked, thanks in particular to the valorisation of local products, which are our jewel in the crown. It should not be forgotten that our products belong to a quality, safe and certified supply chain, to always offer the best to farm customers. The numbers are in line with the season, but I don’t think we will reach last year’s results, especially for foreign customers: in 2023 we were inundated with phone calls and emails with reservations, less this year. The Germans are a bit missing, they arrived for the Pentecost holidays, but only for a hit and run. We lost part of the spring due to rain and cold, but if it starts to get warm I really think things will start to move. This year we hope for late bookings.”
Training
For 2024, Confagricoltura Brescia is focusing on training to improve the skills of operators in the sector, both owners and employees, because:
“An agritourism operator – explains Vimercati – is a farmer but must also be an expert in tourism, he must know how to welcome, know the territory to talk about it, find the right levers with the guest so that he feels good and has unique experiences. We believe that training can also improve the quality of the experience offered to guests, increase the visibility of the company and its profitability and help preserve and promote local culture and resources. It is an investment that can have a significant impact on the success of the agritourism business.”
For this reason, for the autumn and winter, ad hoc training courses are being studied which should contribute to making the sector make a leap in quality.
