Two cities that live on the Strait, Messina and Reggio Calabria, have shared a vision of tourism considering the focal point, tourist, cultural, food and wine scenarios unique in the world. A memorandum of understanding with a strategic vision that aims to organize joint tourism promotion initiatives for the Strait area.
The second edition of the Tourism Meeting on the Strait was inaugurated in Messina in the presence of mayor of Messina Federico Basile together with the councilors Vincenzo Caruso and Massimo Finocchiaro, the tourism delegate of the municipality of Reggio Calabria Giovanni Latella, the tourism councilor of the Sicilian Region Elvira Amata, the president of the Messina Chamber of Commerce Ivo Blandina, the representative of the European Commission Alberto D’Alessandro and Antonio Ranieri commissioner of the Strait Port System Authority.
With them many international buyers and specialists in the tourism sector who accepted the invitation to experience the beauties of the Strait fascinated by the myth of “Scylla and Charybdis”, sailing on the “Route of Ulysses”, overlooking the marvelous “Terraces of the Strait”, taste the food and wine products, the identity of a varied and diversified territory appreciated for its uniqueness. The agreement reached with the airline Ryanair, partner of the Meet, is important and, together with the tourist operators, will offer interesting packages to allow a European and international tourist flow.
To the buyers, the institutional representatives of the two cities will propose tourist itineraries that highlight the salient characteristics relating to the tourist sector and, targeted meetings with companies operating in the tourist and commercial sector in order to “export”, in a targeted manner, history, culture, landscapes, food and wine, and other activities that tourists can undertake and practice on the banks of the Strait.
From 23 to 26 June Messina will lead the buyers while from 27 to 29 the baton will pass to the city of Reggio Calabria.
The Tourism Councilor of the Sicilian Region Elvira Amata he wanted to underline “the importance of the synergistic work carried out by the two administrations but above all, the strategic vision that tends to enhance a territory characterized by cultural and landscape elements unique in the world”.
This initiative, continued councilor Amata, “They are in line with what the Sicilian Region is carrying out, namely, enhancing the specificities of an island embraced by the sea, a source of life both for the population but also for the animal species that live in an area rich in biodiversity”.
A project, he underlined the mayor Federico Basile That “intends to highlight an area of the Strait that exudes culture, history, landscape elements, food and wine excellence and a climate that is unparalleled”. Again, Basile continued, “tourists will be able to use the three adequately equipped tourist ports; an important role will be played by commercial operators who are equipping themselves to be welcoming, competitive and offer services in line with international standards”.
The testimony of Alberto D’Alessandro representing the European Commission which he caught “the importance of this initiative which will open up very interesting scenarios to European citizens who wish to learn about and appropriate the culture and life of an area that is unique in the world”.
The Tourism Councilor of the municipality of Messina Enzo Caruso wanted to underline that “the first edition of the Meet served to lay the foundations on which to build cultural, tourist and landscape itineraries with a much broader vision and in step with the times in which the Strait Area takes on a central role”. Caruso expressed “his convinced confidence in this initiative because. for some time now, Italian and foreign influencers have “exported” an image of a territory ready to compete with national and international circuits thanks to the quality of high-level proposals in different sectors”.
In the end, the delegate for tourism of the city of Reggio Calabria Giovanni Latella he highlighted “the uniqueness of the memorandum of understanding signed between the two cities located in the Strait Area, which will allow us to carry out a synergistic activity that enhances the two identities to attract both national and international tourists”.
There are many conditions and expectations, the efforts that the two metropolitan cities have made give us hope; we are convinced that such an opportunity must be welcomed among entrepreneurs who will have to demonstrate courage and foresight in knowing how to invest not only in a project idea but in a reality represented by the beauty of the Strait Area.
