The goal is ambitious: by 2030 L’Emilia Romagna wants to get to be the leading tourist region in Italy, exceeding 16% of the GDP generated by tourism, which should thus become the first industry in the area in terms of economic value. An objective which, however, according to the regional councilor for Tourism Andrea Corsiniis fully achievable, especially looking at the 2023 budget, which talks about 62 million visitors.
Air links to be strengthened
“In the next five years – explains the councilor, as reported by Il Sole 24 Ore – we aim to reach 65 million visitors, 35% from abroad. Already today foreigners make up 50% in the cities of art, the point is that they are only 25% on the coast, because there is the problem of airports. If we don’t expand the air routes it will become complicated to increase the share of foreigners, which is why we are supporting the Rimini airport and asking Forlì to focus on incoming and not just outgoing”.
In 2023, the art cities recorded an increase of 10 percentage points in arrivals and presences, compared to +2.9% in the Riviera, penalized by the effects of the flood. But it is the marine district that generates three-quarters of the region’s tourist presence and the +25% recorded in the first quarter of 2024 on the coast it bodes well for the summer season.
