Tourism, Liguria protagonist at the eighth edition of the Discover Italy fair

Sestri Levante. This morning the eighth edition of Discover Italy opened, the large international “square” which brings together in Sestri Levante until tomorrow tourism buyers and sellers from all over the world, in particular from Europe, the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula and Americas.

Specifically, this year there is growing interest from the US market. According to data from the Liguria Tourism Observatory, in fact, the US market represented almost 10% of foreign tourists in 2023, confirming itself as the fourth reference market in the region (after France, Germany and Switzerland) with a significant increase both in terms of arrivals (+28% on 2022 and +24% on 2019) and overnight stays (+25% on 2022 and +20% on 2019).

Discover Italy is one of the most important events in the sector: a two-day workshop dedicated to incoming in Italy, focused on the targeted meeting between supply and demand. A unique showcase for the Liguria Region, which this year focuses in particular on an offer linked to cultural, food and wine and active tourism, following the most current trends of the reference markets.
“Discover Italy has become an increasingly large fair with as many as ninety buyers present and therefore I am very proud that it is taking place in a place in Liguria which is also as enchanting as the Baia del Silenzio in Sestri Levante – declares the regional councilor for Tourism – It also makes me I am enormously pleased that year after year more and more Ligurian municipalities are involved in this initiative and that our localities are also promoting themselves abroad given the international character of Discover Italy. We must ride the wave of the great success in terms of tourist attendance achieved last year but without resting on our laurels. Ligurian tourism works but to improve it it is necessary to continue working promptly by supporting companies in the sector and promoting quality, innovation and regeneration. To innovate businesses in the sector, increasingly inclusive and accessible tourism is necessary, so much so that by my decision we have entirely allocated the Funt funds, reserved for municipalities for infrastructural interventions, only for works aimed at improving the accessibility of tourist infrastructures. Furthermore, it is necessary to enhance the rich regional heritage of the historic villages, encourage deseasonalization with slow and outdoor tourism and raise the quality of the service offering by investing further in the training of operators. Finally, as Liguria is rich in symbolic places of Italian emigration in the world and as there are many citizens of distant nations of Ligurian origin, I immediately believed in supporting the initiative promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and supported by the Ministry of Tourism to make 2024 the year of Roots Tourism”.

Of particular importance was also the Fam Trip, organized with the collaboration of the Tourism Department of the Liguria Region and the Municipality of Genoa, which in the days preceding the opening of the workshop involved around thirty international buyers coming in particular from United States. A tour to discover the beauties of the area, from the views of the Riviera to the cultural attractions of Genoa, among the secrets of the historic center and the Rolli palaces, a UNESCO heritage site.