Ninth Annual '100 Art Cities' to Stimulate Italian Tourism
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| Cattedrale di Ferrara |
The event is set to attract operators from rising markets such as China, Japan and the US. An expected 50,000 visitors will attend the event, which will host 140 exhibitors, 350 firms, 100 tour operators from 28 countries in a more than 4,000 square meters large pavilion.
All Italian regions have sent their delegations and encouraged local firms to exhibit their products. The number of exhibitors from smaller towns will rise 30 percent this year.
"This event has acquired a higher profile with time," says Valerio Miglioli, head of the local board of tourism. "Our mission is to popularize cultural tourism. The whole sector is currently suffering but there's a strong will to recover."
This year's theme is 'Hospitality: a means to strengthen relations between different cultures.'
As of today, there are roughly 34,000 hotels in Italy and although the ones located in traditional culturally-rich cities are on the decline, those in minor heritage sites are rising. In Ferrara alone, hotel rooms increased 18 percent in 2004.
"The number of hotels is increasing," states Claudio Albonetti, president of Assoturismo-Confesercenti, Italy's confederation of toursit associacions, "and their quality is improving. Typically, Italian hotels are medium-sized."
The exhibition pavilion will be located at Piazza Trento e Trieste beside Ferrara's cathedral. The porch at the city's former Regional Office will host an exhibition of wine and food products. A number of workshops will provide visitors the opportunity to compare Italian and imported products.
| Source: AGI |
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