Florence: the excellence of italian hospitality at Duco
FLORENCE: THE EXCELLENCE AND GRANDEUR OF ITALIAN HOSPITALITY AT DUCO TRAVEL ITALY, THE “PERFECT NOTEBOOK” OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ROUTES IN ITALY
ENIT AT THE BOUTIQUE TRAVEL SUMMIT: DATA AND PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR LUXURY TOURISM
21/25 MARCH 2022 – FLORENCE
The grandeur of Italy is set centre stage at Duco Travel Italy, the first event focusing on a single destination to highlight the excellence of Italian hospitality to the world’s most influential buyers.
Enit is participating in the boutique travel summit to encourage meetings between luxury hospitality experts and selected travel consultants from different markets.
These include frontline travel consultants and a selection of opinion makers, experienced top sellers and highly qualified next-generation professionals.
The luxury sector is one of the main sectors in Enit’s international branded content campaign: the focus is on the concept of luxury as an authentic experience of Italian excellence with the payoff “The luxury of beauty”, which is intended to express the idea that true Italian luxury is the opportunity to enjoy the stunning beauty of Italy.
Italy communicates luxury differently in different countries.
The cultural sensitivity in articulating the different messages embraces a hidden luxury in the Netherlands, a refined and understated luxury in France, an eco-sustainable luxury in Sweden and so on.
The world of luxury is also a constant for Enit in the planning of influencer campaigns.
The decision to participate in Duco also brings Italian food and wine to the forefront of the most exclusive experiences and is already part of the campaigns of the National Tourism Agency, which has always invested in luxury trade fairs, including ILTM Cannes, which will be the driving force behind the revival of tourism, for which Italy is already a leader.
The event is a celebration of the rebirth of travel in Italy and was organised in accordance with the measures issued by the Italian government and the local Florentine authorities.
The event sees the participation of Enit, the body responsible for promoting tourism in Italy, with a space dedicated to showcasing the Peninsula.
“The luxury sector should be the first to bounce back. Personalised experiences, rich in every possible comfort, mean that luxury travel is set to soar in the years to come, not least because of the new trends dictated by the pandemic, and will be an incentive to lure back the big spenders who, like everyone else, want to travel again and enjoy the beauty of Italy,” says Enit President Giorgio Palmucci.
Duco will also host the Italia Antiqva Awards, which recognise the best hoteliers, experience providers and participants’ favourite properties, with winners in six categories: Cipollini Award – Best Hotelier; Most Unique Experience Provider; Dreamiest Tuscan Estate; Greatest Countryside Hotel; Most Charming Seaside Property; Most Memorable Urban Getaway. With “Duco Galleria”, an online showcase was also launched this year, offering in-depth information on the hotels as well as revealing the secrets of each region.
And finally, Duco Virtuale, an online meeting program that tapped into the web for a long-awaited presentation event.
Americans’ interest in travelling to Italy has soared. In the period between 16 January and 16 February, Americans showed a peak of interest in travel to Italy (flight + accommodation) based on Google searches with a maximum spike of interest on 6 February.
Among the most enthusiastic Americans, New Yorkers rank first, followed by Californians and Florida residents.
Travellers from the USA mainly focus on Rome, where the highest volume of interest is concentrated, followed by Milan, Venice, Florence, Catania, the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento and Naples, tied with Palermo. Between 16 January and 16 February, other specific locations also came to the fore: searches grew for Lake Como, Polignano a Mare, Ischia and Bellagio, for example.
Airline bookings from the United States bode well and report encouraging figures (+1498%) compared to February 2021. March and April were also up sharply (March +1548.5%; April +1,038.6%) compared to the same months in 2021. Again, Americans prefer the big cities such as Rome, Milan, Florence, Venice and Naples. Americans travel mainly for leisure (74.9%) or business (5.9%) and usually stay up to 8 nights, but also up to almost a month in 11% of cases.
Francesca Cicatelli
