SUSTAINABILITY IN TOURISM
Italy takes a look at sustainability in numbers ahead of ITB Berlin 2023
The country’s national tourism board (ENIT) says creating an effective model for measuring the phenomenon of sustainable tourism will be essential:
- To support the development of innovative products and services with a reduced impact on the environment
- To focus on issues linked to preserving the ecosystem, biodiversity as well as reducing the impacts of climate change
- To promote sustainable development, as a contribution to the green transition and to overcome the effects of the crisis in the context of the Covid19 pandemic
For Italy’s domestic tourism market, the theme of sustainability features heavily and goes beyond environmental protection. People were surveyed about what factors they place importance on when booking a holiday:
- 69% give importance to respect for those who work in the tourism sector
- 64% to respect for the environment
- 62% to the enhancement of local economic realities
- 49% to social inclusion
Furthermore, before leaving on holiday, Italians tended to look up information on nature (45%), on the historical and cultural context (36%), on food and wine typical products (26%), on the socio-economic context (13%) and on local crafts (11%).
Around half of Italians (48%) consider eco-sustainable tourism to be very or quite interesting, as well as the related certifications for tourism companies that guarantee respect for the environment (49%). Only 17% are aloof and unaware.
The generation gap on the issue of sustainability is evident. Millennials (from 1981 to 1995) and the Generation X (from 1996 to 1980) are the most interested in a sustainable approach to holidays.
The Generation Z (before 1981) and the Baby Boomers (1946 – 1965) follow, while only the Veterans (born before 1946) are last.
Finally, the Italian hospitality sector increasingly believes that slow tourism will be the strong point of their tourism offer of the future. This figure grows by 13.4% compared to 2019.
To find out more about ENIT sustainable approach to tourism, visit them at ITB Berlin 2023, Hall 1.2, stands 107a, 107b and 107c.
For more news about ENIT at ITB, click here.
