(9 March 2017) "Italy’s substantial cultural heritage and lifestyle is known throughout the world of fashion, cuisine, and design. This makes us one of the most desired tourist destinations with an immense potential to be utilised through the shared valorisation of the country as evidenced by the pavilion built by ENIT with Italian regions giving the opportunity to show their cultural institutions to the world”. This was stated by the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Cultural Activities and Tourism, Dario Franceschini, who inaugurated ENIT’s (National Tourism Agency) pavilion yesterday at the ITB fair in Berlin. Franceschini’s presence there further highlighted the strategic importance of tourism in Italy and the German market in particular. In Italy, the tourism sector is worth 10.2% of the GDP and 11.6% of employment. It shows a growing nation as a primary tourism destination among the Schengen European countries for nationals traveling from non-EU countries (source: ONT analysis of Eurostat data, March 2017). ENIT sees Germany and its market as a strategic area. Consolidating mature markets is a priority and it is with this objective that these two innovations should be viewed: an innovative digital and social communication designed to to intercept disintermediated tourism and the opening of two new "antennae" in Munich and Berlin. "ENIT continues to invest abroad where our presence is a crucial asset for the promotion of our country. The Berlin ‘antenna’ will open at the Italian Consulate in Munich in collaboration with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. When we talk about tourism we are talking about tourism as a broad economic sector that not only includes institutions but also the business world. Germany is our primary customer with 53 million tourists" said Fabio Lazzerini, Managing Director of ENIT. (Red)

17 ITALIAN REGIONS SHOWCASED

For the 2017 edition of ITB, 17 Italian regions will be showcased: Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Lombardy, Marche, Piedmont, Tuscany, Umbria, Emilia Romagna, Apulia, Trentino, Sicily, Alto Adige, Veneto and Sardinia. Also present will be major Italian institutions of the tourism sector.