The global decline of tourism
Lazio: so much to see

Lake Bracciano

By Aniko Horvath
march 2009

2008 was a difficult year for tourism worldwide. The global decline also affected Rome – but the Eternal City was hit much less harder than many other European capitals. To understand why we spoke to Claudio Mancini, head of tourism for the Lazio regional government.

Last year the number of tourists visiting Rome dropped by 5%, but Paris saw visitors decline by around 20%. How do you explain this relatively strong showing by the Italian capital?
Because of the international credit crunch tourism has declined globally. In Italy, and especially in Rome, these negative effects have been less noticeable. Essentially our tourism has shown it is fundamentally sound. Rome remains an extraordinary attraction for visitors from around the world. One of the capital’s strengths is that it offers something for everyone: from luxury five-star tourism to low-cost budget packages. We are also seeing that – precisely because of the difficult economic and financial situation – tourism patterns are changing in Italy and throughout Europe. Long-range destinations are less popular. People are travelling closer to home; quite simply it’s cheaper.

Rome’s cultural and historic profile is so high that it obscures the rest of Lazio. Most foreign visitors seem to think of the region as not much more than the capital’s hinterland. Tourists rarely venture outside the city to visit the rest of the region. What are they missing?
Lazio boasts a vast range of attractions for tourists. But first I’d like to make one thing clear: Rome does not “obscure” the rest of the region; on the contrary it’s a strong point for all of Lazio. What we must do is use its enormous appeal to enhance tourism still further and at the same time develop a viable promotional campaign to convince visitors to extend their stay and take in attractions outside the capital. Steps have been made; for example by supporting the rich programme of historical and cultural events which take place throughout the region all year round. These events have an enormous potential to attract visitors but many of the small towns where they take place simply lack the resources to promote themselves either nationally or internationally. The Regional Tourism Board has produced a programme collecting all these events which we are promoting with foreign tour companies – and it’s proving very popular.

One of your office’s latest initiatives is a promotional campaign for historic pilgrimage trails in Lazio. Pilgrims have been making their way to Rome for centuries. Is religious tourism a way out of this 21st century crisis?
Cultural and religious tourism attracts millions of visitors every year. Boosting promotion of the enormous cultural heritage on offer throughout Rome and Lazio can clearly only bring positive results. It will help to develop sustainable tourism and make the whole region a more attractive proposition. Obviously it’s not the only way forward towards recovery and growth but it does offer enormous potential. That’s why we’ve decided to work closely with Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi [ORP, the Vatican organisation for pilgrims] and why the Region has allocated 14.5 million euros for investment in facilities, infrastructures and promotion of religious tourism. For the same reason the Lazio Region has joined “Cammini d’Europa”, the international network of pilgrimage trails which aims to boost religious tourism along historic routes in Europe. It’s also why we’ve signed a cooperation agreement with the Region of Madrid to promote joint tourism packages.

In an interview in 2007, not long after you were appointed as head of tourism and economic development for Lazio, you announced that one project which you held particularly dear was to make river transport viable again along the length of theTiber from Rieti in the north down to the Rome Trade Fair near Fiumicino on the coast. How are things going?
For this project we’ve invested 4 million euros from the Regional Tourism Fund for the construction of 14 new landing stages along the Tiber. In order to smooth administration of the programme between the various local authorities we’ve signed a coordinating agrement with Rome City and Provincial Councils and the Provincial Council in Rieti. Work is underway on stretches of the Tiber near Rieti. This a major project: it will help protect the environment and at the same time boost tourism along the whole length of the River Tiber