A significant increase in tourist presences (+7,3%) compared to the pre-pandemic period driven by foreigners (+37,5%) confirms the quality of a project with further growth potential
Il 22st May a public meeting was held at the Sala Palace in Spotorno to present Il Golfo dell'Isola, a territorial tourism marketing project involving the municipalities of Bergeggi, Noli, Spotorno and Vezzi Portio. The event, open to economic operators and local associations, had the objective of sharing the results achieved and future strategies for the tourism development of the area.
The meeting was introduced by the Mayor of Spotorno, Mattia Fiorini, as President of Il Golfo dell'Isola, who underlined the importance of collaboration between municipalities and local operators for the creation of an integrated and competitive tourist offer.
The director of Il Golfo dell'Isola, Marco Olcese, presented the results obtained by the project from 2019 to today, highlighting the overcoming of the difficulties related to the pandemic and the growth of tourism in the area.
The data of a growing tourism
According to the data of theLiguria Region Observatory, these strongly positive indicators emerged compared to 2019, the pre-Covid period:
+ 37,5% of foreign arrivals (in particular France with +32,7% and Germany with +21,4%)
+ 7,3% of tourist presences, thus exceeding the provincial average
The growth trend is also confirmed in the first quarter of 2024, also higher in these cases than the average for the province of Savona:
+ 7,2% of tourist presences
+ 85% of foreign tourists
Data also confirmed by the audience social channels with 1.900.000 views yearly and by the satisfaction towards the Iat offices, considered among the best in the province. From this point of view, in fact, a database of audiovisual materials for promotional, press and social use has been developed and a website with potential for further growth is online. An ever-updated calendar of events for the destination has been developed, highlighting the range of sports and outdoor proposals and new contents that make the destination attractive even out of season.
The objectives of the near future
Among the medium-term objectives is the further improvement in the percentage of foreigners (by at least 7,5 points) and theincrease in average stay of 0,4 days, in line with what was expressed by the province of Savona. An objective which, once achieved, can translate into an increase of 80.000 presences and quantifiable growth in 10 million euro of commercial and tourist revenues.
To achieve these goals, the Gulf of the Island makes use of a team of professionals specialized in communication, marketing, social media management, web development, content production and press office which has gradually consolidated over these years of work and which currently is working on some major projects for 2024. In particular the construction, by economic operators of the various sectors, of a integrated tourism product, which aggregates the different experiences offered by the territory and enhances them through the "showcase" of Il Golfo dell'Isola. Therefore the development of products and targeted initiatives, by economic operators and local associations, linked to sport and food and wine. These, in addition to increasing the attractiveness of the destination, will strengthen the sense of belonging, overcoming administrative borders and promoting a unitary and cohesive territorial identity. A work that will develop in the coming months also through the organization of some thematic meetings, which will be organized to explore the specific needs of the different categories of operators and face the future challenges of the tourism sector in the Gulf of the Island.
