As part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Italy is preparing to welcome an innovative tourism initiative: "roots tourism." This initiative, aimed at revitalizing the tourism sector after the Covid-19 pandemic, promises to be a major attraction for the descendants of Italian emigrants scattered around the world.
An Integrated Strategy for Tourism Recovery
"Roots tourism" is a structured offering that combines effective communication strategies with the discovery of the family history and culture of Italians abroad and of Italian descendants, a catchment area estimated to be nearly 80 million people.
Growth and Economic Potential
From 1997 to 2018, the number of foreign tourists visiting Italy increased by 72.51 tp3T, from 5.8 million to 10 million. This generated an economic inflow of approximately €4 billion in 2018, a 7.51 tp3T increase over the previous year.
Opportunities and Challenges
Roots tourism offers many opportunities. First, it responds to the digital challenge, allowing local operators to use social media to inform and engage root tourists. Furthermore, it promotes eco-sustainability, highlighting lesser-known and less developed areas of Italy and encouraging environmentally friendly economic growth.
Ambassadors of the Territories
Roots tourists become true ambassadors of the territories that preserve their family history, promoting local culture and traditions worldwide. Furthermore, the Directorate General for Italians Abroad and Migration Policies of the Farnesina has funded the project "Italians Abroad, the Diaries Tell." Related to Roots Tourism is the valorization of the role of memory. The stories of emigration, sacrifice, and success of ancestors are a fixed point of reference for Italian descendants across five continents.
Youth Employment Incentive
Finally, grassroots tourism creates new job opportunities for young Italians. Training specialized operators is essential to ensuring a quality tourism offering, and this requires collaboration between central governments, local authorities, and local associations.
The Year of Italian Roots presents a unique opportunity to revitalize the Italian tourism sector, promoting awareness of its history and culture and creating new economic development and employment prospects for local communities.
