DRMumbai: In a tourism overture of sorts aimed at bolstering ties with India, Italy kicked off the 3-city roadshow in New Delhi on February 7, followed by Mumbai on February 9 and travelled to Kolkata on February 12. The initiative gains significance as both countries are set to commemorate 70 years of diplomatic ties in March 2018.
The Mumbai roadshow held at The Trident, Nariman Point had Stefani Costanza, Consul General of Italy, as the chief guest. She was accompanied by Salvatore Ianniello, Representative-India, ENIT – Italian State Tourist Board; Fabio Bigotti, Country Manager – India, Alitalia; Mauro Mariani, Director, ICE (Italian Trade Agency); Stefania Ippoliti, President, Italian Film Commission (IFC); Anoop Kanuga, Chairman, TAAI Tourism Council, and Pradip Lulla, Vice President, TAFI.
Diplomatic ties between India and Italy took a bad hit after the 2012 incident involving the arrest of two Italian marines for allegedly killing two Indian fishermen off the coast of Kerala. In October 2017, following the visit of their Prime Minister Paulo Gentiloni to India and talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the two sides signed six agreements to boost cooperation in key sectors and released a logo to commemorate 70 years of relations between the two countries.
“In 2015, 4,27,000 tourists from India travelled to Italy. This is the latest official data that we have”, Salvatore Ianniello told the gathering. “We have conducted several training programmes for travel agents and tour operators. Our estimate is that we have covered over 500 of them. Groups of delegates have been sent to Italy many a time. We want to grow by 15 per cent this year”.
Bollywood push
Many overseas destinations are aggressively marketing themselves in India targeting the affluent Indian outbound traveller. In no mood to be left behind, ENIT – Italian State Tourist Board has got into an advertising blitz across print and digital media and a Bollywood push are also on the cards. An awards programme – VOLARE Awards 2018 – recognising the efforts of Bollywood personalities in promoting Italy was launched. Seven celebrity artists and 15 film producers were honoured, including Deepika Padukone, Imtiaz Ali, A R Rahman and Sajid Nadiadwala.
“We went through a rough patch like it happens between friends. And in October 2017, we decided to go back and mend our relationship with India,” said Stefani Costanza at the event. “Our mutual respect and love for each other helped us turn a new leaf. We are planning many events in Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata and Rome to celebrate our 70 years of friendship.”
A new coffee table book on Italy was also launched on the occasion by the Consul General. Alitalia’s Fabio Bigotti said since October 2017, Alitalia has been operating direct flights daily between Delhi and Rome, and this has really helped many Indians to travel to their country. “Our current tourist arrival numbers are not very impressive when we compare Italy to Japan or the US,” admitted Salvatore Ianniello. “But we are working with the travel trade community and addressing connectivity and access issues to hike that figure consistently every year”.
Market research states India is the largest growing market for luxury goods and over 60 per cent of Indians have shopped for luxury goods while travelling abroad. Italy is home to 26 of the top 100 luxury brands in the world. “Many large and small factories in Italy are producing luxury goods and selling them at up to 50 per cent less price when compared to the retail price in Italian boutiques. This is a great opportunity for Indian travellers who are looking for luxury goods but yet are price sensitive,” said Mauro Mariani, Director, ICE (Italian Trade Agency).
Reel connect
Italian Film Commission President Stefania Ippoliti said IFC is trying to enhance cooperation between the two film industries and are mulling agreements to ensure the wider release of Indian films in Italy as well as host production. A brand new website ItalyforMovies has been launched to support the initiative. Films like ‘Rockstar’ and ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’ have been shot extensively in Italy. Bollywood’s tryst with Italy dates back to 1962 when the legendary Raj Kapoor shot ‘Sangam there’. A R Rahman’s directorial debut ‘Le Musk’, a virtual reality film, is being shot in Italy too.
The Italian tourism delegation included Relais & Chateaux, MSC Cruises, Rail Europe, Absolute Hospitality Services (AHS), Made in Uvet, Alitalia, Alidays Italy, Active Holiday Company, Costa Cruises, Eurobus Network, ISCRA, Avantgarde India (Villa Spalletti Trivelli) and Volando Tours.
