Enac (the the Italian Civil Aviation Authority) published the data for air traffic in 2010. Italy’s airports recorded a total traffic of 138,893.023 passengers, an 7% increase from 2009.
Passengers Traffic for the first 10 Italian airports:
Roma Fiumicino 35,956.295
Milano Malpensa 18,714.187
Milano Linate con 8,295.436
Bergamo 7.661.061
Venice 6,801.941
Catania 6,301.832
Napoli con 5,535.984
Bologna con 5,432.248
Roma Ciampino con 4,563.852
Palermo 4,341.696
According to the Economist, the answer is yes! France seems to be on the top list of Chinese travelers visiting Europe, but the Grand Tour of the continent covers also some unusual stops such as Cambridge, Benelux, Verona… They spend a third of the travel budget on shopping rather than accommodation and/or fine dining, but are not cheap.
This is definitely an interesting guide to tap a market that is still in its infancy: the rewards might be tangible on a long term.
I have not written in a long time. I have been wrapped up in the daily routine of my many tasks at work. No excuse, but this is what happened.
A few days ago I was at brunch with my friends. We were talking about many different topics and one of them was travel. Most of them are seasoned travelers and have visited different continents. I could not help to ask them a professional question to see how DMOs (Destination Marketing Organizations) really help with the decision making process. To my surprise (but not so much), none of them ever goes to a DMO for information or anything else when they pick a destination for their next trip.
I know that just a few of my friends do not represent a solid statistical number, but I could not help from asking the question: “are DMOs still relevant?”. Is our job still justified? Some of them do an egregious job out there, but the vast majority look like a bureaucratic and dusty governmental entity that pays its employees’ salary and keep the boat floating. Are we moving fast enough with the changes that the new technologies offer and younger audience expect us to use? How can DMOs succeed in a highly competitive market arena? What is their real role? Shall DMOs be privatized and work as advertising agencies? Is it ethical to spend taxpayers’ money the way some DMOs do?
Are all these good ideas for a book or just a waste of time?
