The Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT SPA) has welcomed a group of Australian tour operators to southern Italy earlier this week for ROOTS-in-Tourism, one of the world’s only international trade events dedicated to ancestry travel.
Held in the Basilicata region, the two-day event drew more than 500 delegates from across the globe, all focused on promoting roots tourism and developing tailored package tours in partnership with Italian suppliers.
The Australian contingent – featuring representatives from Ormina Tours, Italia Mia, Slow Tours, 303 World Travel and Unordinary Italy also took part in a pre-event famil, exploring Matera, Pisticci and Tricarico. Highlights of the tour included olive oil and cheese tasting.
Italian-heritage travellers represent a rapidly growing tourism segment.
“They often visit smaller regions and travel year-round, which supports our mission to encourage visitor dispersal across the country and throughout the seasons,” ENIT’s country manager for Australia and New Zealand Emanuele Attanasio said.
