Green destination initiative changes tourism’s face
Festival of Tourism and Migrants joined with Green Destinations Day to deliver a dynamic week-long event
The edgy IT.A.CÀ Festival of Responsible Tourism is becoming big in Italy – now in six major areas – and more on the way, this week’s events shone the migrants and travelers light on Rimini, once the world’s biggest package tour destination.
The festival itself originated in the department of sociology at Bologna University and simply went from success to success from there. It is the brainchild of inspirational teacher Pierluigi Musarò (who not only teaches at Bologna University but also London’s LSE and New York’s NYU).
No better place, you may think, for an Italian Green Destinations Day to be held.
And on the day, up to collect Local-Global Top100 destination awards were:
The deeply historic city of Santarcangelo di Romagna represented by their Councillor for the Environment Pamela Fussi, their Councillor for Tourism Paola Donini and their Mayor – Alice Parma (yes – all women in top positions)
The beautiful hillside destination of Monte Pisano an innovative DMC represented by Raffaella Nocchi who is part of the all-female management partnership.
And BestofRomagna another innovative local specialist tourism initiative but, represented by a man- Valere Tjolle (but at least his name sounds like a woman’s!)
Also represented was the forceful mayor of Bagnoreggio Francesco Bigiotti who has closed his achingly-beautiful hilltop town to tourists unless they pay – so free city taxes for all citizens – result!
The week included fascination presentations from many inspirational speakers, field trips evening networking events with students, travelers and migrants and many other colourful events.
It rounded up with a walk around Santarcangelo (a few miles from Rimini by train). The excursion included a visit to Mutonia the dramatic scrap-to-sculpture art park and an evening walk, on Santarcangelo’s Liberation Day – just 73 years after the event. Participants were guided along a new heritage trail by local students, the trail commemorated local individual people and families who were tortured and killed by the Nazis during the last war. Naturally there was a massive buffet of local food to revive participants flagging feelings.
Valere Tjolle
@ValereTjolle
Valere
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