(Jan. 9) – Despite the crisis in consumption, with regard to the tourism sector the region of Tuscany continues to be Italy’s locomotive, as confirmed a statement issued by the Press Office of the Region. The general situation remains negative, the economic and financial difficulties of the families are under the eyes of everyone, but the comparison between national and regional data shows how tourism keeps up a good tern in Tuscany, mostly thanks to the foreign demand. In 2012, Tuscany has faced a decline in domestic tourism, a drop by 5.7% (while in Italy the first official data for the period January-September shows a drop by 11%). On the other hand, foreign tourism has recorded an increase of 0.7% (national figures, after 9 months, show a slight drop by 0.7%), bringing for the first time the share of the foreign market to 52.2% of the overall movement, with excellent results in some markets, such as China, India and Russia. Also positive are the data of German and Swiss tourist heading to Tuscany. Among minor markets, a slight increase is registered from Australia, Japan, Argentina, Belgium and Denmark. Stable flows from the United Kingdom and Brazil. Dropping the numbers from France, Spain, the Netherlands and, in a minor way, from the United States. (Red)
