June 13 – Eleven of the most important Chinese tour operators visited the main Marche cities within the TRAVEL Project (Touristic Institutional Actions for the Development of Cooperation between Italian Regions and Chinese Provinces), of which the Marche region is leader. The Chinese operators visited some of the most beautiful locations in the partner regions, and began the integrated marketing phase. Having arrived from Beijing and Shanghai on June 4, they are now returning home after visiting Umbria, Tuscany, Veneto, the Marche, Puglia and Lazio, spending the last two days in Rome. In the Marche, they visited the cities of Urbino, Ascoli Piceno, Torre di Palme (in the province of Ascoli Piceno), as well as the major fashion companies for shoes, clothing and leather goods. Through the tour, TRAVEL laid the foundation for a new modus operandi to design, plan and manage offers and packages dedicated to interregional markets. During the Marche tour, the Chinese operators were accompanied by the Tar Draco Films, a film company that will insert the Marche as one of its “filming locations” for the 30 episodes of “A Romance in Italy,” also set in Beijing, Yunnan and Rome. The two executive producers and the sales manager visited the castles of Lanciano, Rancia and Gradara. They were then in Tolentino, the Abbey of Fiastra, Jesi, Fabriano and other romantic and suggestive spots considered possible locations to shoot some episodes of the love story that will begin filming in October and will be released in China in 2014.
