(Jul. 10) – It’s summertime and time for holidays. And as every year it’s time to balance the tourism sector. for vacation time. And as every year, the Italian Government Tourism Board (ENIT) has conduct a survey on trends of organized tourism through its overseas network, with the largest tour operators operating in the main European and overseas markets. According to ENIT, Italy confirms itself to be a popular destination, especially by visitors from markets outside the EU, like Russia and China, the top big spenders in Italy (the total tax-free shopping is represented by Russians with 31% and Chinese with 16%). Outstanding performance in China, whose operators say that sales has grown considerably, between 30% and 80%, confirmed by the growing number of tourist VISAs (+40% if compared to 2011) issued by the Italian diplomatic and consular system. The same positive trend is recorded in Brazil, with a growth in sales between 10% and 20%. Upward trends in the United Arab Emirates and Russia, where the number of travelers has increased of 11% in the first three months of this year, if compared to the same period in 2011. According to the tour operators interviewed, the ideal destinations are Emilia Romagna, followed by Veneto, Liguria, Campania, Sardinia and Sicily . (Red)
