Toscana Promozione Turistica

Mrs Alessia Geroni

THE VALORISATION OF ATTRACTIONS THROUGH

MARKETING, TERRITORIAL BRANDING AND

QUALITY SCHEMES:

The Tuscan Via Francigena

Valkenburg, December 12th 2017

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TUSCANY

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TOSCANA PROMOZIONE TURISTICA ACTIVITIES:

Focusing on tourism promotion

Working with the Tuscan territories to promote the Tuscan destinations andthe various regional tourism products

Participation to the main tourism fairs, B2B workshops and roadshows,enhancing the opportunity of meeting between the Tuscan tourist offer andthe international tourism markets

Promotional campaigns addressed to the final customer: the tourist

Toscana Promozione Turistica has also the main purpose to co-ordinate theregional meeting industry.

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General Manager

Events & BtoBPromotion &

Marketing

Products, Markets & Destination Development

IT & Communication

Economic & Financial affairs

BUDGET: regional, national and european funds + private and public partnerships

ORGANISATION: 21 people dedicated to:

2016

44 promotionalevents

555 participants

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THE VIA FRANCIGENA

The Via Francigena is the trail that Sigerico, the Archbishop of Canterbury,

employed to reach Rome and it became a real pilgrimage.

In the past, the trail was used not only for religious purposes.

The Franks used to travel it slowly to interact with the local communities.

The itinerary winds across the main hamlets, connecting them to the places of

worship.

The Via Francigena today is an essential cultural itinerary that can give you the

emotions of following in the footsteps of the ancestors and crossing unspoiled

landscapes, with many artistic treasures along the way and traditions to discover.

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THE TUSCAN VIA FRANCIGENA

VIA FRANCIGENA

A European historical itinerary reviewed for forms of slow and experiential

tourism, tied to emotions and with a close approach to the territory

THE TUSCAN VIA FRANCIGENA

380 Km subdivided into 15 stages

Not just a «pilgrimage route» but also a material and immaterial heritage of the region

A driving force for the social and economic growth of the territories involved

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THE CONTEXT OF GOOD PRATICE

Development of the Product - Tuscan Via

Francigena

Asserting a new way of taking a holiday in search for authenticity, discovery,

and experience in our territories

As a new reason for travelling within a tourist

destination with its by now consolidated brand

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FIRST STAGE

Year 2010Initiative promoted by

Tuscany Region

Realisation of the Masterplan and Operational Plan

Year 2014Conclusion of initial

actions

Achieved objectives …

Installation of tourist signages

Safety implementation along the itinerary, infrastructures, buildings,abbeys, etc..

Support programmes to improve the quality of hospitality, reception andinformation services

Installation of wifi network, stop-over areas, information points

Programme agreements for the ordinarymaintenance of the itinerary

Approx. € 16 MILLION in investmentsTuscany Region

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IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT

Year 2014The collaboration with

Toscana Promozione Turistica starts

A programme of valorisation and

promotion with the participation of

Fondazione Sistema Toscana, using the TOSCANA brand

Activities carried out

Survey on the level of knowledge about the Via Francigena

Targeted spreading of information and news about the route on theme channels

Editorial projects for sector newspapers and magazines, without a tourist orientation

Networking projects to integrate stakeholders and facilitate synergies

Docufilm on the Via Francigena

Participation in events and shows within the sector

Approx. € 500 THOUSAND in

investments for the activities carried out by

TPT

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MAIN STAKEHOLDERS

Professionals involved in the ORGANISATION, PRODUCTION, PROMOTION and MARKETING of the Via Francigena

Tuscany Region, Toscana Promozione Turistica,

Fondazione Sistema Toscana and 39 Municipalities along the route, managers of the sites turned into museums, parks, abbeys, monasteries,

…

European Association of the Vie Francigene, European Federation of historical,

cultural and tourist itineraries

Local authorities stakeholders

AN ESSENTIAL COLLABORATION

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PROOF OF SUCCESS

The Tuscan Via Francigena

10 municipalities with a high tourist vocation and a strong density of structures

29 municipalities with a lower tourist development

Period 2010 – 2016

+1% is the average growth of tourist arrivals in the 39 municipalities

+29% is the overall growth of arrivals (+47.5% overnight stays) in the

municipalities with a low tourist vocation, those mostly depending on the product

‘Via Francigena’

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DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED/LESSON LEARNED

INVOLVEMENT OF LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS

DEVELOPMENT OF SINERGIES TO FACILITATE THE AGGREGATION OF PRODUCTS AND THE CREATION OF A SUPPLY CHAIN

Planning seminars and targeted interventions was felt to be

necessary

In 2014 only 45% of tour operators exploited the Via

Francigena on their websites, today all of them are doing it

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LEARNING OR TRANSFER POTENTIAL

The tourist products on offer linked to the proposal of a “pilgrimage route” are perfectly matching with the idea of tourism that is establishing itself on markets: slow discovery of territories, sometimes peripheral, but marked by historical and cultural values

Over 1000 accommodation facilities along 380 km of the route, 25 of them

offer fees that are designed for pilgrims (Francigena friendly)

The route is proposed today by in-coming travel agencies, Italian and

foreign tour operators, for particular segments, from the cultural one to

cyclotourism and trekking

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KEEPING THE PRODUCT ON MARKET

Periodical exchange and updating meetings between public and

private entities to decide targeted actions for

strengthening the destination of «Via Francigena»

An essential element of GP is that we continue to talk about Via

Francigena

From November 2015 there have been yearly territorial meetings

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THE HOMOGENEOUS TOURIST

PRODUCT «TUSCAN VIA FRANCIGENA»

Four different groups of TuscanMunicipalities along the Francigenaroutes (North/Central-North/Central-South/South) signed in 2017 anagreement concerning thehomogeneous tourist product «TuscanVia Fancigena»

Each group of Municipalities will signan agreement with ToscanaPromozione Turistica to choose andshare the best promotion andcommunication tools for thehomogeneous tourist product «TuscanVia Fancigena

Four different working groups onthis particular product are takingplace between December 2017 andJanuary 2018.Participate Institutions and localstakeholders.

contacts:

territori@toscanapromozione.itbrandtour@toscanapromozione.it