Conferenze e Fiere

📍 Starting September 26, China Eastern Airlines, China's largest airline, will connect Venice with Shanghai year-round, offering three weekly flights. This new non-stop connection is expected to significantly impact travel and cargo flows between the two countries. It will also commemorate Marco Polo's 700th anniversary. The route will save about 40% in travel time, reducing the duration to approximately 12 hours. In 2019, over 150,000 passengers traveled between Venice and China via connecting flights, with projections of 70,000 travelers in the first year of direct flights.

🛳️ Eastern Cruise, a South Korean cruise company, launches targeting Asian travelers with its ship, the Eastern Venus, which can accommodate 720 guests. Starting operations in August, the ship will sail Northeast Asia from April to October and Southeast Asia from October to March, with homeports in South Korea and Taiwan respectively. Connected to Duwon Shipping, a ro-ro operator, Eastern Cruise's debut coincides with an expected 5.17% annual increase in South Korea's cruise market from 2024 to 2028.

🚂 Starting on July 18, 2024, FS Treni Turistici Italiani introduces the "Espresso Salento," a night train connecting Rome and Lecce, with a focus on sustainable travel. This service operates between July 18 and August 22 on specified dates: from Rome to Lecce on July 18, 25, and August 13, 22, and the reverse on July 19, 26, and August 14, 23. The train, featuring a restaurant car and the capacity for bulky luggage, departs Rome at 21:10 with stops at major stations including Bari and Brindisi. Tickets are available at www.fstrenituristici.it and Trenitalia sales channels.

🎬 Las Vegas hosts 'The Friends Experience: The One in Las Vegas' at the MGM Grand starting this autumn, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the 'Friends' series debut. Visitors can explore iconic show moments like Ross and Rachel's wedding, relax in Monica's apartment, and dance around the famous fountain featured in the opening credits.

📍 China Eastern expands into Europe with two new routes to Italy: Shanghai to Venice and Xi'an to Milan, starting September. The airline will double its connections to Italy, adding to its existing Rome flights. Flights will operate thrice weekly using A330s; Milan route is a pre-pandemic reestablishment, Venice a new addition.

📍 China Eastern expands in Europe, introducing two new routes to Italy starting next September: Shanghai Pudong to Venice, and Xi'an Xianyang to Milan Malpensa. The A330 fleet will operate these routes with three weekly frequencies. Milan had a brief pre-pandemic service, while Venice is a new destination for the airline.

🏖️ Bluvacanze's summer season review reveals a split between early bookers and last-minute deal seekers, with 20% of the market still undecided. The trend reflects a shift to off-peak vacationing due to high prices, continuing since at least 2022. Cruises lead holiday preferences, followed by Italian beaches and Greece; Mediterranean destinations outpace the Red Sea. Italian ranking: Sardinia, Sicily, Puglia, Calabria, Tuscany. Top European cities: Paris, Madrid, Lisbon, with London and Prague for short breaks. Long-haul favorites: Maldives, Zanzibar, Caribbean, notably the Dominican Republic for all-inclusive packages.

🏖️ Summer 2024 witnesses the emergence of new tourist clusters identified by Italy's Coastal Destinations Observatory (Osservatorio Jfc delle Destinazioni Balneari Italiane). Notable clusters include "Boomerang Kk" (18-28 years old) vacationing with parents who pay for everything; "Affection Seekers" (couples aged 35-45) creating family memories; "Solo But Not Alone" singles aged 24-36 seeking social interactions; "Bike Addicted" multigenerational families with at least one member over 60 exploring inland on electric bikes; Italians under 30 or over 60 visiting famous but less crowded beach destinations, mainly in September, October, and May; event-driven travelers with an average stay of 2.1 nights and attending 4.3 events between June and September; and those aged 36-48 visiting places from their youth or their parents' origin for an average of 12.5 days. Additionally, Italians aged 35-55 look for special offers and last-minute deals, potentially increasing travel to foreign economy destinations; and spontaneous vacationers aged 24-32 aim to disconnect from their digital chains. More information is available at www.jfc.it.

📃 Inaugurated in Beijing, the visa application center managed by VFS Global doubles as a cultural exchange spot where travelers can gain in-depth knowledge of Italy. Italian consulates in China issued over 120,000 visas in the first half of 2024, a 130% increase from 2023. The center commemorates Marco Polo, highlighting the historical Italy-China cultural exchange. VFS Global's COO for Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Mongolia, Kishen Singh, emphasizes the center's role in promoting cultural exchanges.

🎨 On 20 July, Daisy Dot will greet children at Leolandia park, helping them learn English through dances and rhymes. She will perform her hits like 'Chi chi boo!', 'Playing with the animals', and 'Hickory dickory dock' on stage near Minitalia. Post-show, kids can meet the Scottish star for a photo op. Leolandia's marketing and sales director, David Tommaso, expresses pride in being the first Italian theme park hosting Daisy Dot live, highlighting the event's alignment with the park's educational entertainment values.