Conferenze e Fiere

🍷 Stock Spirits Italia, a prestigious spirits producer, announced Giuliana Giancano as the winner of the Dojo Program by The House of Suntory. The training initiative for bartenders, started in December 2024, ended in Milan, awarding Giancano a trip to Japan for creating the "Shibumi" cocktail. The Dojo Program consisted of four thematic sessions focusing on iconic Suntory products and Japanese arts, culminating in the "Kaizen" competition, where bartenders applied learned techniques to classic cocktails.

🎭 Stefano Cigarini, CEO of Gardaland for less than two months, inaugurated the new "Animal Treasure Island" attraction marking the amusement park's 50th anniversary. Gardaland, the top Italian attraction in revenue and fourth in visitors, has welcomed 100 million guests and is recognized by over 90% of Italians. With three resorts offering 475 rooms and 1,500 beds, Gardaland aims to expand its season beyond summer, capturing business and incentive travel markets. For every euro spent at the park, visitors spend €3.5 locally. 2025 brings five new features, including 4D shows and a revamped China-themed area, with "Animal Treasure Island" costing €10 million. Upcoming events include park hours until 23:00 starting June 28, Oktoberfest from September 13, Halloween from October 3, Magic Winter from December 6, and celebrations for the park's 50th anniversary on July 19 and Stars Night on September 6.

✈ Ethiopian Airlines starts a new service from Addis Ababa to Sharjah on June 1, 2025, operating four times a week with Boeing 737 Max aircraft. The flights from Addis Ababa depart on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays at 22:05, arriving in Sharjah at 03:25 the next day. Return flights from Sharjah are scheduled on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 04:25, landing in Addis Ababa at 07:45. CEO Mesfin Tasew highlights this expansion to strengthen commercial, tourism, and cultural ties between Ethiopia and the UAE.

🎮 Leolandia's MICE segment saw over 3,000 entries for team building and corporate events just over a year after its official opening. The park projects to exceed 5,000 MICE attendances in the 2025 season, a 125% increase from the previous year. David Tommaso, the marketing and sales director, attributes this success to the park's immersive themed areas, attractions, and the shared experiences they offer. Leolandia's focus on family-friendly formats also enhances its corporate event offerings.

🏆 Cortina hoteliers are prepping for a summer season showing a booking surge, with current occupancy rates over 40%, 12 percentage points higher than last year. July saw the most significant increase (49.1%), with occupancy at 43.7%, compared to 29.3% in April 2024. August and September also exceed expectations with increases of 31.4% and 48.7%, respectively. Two and three-star accommodations benefit the most, experiencing a 58.1% rise in demand. Stefano Pirro, president of Cortina's Hoteliers Association, attributes the boost to the Olympic effect, as tourists are eager to visit the future Olympic venues.

✈ Volotea has launched a flight connection from Palermo to Bilbao, operating twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays. This new international route is part of Volotea's commitment to strengthening Italy-Spain connections and aims to enhance tourism and cultural exchanges. Valeria Rebasti, Volotea's International Market Director, highlighted the route's role in expanding their international network and improving Palermo's connectivity with Europe. Additionally, Volotea will start a new connection to Heraklion from July 8, 2025, with weekly flights throughout the season.

🏠 Austria Turismo e Austria Vacanze T.O., in collaboration with TTG Italia, are hosting a free webinar on Wednesday, April 16 at 14:30, focusing on travel opportunities in Austria during the summer season. Featuring direct flights and custom holiday packages from Go To Fly from Forlì to Vienna, the webinar aims to explore the regions of Styria and Carinthia. Speakers include Kathrin Ploder-Augurusa (Austria Turismo), Laura Corbetta (Austria Vacanze T.O.), Elke Maidic (Carinthia regional entity), and Belinda Schagerl (Styria regional entity). Registration is through a provided link.

🚌 Italo and Gnv introduced a new intermodal connection from Northern Italy to Sicily, targeting holidaymakers returning home for Easter. This initiative, supported by the Sicilian Region, combines high-speed train service to Naples and Gnv ferry service to Palermo. Operates on April 17 for departure and April 21 for the return, offering reduced fares.

✈ Athens Airport expansion planned to increase capacity from 26 to 40 million passengers by 2032, led by Anemos consortium. Main and satellite terminals to undergo significant renovation, adding new check-in, waiting, and boarding areas, as well as new parking facilities. Architectural design pays tribute to Athens, with low carbon emission materials aiming for Leed Gold certification. The satellite terminal dedicated to extra-Schengen flights, connected to the main terminal via a tunnel and patio. The €540 million project expects to serve 33 million passengers by 2028 and 40 million by 2032, with no interruptions to operations.

✈ Wizz Air offers its largest-ever selection from Italy for summer 2025, with over 200 routes to 80 destinations in 32 countries, totaling over 13 million seats. Using 239-seat A321neo aircraft, it connects Italy to Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. From Rome Fiumicino, new flights to Zaragoza and Bilbao are added, including 14 weekly connections to London, Madrid, and Barcelona, 9 to Valencia, and 7 to both Malaga and Seville. Milan Malpensa has 12 weekly flights to London Gatwick and increased connections to Spain. Venice base boosts flights to Barcelona and Madrid to 7 weekly. Salvatore Gabriele Imperiale, Wizz Air's corporate communications manager, comments on the expansion's enhancement of Italian travel network and commitment to sustainable aviation.