Conferenze e Fiere

🏖️ Francesco Paradisi, commercial manager of NCL in Italy, outlines future company goals: 2024 marked a record year, a cautious 2025, and 2026 as key with new ships and routes. NCL's ship Luna, Norwegian Viva's twin, will join the fleet, increasing global capacity. The company will reintroduce weekly European cruises with more stopovers and return to Philadelphia port, historically linked to NCL. By 2026, a dock on NCL's private Caribbean island, Greyfield Cay, will be completed, ensuring weather-proof docking. The island is designed for relaxation, unlike other companies' resort-style islands, featuring a zipline as its main attraction. Another exclusive stop is Harvest Cay in Belize.

✈ Starting May 30, Smartwings connects Lamezia Terme and Prague daily with the new flight, featuring Airbus A220 and Boeing 737-800, each with 189 seats. Flight schedules vary, with departures from Prague in late morning and returns in the early afternoon, except on Wednesdays and Saturdays for evening flights. This service not only boosts tourism but also cultural and economic ties between Calabria and the Czech Republic. Additional routes include charter flights from Lamezia Terme to Czech cities Brno, Pardubice, and Ostrava.

🌎 In Iceland, the Breiðafjörður bay, home to Flatey island, is a sought-after spot for the total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026. Hrafnhildur Thórisdóttir of Visit Iceland promotes sustainable tourism through routes like The Westfjords Way and The Volcanic Way. Italian tourists increased by 21% in 2024, with average stays nearing 8 nights. February saw a 52% rise in Italian visitors compared to February 2024. With nearly 99,000 Italian visitors in 2024, Italy is Iceland's fifth-largest tourism market. New accommodations like Hilton Skáld Hotel and Höfði Lodge are opening in response to the growing tourism.

✈️ Cagliari Airport, expecting Summer 2025, will offer 1.4 million seats on international markets, up 7% from Summer 2024. After reaching 5 million passengers in 2024, the airport will provide 109 connections by 39 airlines to 25 countries, including 75 scheduled flights (31 domestic, 44 international) and 34 charters. Over 26,000 flights are planned with new routes to Stockholm by Ryanair and Copenhagen by Sas, each with two weekly flights. Ryanair to connect with 12 countries, 21 destinations. British Airways and Vueling to increase UK and Barcelona frequencies by over 20%, respectively. Edelweiss to offer daily flights to Zurich in peak season. Smartwings and Austrian Airlines to increase services by over 50% and 25%, respectively. Ryanair, easyJet, and Volotea to double and significantly boost flights to various European destinations. Domestic market will see new routes by Ryanair and Aeroitalia, and over a thousand monthly continuity flights by Aeroitalia. LOT and Sky Alps to introduce new charter services.

🏖️ Ota Viaggi will host "Obiettivo X" from May 16-18, 2025, in Sardinia, focusing on 'The Growth Challenge'. Enit endorses the event. Partners include Ita Airways, Frecciarossa, Msc Crociere, and others. Evening forums will feature Aidit, Fto, Fiavet, Maavi, and travel networks for industry discussions. Registration opens April 2, 2025.

🏙 Polonia celebrated strong tourism results in 2024, with a record number of Italian arrivals. Barbara Minczewa, the director of the Polish National Tourist Office in Italy, announced new internal destinations for 2025. Lublin, with 300,000 residents, a European Youth Capital in 2023 and future European Capital of Culture in 2029, is now directly connected to Rome and Milan. The promotional campaign 'Taste Life' highlights Lublin's 700-year history, UNESCO-listed Zamosc fortress city, 2 national parks, 7 territorial reserves, and its regional cuisine, catering to fans of slow and experiential tourism. Lublin has 59 hotels ranging from 2 to 5 stars and facilities for up to 1,000 MICE participants.

🏖 Paolo Manca, President of Federalberghi Sardegna, anticipates a robust tourist season starting late April, with a 10% increase in bookings compared to last year. Easter offer is up by 20%, providing nearly 40,000 hotel unit availabilities from a total of 110,000. Easter falls on April 20, bridging holidays to May 1. A clearer picture of the season's outlook is expected around March 31, when early booking discounts expire.

📍 In Sitka, Alaska, a referendum on May 30 will let residents vote on capping cruise ship tourists to 4,500 per day and 300,000 annually, with dockings limited to 6 days a week. If passed, the limits will take effect in 2026. Before the pandemic, Sitka cruise traffic peaked at 289,753 passengers, rising to 383,000 in 2022 and 585,000 in 2023, prompting the proposed limits.

📍 Bluvacanze.it launches as a renewed web project and content delivery platform, aiming to inspire travelers with articles, videos, and podcasts. Developed by Gruppo Bluvacanze, it integrates emotional elements, storytelling, and advanced technology, marking an evolution in customer communication. The platform, designed in collaboration with digital media agency t2ó Italia, features a 'mobile-native' infinite scroll layout, akin to a digital library or TV environment. Marco Orlandi, the chief digital consumer experience officer, highlights its distinctiveness as both an inspirational channel and a sales tool for their travel agencies.

✈ Starting May 28, Eva Air will operate four weekly flights from Milan Malpensa to Taipei with Boeing B787-9 aircraft featuring Economy, Premium Economy, and Royal Laurel classes. The new Premium Economy Class offers 28 seats with a 2-3-2 configuration, 42 inches of pitch, and a cradle recline of 8 inches. Each seat is equipped with a 15.6-inch widescreen monitor, multifunctional entertainment system control, USB ports, and a power outlet. The seats are wheelchair-accessible, and Eva Air has partnered with Hunter for elegantly designed amenity kits in Premium Economy.