Conferenze e Fiere

🍕 At "Casa Sanremo 2025", over thirty pizzaioli from Sicily, led by Enzo Piedimonte and Carmelo Pistritto of Favara, will showcase the art of pizza at Palafiori during the Festival della Canzone Italiana. The team of more than forty members was selected by Gambero Rosso Academy of Palermo ten days ago. Custom pizzas will cater to the dietary preferences of artists like Carlo Conti, Fedez, Giorgia, Francesco Gabbani, Rose Villain, Massimo Ranieri, and Tony Effe. The Arena del Gusto will focus on Sicilian tradition and quality culinary offerings.

🚀 Eurostar has resumed the London-Amsterdam route, operating it 3 times daily (2 on Saturdays) and aims to restore full capacity by September. The passenger capacity from Amsterdam will increase from 600 to 650 after a temporary closure of the Dutch terminal between March 30 and April 22 for renovations. Long-term, Eurostar plans to expand to five daily services by 2026.

🏕 Princess Cruises expands Alaska cruise offers for 2025 and 2026 seasons, featuring a program that allows visiting five national parks in a single 15-day trip. This follows the launch of a 15-day 'National Parks Expedition' in 2024. Packages range from nine-day tours of two parks to 14-day tours of three to four parks. Seven ships will sail in Alaska in 2025, with departures from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, and Whittier, followed by eight ships in 2026.

🗽 Boscolo to feature Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan in their 2025 tours of the Caucasus. Vera Rodaro highlights the region's vast potential, historical significance, and high-quality local cuisine. The 8-day "Armenia millenaria" tour focuses on Armenia's rich cultural heritage, including the ancient Khor Virap monastery and the visible Mount Ararat. The 9-day "Armenia and Georgia" tour explores Georgia's highest Caucasus mountains, ancient capital Mtskheta, and wine history. The "Azerbaijan and Georgia" 8-day tour showcases Azerbaijan's natural gas production, modern Baku contrasted with ancient Zoroastrian traditions and prehistoric sites in Gobustan Reserve.

🎵 SiVola, an Italian travel tech firm, launches a contest during FantaSanremo offering five €1000 gift cards for any destination from their catalog to lucky players. Participants must join the 313,000-member SiVola League, create a team of singers, and register for the contest. Winners will be chosen by a final draw. Additionally, a secret daily bonus will be revealed on February 15 to help contestants gain extra points and climb the FantaSanremo rankings. Daniela Sparano, SiVola's marketing manager, highlights the synergy between travel, experiences, and the gaming phenomenon.

🍾 Emirates, starting in May, will introduce 18 new dishes for Business Class travelers, created by Michelin-starred Chef Jean Michel Bardet of Moët & Chandon and Emirates' VP of Culinary Design Doxis Bekris. Developed over a year with Moët & Chandon in France, Emirates serves 149 meals per minute, totaling over 77 million meals annually. Dishes range from scallops with Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2016 to roast duck with Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial, including vegan options. Emirates has partnered with Moët Hennessy for 33 years, offering champagne in all classes.

🎢 Leonardo Massa, vice president of MSC Group's cruise division, projects a positive outlook for the cruise sector in 2025, with strong travel demand evident from booking volumes. The average cruise price is nearing 2023 values. In April 2025, MSC will welcome the 23rd fleet vessel, MSC World America. Major infrastructure developments include the inauguration of a new terminal in Barcelona in March 2025 and a Miami terminal in April, capable of handling 30,000 people daily, thanks to a $400 million investment. The company is expanding into the American market with new itineraries to Alaska from Seattle starting in 2026. The fourth World-class ship, yet to be named, will join for the 2027-2028 winter season, offering year-round 7-night Caribbean itineraries from Port Canaveral. The luxury segment will see Explora I and Explora II operating in the Mediterranean throughout summer 2025. Additionally, 2025 brings spring mini-cruises in the Mediterranean and the continuation of Canary Islands programs into the next winter.

✈ Wizz Air reached 20 million passengers at the capital's airport and expands connections to Egypt, adding Hurghada. Flights from Rome Fiumicino to Hurghada start on June 3, twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and from July, on Mondays and Fridays. All flights will be operated with the latest generation Airbus A321neo. Tamara Nikiforova, senior communications manager, highlighted the new route and the aim to strengthen ties with Egypt after celebrating the 20-million passenger milestone at Fiumicino in January.

🍺 ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto announces the 7th ART of ITALICUS Aperitivo Challenge 2025, challenging bartenders to reinterpret the Spritz. The global winner will be named ITALICUS Bar Artist of the Year 2025. With mentorship from Lorenzo Antinori of Bar Leone, Hong Kong, finalists will access prestigious brand events. The competition spans Italy, France, Germany, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Spain, the USA, the UK, and Hungary, with a wildcard entrant. Submission via www.artofitalicus.com runs from February 10 to April 28, 2025. The victor joins industry events and Antinori's side for a year.

💎 In Italy, San Valentino is a beloved occasion for celebrating love, with 58% of TheFork's early 2025 reservations made by couples. From 2022 to 2024, restaurant bookings for February 14 increased by 38%, with overall reservations for the holiday up by 46%. Quality experiences are in demand, as restaurants rated above 9 doubled their bookings since 2022, and gourmet establishments saw a 37% rise. Half of TheFork's survey respondents plan to dine out for Valentine's, preferring intimate (41%) and high-end (15%) venues, with 36% being flexible. Solo dining is emerging globally, with 4.6% of diners enjoying meals alone, averaging over five solo reservations yearly. TheFork, a Tripadvisor® brand, connects 55,000 partner restaurants across 11 countries with food enthusiasts via its platform.