TOP NEWS

🍝 On Carbonara Day (April 6), AstraRicerche surveyed 1,009 Italians (18-65 years) for Unione Italiana Food, revealing spaghetti as the most popular pasta for carbonara, chosen by 59.9%. Google reports nearly a million monthly searches for carbonara. Over 100 million kg of spaghetti were consumed in Italy in 2024. Pasta's shape is important for 93.4% of Italians, with 61% preferring ridged pasta. About 3 million participated in last year's #CarbonaraDay. More than half of Italians (55.3%) cook carbonara multiple times a month.

🏆 On a morning ceremony at Palazzo Chigi's courtyard, the "Maestro dell'Arte della Cucina Italiana" award, established by law 59 on April 19, 2024, was presented by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni alongside Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida. Eight Italian culinary talents were honored: Iginio Massari (patisserie), Carlotta Fabbri (gelato), Franco Pepe (pizza), Carlo Petrini (gastronomy), Piercristiano Brazzale (cheese-making), Maria Francesca Di Martino (olive cultivation), Riccardo Cotarella (winemaking), and Massimo Bottura (cooking). Recipients received a bronze medal, pin, and crest from the Istituto Poligrafico Zecca dello Stato and will have the opportunity to teach their crafts to the next generation.

📺 During Sigep 2025, Leonardo Gerardi, CEO of Kreatek, interviewed by Fabio Russo, unveiled an automatic cold beverage dispenser for small outlets like bars and B&Bs. The capsule-based system, developed in partnership with Conserve Italia, offers a variety of fruit juices and reduces plastic use significantly, also dispensing cold and sparkling water.

📆 Naar Tour Operator is launching "Il giro del Mondo con Naar" workshops for travel agents in Italy with three events: Stresa (April 11-12), Rome (May 9-10), and Pozzolengo-Brescia (May 23-24). These events feature training, networking, experiential activities, gala dinners, and guided tours. Each event spans 1.5 days with work sessions from 10 AM to 6:30 PM on Fridays, followed by social activities until Saturday noon. Attendance is limited, with invitations managed by local sales teams.

🎉 Hilton Molino Stucky in Giudecca opens its doors to young hospitality talents, launching high-level training events in collaboration with local schools. These events will offer students hands-on experience in hospitality, bartending, and mixology at the Skyline Rooftop Bar, under the guidance of bar manager Valentina Mircea. Participants will also discover the history and facilities of Hilton Molino Stucky.

🍷 In 2025, Italy's wine tourism is expected to generate 20 million overnight stays and attract 13 million wine tourists, according to Cna estimates before Vinitaly reported by ansa.it. Two-thirds of these enotourists will be Italian, with the remaining third coming from abroad. Four out of five foreign tourists will incorporate winery and vineyard visits into longer vacations. Notably, these figures do not include day trips without overnight stays.

🏁 Qatar prepares for a bustling 2025 with exclusive events in sports, music, culture, and sustainability aimed at attracting global tourism. Key events include the Qatar Airways MotoGP™ Grand Prix (April 11-13) and Formula 1 Grand Prix (November 28-30) at Lusail International Circuit, Ed Sheeran's concert (April 30), EcoGreen Expo (April 22-25), Doha International Book Fair (May 1-17), QNB One Run For All half marathon (May 23), Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship final (December 11-13), Qatar International Art Festival (December 7-12), and the traditional Dhow Festival (November).

📍 The "consorzio Nordeste Brasil" from nine Brazilian states including Alagoas, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará, Pernambuco, Maranhão, Bahia, Piauí, and Sergipe debuted in Milan after London, aiming to showcase an unusual, sophisticated, and sustainable side of South America. Post-pandemic, Italian visitor numbers to Brazil are rebounding, with a 16% increase in demand and a target of 192,000 visitors by the end of the year, up from 154,000 in 2024. Family tourism is rising, with a shift from beach resorts to city and inland cultural itineraries. In 2024, Brazil welcomed 6.5 million international tourists, spending $6.7 billion, with a 65.3% increase in 2025's first two months. Italy ranked third among European markets. The "Programma di Accelerazione del Turismo" planned 5,000 flights between Europe and Brazil for Q1 2025, offering 1.5 million seats on 34 routes, a 14% increase from 2024, including 14 direct routes with Tap Portugal as the main partner carrier.

🖥 Daniela Santanchè, Italy's Minister of Tourism, announced the initiative for an AI incubator for tourism, led by Italy and the Ministry, during her presentation at the OECD. The incubator aims to support SMEs in the tourism sector with training and implementation of AI as an opportunity, not a threat. Santanchè also emphasized the importance of a human and territory-centered approach to innovative technologies like digitalization and AI for sustainable and high-quality tourism growth. Projects like the Tourism Digital Hub and funding for innovative AI-based startups in the industry were highlighted, as well as participation in European data space initiatives like Dates, Deploytour, and D3HUB.

🏖️ In Sicily, the Bando Turismo Sicilia 2025 initiative offers non-repayable grants up to 80% and financing from €50,000 to €3.5 million for hospitality structures, with a total fund of €135 million. Beneficiaries include hotels, campsites, hostels, tourist villages, mountain refuges, guest houses, and vacation rentals, with up to €300,000 per single company under the De Minimis aid and up to 60% of eligible expenses for micro and small companies, 50% for medium companies, and 40% for large companies under exemption aid. Eligible expenses range from property purchases to modernizations and include consultancy and project-related costs. Submission details are yet to be announced.