The 20th edition of AgrieTour began today, Saturday November 12, the Arezzo Fiere e Congressi event dedicated to the agrotourism sector, finally back in attendance simultaneously for the first time with Passioni in Fiera. A sector, that of outdoor accommodation, which is still popular with a large number, especially of foreign presences. As pointed out by Ferrer Vannetti, president of Arezzo Fiere e Congressi
“Agritourism today represents a message for everyone, a model for interpreting the news in a sustainable way, more adapted to human rhythms. A reality that exalts our origins. AgrieTour and together Passioni in Fiera try to condense all this with the aim of creating comparison, the meeting of supply and demand. And, precisely, a sounding board for this sector, the agri-food and agro-tourism sector, which represents the future of our country”.
Identikit of the post-pandemic agrotourist
According to the Ismea Observatory – Rural Network presented at AgrieTour, in 2020 the emergency had inevitably caused the collapse of the presence of foreign customers in almost all of the companies surveyed and a partial replacement of these by Italian customers. The summer of 2021 saw the consolidation of domestic demand and, at the same time, the return of some foreign customers, represented almost exclusively by European tourists.
Germany is progressing, the United Kingdom and Denmark are declining. Germany, in the year of Covid-19, has established itself as the main foreign market of origin for customers. Also due to the collapse in demand from all non-European countries, including the United States (-94% compared to 2019), the United Kingdom (-75%) and Denmark (-81%), the Teutonic market arrived representing approximately half of all foreign demand (46% of arrivals and 53.3% of foreign attendance), followed by the number of guests from Switzerland, the Netherlands, France and Belgium. After Italians, German tourists, although down compared to 2019, continue to represent the highest share of customers ever recorded (14% of total arrivals and 20.5% of overnight stays), with an average stay of 6 nights.
Italians are rediscovering Italy
Domestic tourism (often proximity) is partly made up of already loyal travelers and regular visitors to agritourism and rural areas of Italy, but also new visitors who have discovered vacations in the Italian countryside precisely because of the conditions created as a result of the pandemic. Compared to 2020, a significant proportion of companies recorded a further increase in the presence of families (47.1%) and couples (43.3%). Regarding the reasons that led customers in 2021 to choose farms, for about a third of entrepreneurs (32.8%), the geographical position of the structure mainly weighed in the choice, especially the proximity to attractions special tourist attractions. In some cases, proximity to the workplace played an important role, especially crucial for customers who were able to take advantage of smart working. For almost a quarter of entrepreneurs (23.2%) agritourism was chosen as a type of relaxing holiday, away from crowded destinations and stressful situations, while just over a fifth (21.1 %) thinks it was chosen for the offer related to food and catering. . Finally, the reasons related to the possibility of carrying out activities in nature and being able to use large open spaces (10.8%) stand out, as well as the tranquility and exclusive availability of the spaces.
Direct booking, without intermediaries
According to the observation for more than 39% of the companies questioned, compared to 2020, there is also a trend towards disintermediation, attested by the increase in direct requests for hospitality to the detriment of those conveyed by portals or agencies. of travel. With the pandemic, the modes of organizing trips have changed with a significant increase in the share of Italians who have booked directly in accommodation establishments, which rose from 24.1% to 39.4%, which translates through a reduction in the use of brokerage and large booking portals. Similarly, the share of reservations made via the internet has increased further (seven out of ten Italians). As a result of less recourse to intermediation via the web, there is still a decline in the structures available on online platforms, a trend that also concerns agritourism.
Vacation planning is last minute. Last-minute holidays have characterized the 2021 season, above all due to the uncertainties linked to the health emergency. For 81% of the companies, the reservations of foreign customers were made with an advance less than or equal to one month of arrival in the establishment, this figure rises to 92% in the case of Italian customers. At the same time, the “hit and run” trend has diminished, as confirmed by the increase in the average stay of customers, contrary to what has happened in recent years.
Hospitality grows
Agritourism is among the companies that increased its market share the most in the entire tourism sector, increasing from 2.9% to 4% in number of visitors and from 3.2% to 4.4% in overnight stays . The market share of agritourism within the non-hotel sector is also growing with 13.2% of arrivals and 10.8% of overnight stays, compared to 11.2% and 9% in 2019. In the reorganization of the competitive scenario in the non-hotel sector, with agritourism, the share of campsites has increased, while that of private accommodation has decreased in number of arrivals.
The program for Sunday 13 November
The morning will be opened (Room A at 10 a.m.) by the Marketing and digital communication meeting at the service of rural territories organized by the Tuscany Region. Moderated by Daniele Visconti, Director of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Tuscany Region, it will be opened by Roberto Scalacci, Director of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Tuscany Region. In Room B, at 11:30 a.m. AGRIeTOUR Twenty Award, rewards the most present companies at the Salone editions. What the agritourism of the future will be will be decided (room B at 12) in CO-LAB AGRIeTOUR 20+20, a co-planning workshop where participants will be involved through animation techniques in defining the profile of the agritourism over the next 20 years. An Arb initiative (broker in rural agriculture) and Mediterraneo Sia (cultural and rural project).
In the afternoon (Room A at 3 p.m.), Wine and oil: the assets of Italian tourism. Data from the Nomisma Wine Monitor Observatory will be presented, published in the book Journey through Wine Italy, figures that confirm the extraordinary boost that wine tourism gives to the enhancement and promotion of wine . To talk about wine tourism, increasingly driving sectors for the development of sustainable tourism in agricultural areas, a round table was organized coordinated by Sergio Auricchio, director of Agra Editricee and in the presence of Dario Stefano, senator promoter of wine tourism laws, Donatella Cinelli Colombini, president of the Women of Wine association and journalist Fabiola Pulieri. During the meeting, the books Journey through Wine Italy, Observatory of Wine Tourism: Good Practices and New Trends by Donatella Cinelli Colombini and Dario Stefàno and Oleoturismo, Business Opportunities and Territories by Dario Stefàno and Fabiola Pulieri will be presented. Also in room A, at 4.30 p.m., presentation of Guida Cassia Vetus, a project by Fiab Toscana.
During the day, B2B workshops with scheduled appointments and appointments between agritourism supply and international demand, Masters for the promotion and enhancement of an agritourism, show cooking and cooking classes, demonstrations of the activity linked to the production of Honey.
On www.agrietour.it the indications to participate and the detailed program of the day.
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