Italy, France and Portugal have reported success in encouraging visitors to experience less well-known destinations as well as increased interest in trips in the shoulder seasons.
Representatives from the countries’ tourist boards took part in a Global Travel Marketplace panel discussion on Thursday called ‘A sustainable future for destinations’.
The panellists spoke about their attempts to spread tourism across a range of destinations, taking in rural areas in addition to traditionally popular cities.
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Maria Elena Rossi, marketing and promotion director for the Italian National Tourist Board ENIT, described efforts to promote “smaller villages”.
She said: “We can’t force people not to go to Florence or Venice, but there is an opportunity to have a dispersal strategy and think, ‘Where can we make a difference as a tourist board’? Marketing is very important in this respect.”
Visit Portugal UK director Claudia Miguel said she was pleased British visitors had been discovering new parts of the country.
“It’s something we’ve wanted to happen for so many years and it’s finally happening. The statistics are telling us that,” she said.
In addition to diversification of places travellers were visiting, the destinations also reported a broader spread of travel dates outside the summer peak. Atout France UK & Ireland managing director Gwénaëlle Delos reporting rising numbers of visitors in September, while Rossi said Italy’s strongest months for airport arrivals from the UK were April, May and June, rather than July and August.
Rossi added that climate change is likely to prompt further shifts in visitor trends in Italy and beyond, saying: “Coastal areas will be most affected by climate change and there needs to be a strategy for countries with extended coastlines like ours.”
Panellists including Visit Gibraltar chief executive Kevin Bossino said that while some travellers were actively seeking sustainable holidays, it was important to educate visitors about the impact of their trips, with more work to be done.
“Travellers should be much more aware that they are temporary citizens when they travel somewhere,” Rossi said.
Citing price as a factor which was usually deemed a greater consideration for travellers, Delos added: “There’s a huge demand for sustainable experiences but it’s not yet the main driver.”
Bossino said travellers want to see tangible efforts to boost sustainability, adding it was crucial for destinations to back up words on sustainability with action.