The event, promoted by the Basilicata Region and APT, in collaboration with ENIT and under the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, concluded on Tuesday, November 21, at the UnaHotel in Venusio, just outside Matera.

The theme of this edition was ‘Roots tourism’ as a tool for the enhancement and regeneration of Italian villages.

Roots tourism is when one travels to the country in which their ancestors lived.

It was a two-day event with in-depth discussions, thematic workshops, institutional meetings, stalls from many Italian regions and, above all, the involvement of hundreds of industry professionals from all over the world.

The conference halls and rooms were dedicated to meetings between buyers and were always crowded with people eager to explore the many opportunities that small Italian towns, those of Basilicata and beyond, can offer international tourists.

An experience in the reality of small villages guarantees total immersion in ancient and unspoiled traditions - from the realms of gastronomy, art, nature and more.

The event was opened by the institutional greetings of the mayor of Matera, Domenico Bennardi, who underlined “the beautiful intuition of the Basilicata Territorial Promotion Agency”.

Bennardi reiterated how Matera, Europe’s Capital of Culture in 2019, “lends itself well to the concept of return, even from an anthropological point of view, if one thinks for example of the phenomenon of transhumance, of moving and then returning”.

“Matera can obviously create a link between cultural tourism and root tourism, and we stand to be a conduit for the whole region,” Bennardi added.

Speaking at the opening of the two-day event, Basilicata Region President Vito Bardi spoke of root tourism as “a great opportunity for Basilicata and in particular for the inland areas”.

“[It’s] an opportunity that needs to be studied and enhanced.”

“There’s a romantic aspect of roots tourism that has people as protagonists,” said ENIT CEO Ivana Jelinic.

“The project of ENIT and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade on roots tourism was born in our Buenos Aires office a decade ago, when our collaborators had the idea of promoting to Italians the possibility of returning,” Jelinic continued.

“From there this theme has spread, culminating in the 2024 Italian Year of Roots. But there’s not just an emotional component, root tourism generates economic growth.

“It’s a great opportunity for companies in the industry and for the widespread economy that is stimulated by tourists, with a specific focus on territories and villages that need to be enhanced and rethought, starting from our culture, our roots.

“In order to move flows [of tourists towards it], Basilicata has made extraordinary strides with passion and expertise, putting themselves at the service of these places and creating wonderful things.”

“We have worked a lot, and the results are coming,” said APT Director General Antonio Nicoletti, who was particularly satisfied.

“In the first nine months of the year, among the markets that grew the most were those affected by the first edition of Roots-in.

“Thanks to ENIT, which is supporting us while we try to create new opportunities.

“Roots-in tourism is the perfect fit that we were looking for to strengthen the image of Basilicata in the world, and with which Basilicata is placed in a completely new dynamic.”

APT Director General Antonio Nicoletti

The head of MAECI’s Roots Tourism project, Giovanni Maria de Vita, summed up the main objectives of the project promoted by the Ministry.

“[The goal is] to create a new relationship with the 80 million Italians in the world, to create strategic collaboration in different sectors, to contribute to the creation of a demand for tourism that is articulated in territories not affected by the main flows, to work to create an offer that can meet the expectations of these travellers,” he said.

“From this point of view, Basilicata is a success story, Italian emigration comes mainly from rural areas, and root tourism is an opportunity to fight depopulation and create new job opportunities.”

Appearing via video, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stressed that the event “represents an important moment of dialogue and discussion and testifies to the growing interest in root tourism, which represents a great opportunity to strengthen ties with our compatriots”.

“We are returning to Roots-in in view of 2024,” Tajani stressed, “the year of Italian roots in the world, which we intend to celebrate with numerous initiatives”.

“Collaboration with regions and local institutions is a key element. Our goal is the creation of a tourism offer that can demonstrate the many excellences of our country and meet the needs and desires of root travellers.”

During the two days in Matera, there were many opportunities for in-depth study and analysis of the phenomenon of tourism from a variety of points of view, such as how to re-evaluate the country’s inland areas, to strategies, both public and private, that can be implemented to reactivate root tourism.

There was also time to reflect on the many opportunities to attract people who, with the accelerated evolution of working from home, perhaps might decide to live their lives as ‘digital nomads’ in small Italian villages.

The expansive space dedicated to showcasing all the regions of Italy

The importance of further promoting the Italian language, as well as cuisine, wine and all the traditional values that make root tourism unique, could not be missed from discussions about attracting international tourism.

An Australian delegation, led by Emanuele Attanasio, ENIT’s Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand, was also present.

The delegation had representatives from major tourism companies such as Utracks, Albatross Tours and Holidays of Australia & The World. The Australians enjoyed an interesting series of guided tours of some of the most beautiful villages in Lucania before the two-day event kicked off.

Australia, with its relevant and large community of Italo-Australians, “represents a tourism segment with enormous potential, not only from a purely numerical point of view but also because of the peculiarities of how and where Australian tourists travel,” Attanasio stressed.

“Australians often visit smaller regions of Italy and do so even outside the high season, which contributes to our goal of encouraging seasonal adjustment and travel throughout Italy.

“We know that Italy’s greatest supporters are the Italians themselves. Encouraging those of Italian descent to visit lesser-known parts of the country and return home to become ‘ambassadors’ who inspire others to discover a deeper side of Italy is what we hope for,” Attanasio concluded.