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ECR Culture Weekend in Ischia: tourism as an engine for the development of Europe

Politics - February 9, 2024

The Culture Weekend promoted by the ECR Party is back. For three days in June Ischia is going to be the host city: the homonymous island in the Campania region is preparing to welcome a conference that will focus on tourism viewed as an engine for the development of Europe. The event will be held from June 23rd to 25th, and participants will be staying at the beautiful Hotel Continental: a building with a unique architectural structure featuring Mediterranean-style buildings immersed in the vegetation of the park, and spacious interiors that dialogue with the beauty of the gardens. A stunning and evocative location that deserves to be appreciated in its entirety.

 

Tourism at the heart of the Campania weekend

 

As anticipated at the beginning, the focus of this edition will be on tourism as an engine for the development of Europe. But what does this mean? The tourism industry represents 280 billion dollars a year in revenue in Europe alone, and is a source of income for millions of Europeans. After the long stop caused by the pandemic, the industry is finally back on track and we need to be ready to adjust resources and work hard to ensure the market’s growth in all EU countries. The ECR Party is therefore flying to Ischia to open a discussion on the challenges and opportunities that the entire sector will face, looking in particular at European regulations and collaboration on tourism and transport.

 

The meeting will see the involvement of numerous prominent personalities, both from the institutional world and the relevant sector.

 

All about the event: the programme and the guests attending

 

The political event aims to assess the influence of European institutions on the tourism industry and, in addition, to investigate sustainable goals for the sector. For this reason, the voices that will animate the meetings will bring essential contributions to concretely address the topics of the conference.

All participants are expected to arrive on Friday 23 June. The weekend will get into full swing on Saturday morning, starting at 9.30 a.m., when Michele Schiano, deputy of Fratelli d’Italia, will give the welcome speech. The official opening of the proceedings will be entrusted to Antonio Giordano, Secretary General of the ECR party and deputy of Fratelli d’Italia, and Nicola Procaccini, MEP and Co-President of the ECR group. The first panel, “Tourism and Culture: Business Perspective and Conservation Strategies,” will be preceded by keynote speeches by Alessandra Priante, Director of the Regional Department for Europe at World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

 

The first meeting will be moderated by Domenico Lombardi, Economist and

Columnist, and will see the discussions between: Adela Mirza, President of Alternativa Dreapta, Romania; Barbara Kolm, Vice President of Oesterreichische Nationalbank, Austria; Ilenya Lucaselli, FDI Member of Parliament, Head of the Budget Commission, Chamber of Deputies, Italy; Barbara Arbitrio, CEO of AMI Italia.

 

Space will then be given to one of the central themes: “Mobility in tourism: the aviation system as a strength”. Gregory Alegi, aviation journalist, will moderate. Speakers will include Galeazzo Bignami, Deputy Minister of Infrastructures and Transport; Pasqualino Monti, Managing Director of ENAV S.p.A; Fabio Lazzerini, Managing Director of ITA Airways; Veronica Pamio, Vice President of External Relations and Sustainability at Aeroporti di Roma S.p.A.; Eddie Wilson, Managing Director of Ryanair, Ireland.

 

It will resume in the early afternoon with the “European tourism system: how much influence can the EU Commission have?”

The panel will be moderated by Giancarla Rondinelli, RAI1 political journalist. Participants in the discussion will include Daniela Santanché, Minister of Tourism; Valentina Superti, Director for Tourism at the European Commission; Tommaso Foti, FDI Member of Parliament; Carlo Fidanza, MEP, head of the FDI delegation; Marina Lalli, President of Federturismo; Tommaso Tanzilli, Member of the Board of Directors of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane S.p.A.

 

Lastly, they will discuss “Religious tourism in Europe: itineraries to discover our identity”. Will moderate Donatella Di Nitto, Head of the Fratelli d’Italia press office at the Chamber of Deputies. Speakers will include Federico Mollicone, MP and President of the Culture Commission; Gianluca Caramanna, MP and Advisor to the Minister of Tourism; Fabio Roscani, MP and leader of the FDI Youth Movement; Ladislav Ilcic, MEP and Croatian Sovereignist Party.

 

The third and final day will be dedicated to a tour of the island.