06 September 2024
Italy is a global tourism destination, welcoming over 134 million arrivals and 451 million overnight stays in 2023, with international tourists (52.4% of the total) outnumbering domestic visitors. Italy’s rich history of emigration has created a vast Italian diaspora, with an estimated 80 million Italian descendants globally as a result of two major waves of emigration. The diaspora offers a significant opportunity for “roots tourism”, a growing sector where descendants visit their ancestral homeland. Roots tourism accounts for about 15% of total tourist presences in Italy, with a potential market primarily from Brazil, Argentina,and the United States. 97.3% of surveyed Italian "oriundi" expressed a strong desire to visit Italy to connect with their heritage: roots tourists tend to stay longer (an average of 9.8 days compared to 6.8 days for international overnight visitors), contributing to local economies, especially in lesser-known regions.
Roots tourism presents a significant economic opportunity for Italy, with a potential impact of €65 billion in direct spending and up to €141 billion if the tourism economic multiplier is taken into consideration.
This data comes from the Position Paper “Calling the diaspora home. Maximizing the socioeconomic impact of ancestry-based tourism on Italy and its cross-border communities”, which has been written in collaboration with the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) and was presented during the first day of the 50th “Intelligence on the World, Europe and Italy” Forum held at Villa d’Este in Cernobbio (September 6, 2024), during the session attended by Antonio Tajani (Vice-President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Italian Government) and chaired by Ferruccio de Bortoli (Columnist of Corriere della Sera).
The Position Paper also identifies a portfolio of proposals for action divided into 6 macro-areas:
- governance and a national strategy on roots tourism
- dual citizenship for Italian oriundi
- communication and awareness campaigns
- enhancing the territorial and cultural dimension
- launching initiatives aimed at mapping descendants for Italian oriundi
- financing the Italian communities abroad and the territories of the Italian diaspora.
"Roots tourism could also play a crucial role in reducing tourism seasonality in Italy. By adding just 2% of potential roots tourists during the off-season, a more consistent year-round flow of visitors could be achieved. This form of tourism not only offers substantial economic benefits but also contributes to a more sustainable and stable tourism sector by distributing tourist flows more evenly throughout the year”, commented Lorenzo Tavazzi, Senior Partner at The European House - Ambrosetti and Head of the International Development and Board Member of TEHA Group.
“We have identified six priority areas to attract cross-border communities to fully leverage the potential of roots tourism in Italy and define a cohesive, long-term strategy that leverages the full potential of roots tourism: in particular, the definition of a multi-ministerial steering committee, involving key ministries—including Foreign Affairs, Tourism, and Culture—should be established to develop a comprehensive National Strategy for Roots Tourism. Then, recognizing dual citizenship and structured funding mechanisms for the Italian associations abroad are a cornerstone of an effective strategy to connect with the diaspora communities” – stated Valerio De Molli.
Download the Position Paper (in English)
Download the Executive Summary (in Italian)
Download the press release (September 6, 2024)
Update: October 26, 2024
The main results of the Paper were also presented at the NIAF's 49th Anniversary Gala Weekend in Washington D.C., by Lorenzo Tavazzi and Valerio De Molli.Download the presentation by Lorenzo Tavazzi and Valerio De Molli