The results of the tourism sector presented in the chapter dedicated to the economic situation demonstrate in brief that 2011 was a record for tourism in Veneto, with a number of overnight stays that exceeded 63.4 million and a growth of 4.2% compared to the previous year. The constantly increasing attractiveness of Veneto on foreign tourists is evident. The number of overnight stays of foreign tourists has increased by 22.4% since 2005 whilst the interest shown by the Italians (-0.7%) appears more stationary. The ambitious objective pursued by the tourism sector of Veneto and its administrators is to increase the current 15.8 million arrivals and 15 billion turnover to 20 million arrivals and 20 billion turnover by 2020. Different measures will be implemented so as to make the region's offer to tourists definitely complete and of high level, starting with improving accessibility and enhancing the value of a territory that has great potential and ability of attracting tourists all year round.

The tourism of Veneto section can offer many opportunities due to the rich natural and cultural heritage of the territory, its entrepreneurial resources, traditions and food and wine specialities. Veneto can offer development and employment opportunities which may support the economic and social fabric of the region, especially in the current economic climate, which is extremely difficult and unfortunately penalises those manufacturing sectors that for decades have traditionally been the biggest strong point of Veneto economy. On the other hand, due also to projects that are already planned or underway, new opportunities will be offered to visitors who choose Veneto as a destination for their holidays.
From the point of view of the supply, numerous are the areas where new projects and initiatives can be implemented: training of operators; infrastructures; attention to the environment so as to ensure effective sustainability, even from the social point of view, of infrastructures and large flows of tourists.
The training and specialisation activities will be reinforced and improved to increase the opportunities available for young people entering the world of work. The tourism sector needs professional figures that are able to respond to the requirements and demands of the tourist reception system; therefore, the young people must definitely be given the chance to choose training courses where they can acquire the knowledge and skills which will contribute to the increase in the quality of services offered to Veneto by visitors and tourists. The challenge arising will therefore also become a chance both for the development of Veneto tourism and an innovation in the professional training sector, a task that should result in moving the school much closer to the world of business. The new professional figures, who will reach a higher level in their linguistic skills and greater knowledge of the territory, will be fundamental resources for the businesses and for the entire economic sector.
Veneto is known worldwide for its natural heritage and the unparalleled number of its cities of art. To further develop niche tourism, specific types of tourism proposals are being created, also for freeing tourism from seasonal constraints: tourism linked to the Veneto villas, conference tourism, bike tourism, religious routes.
Improving reception and hospitality also means a greater accessibility to the reception facilities of the holiday resorts. Particular significance and importance is attributed to the idea that the reception and holiday resorts can also be used by the motor-impaired or people who have particular food demands. This aspect is undoubtedly representative of a sector that is attentive not only to the objective implications of economic upturn but also to the social aspects and to the needs of each individual.
Regarding the communication infrastructures, the incidence of foreign visitors (around 60% in 2011), brings to the forefront the need and importance of giving a suitable response to their presence in terms of availability of infrastructures and resources suitable for intense traffic of people. The large airport infrastructures together with targets agreed with the airline companies, as well as the presence of main roads and railways that constitute a suitable road network, greatly contribute to the success of the tourism economy.

Spreading news and knowledge

It is evident that if choosing a holiday in Veneto once meant visiting Venice's historic centre, particularly for the French, American, Chinese or Russian tourist, today it is more and more the case that even those who live further away geographically can be better informed on all the opportunities offered by a region which has varied and numerous resources. These include the natural gems of the Country and the large added value of the art, culture and traditions which characterise the history of Veneto. The institutional communication activities aimed at publicising Veneto tourism are essential for spreading knowledge about the region's tourism products in the Italian and foreign markets, as well as to create growth opportunities in the sector and orientate the choice that tourists make when booking their holidays, and is therefore fundamental offering such information through different channels (web portal, advertisements, radio and television adverts, presentations, etc.)

Those visiting Veneto can enjoy a complete holiday experience able to satisfy every kind of request, including the opportunity to visit cities among the most beautiful and famous in the world, to spend the summer on one of the many beaches on the shores of Lake Garda - 150 km of coastline with renowned water quality - to enjoy the biggest and best equipped spa in Europe, to have fun with winter sports and also go on excursions deep in the fascinating scenery of the Dolomites world heritage site, etc. The Veneto region's attractions are enhanced by the numerous features which make it unique and able to bring back the same visitors again and again to discover the area, the local traditions and typical artisan and food products.
Over recent years growth in the number of tourists slowed down the start of the economic and financial crisis at the end of 2008. However, afterwards it rose again in all the Veneto tourist areas, until reaching the significant figures of 2011. The seaside areas, the cities of art and the lake established a new record for both the arrivals and the overnight stays. The mountain and spa resorts both attracted a growing number of tourists but with a shorter average length of stay, a trend which is generally more diffused but that in this case amounts to a negative variation of the overnight stays. (Figure 13.2.1), (Figure 13.2.2)
It is interesting to focus attention on the average duration of stays in the reception facilities, which is calculated as the ratio between the overnight stays and the number of arrivals (i.e. the guests arriving at the destination). The average value does not show any considerable variations in the short term, but if calculated on an historical succession of at least a decade some indications of the trends occurring are provided.
The average stay of the tourist in a holiday resort strictly depends on the type of holiday: in 2011 over seven overnight stays were at the seaside, between five and six were in the mountain, around five at the lake and in the spas, and barely more than two in the cities of art. For each of these holiday macro categories, the trend is different for those who stayed in hotel structures and those who chose one of the many non-hotel solutions offered (camping, agritourism, guest houses, etc.) where the stays were usually much longer.
The average stay in seaside hotels was four nights and nine for non hotel facilities. In the mountains the period also doubled from around four to eight nights but significant differences were noticed in the areas looking out on to Lake Garda (from 3.6 to 6.4) and in the cities of art (from 2 to 3.5). In the spas the situation showed an opposite trend instead, with one more night for average stays in the hotels (4.8). (Table 13.2.1)
Over the course of the last decade which saw significant increases in the tourist flow towards the Veneto region, a general reduction of the length of the stay was noted - decreasing from 4.7 days in 2000 to 4 in 2011 - which did not appear to be linked purely to the stagnation period of the tourism sector connected to the various international difficulties, and which indicated a change in the concept of holiday: whereas before attention, economic resources and expectations had been focussed on a single period during the whole year, it became more common to reduce the length of the stay, perhaps taking another leisure break during the course of the year. The only area where the average stays remained more or less constant was in the cities of art where overnight stays had however already been reduced to the minimum duration of two nights, as for example happens with the organised trips of which Venice is only one of the many stages. (Figure 13.2.3)
A municipality map shows the municipalities where the duration of the stay is longer than the average stay recorded by the tourist area which they belong to (sea, mountain, lake, spas, city of art). Amongst the municipalities characterised by the same type of tourism offer, the best results will be obtained by those presenting a concomitance of factors and opportunities which encourage the tourists to dedicate a longer period to their stay. However, with no available data relating to the motivation of the trip, it is expected that, besides the diffusion of non-hotel facilities where, as we have noticed, stays are longer, a greater level of attractiveness is achieved by famous places or those strategically positioned, allowing places of interest for tourism to be reached in a short space of time. Naturally in proposing such places as resorts that require a few extra days in order to be fully explored and savoured, the variety as well as unique and distinctive qualities of the holiday experience promised there should be highlighted. One of the many examples concerns the municipalities touched by the via del vino ('wine routes') and offering typical products: here the clients usually remain in their chosen hospitality facility for a period that is longer or at most equal to the average stay usual for the area: 7.7 overnight stays in the seaside areas, 2.2 in the cities of art, 4.9 at the lake, 10.3 in the mountain, and 4.8 in the spas. Last but not least are the holiday offers proposed by the reception facilities themselves, which are increasingly attracting the attention of web surfers. (Figure 13.2.4)
Veneto tourism is mainly made up of foreigners. In 2011 the flow of foreigner tourists accounted for 62% of the total overnight stays. The growth of international tourism recovered after the stagnation period of the previous years, and the region of Veneto is recording excellent results in spite of the stagnation in overnight stays at the national level. (Figure 13.2.5)
In 2011 the ranking of the origins of foreign tourists attested to an increase in the number of people coming from Countries which since years have been the main sources of the tourist flow: Germany (+7.1% compared to the previous year), Austria (+5.3%), The Netherlands (+4.6%), France (+6.9%), Switzerland (+8.8%), Spain (+2.7%). The numbers of American and British tourists, which over the last years had undergone the most major and repeated contraction, are increasing again (+10.8 and +1.7%). The flow from the so-called BRIC areas is also increasing, and the BRIC Countries confirm their importance as new targets for tourism promotional strategies: Russia (+33.7%), China (+45.4%) and Brazil (+34%) reach 12th, 15th and 18th place in the ranking of the foreign Countries of origin, and with respect to 2000 Russia gains 11 places and China and Brazil gain 3. Even India showed a significant increase (+27.5%) and today it occupies 27th place. Brazilians, Indians and Chinese prefer to visit art cities, where around 94% of their overall presence is concentrated. In particular Venice, part of the tourism packages together with Florence and Rome, continues to take the leading role in the dialogue between Europe and China. Russian tourists predominantly choose seaside resorts (39%) and art cities (47.3%), but a significant increase of flows to spa areas was also noted.
In order to simplify and summarise the entry flows of tourists originating from every part of the world and destined towards one of Veneto many tourism resorts, we analyse the clients of each tourism area and consider the contribution they give to growth based on their nationality of origin. Comparing the contribution of tourists from the different Countries allows to identify which nations have been playing an important role in Veneto tourism sector over the course of the years, but also allows to correctly weigh the contribution of the emerging markets. This indicator in fact results in a number that summarises the variation between two consecutive years and the importance of the market analysed for tourism to the area under examination.
Let us first of all consider the clients of the Veneto seaside resorts where the number of foreign tourists is above the number of Italian ones (61.4%). (Figure 13.2.6)
In comparison to other types of holidays, the decision to spend the holidays by the sea seems to be largely influenced by environmental conditions. A summer like the one in 2010, which was characterised by uncertain weather at the start of the season and during the large influx period of ferragosto (the Italian national holiday of 15th of August), had a decisive effect on tourism trend, considering in particular the 24% of German and Austrian tourists who use to book their holiday no more than a fortnight before and consequently rely on the weather forecasts for their decisions. With regard to the Veneto region's seaside offers, in 2011 a growth was recorded in the number of Germans, who are the most regular visitors, as well as in the presence of Italians from Veneto, after the decrease recorded in 2009, tourists from other parts of Italy outside Veneto and from Austria and The Netherlands. Over the last few years the flow of Russians, Czechs and Polish was positive enough to offer a growth contribution at times exceeding the one provided by the traditional tourists. (Figure 13.2.7)
Even in the Veneto cities of art the foreign presence was greater than the Italian presence (67.5%) and showed a more rapid growth (over the last decade +70.6% against the +27.4% of the Italian nationals). The Veneto inhabitants that spend their holiday in the cities of their own region need a separate analysis excluding tourists visiting Veneto from the rest of Italy. Overall the Veneto inhabitants are the most regular visitors to their region's history and tourism centres. It is evident that near the start of the crisis the collapse of the Italian and American presence was followed by a rapid recovery, whilst the contribution of the French flow and of the interregional flow remained constantly positive. The choice to stay in a hospitality facility relatively close to one own place of residence is made based on various reasons, including the pleasure of spending one or more weekends away from home, visiting relatives and friends, have treatments in specialised care centres, etc.; such reasons appear not to be much affected by economic factors. Moreover, the importance of the flows of emerging Countries such as China, Australia, Brazil and Russia over the last years should be noted. The recent growth contribution of these Countries appears equal to if not above that of the traditional clients. (Figure 13.2.8)
The foreign presence in Lake Garda was also above that of Italy (81.9%) and showed a more rapid growth than Italian presence (over the last decade +30.8% against +11.8%). The trend of lakeside tourism fully reflects Garda attractiveness on the Germans, who alone constitute over one third of the total flow to the area. Over the last years a positive contribution has always been provided by the Dutch, Danish, Swiss and Belgian tourists, whilst the Italians reduced their average length of stay at Lake Garda in correspondence to the start of the crisis, but did not reduced their flow to the lake, which gradually reached a total increase of around one hundred thousand arrivals from 2005 to 2011. (Figure 13.2.9)
The mountain is the only area where the Italian presence prevails over the foreign ones. However, the increase of foreign tourists (+37.2% from 2000 to the present) and the loss of Italian tourists (-20.6%) highlight a gradual change in the composition of the clients. The annual tourist trend in the mountain sector is mostly determined by the flow of Italians who represented an overall 81.6% of the total stays. The intraregional component, which alone accounted for 41.3% of the area's tourist trend, showed a greater loyalty over the last years than the one demonstrated by the rest of the Italian nationals, and actually provided a significant contribution to growth of the tourism sector during the initial period of the economic crisis. Positive contributions also came from Germany, the first foreign nation in terms of importance with 3.8% of the stays, which also provided a positive contribution in the previous year. Emerging Countries of origin which provided a positive contribution, even if limited, were The Netherlands, Sweden, Russia and Japan (Figure 13.2.10)
In contrast to the situation in the mountain areas, in the spa areas the Italian clients seem to have partly replaced the foreigner over the years: despite the fact that in 2004 the total Italian nationals were not even accountable for half of the sector's stays, in 2011 they reached almost 60%. This is still more evident if instead of analysing the stays, which indicate a decrease in the length of the stay, the evolution of the number of arrivals is considered. This is the number of people who have shown a preference for this type of holiday. Over the last decade a halving of the number of German clients (from 141 thousand to 73 thousand) and a significant reduction of Austrians (-16.7%) and Spanish (-78.7%) has occurred, whilst the Italians almost doubled (from 224 thousand to 417 thousand). Amongst Italians, the Veneto inhabitants increased from 31 thousand in 2000 to 68 thousand in 2011. As regards the emerging markets, Russia in particular has provided important growth contributions over the course of the year. (Figure 13.2.11)

The themes of the projects underway allow to foresee the future developments of the Veneto tourism sector; among them is the de-seasonalisation of the tourist flows.
Extending the tourism season represents both a practice for sustainable management of the destinations and new entrance opportunities, but could also lead to a better use of the existing infrastructures and human resources, enabling the latter to achieve greater working stability. Even the flow of tourists choosing to spend their holidays in Veneto is seasonal, mainly due to the extreme attractiveness of seaside resorts and Lake Garda in the summer and spring.
Always valued for the variety of the opportunities it offers for tourism and for its welcoming and hospitality culture, Veneto is always attentive to the requirements of demand, which are changing and require constant renewal of the offer. Besides the traditional destinations, new tourism segments are created that are rapidly growing.
An important opportunity for de-seasoning and delocalising the tourist flow to the so-called traditional destinations is represented by the network of Veneto Villas which enable visitors to enjoy the artistic and cultural beauties at the same time as all that which the area has to offer in terms of delicious cuisine and food and wine products. A heritage as rich as this with unique stories to tell is the object of the interregional project 'Valorizzazione turistica di un prodotto culturale: le ville' (Enhancement of a cultural product for tourism purposes: the villas), in which Veneto, as well as Tuscany, Sardinia and Campania, participate with the intention, amongst others, of opening the villas to visitors. For this purpose a 'Service Charter' has been made available which fixes the rules for public access according to a timetable; all the villas registered in the Catalogue of the Istituto Regionale Ville Venete (Veneto Villas Regional Institute) can adhere. Overall, around 3,803 buildings and architectural complexes spread all over and in places of great prestige have been registered: 90 percent of the municipalities of the region host at least one of them. A greater concentration of villas is found in the provinces of Treviso, Vicenza, Verona and Padua. (Table 13.3.1)
85% of the villas are private and some have opening times for visits; several villas open on special occasions or are kept for private use. Up to now over one hundred villas adhere to the Service Charter; they have therefore been inserted into the circuit of regional tourism promotion. Thirty villas also offer accommodation services and thus are part of the wide range of Veneto hospitality structures. The total overnight stays in places for niche tourism are concentrated in the province of Treviso (54.7% in 2011), followed by Verona and Venice (16.6% and 15.3% respectively).
Another path leading to a diversification of the tourist flow is the development of equestrian tourism, which allows the tourist to discover the territory in a pleasant and ecological way which enhances the atmospheric, historical, cultural and architectural excellence of Veneto. Bike tourism is also proposed as it favours sustainable use and a development of the territory; in fact it provides an original and alternative network of routes and can even include overnight stays. Another factor able to help de-seasonalise the tourist flow is conference tourism, made up of all the people who visit in Veneto for work and business purposes, for contributing to the development and growth of the various economic activities of the region. The system representatives highlight that in terms of number of operators in the sector of meetings and conferences, Veneto is in third place amongst the Italian regions behind Lazio and Lombardy. The importance of this sector of the regional tourism economy lays in its ability to develop activities connected to the tourism and hospitality activities already in place, to vary the tourism offer and extend the business activity of the regional tourism system operators. In this regard, the Veneto Region is participating in the interregional project 'Azione di promozione del sistema congressuale' (Action for the promotion of the conference facilities system) which involves the creation of a network of Convention Bureaus for aggregating the businesses operating in the sector and improving the range of facilities and services for conference and meeting events and for media communication.
In 2011 Veneto had 134 conference centres and 211 hotel facilities which amongst their various services also included those typically rendered for conferences and meeting events. 74% of such reception facilities are 4 or 5 star hotels, are very large and have an average number of beds equal to 156 against the 69 of the average Veneto hotel. In 2011 the overnight stays in such structures were as much as one fifth of the total stays in Veneto hotels, therefore giving a significant contribution to the attractiveness of Padua, Vicenza, Treviso and Rovigo. The territorial distribution of stays shows that the provinces of Venice and Padua record around one third of the overnight stays recorded overall by the hotels providing conference and meeting services. (Table 13.3.2)
Veneto is able to host tourists all year round, regardless of seasons and weather conditions, in places rich in atmosphere and culture; this also due to the Foothill (Pedemontana), which is enhanced and promoted as a tourism destination also for the purpose of de-seasonalising the tourism flow and avoiding peaks, inviting tourists to spend repeated weekends there, especially during the spring and autumn. Veneto has a potential for developing an 'alternative' tourism made up of nature, local traditions and typical hand-crafted and food products. It has unique landscape and culture and is the place of origin of some of the best red and white wines in the world. Over the next few years a further increase in the number of stays at hospitality structures in the related areas are consequently expected following the increase already recorded over the last decade, in particular for the province of Verona (Table 13.3.3)
The Veneto Region has long carried out development strategies on its typical products based on food and wine. Regional law no. 17 of 2000 promotes and sets forth the rules for the creation of the wine and of typical products routes. Such routes stretch along areas boasting wines of controlled and guaranteed origin ('DOC' and 'DOCG') as well as agri-food products with Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication. The routes are associative forms combining public and private parties, agricultural farms and agritourism businesses, winemaking facilities and wine shops, hotels, restaurants and artisan businesses as well as local organisations and associations. The routes, with distinctive signposting, pass through the places where wine and typical local products are produced, offering tourists the opportunity to become familiar with the cultural and natural resources of the territory. Currently, nineteen of such routes have been formally recognised, most in 2002 and the last two in 2007. The collaboration between the various parties results in the promotion of integrated tourism, aimed at increasing the attractiveness of the area, starting from a form of tourism, i.e. that dedicated to the discovery of local food and wine specialities, which is no longer reserved to a niche of enthusiasts, as it is becoming increasingly widespread and is barely influenced by the economy, income and consumption.
Over the last decade, the hospitality facilities situated in the municipalities crossed by the 'routes of wine' and typical products a 20.5% increase in tourist presence; in particular, in agritourism and Country houses the overnight stays increased from around 49 thousand in 2000 to 410 thousand in 2011. (Figure 13.3.1)
Continuing with the objective of continually improving the statistical information available to the organisations, sector operators and citizens, the Veneto Region participates in the European S.T.A.R. project (Statistical networks in Tourism sector of Adriatic Regions) in the framework of the Adriatic IPA Cross-border Co-operation Programme 2007-13.
The project (Note 2) is based on the collaboration between various Adriatic and Italian regions (besides the Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Province of Rimini, Marche, Abruzzi, Puglia) and foreign regions (Croatia, Bosnia, Greece and Albania), and is aimed at creating an integrated and uniform system for the collection and management of statistical data on tourism, via a fuller and more efficient use of web applications.
This projects draws on the complexity of tourism in terms of statistical sources and data, aware that collecting, processing and disseminating data regarding demand helps orientating the offer, and that this is extremely important for the planning of sector policies aimed, for example, at increasing of tourist flow, improving the marketing strategies to increase the sector's income, as well as improving tourism services in the territory.
The aim of creating a web portal and a collection of data via the internet (avoiding hardcopies), is to share uniform and harmonised knowledge of tourism demand in the Adriatic basin. Tourist data relating to arrivals and overnight stays will be accompanied with further information on the environmental, the quality of the hospitality and the workforce involved, in order improve the position of Veneto in the ranking of tourism offer, monitor the services and draft analytical and performance reports.
This initiative is carried out in collaboration with the most representative of the Professional Associations which support the project: the project, in fact, is of interest not only for the regional administration but also for all the public and private economic operators involved in tourism.
To regional organisations, participation in the S.T.A.R project will, in the future, be an opportunity to start outlining the tourist profile and therefore statistical and behavioural characteristics, and to have indications on the satisfaction of the client with regard to their holiday.