Cav. Celso Boscariol, Italian Chamber of Commerce (Canada) & Eugenio Magnani, ENIT - Italian Government Tourist Board
ENIT's Eugenio Magnani with Robert Zuzek, Kompas Express; Julie Gilfillan, TravelBrands & Eric Bacon, Rail Europe
Valli Vianelli-Fioretti, A-Aer Travel & Salvatore Basile, ENIT
Carlson Wagonlit's Peggy Paterson, Luci Ethier, Rita Wong & Wendy Li
Savouring an espresso in an outdoor cafe at a historic piazza in Italy – that was the image Eugenio Magnani, Director, North America for ENIT (Italian Government Tourist Board), conjured up for guests at the “Destination Italy” event in Vancouver recently.
In attendance were travel agents and members of the Italian business community including the Italian Chamber of Commerce. It was held in a private function room of the flagship Cactus Club Cafe on Coal Harbour, situated next to the 2010 winter games Olympic cauldron with views of Stanley Park and the North Shore mountains.
ENIT’s purpose, we were told, is to attract more visitors from the West Coast of Canada to Italy. Why the focus on Western Canada? According to Robert Zuzek, President of Kompas Express which is also part of Experts ITALIA (a.k.a. Canadian Travel Council Promoting Italy), air capacity demand from Vancouver increased last year in comparison to the rest of Canada. In 2013, 845,000 Canadians travelled to Italy out of which 102,000 came from B.C. This is an increase from 2012 where Canuck arrivals reached 744,500 with 95,200 from B.C.
In the pipeline, ENIT, together with Experts ITALIA, plan to conduct presentations and bring in representatives from different Italian regions to Vancouver, said Zuzek. An Italian travel specialist program is also in the works, he added.
ENIT was also in town to promote the World Expo that will be held in Milan from May 1-October 31, 2015. World famous tenor Andrea Bocelli, has dedicated his song, "La Forza del Sorriso" (The Power Of A Smile) to promote Expo Milano 2015.
The theme for the Expo is “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”, focusing on food. Visitors will experience a multi-sensory journey that will tackle issues regarding nutrition, food and sustainability. 64 pavilions will be featured at this Expo. In the lead-up to it, events will be held in Italy and North America including a MasterChef competition. In May 2015, Milan will host over 130 events in its “Expo In the City” program. Tour operators interested in selling tickets and marketing the Expo can check out www.expo2015.org for more details.
Back to Magnani and his obvious love of espresso. After regaling guests with a story about the beverage, he let us in on the fact that Sant'Eustachio Il Caffe in Rome serves up “the best espresso around”. So, pardon me if I elbow you out of the way while ordering up my cup. After all, as Magnani says, it’s part of the coffee culture there.
