Caputi: ‘Turning Italia’s appeal into widespread prosperity’
End-of-term agreement with the Government, together with a simplification decree
To engage all key players in the Italian tourism industry in order to lay the foundations for a coordinated and integrated policy to develop the sector and bring prosperity to the country as a whole. This is the aim of Massimo Caputi, president of Federturismo Confindustria – a federation comprising 23 trade associations, six corporate members and numerous regional associations – which is drawing up a coordinated long-term strategy.
The key is to deseasonalise the sector in order to spread visitor arrivals across all 365 days of the year and throughout the entire peninsula. The programme also includes the use of artificial intelligence to tackle the issue of employment, as tourism is a labour-intensive industry. In fact, the aim is to move beyond the ‘summer-beach, winter-mountain’ equation and encourage a wide variety of holiday options throughout the year across the whole of Italia.
On the eve of World Tourism Day, established by UNWTO, and following the postponement of the celebrations scheduled for tomorrow at the Colosseum – which were suspended as a mark of mourning following the tragic workplace accident that claimed the life of young Andrea Moretti – President Caputi presents the strategic vision to be implemented to transform the country’s appeal into wealth spread across all regions. This represents a substantial shift from what has been done and seen from the post-war period to the present day.
“The challenge facing Italian tourism as we look towards 2030 is to transform the country’s appeal into widespread prosperity across the regions, through sustainable investment and skilled, stable employment,” explains Massimo Caputi. “We need an industrial policy capable of bringing together and enhancing the entire sector, to support businesses in developing ‘new forms of tourism’ ranging from culture to wellbeing, as well as sport, nature, conferences, gastronomy, major events, mountain tourism, wellness and much more.”
A plan aimed at maximising the sector’s potential following a successful summer of 2026 which, according to figures from the Ministry of Tourism, saw a 2 per cent increase between June and August compared with the same period in 2025, thanks to more than 72.4 million arrivals and over 276 million overnight stays. “These are positive figures, but we must not rest on our laurels under any circumstances, because other European countries are just as strong,” the president points out. “We must act swiftly, in collaboration with the Government and the Ministry of Tourism, to reposition the tourism industry.”
