Not only mountains and sea: the offer expands with cycle paths

There is optimism for the Abruzzo summer, buoyed by last year's results (4.3 million tourists in the June-August period, +5.49% in presences and +3.67% in arrivals compared to 2022) and by an offer of experiential tourism that is growing both on the coast, where for Arta, the regional agency for environmental protection, the number of waters classified as excellent is growing and almost 100% of the monitored stretches are swimmable, results confirmed by the 15 Blue Flags (enhanced by the entry of Ortona), as well as in the Maiella and Gran Sasso areas, where the new trend of slow tourism is imposing itself. Also in favour are the moderate increase in the cost of services (less than 5%) and the promotions planned by the operators. "Today, more than 85 per cent of visitors are Italian and only 15 per cent foreign,'' observes Lucio Laureti, president of the tourism section of Confindustria Abruzzo Medio Adriatico. ''We hope for further development of the airport following the lengthening of the runway, especially to attract non-EU visitors''.

Going beyond the figures, Abruzzo's tourist offer is rapidly changing and opening up more and more abroad. "And Pnrr funds are earmarked not only for improving accommodation facilities but also for the attractiveness of villages and inland areas," Laureti emphasises. The most accredited testimonials of the new trends are the bicycle and the Trabocchi cycle-pedestrian path, 42 kilometres dedicated to sustainable mobility that run parallel to the sea and intertwine with other routes, a network of about 300 km expressly dedicated to anyone who uses two wheels and not just cyclists. "We continue to invest in this asset because there is an increasing demand for active and experiential tourism," says Carlo Ricci, director of the Costa dei Trabocchi Local Action Group (Gal), "and there is a technological evolution, such as pedal-assisted bicycles, which are becoming the ideal tool for tourism, even in hilly areas such as those that characterise our immediate hinterland. The Gal has just upgraded the signage on the routes, with a very powerful visual impact, and Trenitalia, in its summer programming that includes a daily offer of 36 thousand seats that intersects with the services offered by the road players, has confirmed the Trabocchi Line, 22 weekday connections and 16 connections on holidays, which were used by 188 thousand passengers last summer.