AGRITURISMO INCREASINGLY POPULAR

Ecological tourism in Italy

In Italy people increasingly opt for ecological tourism, says Coldiretti' s Ecotur report. Most popular is 'agriturismo', Italian farm tourism.

Tourists who opt for a destination in the Italian countryside do this in search of contact with nature (38%), relaxation and rest (13.7%), folkloristic and culinary traditions (12.6%), lower prices (10.3%), sports (hiking, biking, bird watching , skiing, horseback riding, climbing) and activities in the open air (9.9%), says Coldiretti.

The main groups of 'ecological tourists' are young people between 16 and 30 years (23.2%) and families with children (22.7%), followed by schools which increasingly choose eco-destinations for school trips (20%), couples (19.9%) and singles (10.3%).

Over the past decade, the number of holidays in the Italian countryside has been doubled, says Coldiretti. Especially the over 18,000 agriturismi in Italy are popular. Agriturismo is  the only tourist sector in Italy with unrestrained growth.

Also according to Coldiretti, Italy offers the widest variety of wine and food tourism in the world, with over 18,000 agriturismi, 142 wines trails, 63,000 olive oil producers, wineries and farms that are open to the public and hundreds of gourmet markets.

Agriturismo is not only popular as a holiday destination, but also for day trips with lunch or dinner. Coldiretti estimates that 20% of Italians will choose for an agriturismo-restaurant for the traditional Easter lunch.

Source: Coldiretti, La Repubblica

Photo: uigers (CC)