Qingdao Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit 2018 Exclusive Interview: Torino: From Industrial City to Touristic Appeal

Urban and natural environments come together in perfect harmony

Torino has an outstanding location: framed and surrounded by the Alps, next to the Langhe, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its wines, truffles and landscape, it is a city where the urban and natural environments come together in perfect harmony. Italy’s first capital, it is a destination appreciated for its rich cultural offer.

The creation of the “Royal residences of Piedmont” system played a strategic role for the modern enjoyment of the former royal palaces of the Savoy Dynasty. UNESCO has recognized most of them as world heritage sites; for example, the Royal Palace in the city centre and the Reggia di Venaria, just outside the city. Torino is also well known for its museums: the Egyptian Museum, established in 1824, boasts the world’s second largest collection entirely devoted to ancient Egypt, the first being of course Cairo’s.

Tourists can also visit the National Automobile Museum, (Torino was called “the Italian Detroit” thanks to the important car manufactory sector), and, for sport lovers, the recently renewed Juventus Museum.

Food tradition is remarkable too both for locals and for tourists: homeland of Slow Food International, chocolate and wines.

Manifold economy and touristic appeal

Since the end of the 1980s, Torino has experienced one of the most dramatic makeovers in Italy and in Europe, as it has changed from a mainly industrial city to a place with a manifold economy and a touristic appeal. This has turned out to be a successful strategy, as the numbers of tourists who want to visit “the great unknown” of Italian cities” grows steadily every year. Torino’s popularity was boasted thanks to policies aimed at rediscovering its no longer hidden treasures, such as the elegant old town. Torino’s political, economical and cultural forces learned to work closely together for the common good; the fruits that such work born are still visible today. I would also like to mention the fact the world’s greatest football player, Cristiano Ronaldo, has chosen to play for Torino’s Juventus, Italy’s strongest team. This is a further source of pride for the city, and will draw the attention of the whole world.

The tourism cooperation between nations is necessary

I strongly believe that it is necessary to transcend national boundaries when it comes to tourism strategy. The city of Torino is already part of a number of networks that involve cities with common features such as size, population, cultural heritage etc. One of those, the Délice network, is dedicated to the development and spreading of food culture. Torino cooperates, for example, with Lyon and Chambery, with which it shares important historical roots. In the course of years, Torino has developed a series of initiatives with its many sister cities.

In my opinion, WTCF can play a rather important role in this, as it could promote the image of Torino through its members and people, leading to a supportive incoming co-operation and promotion of a typical Italian way of living.

WTCF helps to strengthen our presence in international markets

Yes I have, I was in Los Angeles last year. What impressed me most was the precision with which the event was organised. That allowed me to employ my time there in the best possible way.

As we intend to strengthen our presence in international markets, it is therefore vital that we keep a large network of relationships with the parties involved, i. e. city councils, companies, national tourism authorities etc. We want to share our experiences and learn from each other. Torino has a unique place within the Italian national scene as it offers a large array of events and activities to draw different kinds of tourism.