The first of five training seminars on religious tourism, organized by the Sicilian Board of Tourism, Sport and Show, took place in Monreale. These events, held by university professors and experts, aim to define and pinpoint the future market scenarios and explain to all dealers all the different organizational and communicative strategies.
Reports, recent data and tips will be presented and discussed during the training. The local government implemented many initiatives to enhance the potentials of religious and natural tourism, also relying on the convention with the Ministry for the National Heritage about places of natural and touristic attraction.
Last March the local government issued a document for the design and implementation of natural and religious tours, receiving 78 projects, currently under evaluation. The aim is to get ready for a religious tourism show to take place in the autumn and including a workshop about the matching between the Sicilian offer of religious tourism and domestic and international demand. The workshop will allow tour operators to present their offer, from hotels to restaurants, transportations and tours.
The training seminar is conceived for tourist operators, domestic and international buyers, representatives of political and religious authorities and the press. Local government also aims to encourage a more effective link between the cultural and religious aspects of things. As an example, the Holy Week in Monreale, occurring in coincidence with the market for religious tourism, allowed Italian and international tour operators to better experience one of the many “emotional aspects” of Sicilian tourism, in a “relational tourism” perspective.