The flow of Russian tourists to Sardinia has almost doubled
“The amount of Russians having their vacation on Sardinia last year has increased by 45% compared to 2010 to about 158.5 thousand people,” – said the Head of Tourism Department of the Ministry of Tourism, Commerce and Crafts of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia Francesca Murro at a press conference held during MITT-2012 travel trade fair in Moscow. “The total flow of foreign tourists to Sardinia has grown by 9% last year ," - she specified.
"Russia, along with Germany, is a rich resource for the development of tourism in Sardinia" - a bit funny but, in fact, honest were the words of Mrs. Murro in the translation. “These countries are the main tourist-suppliers to the island, and, of course, are prioritized destinations for promoting Sardinia’s touristic resources. At the same time, experts say that Germans succeed in “quantity” and Russians in "quality". Tourist flow from Germany is higher, but Russians spend more.
Sardinia has a well-established and well-deserved reputation of a VIP-destination. However, last year the island got an essential increase of the number of guests due to less expensive and more diverse leisure options, including active tourism and sightseeing. "Sardinia is famous for its high-level hotels (4-5*, 5*Deluxe), and there are really a lot of these hotels on the island. But one can also find small cheap "family" hotels. Tourists from all over the world are not only interested in beach-holidays, but also in our island’s places of interest, among which there is a huge number of historical and architectural monuments of different styles and, of course, the ancient Nuraghe. On Sardinia there are a lot of excellent opportunities of outdoor activities, ranging from golf and sailing to tracking and diving ", - said Mrs. Murro.
A variety of leisure activities and focusing on groups of tourists with different preferences, who would like to visit the beautiful island, allows to promote it as a year-round destination. According to Mrs. Murro, the best time for trekking, horse riding and cycling is spring and autumn. In February one can take part in celebrating traditional holidays, parades and festivals which will never leave anyone indifferent, the religious holidays are associated with Easter, and are held in April. Summer is the best time for a beach holiday, which lasts from May to October. For those who prefer tranquility, solitude and don’t stand heat it’s better to come to Sardinia in spring and autumn. Besides, the low season prices are always more affordable.
In 2012 the Ministry of Tourism of Sardinia is planning island’s advertising campaign focusing on its all-season appeal. So far, according to Mrs. Murro, its budget is around €200 thousand, but it "may be increased of scale". The whole Europe is the target of the campaign, but according to the representative of the Ministry, special attention will be given to Russia.
Interaction with the travel industry is one of the major components of promoting this destination. On the eve of the opening of MITT trade fair Sardinia’s workshop supported by ENIT was held. From the side of guests 22 companies participated in it – hotels, hotel chains, island’s travel industry representatives. Among them were the members who came to Russia for the first time. According to them, they are happy with the results of negotiations with the Russian travel industry.