SWOT Religious Tourism Training Needs in Italy

Swot Analysis Religious Tourism Training needs and population wider attitude in Italy Partner: COPE Released: July 9th 2012 1 THE OPERATIVE PHASE Description of context (overview) A brief description of training needs and population wider attitude toward the religious Tourism in Italy. According to UNWTO statistics, Italy is a leader in religious tourism on both the international and domestic scale: seven of the world's 10 most visited Christian sanctuaries are in Italy and it’s estimated that around 10% of Italy's tourism industry is tied to religious themes. Currently ITALY is ranked as the most important “religious” and “cultural” destination and is a leader in tourism services on both the international and domestic level: in 2007, nearly 43 million foreign arrivals and 53 million domestic visitors were recorded in accommodation facilities, producing 370 million overnight stays as a whole (ISTAT, 2009). In the last two years in Italy, religious tourism has broken records, even overtaking the Jubilee year of 2000, with more than 40 million pilgrims a year, over 20 million overnight stays and a total growth of 20%. According to Istat data (2009), there were 1.139 million journeys for religious motives or pilgrimage of 1 to 3 nights and 732,000 of 4 or more nights. The destinations associated with this type of tourism include 30,000 basilicas and churches, 700 diocesan museums, 220 shrines, monasteries, convents and other properties of the Catholic Church, accounting for 70 % of the cultural heritage items in Italy. The most visited destination is Rome (with 26 million tourists in 2007), which is still the most popular destination not just in Italy but in the world (15.6%). The tourists driven by religious reasons in Italy are 60.2% from other countries, of which 45.3% are Europeans and 14.9% are from non-European countries, the remaining 39,8% are Italian. Worthy of mention are the intangible heritages: religious processions (such as the ì Misteriî in Trapani in Sicily and the rites of Holy Week in Puglia and Abruzzo), the feasts of the patron saints of towns and pilgrimage trails. page 1 2 The visits and journeys to sanctuaries and places of worship give the opportunity to enjoy the masterpieces they normally contain and to appreciate the envinronment and cultural heritages belonging the territories in which they insist. Italy is the most developed country in the world regarding the cultural religious tourism in Italy, due to the longtime positive attitude of Catholic Church toward the pilgrimages and the new expression of this kind of tourism. Al positive attitude of the Church si aggiunge l’attività delle sue strutture territoriali (parishes) e di alcuni ordini religiosi che sono molto attivi nell’organizzare viaggi per visitare I principali luoghi di fede. The pilgrims were in Italy the first source of tourism and cultural exchanges in the Middle Age, now ad essi si sono aggiunti coloro che visitano I luoghi di fede non solo per fede ma per scopi soprattutto culturali. Population Attitude The attitude of the Italian population toward religious tourists is mainly positive, due to presence of ancient pilgrimage routes and the income flow of pilgrims from all over Europe. In any case there is a distinction in behavior of the population living in the religious touristic areas in which Italy can be divided: 1. Territories with well developed religious tourism (presence of big and well known basilicas or crossed by ancient pilgrimages routes). The communities in these local areas and especially those near religious cultural sites, are traditionally educated about tourism: its benefits, its problems (and how to overcome problems), development plans and programmes, current tourism events, and how to cope with tourists with different cultural and language backgrounds. 2. Territories with not developed religious tourism (presence of isolated strong religious traditions). The communities in these areas are strongly attached to their local cultural traditions and they very often consider them as assets to defend against foreign contaminations. page 2 3 Attitudes are different from those of the tourist markets; misunderstandings often arise as a result of tourists violating some customs, which leads to resentment of tourism by residents. 3. Territories with local developed religious tourism (presence of strong cultural religious traditions and events) The communities in these areas are traditionally educated about the event but not about tourism: often their awareness and understanding of tourism, including political, religious and traditional leaders is limited, not giving so full support to developing Training The development of human resources is a very important aspect in cultural tourism, considering that the preservation, promotion and interpretation of culture need highly skilled and competent people. In Italy the education sector is limited to tourism sector : really is a long time that it cares the qualification and skills of young in the tourism services: there numerous schools of training highly qualified personnel: many vocational touristic schools, which prepare any kind of specialist of tourist sector and many Universities which have degrees in tourism Science. Regions (and in some cases to the provinces) have responsibility to ensure the tour guides qualification through a public examination of competency, knowledge of at least one foreign language, an accurate knowledge of the monuments, cultural heritage and landscape of the places where exercise the profession, the regulations related to tourism, and finally some tourist notions of geography. They award certificates for tour guides and the inscription at the public touristic guides’ register. Generally the education lacks in promotion and interpretation of religious culture in the preparation of guides, who have a approximated view of cultural religious heritages, but there are present in Italy numerous religious communities and volunteers associations, page 3 4 which are deeply involved in organizing and implementing pilgrimages in the main religious sites and they have staff well trained in guiding and assistance to pilgrims. page 4 5 Strenght Positive elements detected. • Presence on the Italian territory of the number of schools and universities training young tourism experts; • Existence of the certificate for tourist guides issued by the provinces to ensure more high professional skills of the guides and the creation of new jobs; • Presence in Italy of numerous religious communities and volunteers associations, with well trained staff in guiding and assistance to pilgrims. • Positively influenced local population by religious orders by organizing or hosting pilgrimages. • Many local populations have a consolidated positive attitude in hosting foreign visitors of places of worship and religious events Weakness Negative or weak detected. • Lack of awareness policies toward local populations; • Too localism in the valorization of tangible and intangible religious cultural heritages; • Monopolist management of tourist flows from religious congregations • Poor connection between vocational tourism schools and the needs of cultural religious tourism; • Difficulties in matching well skilled in tourism young people with tourism operators; • Lack of homogeneity on attitude of population from different territories. page 5 6 Opportunities Potential or real positive elements from the external environment. • Revitalizing of religious values and cultural traditions from many Pro Loco in little towns scarcely affected by tourism, but rich of heritages; • Network of religious communities (parishes and orders) and related volunteers Association in organizing participation in pilgrimages and in promoting the welcoming on its territory; • Presence on the whole territory of about 1000 public and private Vocational Schools for Hospitality and Catering with some tens of thousands well trained young people in tourism services; • Regional Tourism promotion organizations APT Threats Negative or weak elements that hamper the enhancement of the theme. • Poor integration between public, private and volunteer promotion tourism agencies; • Lack of awareness of people living in towns less attractive and exaggerated sense of ownership of cultural religious places and traditions; • Lack of adequate information on the less known religious values compared to the more important ones; • Localism exasperation among the local tourist promotion agencies (Four different Chestnut Festival from four hamlets in the same municipality). • Lack of connection between employment and vocational schools. page 6 7 Final Report • Synthetic summary of the Strengths and Opportunities The populations living in the territories around big and well known basilicas, and in ones crossed by ancient pilgrimages routes have a consolidated positive attitude in hosting foreign visitors. The coverage of the whole territory from religious organizations and orders actively involved in network dedicated in organizing or hosting pilgrimages positively affects the awareness of populations who live in less known religious tourism places. The presence throughout the national territory of private and public vocational schools and faculties specializing in preparing staff for tourism services. The big number of young people operating within Volunteer Association dedicated in assistance and guide to inbound and outbound pilgrims. The Regional Regulatory laws for Tourist Professions, which foresees an official lists of certificated tourist guides accessed via dedicated specialized courses and dedicated examination. • Approaches to be taken to overcome shortcomings and constraints and possible disadvantages A more close connection between education and market needs and evolution. A better integration between public, private and volunteer cultural religious tourist operators. Use of FSE funds in raise awareness of population about the opportunity represented by cultural religious tourism as development and growth of territory. National and regional incentives in development of networks of local tourist agencies able to do territorial system to overcome localism. page 7.

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