Subscribe
From 23 to 25 June, the ECR Party is organising a European culture weekend in the beautiful Ischia, the largest island in the Campanian Archipelago.
The event will have tourism as its main theme. The organisers wish to show how tourism has the potential as a development engine for Europe. Currently, the European tourism sector already accounts for an annual revenue of 280 billion dollars. Therefore, the EU institutions should favour tourism along the Union’s nations, using strong mobility and sustainability policies which boost Europe’s tourism industry.
On Friday 23, participants will be received with a cocktail at the Hotel Continental. Its evocative Mediterranean-style architecture close to the port mixes with the beauty of the client-reserved gardens and the pine forest in its vicinity.
On Saturday 24, Naples MP Michele Schiano di Visconti will bid participants welcome. The official opening of the event will correspond to MP Antonio Giordano, Secretary General of the ECR Party.
Afterwards, MEP Nicola Procaccini, co-Chairman of the ECR Group in the European Parliament, will introduce the keynote speaker. This will be Alessandra Priante, Director for Europe in the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
A panel on tourism and culture will follow. Economist and opinionist Domenico Lombardi will moderate Adela Mirza, President of the Romanian political party Alternativa Dreapta, Barbara Kolm, VP of the Austrian National Bank, MP Ilenya Lucaselli, head of the Budget Committee in the Italian Chamber of Deputies, and Barbara Arbitrio, CEO of AMI ITALIA. The purpose of the discussion will be to analyse the business perspectives and conservative strategies for a combination of tourism and culture.
After a coffee break, Italian Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Galeazzo Bignami will introduce a second panel dedicated to mobility in tourism. Aviation journalist Gregory Alegi will moderate Pasqualino Monti, Chief Executive Officer of ENAV S.p.A, Fabio Lazzerini, Chief Executive Officer of ITA Airways, Veronica Pamio, Vice President for External Relations & Sustainability in Aeroporti di Roma, and Eddie Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Ryanair. They will discuss the aviation system as a strength in tourism mobility.
In the afternoon, a third panel will delve into the European tourism system. RAI political reporter Giancarla Rondinelli will moderate Daniela Santanché, Minister for Tourism, Valentina Superti, Director for Tourism in the European Commission (DG GROW), MP Tommaso Foti, Italian Chairman of Deputies, MEP Carlo Fidanza, Head of the Fratelli d’Italia delegation at the European Parliament, Marina Lalli, President of Federturismo, and Tommaso Tanzilli, Member of the Board of Directors of Ferrovie dello Stato. The panel will discuss how much influence the European Commission can have in the Union’s tourism.
The last panel will deal with religious tourism in Europe. Fratelli d’Italia head of press office Donatella Di Nitto will moderate MP Federico Mollicone, Chairman of the Culture Committee in the Italian Chamber of Deputies, MP Gianluca Caramanna, Advisor to the Minister of Tourism, MP Fabio Roscani, Leader of the Fratelli d’Italia Youth Movement, and Croatian MEP Ladislav Ilcic, of the Croatian Sovereignist Party. They will all reflect on itineraries to discover our identity. MP Antonio Giordano will draw conclusions after a day’s work.
On Sunday 25, participants will go on a tour of the island. They can enjoy its fertile volcanic soil and tropical plants. In the Piazza degli Eroi they can visit the renowned Bar Calise, and do some shopping on Via Roma and Corso Vittoria Colonna. Among the different beaches, possibly Maronti stands out as a must.
The island also counts with wonderful thermal parks: Castiglione, Negombo and Poseidon in the town of Forio. Also in Forio, the Mortella garden is worth a special visit; it used to belong to the famous English composer Sir William Walton, having been designed by architect Russell Page.