Agents wanted for new Italy tourism initiative

Boutique operation set to embrace sustainability in treasure-chest destination

Tiny new initiative BestofRomagna.com has set itself some massive goals  – calling for clients to "Jump out of the tourist box" it says that by truly engaging with locals their travel experiences can be infinitely more fulfilling.

The chosen destination – Ravenna, on Italy’s Adriatic – has an unbelievably grand history and an enormous treasure chest of tourism assets, not least of which is a number of local people who are to provide tourists with an authentic local experience.

The fledgling operation is now seeking relationships with a limited number of UK travel agents to offer the product to the public.

Said BestofRomagna founder journalist and sustainable tourism consultant, Valere Tjolle: "All BestofRomagna services will be delivered by real people from booking to return  in the spirit of the destination – personal and caring. Hence the need for a few switched-on travel agents who want to offer a well-researched, locally operated programme, personally, to their clients.

The initiative offers a ‘Meet and Greet’ service for visitors, bookings with up market locally-owned and run B&B’s and a wide range of specially-researched small-group excursions – all delivered by locals.

The World Heritage city of Ravenna is world famous for its mosaics, and was three times capital of Italy. It has no less than 8 UNESCO plus archeological sites and a vast array of classical mosaics, befitting a city that was a powerful, wealthy, international capital with a 5,000 vessel fleet before Venice began its march to power.

In the surrounding area of Romagna lies the ancient ceramic art city of Faenza, the historic salt-city seaside resort of Cervia, and, of course Rimini – the mother of all Mediterranean seaside resorts that practically started upmarket mass tourism in the 1960’s and is still a force to be reckoned with.

Ecotourism assets include the extraordinary Po Delta Regional Park – gazetted by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in its own right in 1999 www.Parcodeltapo.it   and www.Deltaduemila.net  Here you will find massive pine forests, a salt pan, wetlands and literally thousands of bird species to delight the eye, the ear and the souls of birdwatchers, walkers, nature-lovers.

And, Romagna has its culinary claim to fame – as the birthplace of Italian cuisine. It has arguably the best cookery school in Italy as part of an unique foundation started by a Romagnolo man – Pellegrino Artusi . Artusi is known to Italians all over the world as the father of Italian cuisine and the Casa Artusi,  http://www.casartusi.it/en

Interested agents should contact: [email protected]

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