(By Gordon Sorlini).
Organizers of Expo Milano
2015, as well as local and national politicians, sounded an
optimistic tone Thursday, suggesting that the event - to be held
from May to October next year - will help jumpstart Italy's
economy and beat the organizers' own expectations in terms of
visitor numbers.
Speaking at a press conference within the annual BIT
tourism trade fair - held at the Rho trade grounds on the
outskirts of Milan, just opposite the site where the Expo area
is being built - Piero Galli, Expo 2015's event management
division general director, said Expo is on track to easily beat
the forecast 20 million visitor mark thanks also to increasing
interest abroad.
"The level of interest in Expo I have seen in my meetings
abroad indicate that the number of foreigners who will attend
will be far above our expectations," Galli said.
So far, Expo planners have said they expect some 6-8
million foreign visitors to come over the 6-month span of the
event, whose theme is "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life".
Half of expected foreign visitors will be from Europe while
the remainder will be from the rest of the world, Galli said,
pointing to a great interest for the event in Asia. Some 12-14
million visitors are expected to originate from Italy.
Signaling the importance participating countries are
placing on the event, Galli said that some 60 countries are
building their own pavilions, a record number.
For the Shanghai Expo in 2010, there were 42 single country
pavilions despite there being 194 exhibitor countries. So far,
Expo has signed up 142 exhibitor countries, Galli said,
including the United Kingdom which will sign up Friday.
He said he he expected the USA to formally sign up sometime
during the next 1-2 months.
One of Expo's hoped for impacts will be to boost Italy's
tourism industry, which represents around 10% of Italian GDP,
Massimo Bray, Italy's minister for cultural heritage and
tourism, said at the conference. "We have to bring the world to
Italy with Expo," said Bray, who added: "Tourism is the lever
for rebooting the country."
Carlo Sangalli, the president of Milan's chamber of
commerce, said Expo should help lead to the creation of some
84,000 tourism-sector jobs and generate some four billion euros
in additional revenues through 2020.
During a brief speech, Lombardy Region President Roberto
Maroni, said that - among other initiatives - the Lombardy
Region had set up a 100 million euro fund to help hospitality
players in the region finance "requalification" projects.
The effects of Expo will be felt well beyond tourism,
however.
Michele Perini, president of Fiera Milano, pointed to the
wider impact the event will have on the Italian economy: "Expo
isn't just a fair, it's an accelerator of Italy's national
industrial policies in key sectors like food, fashion and
industry."
The European Union was also represented at the Expo-BIT
conference, highlighting the importance European institutions
have placed on the event's success.
European Commission Deputy President Antonio Tajani,
Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship with a brief also
on tourism, said that Expo was determined to be "central" in the
EU's first strategy on tourism, launched after the Lisbon Treaty
came into effect in 2009. Tajani said that events like the Expo
serve as "engines for growth".
Citing figures published Thursday by Eurobarometer, the
EU's statistics agency, Tajani said that in 2013 Italy ranked
third in terms of attractiveness to European tourists, after
Spain and France. However, he added, Italy is on track to take
France's second place this year.
"Expo has to be the occasion when our tourism offer makes a
qualitative jump," Tajani said.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA