TARANTO - The tourist summer 2020 in Taranto, not yet completed, has in fact recorded an increase in arrivals and overnight stays compared to the same month of the previous year.

 In particular, there is a significant increase in Taranto city and along the coast. "The first data deriving from communications collected on a sample of 50% of hotel and extra-hotel accommodation facilities are positive for the entire region - said the Councilor for Tourism of the Municipality of Taranto Fabrizio Manzulli -, but above all for some areas of Puglia, including our Taranto. It is conceivable that Taranto city and the whole coast have registered an increase above the regional average ».

Such a growth for Taranto has continued since 2018 and has led to an almost tripling of arrivals in a few years. And for 2020, despite the very harsh pandemic, we are moving towards a reconfirmation of this trend. «In a few months we will take stock of this summer season - added Manzulli - but in the meantime we must already think about next season in order not to be caught unprepared. We must aim to enhance services for tourists, but also for citizens, so that tourism growth can be accompanied by a better welcome for those who decide to spend a holiday in the city and better liveability for residents. A path that we will take together with trade associations and tour operators, who are the real protagonists of this growth of Taranto, without forgetting the centrality of the citizens and, therefore, of the residents, because an ancient town without a soul loses its authenticity. History and traditions must not be cancelled ».

 Recently, the mayor Rinaldo Melucci and the Councilor Manzulli, had an extensive inspection in the bay of Mar Grande and in Mar Piccolo, extensive in the topics addressed and in the approaches adopted, those relating to cultural tourism linked to the sea of ​​Taranto and the development of the "blue economy.”

 In particular, the specific interest refers to the possibility of inserting the cultural heritage "sea view" and linked to experiential tourism services in a unique process of economic development and enhancement, which acts on these two elements, but which at the same time produces a overall result on the territory.

 "The systematic process to which the design efforts and planning of tourist services are aimed continues – commented the mayor - to be presented at the next international trade fairs in which Taranto will be the protagonist". The enhancement of the cultural heritage and the promotion of the territory, in fact, are a component of the planning and economic development of the "Taranto Ecosystem" and have positive repercussions both in the strictly tourism field and in the cultural and economic ones, contributing to the safeguarding, enhancement and promotion of the diversified heritage of a territory. A new element of tourism studies, therefore, opened by the introduction of the theme of creativity in the planning and use of tourism, and by the interest in a specific object of cultural enjoyment linked to cultural itineraries "sea view". In this context, the public call has been published, which will rule the sale and redevelopment of the numerous real estate units that make up the seven buildings belonging to the Municipality of Taranto that are the subject of the call, and which is available on the website at the  link.

 There will be a deadline until November 20 for businesses, agencies, companies or private citizens to submit their proposals. Attached to the announcement are the property sheets and each proposal, in order to draw up the ranking, will be evaluated according to three main parameters: eco-sustainability, design destination and sponsorship contract. The successful bidders will have one year to start the construction site. «With the publication of the announcement - commented the mayor Melucci – the “1 euro houses” project begins its ambitious path. The interest in this opportunity has produced correspondence from all over the world, the charm of Taranto and its history has already proved to be a powerful attraction. One euro is a symbolic contribution to an epochal goal: to repopulate the Old City, our Mother Island after decades ”.

The Amerigo Vespucci in Taranto

 Meanwhile, one more attraction rewards visitors in these days in the Ionian capital: the most beautiful ship in the world, the Amerigo Vespucci, arrived on 22 August in harbour, and, after the suggestive crossing of the navigable canal, is now anchored in Mar Piccolo, not far from the Aragonese castle.

 The splendid sailing ship, a training ship of the Navy, stops in the city of the two seas to conclude the 2020 training campaign of the cadets, which started June 29 from Livorno. "The unmistakable profile of the Vespucci stands out again on the panorama of the Gulf of Taranto - the words of the mayor Rinaldo Melucci -, an image that contains the essence of a centuries-old relationship, that between Taranto and the Navy. An image of exceptional beauty that tells the fate of Taranto, a "sea capital" which, thanks to the efforts we have made in recent years, regains a role and a wealth that it had lost along the way ".