World Tourism Event in Genoa surging tourism in Italy with 40,000 Visitors, Featuring UNESCO Sites and Cultural Excellence

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The World Tourism Expo (WTE) 2024 is gearing up for its 15th anniversary with a host of new features. From 12 to 14 September 2024, Genoa will proudly host the 15th edition of the World Tourism Event – World Tourism Exhibition, spotlighting UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

WTE 2024 Marks 15 Years with Exciting New Additions in Genoa

The World Tourism Expo (WTE) 2024 is gearing up for its 15th anniversary with a host of new features. Along with the usual exhibition space highlighting World Heritage sites and the highly anticipated B2B Workshop that connects Italian and international buyers and sellers, this year’s edition promises a full schedule of in-depth discussions. These sessions will dive into current topics surrounding tourism, as well as the conservation, promotion, and enhancement of World Heritage sites. Additionally, the event will introduce an interactive area for events and experiences, designed as a lively space for study and entertainment, with free access to all visitors.

Genoa was selected as the venue for WTE 2024 due to its rich array of World Heritage assets. The city’s deep-rooted tourism appeal is bolstered by its architectural, historical, artistic, and cultural treasures, centered around one of Europe’s largest medieval Historic Centres. After being named the European Capital of Culture in 2004 and having its Historic Centre listed as a World Heritage site in 2006 for its Rolli Noble Palaces, Genoa has continuously worked on enhancing its cultural and artistic offerings, making them even more accessible to locals and tourists alike.

Strategically located as a gateway to the Mediterranean, Genoa has cemented its role as a vibrant hub for tourism. The city’s ongoing efforts to achieve excellence in sustainability and inclusivity have further elevated its standing as a top destination.

2023 Event Highlights :

Last year, it hosted over 40,000 professionals from 184 different countries at WTM London. The event saw more than 4,000 pre-vetted buyers, 61% of whom held direct purchasing authority, making WTM London a premier venue for industry networking and transactions, with over 29,000 pre-scheduled meetings taking place.

This year, showcasing your business’s potential to the industry is more crucial than ever. Travel holds the transformative ability to impact the globe significantly, and your involvement can lead to meaningful changes within the travel sector.

WTM Media and Association Charter Overview

The World Travel Market maintains a structured network of global partners known as the WTM Media and Association Charter.

Charter members represent designated regions and key segments of the global market, chosen for their critical influence in leisure tourism. It’s vital for the WTM network to be extensive and inclusive, incorporating a wide array of perspectives.

Members collaborate closely with the World Travel Market team to shape an event that enhances the travel industry’s progression. This collective effort focuses on addressing current topics, contributing to WTM’s educational initiatives, and discussing regional challenges to ensure comprehensive representation across all travel sectors and regions.

Exhibitors for WTE 2024: Spotlight on Cultural Heritage and Tourism Partners

1. Comune di Genova
2. Regione Liguria
3. Italia.it
4. Ministero del Turismo
5. Ministero della Cultura
6. ICOMOS Italia
7. ENIT (National Tourism Agency)
8. Associazione Enti Italiani Patrimonio Mondiale
9. UNESCO (FICLU – Italian Federation of UNESCO Clubs)
10. Accessible Centre EU
11. Fondazione Carige
12. Camera di Commercio di Genova
13. Confesercenti
14. FEACU (European Federation of UNESCO Associations and Clubs)
15. Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo
16. Tren Turistico Italiano

here’s a list of hospitality exhibitors featured:

1. Meraviglie Reali
2. Veneto – The Land of Venice
3. Jordan Tourism Board
4. Campania Divina
5. Tren Turistico Italiano
6. Dalmazia Centrale (Central Dalmatia)
7. Piemonte
8. San Marino
9. Cremona
10. Toscana – Rinascimento Senza Fine
11. Sicilia
12. Sentiero Calabria
13. Assisi
14. Città Metropolitana di Napoli
15. Le Domus de Janas – Sardegna
16. Trentino
17. Pesaro 2024 Capitale Italiana della Cultura
18. Parco Naturale delle Serre Calabria
19. The Caribbean – UNESCO Creative Cities Network

Program 2024: Thursday, 12 September

10:00 am
Sala Novecento (live streaming 🎥)
Opening Ceremony World Tourism Event 2024 Start

10:15 – 10:45
Sala Novecento (live streaming 🎥)
Mozart in Cremona, the City of the Violin and Viola: A Fundamental Stage in His (and Our) Journey into Music
By the City of Cremona and the “C. Monteverdi” Conservatory of Cremona
Inaugural Concert:

• WA Mozart Duo KV423 in G major
• Allegro, Adagio, Rondeau Allegro
  Performed by: Stefan Stancic (violin) and Francesca Senatore (viola)

11:00 – 11:55
Sala Novecento (live streaming 🎥)
Official Opening of the 15th Edition of the World Tourism Event
WTE 15th Anniversary: “The International Tourism Exhibition Since 2010 Between Travellers and UNESCO Sites”
Presentation of the book tracing 15 years of the World Tourism Event

12:00 – 12:25
Sala Novecento (live streaming 🎥)
The Unusual and Secret Metropolitan City of Naples: An Earthly Paradise Within Reach
By Metropolitan City of Naples
Speaker: Vincenzo Cirillo

12:00 – 12:55
Calvi Hall
Interventions for the Enhancement and Promotion of UNESCO Sites in Lazio
By Lazio Region
Speakers: Paolo Giuntarelli, Amalia Vitagliano, Marco Piastra, Simone Quilici, Vincenzo Bellelli, Luciano Rea, Giorgio De Marchis

12:30 – 1:25 pm
Sala Novecento
FS Foundation and Italian Tourist Trains

1:00 pm – 1:25 pm
Calvi Hall
Giovanni Battista Pirelli, Amedeo Modigliani, Andrea Doria and Amerigo Vespucci: Stories of Emigration
By Italea Toscana and Italea Liguria
Speakers: Anna Duchini, Antonella Riccardi, Andrea Pedemonte, Leila Pruneti, Mariangela Dalfovo

3:00 – 4:00 pm
Neoclassical Hall
Free Tasting: Genoa Gourmet Experience
By the Chamber of Commerce of Genoa in collaboration with Prodotti Genova Gourmet and Genova Gourmet Bartender

3:00 pm – 4:55 pm
Sala Novecento (live streaming 🎥)
Tourism and World Heritage Forum
Organized by the Association of Italian World Heritage Sites and the Santagata Foundation
Moderated by Francesco Calabrò and Carlo Francini
Speakers: Elena Di Raco, Giacomo Montanari, Mara Nemela, Angelo Pritto, Matteo Rosati, Sandra Torre

3:00 pm – 3:55 pm
Calvi Hall
Forest Bathing: Therapeutic and Touristic Prospects of Calabria
By the Parks of Calabria

4:00 pm – 4:55 pm
Calvi Hall
Narrators of Beauty: A Key Project for the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene
By the Veneto Region
Speakers: Marina Montedoro, Giuliano Vantaggi, Mauro Turcatti

5:00 pm – 5:55 pm
Sala Novecento (live streaming 🎥)
Presentation of the Doge Project: “Dimore dell’Ospitalità Genovese Europea” for the Touristic Enhancement of the UNESCO Site Strade Nuove and the System of Palazzi dei Rolli and Buffer Zone
By the City of Genoa
Speakers: Sandra Torre, Giacomo Montanari, Pietro Toso, Federica Mandirola, Angelo Pittro, Raffaella Besta, Stefano Ortale

5:00 pm – 5:55 pm
Calvi Hall
Tourism Development Strategies in World Heritage Sites: Experiences Compared – Aeolian Islands, Florence, Ivrea
By Santagata Foundation
Speakers: Paola Borrione, Carlo Francini, Filippo Ghisi

5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Neoclassical Hall
Free Tasting: Genoa Gourmet Experience
By the Chamber of Commerce of Genoa in collaboration with Prodotti Genova Gourmet and Genova Gourmet Bartender

Friday, 13 September Schedule

10:00 – 10:25 AM

• Sala Novecento (live streaming 🎥)
• The Itinerary of Beauty in the Year of Pesaro 2024 Italian Capital of Culture with Urbino World Heritage
  Hosted by Confcommercio Marche Nord
  Speakers: Amerigo Varotti, Daniele Vimini, Francesco Guazzolini
• Calvi Hall
• The Congress of the European Capital of Sports
  Hosted by the City of Genoa
  Speakers: Alessandra Bianchi, Gian Francesco Lupattelli

10:30 – 10:55 AM

• Sala Novecento (live streaming 🎥)
• Sustainable Tourism Strategies of the New Management Plan of the World Heritage Site “City of Vicenza and the Palladio Villas in the Veneto”
  Hosted by the Veneto Region
  Speaker: Katia Basili
• Calvi Hall
• Genova Liguria Gourmet: From Quality Protection to Sustainability Stories
  Hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Genoa
  Speakers: Monica Dellepiane, Hira Grossi

11:00 – 12:00 PM

• Neoclassical Hall
• Free Tasting “Genoa Gourmet Experience”
  Hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Genoa

11:00 – 11:55 AM

• Sala Novecento (live streaming 🎥)
• Ten Years of UNESCO Wine Landscapes: Results and Challenges Towards the Drafting of the New Management Plan
  Hosted by Piedmont Region
  Speakers: Giovanna Quaglia, Bruno Bertero, Marco Lanza

11:00 – 11:25 AM

• Calvi Hall
• Jordan, Discovering the Country’s World Heritage
  Hosted by Visit Jordan
  Speaker: Marco Biazzetti

11:30 – 11:55 AM

• Calvi Hall
• Tourism and Rolli Experience
  Hosted by the City of Genoa
  Speakers: Sandra Torre, Fiorella Rottino, Raoul Bollani, Diego Clavarino, Luisa Puppo

12:00 – 12:40 PM

• Sala Novecento (live streaming 🎥)
• Tuscany, World Heritage
  Hosted by Toscana Promozione Turistica
  Speakers: Carlo Motta, Clara Svanera, Francesco Tapinassi

12:00 – 12:25 PM

• Calvi Hall
• The UNESCO Porticos as an Opportunity for Redistribution of Flows
  Hosted by Bologna Welcome
  Speaker: Francesco Boni

12:30 – 12:55 PM

• Calvi Hall
• Savoia Residences. A King’s Territory
  Hosted by the City of Turin and the Consortium of the Royal Residences of Savoy
  Speakers: Renato Balestrino, Project Manager for Turin, Project Manager for ATL Turismo Torino e Provincia

12:40 – 12:55 PM

• Sala Novecento (live streaming 🎥)
• Presentation of the Collaboration Between Toscana Promozione Turistica and the Chamber of Commerce of Arezzo – Siena
  Speakers: Francesco Tapinassi, Massimo Guasconi

1:00 – 1:25 PM

• Sala Novecento (live streaming 🎥)
• Great Spa Towns of Europe: Montecatini Terme Heart of Europe
  Hosted by Toscana Promozione Turistica and Municipality of Montecatini
  Speakers: Beatrice Chelli, Francesco Tapinassi

2:30 – 3:25 PM

• Sala Novecento (live streaming 🎥)
• Climate Sensitive Travelers: Tourism and Climate Crisis
  Hosted by Fondazione Santagata and ENIT

2:30 – 2:55 PM

• Calvi Hall
• Cuban Rumba Performance
  Hosted by Ministry of Tourism of Cuba – Embassy of Cuba in Italy

3:00 – 3:25 PM

• Calvi Hall
• On Nuraxi of Barumini: Past, Present, and Future
  Hosted by Fondazione Barumini Sistema Cultura
  Speaker: Salvatore Bellisai

3:30 – 5:55 PM

• Sala Novecento (live streaming 🎥)
• Peace and Cultural Heritage
  Hosted by FICLU
  Speakers: Teresa Gualtieri, Maria Paola Azzario, Mauro Macale, Antonio Guerci, Daniela Popescu, Ioannis Maronitis, Elena Lopez Valcarcel, Paolo Castelnovi

3:30 – 4:25 PM

• Calvi Hall
• Discovering the Monuments of the Serial Site “Art and Architecture in Prehistory Sardinia. The Domus de Janas”
  Hosted by the Centre for Studies on Identity and Memory of Sardinia (CeSim/APS)
  Speakers: Giuseppa Tanda, Giuseppina Marras, Maria Giovanna de Martini

4:30 – 4:55 PM

• Calvi Hall
• When Stones Speak: The Great Story of the City of Assisi
  Hosted by the City of Assisi
  Speakers: Paolo Mirti, Fabrizio Leggio

5:00 – 5:55 PM

• Calvi Hall
• Rolls for Family
  Hosted by 101giteinliguria.it
  Speaker: Elisa Garfagna

5:00 – 6:00 PM

• Neoclassical Hall
• Free Tasting “Genoa Gourmet Experience”
  Hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Genoa

7:00 PM

• Palazzo Bianco Gardens
• Inauguration of the Restoration of the Palazzo Bianco Gardens, a UNESCO Heritage Site
  Hosted by the City of Genoa

Saturday, 14 September – Event Schedule

10:00 – 13:25
Sala Novecento (Live Streaming 🎥)
CLUBS FOR UNESCO: A NETWORK OF POSITIVE ENERGIES FOR THE BUILDING OF A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Organized by FICLU

• Teresa Gualtieri, National President of FICLU
• Mauro Macale, Vice President of FICLU
• Presentation of experiences and best practices from Italian UNESCO clubs promoting UNESCO values and programs.

10:00 – 10:55
Calvi Hall
SUSTAINABLE GENOA AND INTERNATIONALIZATION AND COOPERATION POLICIES FOR THE ENHANCEMENT OF HERITAGE
Organized by the City of Genoa

• Sandra Torre, Director of Tourism and Sports Policies, Municipality of Genoa
• Massimo Ruggero, Municipality of Genoa – Tourism and Sports Policies Directorate
• Gianluca Saba, Municipality of Genoa, Head of International Relations Office
• Mark Boekwijt, EU representative of the City of Amsterdam
• Eleonora Orso, Eurocities
• Angelo Pittro, Director of Lonely Planet
• Francesca Pirlone, Polytechnic School (University of Genoa), Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering

11:00 – 11:55
Calvi Hall
THE SILK ROAD AND GASTRONOMIC ROUTES: TRAVELLING WITH MARCO POLO TO DISCOVER THE FOOD CULTURE OF THE EAST
By Carla Diamanti, journalist, travel coach®, and professor of Tourist Itinerary Design at the University of Turin

11:00 – 12:00
Neoclassical Hall
FREE TASTING “GENOA GOURMET EXPERIENCE”
Organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Genoa, in collaboration with Prodotti Genova Gourmet and Genova Gourmet Bartender

12:00 – 12:55
Calvi Hall
THE CARIBBEAN: A UNIQUE CULTURAL AND CREATIVE EXPERIENCE
Panel Discussion

• Participation from representatives of UNESCO, the Caribbean Tourism Organization, and local entrepreneurs from Caribbean nations including Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
• Focus on the cultural potential of the Caribbean to attract visitors and promote sustainable tourism.

15:00 – 15:55
Calvi Hall
BEIGUA UNESCO GLOBAL GEOPARK: GEODIVERSITY AND BIODIVERSITY TO DISCOVER
Organized by Agenzia InLiguria and Beigua Regional Natural Park, UNESCO Global Geopark

• Maria Cristina Caprioglio, Director of the Beigua Regional Natural Park

15:30 – 15:55
Calvi Hall
WALKING IN THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF THE CINQUE TERRE PARK: GREEN INFRASTRUCTURES AND THE NEW MANAGEMENT PARADIGM
Organized by Agenzia InLiguria and Cinque Terre National Park

• Emanuele Raso, Geologist, Cinque Terre National Park

16:00 – 16:55
Calvi Hall
BALANCE BETWEEN CONSERVATION AND PROFIT: THE ROLE OF REVENUE MANAGEMENT IN UNESCO SITES
Presented by Prof. Cav. Franco Grasso, Revenue Academy

• Insights into the history and evolution of revenue management, its application to tourism, and its role in the success of UNESCO sites.

17:00 – 18:00
Neoclassical Hall
FREE TASTING “GENOVA GOURMET EXPERIENCE”
Organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Genoa, in collaboration with Prodotti Genova Gourmet and Genova Gourmet Bartender