calabria cirella (Photo credit: Shamballah)By: Michele de CapitaniThis year more and more tourists, Italian as well as people from other countries, seem to have discovered the potentials of the region Calabria as far as summer holidays are concerned. In the past other regions of southern Italy were perhaps most popular than Calabria Sicily and Sardinia first of all, but also Apulia and Campania with Naples as well as other regions in the northern Italy, like Veneto, Emilia Romagna or Liguria, also due to the proximity of these regions with foreign countries but little by little also Calabria has begun to emerge. There are also some interesting data that can give us a clear evidence of this:
according to Federalberghi, the Italian association that represents the interests of hotels in Italy, this year Calabria is the most popular region among Italian tourists (it gathers 13% of the national tourists, while last year the percentage was 9,7%). The people who decide to travel to Calabria will have the chance to choose among the many resorts, hotels and holiday houses that the region offers. The datum regarding Italian tourism in Calabria is to be held as even more important above all if you compare it to the general situation of tourism in Italy. This year, Federalberghi claims, there has been a general decrease in the number of hotel reservations, even in August, and many Italian people seem to have chosen to stay at home this summer instead of leaving for some travel destination. This is the result of the crisis that has stricken Europe and Italy in particular, and which has worked as a deterrent or as a real obstacle for people. In comparison to last year, this August there has been a decrease by 29,5% in the number of people leaving for holiday (15,4 million people this year, 21,9 million in 2011). But also in the other months the situation was not much better: there has been a decrease by 21,5% in the number of departures in June, and by 13% in July, and in September the decrease is expected to be by 27,7%.
If you consider this data, the success of the region Calabria is even more relevant, but it should not leave us surprised. There are many reasons that can explain why many Italians but also foreign tourists choose this region as travel destination, and the main reason is the beauty of the sea, beaches and landscapes that it preserves. There are two seas lapping it (Ionian and Tyrrhenian Sea), and its coast is characterized by a great variety: rock or sandy beaches, long and wide or small and hidden the coasts of Calabria can satisfy all tastes. Calabria is also famous and appreciated for its landscapes and nature (Aspromonte and Parco Nazionale della Sila are perfect examples in this sense), for its history and art (who does not know the Bronzi di Riace?) and for its typical food and products (Calabria is well-known above all for its hot dishes and for red pepper).
