Italy is hoping to lure more UAE visitors with a taste for la dolce vita as part of a new tourism push.
The country issued 21,000 visas last year to people in the UAE, but the Italian Embassy in the UAE estimates that the total number of visitors originating from the Emirates may be as high as 100,000 annually.
The number of tourists coming from the UAE has been on the rise in recent years and the embassy is hoping for further "relevant growth" this year, according to Italian ambassador in the UAE, Giorgio Starace.
"They also have longer periods of holidays and large families. We are very happy about their presence and we have [UAE] local tourists coming back, which means they are getting very close to the country," said Mr Starace.
But the embassy is not only targeting Emiratis as part of the tourism push. "We would [also] like to focus … the very vast population of expats living in the UAE, very close to Italy," added Mr Starace.
European countries such as Italy, Spain and Greece are seeking to boost their tourism industries amid austerity at home that is hitting European holidaymakers in the pocket.
Italy is a member of the Schengen visa scheme, which covers 25 countries in Europe. The scheme has come under criticism by users who claim the application process can take months during peak season. Mr Starace has said publicly that Italy supports the idea of visa issuance to UAE nationals upon arrival, but the issue has yet to be decided by European Union bodies.
There are nine daily flights operated by Emirates, Alitalia and Etihad between Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Rome, Milan and Venice.
"In the last two years [bookings to Italy have] picked up very well, especially with Etihad introducing flights to Milan and Emirates has increased the frequencies to Rome and Venice, because now we have the direct carriers, so when the airlines go there it is much easier for the tourists to go there," said Murad Saket Mansoor, the general manager of Arabian Nights.
Mr Mansoor was part of a group of eight tour operators who were invited to Italy last month for a five-day "familiarisation trip" hosted by the embassy and Emirates Airline.
"After seeing what [Venice and Rome] can offer, bookings will definitely increase," said Mr Mansoor.
"We have already done a couple of packages to support the initiatives," he added.
Italy is the world's fifth most visited country after France, the United States, China and Spain. However, the economic crisis in Europe was expected to have led to a decline in the number of arrivals last year, and will impact the industry's performance again this year, according to Euromonitor.
[ gduncan@thenational.ae ]
