Positive trend for ecological tourism in ItalyJul 30

More than 10 billion euros in value and continually increasing overnights. This is the photograph of ecological tourism taken by Coldiretti, which has indicated that green holidays have been chosen by 8 percent of Italians in 2010. Moreover, according to the findings of Unioncamere-ISNART for the Osservatorio Nazionale Turismo, low-cost lodgings at holiday farms or campgrounds, which are typical for this type of travel, are the only forms of holiday accommodations that respectively are holding on and increasing. Italy has 772 parks and protected areas that cover 10% of the national territory, and ecological tourists, according to Coldiretti, are looking primarily for contact with nature (38%), but also relaxation and tranquillity (13.7%), cultural, folklore and wine and food traditions (12.6%), the possibility of paying lower prices with respect to other types of tourism (10.3%) and, finally, sports (trekking, mountain biking, bird watching, skiing, horse riding and climbing) and outdoor activities (9.9%), according to the Ecotur report. The presence of young people between the ages of 16 and 30 is significant, making up 23.2% of the total, whereas as far as regards hospitality structures, holiday farms are preferred with respect to traditional holidays, chosen by more than 20% of ecological holidaymakers. Green holidays are, in fact, often combined with local wine and foods thanks to the presence in Italy of the largest variety of itineraries, with 142 wine and flavour roads.