Italy has signed an agreement in Brussels with France and Spain under which the three nations will work jointly to attract tourists from the fast-growing BRIC countries [Brazil, Russia, India and China].
Using a new “European Passion” logo the three nations of the “Mediterranean Arc” will together produce promotional material for distribution in the BRIC countries and will also arrange promotional tours for tour operators and journalists. It is thought that this will be more effective than trying to promote each country singly in the area.
The BRIC economies represent 40% of the world’s population and are expected to represent 61% of global gross domestic product growth by 2014 so the potential tourist market is enormous.
Italy was fifth in the United Nations Tourist Organisation’s list of the most visited countries in 2009, with 43.2 million arrivals. France topped the list, with the United States in second place, Spain third and China in fourth place.
