MARIA ELENA ROSSI THE WOMAN BEHIND WINNING NOMINATIONS
Founder of the IGLTA Convention in Italy, nothing can stop her, not even the pandemic. She chairs the Scientific Committee of the Italian Gay and Lesbian Tourism Association in a proactive and strategic manner
Anopen smile, a dynamic approach and the attitude of a true sportswoman, Maria Elena Rossi has brought a breath of positivity to ENIT, the Italian National Tourism Agency. The pragmatic approach has also provided stable support during the worst moment in the history of global tourism: the pandemic.
In this interview, the marketing director of ENIT tells us about the future of Italian tourism, whose wealth comes from its spectacular past and incredible natural beauty. However, the place everyone loves needs to welcome everyone, and Maria Elena Rossi, from the moment she took office, highlighted the need to develop an offer for specific groups, including LGBTQ+.
What strategies has ENIT put in place in this difficult period to attract such a diverse market segment as LGBTQ+? We’ve worked hard to attract the IGLTA Convention, which was supposed to be held in Milan in 2020, and is now rescheduled for 2022, and it has been a great opportunity to get to the heart of the matter and get to know both the association and the businesses dedicated to this sector. We put a lot of effort into the winning candidacy, and then on our communication strategy, participating in workshops, events and Pride celebrations in major world capitals. In addition, we have worked to raise awareness among our national tourism entities of the importance of welcoming this audience. It has been an important focus over the past three years for ENIT, culminating in our participation in the Scientific Committee of the Italian Association of Gay and Lesbian Tourism, together with business associations, institutions, companies, airlines and Italian universities.
The 2022 Convention will be a crucial commitment for the future of this tourism segment in our country, but will ENIT participate in events promoting this sector if they occur prior?
We will be at the IGLTA Convention in Atlanta to take the baton for this very important event. Afterwards we have other events
scheduled in different countries where we have launched promotion campaigns dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community. The medium- long term strategy will be the creation of an Italian public- private supply chain that will create brand awareness through targeted campaigns.
How could we replace the “human touch” that is so basic for this tourism segment, in a world where professional relationships have often become virtual? How much has the marketing experience changed, especially for specific markets such as LGBTQ+?
It is clear that this period of closure has changed the way we communicate, and new needs have arisen, such as the need to always be online, which has become a global necessity. I think with respect to that there will be no turning back. Digital marketing will be central to developing targeted campaigns for segments like LGTBQ+. However, I think real, in- person contact has become more relevant. The new trade shows that are starting up again, have a new digital and physical approach together, so many more people will follow them through streaming, as well as in- person and therefore, I think they can be even more effective. That’s why the slogan we’ve chosen to restart is: “Italy is better in Italy”.
How do you win back the trust of the traveler in a world of total uncertainty? Can you plan in this chaos of daily changes? The situation of both Italian and international tourism is extremely negative and planning in the absence of steady connections is not easy. We carefully follow the vaccination plan and the modus operandi of some countries that have opened the corridors. We have, from the first moment, focused on the reputation of Italy with a very serious approach and we can say from monitoring that we have obtained excellent results in this regard. Throughout this time we have supported businesses and kept the focus on them with impressive re
sults in terms of hits across our digital ecosystem. Our tourism minister has announced an upcoming opening for the country, and this is the best scenario we could have expected.
You are part of the Scientific Committee of the Italian Gay and Lesbian Tourism Association, what do you expect from this body? What is the fundamental asset: training, sector studies... What aspect of ENIT do you find most relevant to this active collaboration?
I am very pleased to have made a concrete start right away by launching the Protocol on Diversity and Inclusion, validated by RINA, which will enable us to promote the participation of as many tourism-related sectors as possible. We will also launch research projects with the Committee, contributing with ENIT’s Research Center to the dissemination of surveys in the 28 countries where we are present, for a market analysis that will give us an insight into the sector after the pandemic. Training will also be part of our mission with various learning modules related to the LGBTQ market planned for distribution throughout the organization. Gay women are not easily recognizable, in the collective imagination we tend to think of two women close to each other as friends, and if they come out, everyone seems to find it very “exciting”.
A further discrimination within discrimination: if you could change this attitude in tourist hospitality, what would you like to see happen in Italy?
I think it’s a problem linked to culture. A great deal of training should be done. We should change the culture at the root in order to have citizens who are more aware and tolerant towards others. Each of us should act in this direction, even in our public and professional roles. It is only through example that widespread sensitivity is created.
Have you ever found yourself welcoming or personally interacting with a group of LGBTQ+ tourists? Do you have friends in the community who have given you some suggestions? Have you ever trained on this target audience and found it useful? For the Turin 2006 Olympics, we developed an informational activity and a friendliness campaign, with city tours and experiences designed for the LGBTQ+ market. I was helped at the beginning by friends and acquaintances in the community, today I’m happy to have picked up the thread by working on Italy’s candidacy for the IGLTA World Convention, which must be only the start of a path of welcoming, inclusiveness, and sustainability. ENIT wants to be the promoter of these values.