Bergamo is one of the most historic cities in the Lombard region of Italy. The city has been undercapitalizing on the tourist industry, bringing in marginal revenues in part because of the relative location to Milan, a city larger and better suited to massive scale tourism. In fact, Bergamo is usually avoided by tourists, except for those taking guided tours, mainly because Milan has the main airport in the region and because it is believed that the city has little to offer, which simply is not true. Recently, the joint cooperation of Slovenia and Italy to expand upon the SLOW tourism movement in an effort to increase their tourism income (Europa, n.d.). Together, the two countries can achieve far more in creating a regional tourist drive to increase not only revenue, but also cultural knowledge of these two countries.
Bergamo is a prime location to take advantage of this cooperation. Bergamo has received positive reviews from tourists, and is something of the best kept secret hidden under the shadow of the Alps. The purpose of this report is to describe the current tourist environment in Bergamo, ways the city can improve, and propose a tourist itinerary for the city to recommend to travel agencies; this report will also outline the ways tourism in Bergamo is changing due to technological advances, and also outline how Bergamo should implement changes in its program in order to attract higher amounts of tourists. As most big tourist cities have developed planned itineraries for their tourists, we believe that a Bergamo itinerary will help make the city more accessible to tourists.
Bergamo is only fifty kilometers from Milan, and is situated below the Alps, giving visitors quick and easy access to the mountains. The city has numerous heritage sites, such as the Venetian Walls, started in 1561 by the Republic of Venice and now a UNESCO site. The walls divide the upper, older city from the lower one, making them a must have list on any tourists to-see list. The rest of the city is just as historic, and the Piazza Vechia is a must see for history loving tourists. Aside from these two major attractions, most of the heritage/history sites are located in the upper city (arrivalguides, 2016). Positioned in Old Town, is the Camponone/Bell Tower, which provides a splendid view over all of Bergamo and houses a museum of history, from the Veneto Age. Bergamo is also home to a castle, known as San Vigilio. Thus, there are numerous opportunities to explore and experience historic monuments.
Art flourishes in the city, especially the upper, older portion. The Accademia Carrara has one of the most renowned art collections in Italy, providing a strong cultural presence in the city (arrivalguides, 2016). Bergamo also has the Modern and Contemporary Art gallery, which adds a modern sense to the art in the city. The Cittadella houses the Natural History and Archeology Museums. The Rocca houses several museums on history; in fact, there are many museums throughout Bergamo dedicated to showing history and inspiring learning. Several theaters were built in the city, notably Donezetti’s Theater, named in honor of Bergamo’s most famous composer. The city has several famous religious buildings as well, notable the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and Colleoni Chapel. Therefore, Bergamo provides options for those who are specifically interested in culture.
Remaining true to the concept of SLOW tourism, the city also has several beautiful lakes and outdoor activity areas nearby; the Bergamo ski resorts and the Iseo and Endine Lakes both provide excellent opportunities for relaxed, easy days (arrivalguides, 2016). Several parks are located throughout the city as well, allowing tourists and citizens alike to relax in the beautiful spaces kept by the city. The city also has a few clubs and entertainment centers, making it not only a cultural icon of Italy, but also an entertainment center as well.
Many different groups are affected by tourism. As more tourists go through the parks and use the streets, the city must inevitably spend more revenue in upkeep. The city government is the primary stakeholder in Bergamo, Italy, as it is the largest organization that owns the cultural icons of Bergamo. This changes when it comes down to entertainment venues, as they are privately owned. Thus, in planning for an itinerary in Bergamo, the primary stakeholder will be the city itself.
It can be shown that Bergamo truly encompasses the ideas of SLOW tourism because of the numerous aspects that the term identifies (Europa, n.d.). For example, any type of tourism that focuses more on quality of travel rather than quantity of places visited can be considered slow tourism. Bergamo lacks a strong ecological tourism sphere, as the potential within its immediate vicinity is rather small. However, the opportunities for leisure abound in the city, and as with most areas in Europe, it is strongest in cultural tourism.
The first step in developing the program is advertising. Bergamo is not listed as a slow tourism city, primarily due to the lack of marketing by the city. If this were to change, the perception of the city in the eyes of tourists would also change as well. SLOW tourism is important primarily to the European community, as they typically receive an entire month for vacation time. Contrast this with American tourists, who typically only receive a week or a week and a half. Therefore, part of successfully implementing SLOW tourism is understanding the target audience. Bergamo would be far better focusing on the European audience, who has ample time to sit back and simply enjoy wherever they decide to go.
A PESTLE analysis of Bergamo and Italy as a whole may reveal daunting results. The country is politically stable, though current issues are threatening the region. Italy is facing a severe migrant crisis from Africa. In addition, the viability of the European Union has been called into question due to the Brexit (Information, 2016), which may significantly alter the way the country can do business on the single market. The political rise of the protectionist right around Europe may prove consequential to Bergamo’s tourism, if policies enacted cause exchange rate fluctuations. The political stability of the region must be monitored closely, but on a global scale, external events will affect Italy as a whole. Politics in Bergamo itself are relatively quiet and stable, which is characteristic of a medium sized town on the Italian peninsula.
The economy of Bergamo is important to consider when developing any advanced tourism plan. The economy of Italy as a whole is relatively poor, as the International Financial Crisis swept through the EU and Italy. Unemployment is high, currently reaching 12.4%. This has caused a shift in the culture of the Italian families, as the difficulty of finding a job in Italy has increased the amount of children living at home with their parents at older ages. It has become the norm for children to live at home until even age thirty in some cases, making it difficult to increase social mobility due to the interdependence of the families. The high cost of the euro has made it difficult for international tourism for many countries; indeed, it is even difficult for some countries in Europe to travel to Italy. Central Europe, for instance, has a much lower standard of living, but uses the euro. Therefore, even other European countries have difficulty in traveling. This has noticeably affected the tourist industry in all countries, not just Italy.
The European Union requires a very specific inflation rate for all member countries. Currently Italy’s monetary supply is decreasing, as the inflation rate is at -0.30% (ycharts, n.d.). The long term inflation rate for the country is roughly 1.97%, displaying the stability of the euro. This traditionally shows the main characteristics of the finances of a country, and if Italy is an indicator, the inflation rate shows a bright future for the country. As Italy has adopted the euro, this means that they also have no control over their monetary supply, as the European Central Bank controls everything.
Consumer confidence in the region is growing. The GDP of the country took a shock with the advent of the financial turmoil, and the GDP of the country is currently increasing. The international community has continued to invest in Italy, but the country is still on its way to recovery.
Bergamo has been noticeably affected by the changes in the regional economy. However, the unemployment rate is at a remarkable 5.8% in comparison to the rest of the country. The exports of the region account for 44% of the city’s GDP, meaning manufacturing and services is a significant portion of the regional economy (italy24, 2015). Bergamo was still affected by the crisis, however, as the manufacturing sector of the economy was much higher before the financial crisis (Kington, 2014). This means that the tourism industry is the perfect sector to development, as the economy searches for increased revenue through alternative sources. Supporting this is the fact that handicrafts account for roughly 40% of the business occurring in the province (Bergamo, 2016). The province is also the 16th richest in Italy, which places it among the average. The region is also very supportive of its entrepreneurs and businesses, meaning an increased likeliness of success when it comes to investing in tourism and related sectors.
Italy has several demographic pressures acting on it that make the country unique. The southern portion has a high number of gypsies, who face discrimination from the local populace in many cases. Lombardy is usually freer of that social pressure. With a population of roughly 115,000, Bergamo has a relatively small crime rate to factor into the tourist market. If tourism was to increase, small scale crimes like pick-pocketing is likely to grow as the market for the crime would noticeably expand. However, the current social climate in the city is nominal for tourism. The lifestyle of Bergamo’s residents is that of a sleepy small town that is actually medium sized. Most shops are closed on Sunday and Monday mornings, a feature that characterizes the populace of most of Europe as a whole.
Bergamo has a significant advantage in the field of technology, due in large part to its proximity to Milan. As Milan is a major hub of trade and commerce, new ideas and technology diffuses via proximity. Bergamo has retained the feeling of a peaceful town, at least in the upper portion of the city. However, that does not mean technology does not diffuse.
The city has set up several organizations and agencies in the past to help increase the level of technological development in the region (OECD, 2001). This is hardly to be expected, as the region is a manufacturing and production giant. The area has yet to adapt to tourist technology, however. Certainly, tourists have access to all of the basic amenities of living in the Information Age; tourists can use Wi-Fi and phones to book reservations at hotels/hostels and restaurants for their trips. Different companies provide different technological services to enhance each customer’s stay. However, some cities are making use of technology to enhance the tourist sector.
Many cities are adopting free Wi-Fi for the entire city in an effort to increase the internet access rate and to make city employees work more efficiently wherever they are. Seoul, South Korea is an example of this. However, this also has an effect on tourists as well, who are often traveling without phone service because it would be too expensive to upgrade or buy an international plan. Some places, like Dublin and Luxembourg, are using technology to develop an app that allows users to point their phones at something in order to gather information about it, whether it be a travel website or online reviews (Oates, 2016). This will radically change the way consumers, in the form of tourists, interact with the country they are visiting. When increasing the tourist rate, Bergamo should make use of this technology to appear innovative. Other cities are using applications to show high times in tourist areas, in order to help others plan their trips (Taaffe, n.d.). This can help some avoid long lines and hassles in order to get to where they want to go.
The EU requires countries to have significant regulations in place to protect workers. Italy also individually mandates that employers require a specific amount of vacation time, and limits the number of hours employers can demand from their employees. Italy does not have a minimum wage law, but that might be changing as other countries are changing their plans while Italy seeks to overhaul its labor market. Union membership is legal in Italy of course, and the country has legal support of them. The tax laws of Italy are relatively high, but not in comparison to the rest of Europe. However, this can still cause significant difficulty in business development over the long run.
Italy also has several environmental laws in place that protect against manufacturing waste and chemical waste. This is complemented by EU legislation which also protects the environment, as the interconnectedness of each country means that violations of the rule of law in one country can affect the environment in another. Europeans are strong believers in climate change, and the consider legislation protecting the environment to be critical to the functioning of a well-run society. This universally accepted value has been existent since the earliest days of the European Union.
The conditions for SLOW tourism are ripe for Bergamo. In an age where stress levels are considerably higher than recent years, relaxation is incredibly important. Smart technology has dramatically increased the possibility of SLOW tourism; in previous times, people would have to stress about and fret about what to do while on vacation, trying to cram in the most places in the smallest amount of time. The advent of advanced technology makes it easier to plan and prepare, and can even be done while a tourist is on vacation. Though Bergamo is a dreamlike city in the pristine Alpine region, it cannot be truly considered a SLOW tourism destination unless it uses smarter technology to increase the likeliness of leisure for tourist activities.
Several cities have developed itineraries for tourists to easily view the key parts of the city by themselves, without having to pay for a tour guide. Bergamo should mimic this development and adopt an itinerary route, preferably the one being proposed. This route will take tourists through the route of the main city sites while allowing each individual to stop, rest, and enjoy the scenery at any time. In addition, the city should develop an app in order to better integrate the city and SLOW tourist technology. For instance, as previously mentioned, some cities have adopted technology that allows users to point their mobile device at a location to gather information about it. Bergamo should use this technology to display information about the tourist attractions along the route. The app should display the history and relevant information about each individual place, and also be harmonized so users can also open other information about the individual place, such as reviews. The app should also contain information about the relevant shops and cafes along the route.
The ideal itinerary would start at the Piazzo Vecchia. This is the main city center in upper Bergamo, and it has numerous shops open, and cafes. From there, the route will lead to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, so tourists can experience a taste of the culture and faith of the region. As Basilicas/churches are often the most visited sites in cities, including the most famous church in the city is a must. From there, tourists should meander to the Capella Colleoni, which is dedicated to the famous Bergamese mercenary captain Bartolomeo Colleoni. It is an important historic location, so who would want to miss it? From there, tourists will head to the Rocca fort museum, and learn a little bit about the history of Bergamo. After that, they can tour the beautiful Venetian Walls that encircle upper Bergamo.
All of these locations are within about seven kilometers of each other. After touring the Venetian Walls, tourists will have a choice. The ending point of the main itinerary will take them through lower Bergamo to the Piazza Matteoti, which is the central area of Lower Bergamo. Other route options can be viewed through an online website or through the app, taking the user to a location that they are personally more interested in. The itinerary is meant to be flexible, as it assumes people began in the morning and end at the early evening. It must be flexible because some users might not appear at the estimated time; therefore, they should have options available for them to choose what to do and where to go. With an app on their phones, and preferably city-wide Wi-Fi, tourists will have access to the entire city at their fingertips. Other routes should take them to local museums or even clubs, depending on the type of tourist.
This itinerary is relevant because it demonstrates the cultural value of the city. Unfortunately, it does not leave much room for ecological activities and events, as the assumption is that these types of SLOW tourists are more interested in cultural icons than nature. If a tourist was different, they should have access to other options through innovative technology that will help them find where they want to go. This itinerary also is meant to allow users to go at their own pace, and change up the direction at any time. Why should anyone ever be constrained to a route they do not like, or want to follow? By suggesting other routes and other options, tourists can capitalize on the myriad options available in the city; therefore, this itinerary is the start to the formation of many other smaller options that will be available to users, creating a seamless integration of technology, and the amazing places that Bergamo has to offer.
Works Referenced:
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