Altagamma spurs luxury tourism with behind-the-scenes tours

Image courtesy of Altagamma

Italian luxury organization Fondazione Altagamma is positioning luxury brands as tourism destinations in their own right in an effort to increase inbound upscale travel.

The group, whose members include luxury brands across sectors such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Bulgari and Ferrari, is launching Altagamma Italian Experiences by IC Belaggio. Of the 50 million international tourists who visit Italy each year, only 5 percent are luxury travelers, which Altagamma sees as a prime opportunity for growth.

Inside look
Globally, Italy is the eighth largest travel and tourism economy, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. In 2016, this sector will account for about 10 percent of the nation’s GDP.

Italy’s percentage of luxury tourists to non-luxury inbound travelers is slightly higher than the global average. However, this number is growing at 5 percent, which is higher than the worldwide average, giving Altagamma optimism about generating more luxury traffic from foreigners.

IC Belaggio is already versed in creating tours for travelers to Italy. With this new roll out, Altagamma member brands will be incorporated into the company’s itineraries.

Brunello Cucinelli ad; the brand is an Altagamma member

Experiences will include visits to ateliers, wine tastings and meetings with the owners or entrepreneurs behind the brands. For those interested in these marques, these activities will provide a first-hand look as well as direct contact with the luxury brands.

“IC Bellagio has been providing unique, tailor-made travel experiences to Italy since 1999,” said Andrea Grisdale, CEO/founder of IC Bellagio, in a statement. “For high-end leisure travelers looking for life-changing experiences of an authentic Italy, we craft hassle-free, customized itineraries perfectly matched for each traveler.

“Altagamma Italian Experiences by IC Bellagio takes our proposition one step further to provide behind-the-scenes access to some of Italy’s most iconic fashion, hospitality, design and automotive brands,” she said. “It is a perfect match and one which I am delighted to be able to offer to our clients.”

These experiences will be available to a select group of individuals starting in 2017, with plans created specifically around the traveler’s interests.

Altagamma Italian Experiences

“Altagamma Italian Experiences by IC Bellagio represent an extraordinary possibility of promotion for the entire country, because they bring to life and give value to the renowned quality and fame of our brands,” said Paolo Zegna, vice president of the Altagamma Foundation. “This is an answer to the growing interest from an international clientele towards the heritage and the craftsmanship of our products, two truly distinctive elements of the Italian brand products.”

As consumers crave more access and insider experiences, luxury houses are responding by opening their doors.

Brands under the Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton umbrella hosted more than 145,000 visitors during the third edition of “Les Journées Particulières” May 20-22.

With more than 40 maisons and 50 venues participating in this year’s Les Journées Particulières, LVMH was able to present consumers with an exclusive opportunity to view the inner workings of its brands firsthand. For the third edition, LVMH invited more visitors than it has allowed in the past due to consumers’ growing interest in behind-the-scenes transparency (see story).

from Travel and hospitality – Luxury Daily https://www.luxurydaily.com/altagamma-spurs-luxury-tourism-with-behind-the-scenes-tours/
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