Vacationers up 3.1 pct in Tuscany to almost 90 million

(AGI) Florence, July 4 - The year 2015 was a decidedly positive one for tourism in Tuscany, with arrivals and presences up 3.1 and 2.9 percent respectively for a total of 90 million tourists. The data was presented by Tuscany's regional institute for economic planning (IRPET) in its 2015/2016 report on tourism, which was illustrated by researcher Enrico Conti during the "Tourism and Tuscany" convention. The report showed that tourism flows in Tuscany in 2015 grew compared to the positive results in 2014. The figures were also greater compared to the national level, where arrivals and presences rose by 2.7 and 1.9 percent respectively. On top of the 44.8 million tourists who lodged in official structures, an estimated 40 million lodged in non official locations and 3.5 million lodged in structures that didn't respect their obligation to report on presences, the IRPET noted. That brought the total in all of Tuscany to just under 90 million, creating 6,055 more jobs. The "Tourism and Tuscany - New regional governance of tourism: scenarios and predictions" convention in Florence was organised by the Tuscany region to take stock of the sector's policies. The event was attended by: the regional counsellor for tourism and productive activities, Stefano Ciuoffo; the director general of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, Francesco Palumbo; and the director of Toscana Promozione Turistica, Alberto Peruzzini. The number of foreign tourists rose by 3.5 percent, but Italian presences also increased. The regional trend in 2015 was spurred by foreign tourists (presences up 3.5 percent and arrivals up 3.6 percent). After two negative years and one of stagnation, Italian presences started growing once again, with arrivals up 2.6 percent and presences up 2.2 percent. Tuscans also visited other parts of their own region more, with presences up 4.1 percent. Presences from northern Italy and Lazio also increased, while those from southern regions dropped. The overall presence of Italians, which had been previously focused on short spring breaks, extended to summer and autumn in 2015. Italian visitors flocked to the beaches (up 3.4 percent), but especially to the mountains (up 7.4 percent) and the countryside (up 7.8 percent), opting to lodge in mid and lower range hotels or in structures able to accommodate the needs of the elderly and children. (AGI). .