Tourism: almost 90 million people visited Italy's borghi in 2016
Rimini - In Italy, there are 5,568 "borghi", i.e. towns of historical interest, with a population of less than 5,000 people (69.8% of municipalities). In 2015, the tourism sector saw an increase in arrivals, and even more so in 2016, after three years of decline. From 2010 to 2016, the number of visitors increased by 3.3% with +14.4% of arrivals. Arrivals in 2016 are estimated at 21.3 million, with almost 90 million visitors (equal to 18.6% and 22.3% of the total). The "borghi", now increasingly seen as a major source of tourist attraction for Italy, will be the theme discussed at the 54th edition of TTG Incontri, the main marketplace of the national and international tourism industry (to be held at the Rimini Expo Center, October 12-14, 2017, and sponsored by the Italian Exhibition Group). A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place in the presence of the Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, Dario Franceschini, who supports the decision of the Ministry (also known as MiBACT) to declare 2017 "Anno dei Borghi Italiani" (Year of Italian Towns). As a result, the 'Salva Borghi' law was recently definitively approved by the Parliament to further exploit, through initiatives, the potential of this type of tourism.