Tourism for Bologna has thrived in the shadow of a deep-rooted certainty among many Italians and Europeans. That of being a city totally focused on business. That's true. With its 390,000 inhabitantsBologna is one of Italy's major economic centres, in particular with a a dense network of companies in the agri-food, machine tool, automotive and publishing sectors a university centre with 90,000 students the Cineca centre, a European leader in High Performance Computing (HPC). Not forgetting the Fiera Bologna fairs and exhibitions.
For ten years now, we've been trying to promote Bologna, a business city par excellence, in a different way.
All of this led to the creation of theAttractiveness of the capital of Emilia-Romagna. In fact, depending on the statistical source, the region ranks third or fourth in Italy in terms of GDP per capita. But the health crisis has accelerated a trend that the tourist authorities were already aware of: a slowdown in the business market. " We've been trying to do this for ten years. promote Bologna differentlybusiness city par excellence. For ten years, we've been positioning the city as a destination for urban tourism and culture in particular. And we've succeeded, within 2019, travellers' motivations were evenly split between leisure and business" explains Patrik Romano, Managing Director of Bologna Welcomethe municipal tourism agency.
A natural crossroads for business
Bologna is ideally located in Italy, thirty minutes by train from Florence, one hour from Milan, one and a half hours from Venice and two hours from Rome. RomeThis makes it a natural crossroads for business. " But this is also a weakness for the business.. Thanks to the TGV network, business travellers now make a round-trip day trip to Bologna. What's more, the trend in the trade fair sector is to reduce the number of days of activity. All this has a negative impact on Bologna's hotel and service industries." continues Patrik Romano.
Hence this 360° turn. " It was important to win over individual leisure tourists. This made it possible tobalance hotel occupancy rates, win over domestic customers who still perceive us as a business city. And to pull ourselves up one of Europe's most popular secondary towns. Here again, the relative lack of notoriety compared to cities like Florence or Venice is a factor of curiosity for many Europeans." says the Director of Bologna Welcome.
Art of living and culture attract business visitors and tourists alike
Last year, Bologna's ranking in the UNESCO World Heritage Site for the hundreds of arcades that punctuate the city, has helped to consolidate the city's cultural image. The tourist office is now working to raise international awareness of its museum and film heritage.
La gastronomy is another highlight of the capital of Emilia-Romagna. Bologna is the birthplace of gnocchi, tortellini, tagliatelle in sauce and mortadella. However, the famous spaghetti with Bolognese sauce is still completely unknown here... or despised!
All these factors have enabled Bologna to weather the covid pandemic relatively well. " We've managed to turn the tourism situation around by 2021, even if covid has of course left its mark. But in September, October and November, our hotels returned to occupancy levels comparable to those of 2019. And 2022 looks good for the moment.says Patrik Romano.
While leisure travellers have become a key target for Bologna tourism, business travellers have not been neglected. " We remain the Italy's fourth busiest city for international conferencesbehind Rome, Milan and Florence, according to the ICAA, the International Congress Association. Our trade fairs have started up again and we're expecting around thirty events this year." says the General Manager. In addition to its trade fairs, the city hosts an average of thirty international congresses and conferences every year.
Ideal hotel facilities?
Le hotel complex has been extensively renovated in recent years, offering some 13500 rooms. This number includes one relatively low percentage of establishments affiliated to an international chain - in fact half a dozen, including AC by Marriott, Best Western, Holiday Inn, Mercure and NH. " We have a good number of four-star + establishments and one five-star, the Grand Hotel Majestic. We probably need another five-star hotel with a large conference capacity." says Patrik Romano.
It is unlikely that there will be an inflation of new hotels in Bologna in the next few years. " In fact, we've reached an ideal ceiling for tourism: 5 million overnight stays for almost 2.5 million visitors a year. We hardly need anything more" says Patrik Romano. " All the more so as our visitors appreciate our art of living, our authenticity and the sense of security and well-being in the city. That's invaluable in these times" .
BOLOGNA GUIDE
How to get there
There are daily flights fromAir France and Vueling from Paris CDG and Orly. Ryanair also offers an alternative from Beauvais. Air France also connects Lyon to Bologna. Ryanair also operates flights to Brussels-Charleroi. You can also travel via Milan on the Frecciarossa or Italo high-speed trains. The journey takes one hour.
Stay
Fans of charming hotels will prefer I Portici Hotel (via Indipendenza 69 - Tel: +39 051 42185- www.iporticihotel.com) and Hotel Corona d'Oro (via Oberdan 12 - Tel. +39 051 7457611 - www.hco.it)both 4-star+, are historic hotels with a very Italian atmosphere. They are located between the railway station and Piazza Maggiore, the historic centre of Bologna.
(Piazza Maggiore, dominated by medieval towers, the Mercato di Mezzo and the Hotel I Portici - Photos: LC)
Eat
On the go and delicious, the food court set up in the Mercato di MezzoIn the historic heart of the city, the restaurant and sales counter are all there for you to enjoy. A charming osteria under medieval arcades, theOsteria Buca Delle Campane is a haven of peace (www.bucadellecampane.it). I Portici Hotel has the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Bologna. Booking is compulsory (ristorante@iporticihotel.com). Finally, fans of pastries and chocolate will delight in the Caffe Letterario by master pastry chef and chocolatier Sebastiano Caridi (https://www.sebastianocaridi.it).
Three must-sees in Bologna
- L'climbing one of the medieval towers in the city centre (the highest is the Asinelli Tower at 97.2m, the belfry of the cathedral or the smaller Clock Tower).
- La Municipal Art Gallery with several hundred paintings, notably by Italians from Bologna. The flats and ceremonial rooms with painted walls, such as the Sala Urbana and the Galleria Vidoniana, are marvels of Italian art.
- Among Bologna's museums, the Museum of Obstetrics and Anatomy in the Palazzo Poggi. It houses collections of wax figures from the 17th and 18th centuries reproducing the human body and the development of the foetus. These models were used by medical students and midwives.
Find out more
Welcome Bologna has a very comprehensive website on the city and also sells the Welcome Bologna Card, which offers many advantages. Most museums and places of interest can be booked online.
The Italian Tourist Office website offers a wealth of information: https://www.italia.it/en.
French Consulate: see Milan - https://it.ambafrance.org/-Consulat-de-Milan-
