Tourism, industry and the environment. Is coexistence possible? This is the question at the center of the conference scheduled for Friday, Feb. 20, at the headquarters of Confindustria Belluno, as part of Green Week delle Venezie, an initiative organized by VeneziePost and now in its fourth edition.
On stage, moderated by Corriere della Sera journalist Dario Di Vico, will be Paolo Verri, director of Matera 2019 European Capital of Culture and director of the Italian Pavilion at Expo 2015 in Milan; Ermete Realacci, president of the Symbola Foundation; and Professor Ivana Modena, president Sumas-School of Sustainable Management, an expert in sustainable tourism. How to revitalize a mountain territory ncombining manufacturing, tourism, culture and sustainability? The newly appointed president of Confindustria Belluno Dolomiti, Luca Barbini, has clear ideas: “With the crisis of 2008, one way of doing business has definitively waned. Therefore, we must seize the new opportunities for our manufacturing system, also in light of the profound evolution in consumption: we know that an increasing share of demand is turning toward goods that enclose intangible values, linked, for example, to environmental sustainability, as well as to the specificities of the territory. In this sense, it is strategic to invest in strengthening the relationships between manufacturing, cultural institutions and tourism. Our association is working in this direction, and the event promoted as part of Green Week will be a useful and interesting moment of comparison and insight with other areas that already boast positive experiences.” The association of Belluno industrialists, after all, has long been committed to addressing the challenge of sustainability with the “Green Dolomiti ” project, conceived by Gianluca Vigne about two years ago. A platform for sustainable mountain development. “Ours is one of the top 15 most industrialized provinces in Italy if the ratio of GDP to population is taken into account. A province with a very high industrial vocation, but equally peculiar for its environmental and orographic context,” Vigne explains. “Here we live in symbiosis with the environment. In addition to regulatory aspects and legal obligations, there is a special relationship with the territory that pushes us to assume values and targets decidedly higher than the norm.” An innate vocation to go green. “We have become so almost without even realizing it,” Vigne continues. “And there is no shortage of examples of good practices: realities such as those of eyewear and important metal-mechanical companies, but also smaller ones in the electroplating sector, have developed at an altitude of 1,200 meters, clinging to the Dolomites. This is not a passing fad: “We are talking about companies with 50 years of history behind them that show everyone how industry can be done in an environmentally sensitive area. And do it at a very high level, with exports approaching 80 percent in some sectors, a testament to the important international vocation.” Quality of life capable of attracting “brains,” as Vigne reminds us: “The role of culture, and I am not just referring to history and art, but also to technology, is fundamental to attracting heads and convincing them to stay.” Fundamental resources also from the point of view of tourism. “With the Internet, international clientele is oriented very quickly. This is why medium-term projects must be created, with precise objectives,” the expert concludes. “Also taking advantage of the right showcases, such as the Expo. The Belluno leg of Green Week will also address children and young people with The Some.
From Il Corriere del Veneto, Feb. 16, 2015 – by Enrico Presazzi