by InTrieste
Ranked 14th among the most visited Italian cities by foreign tourists in 2022 and also a favorite destination among Italians, Trieste is experiencing a moment of discovery and rediscovery. This realization prompted the Rotary Club of Trieste to delve deeper into the topic, given its relevance for the social and economic development of the region, with the public meeting “Il turismo a Trieste fra presente e futuro” (Tourism in Trieste between present and future), which aimed to explore various reflections on the present and future of such a multifaceted sector.
Thanks to the participation of Triestini by birth or adoption, professionals, experts, and operators active in cultural institutions, entrepreneurship, science, enogastronomy. Among them, our magazine’s editor-in-chief Maria Kochetkova who, together with the head of Friuli Venezia Giulia’s ‘Association of Journalists’, Cristiano Degano, discussed the meanings and implications of the foreign language press in the promotion of our region.
“We are turning two on 10 June, 2023, ” said Kochetkova, “and in these past two years we have worked really hard on promoting our magazine and with it the city of Trieste and the region of Friuli Venezia-Giulia. We have many local readers, but at least half of our followers come from around the globe. Many write us on a weekly basis saying how grateful they were to find our magazine. And why wouldn’t they be? When I moved to Trieste in 2016 there was little to nothing information in English about our city or region. I am grateful and happy to say that we’ve done a great job promoting our beautiful city, but even more so helping the local expats understand and explore the city they live in.”
Kochetkova added “Trieste 2023 is not the Trieste I moved to. It is expanding, growing and evolving. I believe it is very important for our city’s dwellers to keep up with the ever changing and growing demand in the tourism sector. English language should not and cannot be a barrier. We have to start thinking and acting globally. Luckily, our magazine has always been a bridge between the world and our city by the Adriatic.”
While talking about her start-up Expating srls, she added “We are grateful to the region of Friuli Venezia-Giulia that was able to see a potential in our project and since we won the regional grant in 2019 we’ve been working hard on turning our small project into something bigger. We registered our magazine in June 2021 and with it our start-up. In the past two years we’ve helped many families, together with our team, to feel at home in Trieste and Friuli Venezia-Giulia and we are working on building a greater network that will be able to accommodate the ever – changing need of Trieste’s multicultural society. From finding housing, making friends, to finding an English speaking dentist – we are becoming the reference point for all incoming expats in the region. Our webiste, which is being officially launched this spring, has been receiving requests since the day it was live, and that means that Trieste is getting the attention it deserves, and it’s just the beginning.”
The event, held in Italian language, aimed to provide a chorus perspective on the historical trajectory and reasons that have led the regional capital to be increasingly present in the radar of tourists and stakeholders in the sector, as well as national and international press.took place in the Luttazzi Hall of Warehouse 26 in the Old Port of Trieste and is part of the “A Light Always On” series organized by the Municipality of Trieste.
