Buy Turismo Online opens in Florence

In the grandeur of the private sala of Palazzo Vecchio, the Mayor of Florence together with the finance minister, head of the chamber of commerce and tourism board opened the first ever conference on online tourism promotion. The event, which was sold out days before its opening promises to bring together Tuscan public and private initiatives with providers of Web 2.0 tourism services.

Representatives from Google, Travelocity, Trivago, Last minute and many others were on hand for the opening and will be providing workshops for hospitality operators on the use of Tourism 2.0 to offer better services and increase reach during hard times.

Speeches highlighted the importance for Florence to actch with other destinations in using the web and not rely solely on its status and popularity to attract tourism. Arnie Weissman, Editor of Travelweekly, received several awards for his lifetime service to the industry despite painting a bleak picture of the next 15 to 18 months.

" Some operators are expecting severe discounting in the mounting crisis while others expect price increases with reducing supply. I am convinced that we are looking at a very complicated situation for the next 18 months where price discounting will be the rule. After a period of consolidation due to failures and mergers, we will emerge a stronger and more efficient industry able to reach and saisfy second gen travelers."

BTO is being held at Stazione Leopaldo with workshops and trade shows through Tuesday. Monday evening, organizers have added a touch of fun with Blues and dancing in situ.

Agencies interested in photo coverage, see http://www.photoshelter.com/usr-show/U00004zK29UR6ijI