The opening of the Year of Europe-China Tourism 2018 in Venice confirmed

We anticipated this in a previous news item but now it is official: the Venice city council meeting in Ca’ Farsetti approved the protocol of understanding between the Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività culturali e del Turismo, the Regione Veneto and the Comune di Venezia for the Year of Europe-China Tourism 2018. The opening event will take place in Venice on 19 January at the Doge’s Palace in St Mark’s Square, attended by the highest local, Italian, European and Chinese institutions. There will be a good 400 delegates from Europe and China and their presence will certainly be important and prestigious for the entire St Mark’s area in a period that is certainly not high season in Venice. ‘The choice of Venice to host this very important event fills us with pride’, commented the Councillor for Tourism Paola Mar. ‘It is a tangible recognition that our city, over the course of this administration, is once again taking up that role as diplomatic, cultural and commercial centre that has always distinguished it. The relationship with China has existed and been consolidated since the time of Marco Polo and been confirmed by the plan for the new maritime Silk Route. Venice thus goes back to being a point of reference for events of an international nature, confirming its vocation as a crossroads of peoples, open to dialogue and respectful of different cultures’. The press release issued by the council says that the event will be followed by a business forum for a selection of international operators on the possibilities of investment in the city of Venice to promote the development of the district.