Milan pulls region to center stage

Emilia-romagna leverages expo to cement ties with south china province

The Emilia-Romagna region of Italy will increase its ties with Guangdong province in tourism, food safety and medical care management.

The two signed an agreement on May 11 on strengthening collaboration in many areas, said the region's governor, Stefano Bonaccini, who was leading a delegation to Guangdong province between May 11 and 17 in his first overseas mission since he took his post in December.

Emilia-Romagna is looking for opportunities to increase tourism to the region as Expo 2015 is held in Milan, an hour by train from the region.

Among the 1 million Chinese tourists to Italy last year, 100,000 are believed to have visited Emilia-Romagna, and it expects to double that number this year, Bonaccini says.

The region's government is working to generate 10 percent of its economy from tourism over the coming five years.

Two years ago no Chinese tourists spent a night in Ferrara, a city in Emilia-Romagna, although many transferred in the city to travel to Venice to cut expenses, said Vice-Mayor Massimo Maisto.

About 10,000 Chinese tourists spent at least one night in the city last year, ranking Chinese fourth among international travelers staying there, and it is hoped they will move up to second place this year, he says.

"We are trying to understand what people prefer," Maisto said.

Tourism makes up 15 percent of the economy of Ferrara and is seen as a promising industry.

During the trip to Guangdong, Ferrara signed a sister-city agreement with Heyuan city, with a heavy focus on such fields as water resources and social welfare.

Reflecting the expo, whose theme is "Feeding the planet, energy for life", Emilia-Romagna will host a World Food Research and Innovation Forum in September.

The region will step up inter-governmental collaboration with Guangdong in food security, safety and sustainability, an area the Guangdong government is emphasizing, Bonaccini says. The two sides will set up the Italy-Guangdong Food Academy.

The region, considered to have a very strong medical care system, will share its expertise with Guangdong.

The visit by the delegation from the region is an "extremely important sign of interest and friendship", says Laura Egoli, consul general of Italy in Guangzhou, describing Emilia-Romagna and Guangdong as the most dynamic regions of their countries.

Existing collaboration will continue in fields such as small and medium-sized enterprises, machinery manufacturing, public service training and environmental protection.

Emilia-Romagna is one of the wealthiest regions in Europe, with advanced automotive, fashion, food and wine, and machinery industries. Its most famous brands include Ferrari, Maserati, Ducati and Barilla.

Companies in the region have invested in 120 projects in China, 14 of which are located in Guangdong, covering the machinery, chemicals, automotive and fashion industries.

Ren Yue contributed to this story.

liwenfang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 05/15/2015 page2)