New Italian Campaign Wants You to Look Beyond the Selfie Spots
Tourists in parts of Europe aren’t exactly being welcomed with open arms right now. From Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca and Venice, locals have taken to the streets in protest — calling for limits on cruise ships, tighter short-term rental laws, and urgent action to protect communities overwhelmed by mass tourism.
But in Italy, a new campaign is taking a different approach — not by rejecting tourism, but by encouraging travellers to look beyond the usual hotspots and discover the country’s lesser-known gems.
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Between June 23 and July 1, the independent travel site Visit Italy (not affiliated with the national tourism board, ENIT) is rolling out a series of videos on TikTok and Instagram that feature Italy’s most overcrowded destinations: Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, and the Cinque Terre. But instead of encouraging more visits, the goal is the opposite.
Dubbed “99% of Italy,” the campaign aims to shift attention toward the quieter corners of the country — the villages, small towns, and lesser-known regions that rarely go viral but offer equally rich experiences.
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“Italy is more than what fits in a selfie,” says Ruben Santopietro, CEO of Visit Italy. “We’re not rejecting tourism, we’re rethinking it.”
In a recent TEDx talk, Santopietro described our current “Checklist Era” of travel — one where visitors bounce from one famous landmark to the next, collecting content instead of memories. And Italy, he warns, is paying the price.
“Venice could become a lifeless backdrop, Rome a parking lot for tour buses, and Florence a stage set for selfies,” he said.
Genoa
Visit Italy’s broader strategy includes spotlighting destinations like Arezzo, Genoa, Tropea, Courmayeur, Livigno, Northern Sardinia, and other small towns that often fly under the radar. Many of these places, Santopietro notes, are at risk of depopulation, and for them, sustainable tourism isn’t just a boost, it’s a lifeline.
“When residents lose quality of life, travelers lose meaning too,” he says. “These places aren’t backups or second best. They’re part of Italy’s identity — and they deserve to be seen.”
Tropea
Visit Italy relaunched its website in April, with a homepage now dedicated to “hidden gems” — inviting travelers to go deeper, not just wider, in their Italian adventures.
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