Roots Tourism, the Italea project arrives in Argentina. Tajani: a primary tool to strengthen ties with Italian communities abroad

Coinciding with the mission to Argentina and Brazil (7-9 October) of Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani, the Italea project - part of the 'Roots Tourism' initiative - arrives in Buenos Aires for the FIT, International Tourism Fair.

"Roots Tourism is a priority instrument to strengthen ties with the more than 80 million Italians and Italian-descendants. During the Year of Italian Roots in the World, we want to celebrate our compatriots' achievements by taking part in the main events for our communities abroad," said Tajani, who highlighted how the initiative held a special value in a country like Argentina, home to the largest community of Italians living abroad.

Italea is an initiative launched by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAECI) in 2024 (the Year of Italian Roots in the World) as part of a NRRP project and financed by NextGenerationEU, with the aim of fostering the return and reception of Italian descendants and emigrants. The project was also presented in Toronto, Sao Paulo and Montevideo: its next stops, in Melbourne (3-8 October) for the Melbourne Italian Festa and in New York (9-15 October) on the occasion of Columbus Day, will feature exhibitions ('A different tale - Cartoline dalla Calabria'), book presentations ('La comunità italiana dello spettacolo a New York e la nascita del cinema italoamericano'), cooking shows and musical events.

Roots Tourism was created with the aim of allowing people to discover Italian culture, customs and traditions, and to valorise places that are not mass tourism destinations. The project involves more than 800 small Italian municipalities, all winners of the call for the organisation of cultural activities in favour of Italian-descendants.