Tourism, art, wine and food, and fashion. But also cultural events and activities, real estate assets and eminent universities and research facilities. These are the ingredients that combine to make the “Toscana” brand – reknown around the world, and with much more potential to exploit. This is the picture that emerged by a survey carried out by Confindustria Toscana (the association that includes a majority of regional businesses) and by the Klaus Davi & Co. communications agency, who analyzed the strength of this brand starting with an investigation of international media. “Due to its assets – the poll states – Regione Toscana [the Region of Tuscany] is, much like a company or a multinational, an actual brand that can be immediately recognized, a brand that confers it an added value unrivaled by any other Italian region.” The appeal of Tuscany’s riches has quite a deep reach in the United Kingdom, as well as in Germany, France and the USA, and the attention paid to the region by Russian, Indian, and Asian media is also increasing.
The tourism offer, composed of art cities and famous seaside locations, as well as beautiful landscapes and relax solutions is the primary element associated with Tuscany. Another strong attraction comes from the wine and food products, along with the pertinent protected consortiums. The third point of strength is certainly represented by the fashion industry: starting with international brands like Prada, Gucci and Ferragamo, but also including the niches of local artisanal production o cultivations. Beyond these factors, Tuscany has also become synonymous with an area much appreciated by foreign investors: the commitment of foreign capitals to the real estate sector; industrial installations such as that of General Electric, Novartis, Solvay; the Indian and Arab interest in steelworks and, more generally, the increasing presence of multinationals (which increased from 300 to 400 in the last decade) have fueled the belief of the territory’s increased attractiveness.
In recent years, however, the interest shown by monitors and media has broadened to innovation (start up) and research (institutes and universities) that have developed on the territory, with a special focus on health and pharmaceuticals, as well as energy.
It is precisely these last sectors that are considered those with the highest margin for growth by exploiting the Toscana brand, by stressing the uniqueness of geothermal resources, or by highlighting and increasing the value of cutting edge research facilities in especially promising fields, such as assisted fertilization. According to the stakeholders surveyed by Confindustria, there is also much potential for the exploitation of the Toscana brand in more traditional sectors such as artisanship and tourism.
(picture from www.businessintuscany.com)
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