Roots Tourism, also known as “ancestral tourism ” or “homecoming travel”, refers to a specific cluster of tourists - ie those who want to explore the places of family's origins in Italy and reconnect with family traditions and personal history.

Roots-IN is the first – and only – event in Italy entirely devoted to the development of roots itineraries and packages, targeting 2nd, 3rd and 4th generations of Italian-descendants, who want to visit the small villages that their ancestors left – and not the traditional, mainstream tour of Italian cities.

Roots-IN is organized by the Regional Tourist Board of Basilicata in cooperation with ENIT - Italian National Tourism Board and under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

The core of our event is our Buyer/Sellers workshop, a marketplace where international opereators meet Italian tourism trade

What are the key elements of a roots tourism package?

When you organize a trip to Italy to help your customers connect with their Italian family origins, your aim is to make sure they get to visit the small villages and explore traditions of the land of their ancestors, to reconnect with their family's past.

A Roots-tourism package check-list includes:

1. Ask for the name and region of the village or municipality of family ancestors – and any additional info on family ancestors.

Please note that Italy is divided into 20 regions and we have 7,900 municipalities, so make sure they give you as many details as possible

For your reference, check the ITALEA website >>>> https://italea.com/en/trova-le-tue-radici/ and FAQ 

2. Create an itinerary that includes the main landmarks of the Region of origins– with a special program for the visit to the ancestors’ village (in particular the church, cemetery, municipality and possibly a meeting with the Mayor or other local stakeholders)

3. Include in your quotation a genealogy consultation to learn about family history and possible living relatives. 

4. Focus on the actual timeline the ancestors emigrated (i.e. XIXth century - early XXth century – after IInd WW) and give them some background on the historical and social situation in Italy when their ancestors left

5. Retrace the emigration journey of your customers’ family (ie their seaport of departure, the first landing destination and possible other final destination of arrival and settlement) 

If you have the actual travel dates this database may help you >>>> http://www.ciseionline.it/portomondo/default.asp

6. Include in your travel plan local experiences (art&crafts, cooking lessons, Italian language courses) and select local cosy and typical accommodation solutions (ie Alberghi Diffusi, boutique hotels) in order to let your customer feel “at home” - not just a tourist, but a "temporary resident".