For the first time, Registro .it participated in Bari, at BTM (Business Tourism Management) Italia 2025, the Fiera del Levante. This event focused on the future of tourism, digitalization, and Artificial Intelligence, providing the perfect setting to explore the connection between digital tourism, digital identity, and Made in Italy.
Our presence at BTM with a dedicated stand conveyed a clear message: supporting Italian businesses in their digital growth journey. The .it domain is not just a web address; it is a symbol of quality, reliability, and authenticity. It is a strategic asset for those who want to stand out on the global stage, representing the strong bond with Italy and its culture, which continues to attract tourists from all over the world (in 2023, foreign visitors once again became the majority of tourists in Italian destinations, returning to pre-COVID levels).
During the fair, Registro .it organized the event “Your Journey Starts with .it – Digital Tourism in Italy: Topics, Data, and Trends,” an opportunity to analyze the sector’s evolution. The panel was an important moment of discussion among experts such as Edoardo Colombo, Innovation & Trends Advisor and President of Turismi.AI, and Rodolfo Baggio, Professor of Tourism Analytics and Digital Strategies for Tourism at Bocconi University. Colombo and Baggio shared their insights, emphasizing the importance of an online presence for businesses and the digital transformations in tourism, facilitated by innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence.
During the event, Maurizio Martinelli, Head of the Systems and Technological Development Unit of the Registro .it, presented data from the Registro .it Tourism Observatory “Tourism in the Net” (TINe), which analyzes the online presence of Italian tourism businesses through Registro’s database of domain name registrations. According to our analyses, 12% of all .it websites belong to the tourism sector, totaling over 160,000 registered websites. Specifically:
- 54% belong to the "accommodation" category, with 56% (over 66,000) of companies in this sector owning a .it website.
- 29% are in the "restaurant" sector, with 30% (35,422) of businesses having an online presence.
- 7% (over 9,000 businesses) fall under "tour operators and transport", with 8% of companies using a .it domain.
Equally interesting are the statistics from the Puglia region, which hosted the event:
- The "accommodation" sector accounts for 60% of .it websites, with 61% (almost 3,700) of businesses having an online presence.
- The "restaurant" sector represents 23%, with 25% (over 1,500) of businesses owning a .it website.
- The "tour operators and transport" sector holds 8% of .it websites, with 8% of companies (almost 500) having an online presence.
On the occasion of our event, some Registrars – internet service providers contracted with Registro .it – shared their experiences and highlighted the strategic role of .it domains in online visibility. Among them, Gianni Buonsante (Founder & CEO of Ingenia Direct srl) and Salvatore Malvaso (Web Marketing and Communication, Intendo srl) provided insights into the digital sector and .it domains. They were joined by Gianpaolo Chiarella (Founder of Teseo.it srl), who was also present at the Registro stand to discuss with professionals and businesses the competitive advantage of an Italian domain for digital identity.
A .it domain represents a growth opportunity not only for tourism businesses but also for Made in Italy industries such as fashion, design, and food & wine. That’s why the journey of Registro .it doesn’t stop here: it will continue to support SMEs, the backbone of the national economy, by fostering their digitalization and promoting .it as a symbol of Italian digital identity at other events.
Next stop: From June 4 to 6, Registro .it will be in Bologna at the international fair “We Make Future (WMF)”, with a dedicated event and new networking opportunities.
We look forward to seeing you in Bologna! In the meantime, keep following us on our social media!