III) EXAMPLES FROM OTHER COUNTRIES
Genealogical Tourism in Italy:
One of the many reasons for visiting Italy is to trace Italian ancestry. Tracking down genealogical information is, of course, something that can be done in any country – but there are a few places where it is more common. Countries that experienced huge waves of immigrants due to war, famine, poverty or other unfortunate causes (such as Ireland and Italy) tend to experience more “genealogical tourism” today.
The Italian diaspora is the result of the large-scale Italian migration in the period between the unification of Italian Kingdom in 1861 and the rise of Italian Fascism in the 1920s, as well as one last wave after the end of World War II. The majority of Italian migrants
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'The similarities between Scotland and Ireland are striking. Look abroad and it is almost a mirror image. Because for the people of two small Atlantic nations, the Scots and the Irish have left broad and unmistakable tracks across much of the world. And not only are the Scots and Irish welcomed across the globe - the affection and admiration runs deeper. So deep that tens of millions of citizens - in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand - are proud to trace back their ancestry to our two great nations. Across the world, over 80 million people - more than one in every hundred - lays claim to being Irish. And 45 million regard themselves as Scots. The size and impact of both the Scottish and Irish Diasporas is truly astonishing. ' (Alex Salmond, Trinity College Dublin, Feb 13th …show more content…
18 • Tourists undertaking genealogical activities spend signifi cantly more per day than the average tourist to Scotland, making them a highly valuable market segment.
• Ancestral tourists also stay longer than other visitors (average 10 nights, as opposed to 4.5 nights for other visits).
• Family history research can take place at any time of the year, leading to a real opportunity to encourage tourism to Scotland in off peak periods.
• Ancestral tourists aren’t necessarily attracted to major tourist centres, as their ancestries came from all over Scotland. Often, the places they are interested in visiting are located in areas that traditionally have little tourist trade, so all areas of Scotland can benefit.
• The wide nature of genealogy resources in Scotland means that there is a real opportunity for local communities to benefit.
• Research shows that some 10 million people with Scottish roots are interested in finding out more about their ancestry. Significantly, around two-fi ths of these are interested in finding out more about their ancestry and plan to visit Scotland for this reason in the next two years. There is therefore a potential market of around 4.3 million people from the current level of 800,000 who could be encouraged to visit in the short to medium