The Rise of Tourism in Matera

Matera, the European Capital of Culture in 2019, has experienced a boom in tourism the year before it officially took on the name. 

Hotels and other lodgings in the region saw total arrivals of  over 614,000 over the course of the last year. The organization, CNA  has stated that ''the contribution of foreign tourists was remarkable and that Matera ''benefited from its being assigned the title'', a statement said. In 2018, compared with the previous year.

For those unfamiliar of the region, Matera in the region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. Iand was the capital of the province of Basilicata from 1663 to 1806. The town lies in a small canyon carved out by the Gravina.

it is also known as la città sotterranea ("the underground city"), its historical centre "Sassi" contains ancient cave dwellings from the Paleolithic period (10th millennium BC). If continually inhabited as Leonardo A. Chisena has suggested it would be one of the oldest continually inhabited settlements in the world.

Matera has a long history and a long list of places to see, from museums to churches to the old water cisterns, built in the rock like the Sassi. These are probably all the reasons why it was announced in 2014 as the European Capital of Culture for the year of 2019, together with Plovdiv in Bulgaria.

Some 42% of the foreigners visiting were from the US (over 14,000 with almost 29,000 overnight stays) which resulted in the United States surpassing France for first place. These figures will be among the themes discussed at the 'Matera, Connecting Made in Italy' conference, sponsored by the CNA and to be held on Wednesday morning at 11 AM in Matera.

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about The Rise of Tourism in Matera! Looking to make a trip yourself? Our native instructors and culturally immersive group classes are sure to make sure you can navigate your entire journey through Matera with ease! Click below to learn more.