On May 12th 2010 the City council of Pisa, the City council of Lucca and the Tuscany Airport Society S.p.A signed a deal for the creation of the "Pisa - Lucca insieme" project: a joint marketing plan to promote Pisa and Lucca as a single tourist destination and increase, during low seasons, the number of tourist passengers visiting the area and arriving at Pisa Galilei Airport.
The main intended target of this project is therefore the European tourist, used to journeys in Europe through "low cost" flights, even for short holidays such as "winter-break" or long week-ends.
For the first time, the two cities have created a website to promote the areas of both Pisa and Lucca.
During May 12th 2010 press conference, Dr. Gina Giani, Chief Executor and SAT director-general stressed the importance of this joint marketing initiative, even from an economic growth standpoint: "From our research on passenger profiles - declared Giani - it appears that 30% of the average tourist budget is spent in the area nearby the arrival airport. By channelling the incoming passenger stream from Pisa Galilei Airport (which amounts to around 70% of the whole Galilei traffic) and by stimulating tourists to sojourn in the surrounding territories with "winter break" or "long weekend" formulas, we could therefore maximize the economic impact in the local areas".
Lucca Mayor Mauro Favilla underlined that, "since the development of the stopover airport equals to the development of our entire territory, a pro tourism synergy between the two close cities of art, together with the airport, is an effective way to promote our territories and attract quality foreign tourists, perfectly capable of appreciating culture, nature and enogastronomy: cards that Lucca and Pisa will know how to play at their best and in complete collaboration".
On the same occasion, Pisa Mayor Marco Filippeschi has added that "This is a new idea and an investment to improve tourism. Pisa and Lucca, together, can offer precisely what it takes to prompt a new rise in tourist demand, thanks to the extraordinary potential of Galilei airport. The two cities supply is largely complementary. This collaboration is a new project, a concrete way to re-imagine Seaside Tuscany areas as a single group of projects for improvement and raise. The agreement is open to other institutions and tour operators as well".
