On the Veneto side of the lake, family-run businesses with deep roots are the beating heart of a hospitality tradition which goes well beyond mere service, in the words of Ivan De Beni, president of Federalberghi Garda Veneto.
On the Veneto side of Lake Garda, hospitality is much more than a business. It is relationships, authenticity and a sense of belonging. Much more than just a service, it is a shared culture, a way of life and local storytelling. Hospitality is not just ‘tourist reception’. It means building relationships, giving meaning to places, looking after the landscape.
For Federalberghi Garda Veneto living the area means promoting a tourism which does not just consume but also respects, which does not simply chase numbers but also nurtures experiences.
‘The foundations of our hospitality have always been family-run businesses with deep local roots which have been investing in professionalism, values and vision for generations’, says Federalberghi Garda Veneto president Ivan De Beni. ‘It is for this reason that we believe in training, in work well done, in environmental and social sustainability, as a sector association, too’.
It is this which is behind projects such as Sii Ricettivo per i giovani, Together Lake Garda for the environment and more sustainable and safe mobility models, such as the co-funded Opera Bus Service shuttle which links up Lake Garda with the Arena in Verona during the opera season, enabling visitors to attend performances without getting into their cars and the Bike & Trekking Lago di Garda Veneto portal with its 65 routes through 13 towns, designed to incentivise slow holidays. ‘We’re working to consolidate a truly sustainable network in the belief that true innovation is a question of improving existing infrastructure not limitless growth’, concludes De Beni.
Visitors to Veneto Garda get much more than a holiday. They get a rare balance between beauty and professionalism, nature and culture, innovation and roots which is never a spur of the moment thing. It is passed down, evolves and needs looking after.
