Monthly Email Newsletter
January 2004
IN THIS ISSUE:
I. Message from the Editor
II. Articles:
**** Featured Industry: International Tourism
1.
World Tourism Organization Provides International
Tourism Information, Conferences, and Training
2. How to Identify
Laws and Rules that Affect International Tourism Activities
3. Finding
Accommodations in a Castle, Villa or Farmhouse in Tuscany
**** Featured Language: Italian
4. Origin and
Development of the Italian Language
5. Italy's E-Commerce News
6. Legal Sources for
Conducting E-Commerce in Italy
III. *** Helpful Web Tools
-- Bentley's Shopping
Guide to Italy
IV. In Our Next Issue
V. Your Feedback
VI. How to Subscribe
I. MESSAGE FROM THE
EDITOR
Italy is a country known for its sculptures, literary
works, paintings, Roman ruins, cathedrals, unique cuisine, award-winning wines,
and breathtaking landscapes. During the last ten years the country's business
climate has undergone dramatic changes that have taken it from being encumbered
by government control and bureaucracy to one that fosters competition, free
enterprise, and international tourism.
This month our featured
industry section focuses on international tourism. The first article describes
the valuable international tourism resources -- such as world tourism
statistics, conferences and training opportunities -- available to you from the
World Tourism Organization. The second article tells you how to identify laws
and rules that may affect your company's international tourism activities. The
final article in this section provides practical advice for locating
accommodations in a castle, farmhouse, or villa in the heart of Italy's scenic Tuscany region.
Our language section focuses
on Italian, a Romance language that is most closely related to Latin and is
currently spoken by 60 million people around the world. The first article
describes the evolution of the Italian language from the 10th century until today. The next article updates you about the current state of Italy's e-commerce industry. Our final article directs you to various online sources and
guide books that address legal issues you should consider before engaging in
e-commerce in Italy.
Our Helpful Web Tools section
focuses on Bentley's Online Guide to Italy, a web site that will assist you in
stretching your travel dollars while visiting Italy. The web site includes the
location of shopping districts and shops that offer authentic Italian products
and gifts at bargain prices, including discounted designer fashion and luxury
goods.
Since this newsletter is
meant to create a virtual community where we share the latest news and advice,
we invite you to submit your suggestions, story ideas, statistics, and web site
tips to
mailto:newsletter@globallanguages.com.
-- Inna Kassatkina, Editor
mailto:editor@globallanguages.com
II. ARTICLES
*** FEATURED INDUSTRY: International Tourism
1. WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION PROVIDES INTERNATIONAL TOURISM INFORMATION, CONFERENCES AND TRAINING
Can you guess what the
largest industry in the world is? No, it's not the petroleum, automobile, or
agricultural industry. Tourism -- the practice or activity of touring, related
businesses and services, or promotion of tourist travel -- is the world's
largest industry. According to the World Tourism Organization (WTO)
international tourism receipts are projected to reach USD $1,550 billion by
2010. International tourism is also firmly established as the number one
industry in many countries and is expected to be the fastest growing economic
sector in terms of earnings and job creation during the new millennium.
(http://www.pais.org/hottopics/2002/July/index.stm
http://www.world-tourism.org/aboutwto/eng/menu.html)
So whether you manage a
multinational corporation, coordinate international events, attend
international conferences, or travel abroad, a better understanding of how the
international tourism industry operates may save you or your company money and
uncover new money making opportunities. A good way to begin gaining some
insight about the international tourism industry is by becoming a member of the
WTO. As the leading international organization in the field of travel and
tourism, the WTO is vested by the United Nations with a central and decisive
role in promoting the development of responsible, sustainable and universally
accessible tourism. Its current membership includes 141 sovereign countries,
seven territories and some 350 affiliate members representing the private
sector, educational institutions, tourism associations, and local tourism
authorities.
You can learn a great
deal about the international tourism industry by attending one of the WTO's
conferences or events. This year Tourcom, The First World Conference on Tourism
Communications was held in Madrid, Spain, on January 19th and 20th
and covered a wide variety of international tourism topics ranging from
"Tourism as an Economic Force" to "Effective Crisis
Communications." Last year the WTO sponsored World Tourism Day 2003. Hosted
by the country of Algeria, the Twenty-fourth World Tourism Day's theme was
Tourism: A Driving Force for Poverty Alleviation, Job Creation, and Social
Harmony.
(http://www.world-tourism.org/projects/world/historical.htm
(http://www.world-tourism.org/events/meetings/tourcom/Programme_ING.pdf)
The WTO also informs its
members about the world's hottest tourism markets. For example, the WTO
recently reported that France, followed by Spain and the United States, were the top three travel destinations during last year. Furthermore, the
organization's projections through 2010 predict that tourism growth rates will
be the highest in East Asia and the Pacific, South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. And in terms of tourism receipts, the top-developing world destinations will be: China, Mexico, Russia, Thailand, Argentina, Korea, Turkey, Brazil, Egypt, and the Czech Republic.
(http://www.pais.org/hottopics/2002/July/index.stm)
To find more information
about international tourism conferences, managing your international events,
and locating international tourism courses, visit the Tourism Research Links
web site at http://www.waksberg.com/schools.htm.
2. HOW TO IDENTIFY LAWS AND RULES THAT AFFECT INTERNATIONAL TOURISM ACTIVITIES
Sunburn, jellyfish
stings, lack of air-conditioning, and travel-related illnesses are just a few
reasons international travelers sue international tourism operators according
to Simon Liddy, a Partner with Ebsworth & Ebsworth of Sydney, Australia. The laws governing the international tourism industry can be a complex mix of local and
international laws, contract, tort and statute laws, as well as judge-made
laws. According to Liddy, most travelers' claims boil down to either breach of
contract or negligence (tort). Liddy recommends knowing your responsibilities
and seeking legal advice prior to providing international tourism services.
The Internet can also be a great source for identifying other legal firms with
international tourism expertise in different jurisdictions around the world.
(http://www.ebsworth.com.au/ebsworth/website/eepublishing.nsf/Content/Publication_TourismBulletinDec2001
http://www.ebsworth.com.au/ebsworth/website/eepublishing.nsf/Content/Tourism
http://www.bakernet.com/BakerNet/Practice/default.htm)
Another excellent source
of information is LEXTOUR, a tourism legislation database accessible to members
of the World Tourism Organization. The database has been designed to act as a
referral system to other web sites and sources about tourism legislative data
produced and distributed by authoritative sources such as parliaments,
governmental bodies, universities, and professional organizations.
And finally, The Global
Code of Ethics, adopted by the World Tourism Organization in 1999 and endorsed
by the United Nations General Assembly in 2001, sets out a 10-point blueprint
for safeguarding the resources upon which tourism depends and ensuring that its
economic benefits are equitably shared. It includes nine articles outlining the
"rules of the game" for tour operators, destinations, governments, developers,
travel agents, workers and travelers. The tenth article involves implementation
of the code through the activities of the World Committee on Tourism Ethics.
(http://www.world-tourism.org/doc/E/lextour.htm
http://www.world-tourism.org/quality/E/main.htm)
3. FINDING ACCOMMODATIONS IN A CASTLE, VILLA, OR FARMHOUSE IN TUSCANY
Tuscany (Toscana), with its enchanted landscapes and
romantic vistas is one of the world's most famous attractions. Located in
northwestern Italy, stretching from the central mountains to the western coast,
Tuscany is rich in art, culture, vineyards, cuisine, and history. Imagine you
are ascending an ancient road, on a hill just south of Florence, with "sweeping views of the fabled city and its
signature dome in the distance". You
reach the top and begin a magnificent stay at Villa Montebello, built in 1427
and recently restored, that can accommodate up to 16 people. Or maybe you have
always dreamed of staying in a quaint Italian farmhouse. The Borgo delle More
farmhouse, situated among vineyards, cypress trees, and old oaks may be the
perfect place for you.
To find inviting
accommodations in medieval villas, farmhouses, or city apartments in the Tuscany region of Italy, visit
http://www.parkervillas.com
or http://www.tuscanyok.com/.
****FEATURED LANGUAGE: ITALIAN
4. ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Today's standard modern
Italian language is a member of the Romance group of the Italic subfamily of
the Indo-European family of languages. Of all the Romance languages that were
derived from Late (Vulgar) Latin -- French, Spanish, Romanian, Italian,
Portuguese, Sardinian, and Catalan -- Italian is the living language that most
closely resembles Latin. The Latin language, or "Latino" as the Italians
called it, was originally imposed by Roman conquerors upon all peoples under
their dominion. Under Roman rule, Italy's various city-states developed
regional dialects. Dating back to the 10th century and continuing
through the 12th century, most famous literature written by great
Italian writers was written in their native dialects.
Over time the spoken,
popular Latin language from which standard modern Italian developed, became
simpler than that of the Latin used in classical literature or in Christian
religious services and legal documents. During the 14th century the
Tuscan (Toscano) dialect began to predominate since it was widely used in Florence, one of Italy's most important cities that was aggressively involved in commerce
and trade. The Tuscan dialect also gained additional prominence and legitimacy
when Dante, Ariosto, Petrarca, Boccaccio, and other prominent authors of the
Italian Renaissance published their famous works in Tuscan. Additionally,
since Tuscan departed the least in phonology and morphology from classical
Latin, it harmonized best with the Italian traditions of Latin culture.
During the 15th
and 16th centuries various efforts took place to establish an
official written and spoken language in Italy. The Question of the Language
(La Questionne Della Lingua), attempted to codify the language and establish
linguistic norms. In 1525 Pietro Bembo wrote his proposal for a standardized
Italian language, Prose de la Volgar Lingua, which was based on the Tuscan
dialect spoken in Florence in the 15th century and published in
classics written by Florentine writers Petrarca and Boccaccio. Although the
achievements of writers of the Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance were
sufficient to establish literary Tuscan as the standard written language in Italy, it was not until 1860 that Italy overcame post-Roman political fragmentation, unified as a
kingdom, and established the language spoken by educated Tuscans as the
standard national spoken language of Italy. As schooling became mandatory, the
literacy rate increased, and many Italians abandoned their native dialects and
adopted the new national language.
Today standard Italian is
spoken in the Italian peninsula, Sicily, Corsica, southern Switzerland, San Marino, and northern Sardinia. Emigrating Italians brought the language to certain
regions of Spain and North and South America. Standard Italian was also spread
to the former colonies of Tunisia, Libya, and Somalia where it was used as the
language of administration and commerce. Italian is currently spoken by
approximately 66 million people, most of whom live in the Italian peninsula.
5. ITALY'S E-COMMERCE NEWS
According to The Economist's
latest E-Readiness Internet Rankings, Italy ranks 21st among the
world's 60 largest countries, and lags behind several other European countries
with respect to its e-readiness. The six distinct categories and the
percentages that each category contributes to a country's e-readiness ranking
score include: Internet connectivity and technology infrastructure (25%), the
business environment (20%), consumer and business adoption (20%), social and
cultural environment (15%), legal and policy environment (15%), and supporting
e-services (5%).
Although over 21 million
people currently use the Internet in Italy, and 51 million people living in Italy (representing 88.1% of the population) are mobile phone subscribers, there are
several reasons why the country's e-readiness is lagging behind other European
countries. One reason is that Italy still lags behind other European countries
on personal computer ownership, with only 25.7% of the population owning a
computer. Another reason is that many Italians who are unfamiliar with Web
technology and are skeptical about what the Internet offers, are also reluctant
to move their businesses online or to make online purchases using a credit
card. Additionally, when Italians buy online, many tend to favor established
name brands or products "Made in Italy." Credit card use online has increased
in popularity in the more industrialized or commercial areas of northern or
central Italy -- such as Milan, Turin, and Florence -- but has not increased in
the more agricultural areas of southern Italy. The slow deregulation and
liberalization of Italy's telecom industry, which was formerly controlled by
the government's Telecom Italia, is cited as another major reason for slower
e-commerce growth. High Internet usage costs, limited competition among
Internet service providers (ISPs), and Italy's slow growing economy and high
national debt, have also hampered Internet business growth.
Michael Calingaert,
Executive Vice President of the Council for the United States and Italy, in a
recent article published in The International Economy stated that although
Italy has faced many challenges, it has also made great strides in: reducing
the stronghold of the government on the telecommunications, gas, and oil
industries; increasing privatization and competition; eliminating
administrative laws that hampered businesses; increasing flexibility in the
labor market; decreasing restrictions on foreign direct investment; and sharply
increasing the availability of banking services. Calingaert concludes that
these significant changes will soon get Italy's economy moving and growing.
What does the future hold
for Italy's e-commerce sector? Overall, experts predict a brighter future and
improving growth. Pyramid Research, a telecommunications consulting
organization, predicts that PC ownership among Italians will grow to 47.5%
percent of the population and the number of Internet users will grow to 32
million by 2007, fueling the growth of online sales. Other factors cited as
predictors of Italy's future e-commerce growth include increased competition
among ISPs, the growth of free or low-cost Internet access plans, further
liberalization of fixed-line telephone services, increased competition among
mobile phone providers, as well as government incentives to boost the use of
computers and Internet-related technology.
(http://www.ebusinessforum.com/index.asp?layout=rich_story&doc_id=6427
http://www.ebusinessforum.com/index.asp?layout=newdebi&country_id=IT&title=Doing%20ebusiness%20in%20Italy
http://www.brookings.org/dybdocroot/views/articles/calingaert_fall2003.pdf
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/508241
)
6. LEGAL SOURCES FOR CONDUCTING E-COMMERCE IN ITALY
If you are planning on conducting
e-commerce in Italy, it's important that you obtain a good overview about
Italian and European Union (EU) laws that apply to web sites and online
transactions in this area of the world. An excellent source for this
information is the web site Italy: Electronic Transactions Legislation and
Regulations created by the international law firm Baker & McKenzie.
Through this web site you
can access the article called Doing E-Commerce in Italy, which
highlights some of the legal issues that affect: registering web site domain
names in Italy, digital signatures on electronic documents, consumer
protection, privacy, online auctions, contracts with consumers, credit card
fraud, the gathering or dissemination of personal data, intellectual property,
copyright infringement, anti-competitive practices, online advertising and
marketing practices, liability for web site content, hyperlinks, meta tags,
income tax, corporate tax, and value-added tax (VAT). For example, the article
alerts you that many types of online purchases may be subject to Italy's VAT and that Italian consumers have up to 10 days to cancel a contract.
You can also purchase Baker
& McKenzie's E-Commerce Practice Manual or its E-Commerce in Europe CD-ROM online via links from its web site. The manual is a practical
country-specific guide to legal aspects of setting up and running a web site
and conducting online sales in 14 key jurisdictions around the world. The
CD-ROM presents a roadmap to legal issues arising when conducting e-commerce in
countries that are members of the EU.
Although
these online sources will provide you with a good overview, many
e-commerce laws are in the
process of evolving or changing. It is therefore advisable for your company to
consider seeking legal advice from a firm that specializes in Italian and EU
laws and regulations before selling its products online to Italian customers.
(http://www.bmck.com/ecommerce/italy-t.htm)
III. HELPFUL WEB TOOLS
**** Bentley's Shopping Guide to Italy
Virtually every
international traveler has a budget and limited suitcase space. To save money
on luxury items such as a great Armani outfit, or to find authentic Italian
gifts that your friends or family will love, it's important to plan your
shopping excursion before you go Italy. Therefore, when it comes time for
planning your shopping expedition, you might want to visit Bentley's Shopping
Guide to Italy for Hedonists and Bargain Lovers web site. The site provides
information about shopping locales in the cities of Rome, Milan, Florence, Venice, and Naples. Created by American journalist Logan Bentley, the web site
also includes information about discount stores; factory outlet shops that sell
clothes and accessories by Armani, Gucci, Prada, Fendi, and Dolce &
Gabbana; famous tourist areas, shopping centers that sell unique gift items,
cultural events, restaurants, pharmacies, modes of transportation, and more.
(http://www.made-in-italy.com/shopping
)
IV. IN OUR NEXT ISSUE
*** FEATURED INDUSTRY: Online Education
*** FEATURED LANGUAGE: Spanish in Spain
V. YOUR FEEDBACK
Have questions? Or a story idea or topic you would like us to address in a future issue? Let us know by
sending a message to
newsletter@globallanguages.com.
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