At boot Düsseldorf, Veneto’s Lake Garda, Malcesine and Foiling Week show how a destination is built

Veneto’s Lake Garda, Malcesine and Foiling Week were in the spotlight at boot Düsseldorf, during a dedicated presentation focused on how a sporting event can help shape and guide the tourism development of a destination.

Concluded on January 25th, boot Düsseldorf is the world’s largest yacht and water sports fair, attracting more than 200,000 visitors, 1,500 exhibitors from 67 countries and covering an exhibition area of 220,000 square metres.

The presentation outlined the journey that has led Lake Garda, and Malcesine in particular, to build a strong and recognisable international identity also through foiling: not only as a sporting discipline, but as a content driver capable of attracting communities, brands, investments and high-quality tourism flows.

At the core of this story stood Foiling Week, born and grown at Fraglia Vela Malcesine, which over the years has contributed to shaping the evolution of the local tourism offering, supporting deseasonalisation, innovation and a structured relationship between sport, territory and industry.

Massimo Marchiotto, Councillor of the Municipality of Malcesine with responsibility for Sport and Leisure, Youth Policies and Events, commented: “Foiling and Foiling Week have had a tangible impact on Malcesine and Lake Garda. They have opened up new sport-tourism markets, creating interesting qualitative opportunities both in terms of length of stay and average visitor spend. Not just sporting events, therefore, but a long-term path that has helped guide local tourism development by focusing on quality, skills and continuity.”

The Garda–Malcesine–Foiling Week case history was presented at boot Düsseldorf as an example of a true destination marketing engine: a system in which a sporting event works over time and contributes to creating lasting value for the territory, going beyond the simple hosting of a single event.

Paolo Artelio, President of DVG - Destination Verona Garda, added: “Participation in boot shows that tourism is built not only through strong and recognisable sporting events, but also through the daily work we have been carrying out over the past two years with local operators and centres of excellence such as Fraglia Vela, which feature in the catalogue presented in Düsseldorf. The strong positioning of Malcesine around sport — and foiling in particular — allows us to move from simple event promotion to the construction of a true tourism product and the organisation of travel experiences, as in the case of Foiling Week. This is the kind of model destinations need to invest in today.”

Confirming the decision to leverage Foiling Week as a communication and promotion tool, representatives of the Verona - Garda area and the Municipality of Malcesine attended boot Düsseldorf throughout the entire event, using the Foiling World space, created by The Foiling Organization, for promotional activities and engagement with international media, operators and stakeholders.

Marco Carletto, President of Fraglia Vela Malcesine, said: “Over the past twelve years, no other event like Foiling Week has attracted to Lake Garda so many sailors who, starting from here and returning in the years that followed, have gone on to become Olympic champions and winners of the America’s Cup and SailGP. This says a lot about the sporting level built in Malcesine and the role our racecourse has played in the development of a new generation of athletes. It is a sporting asset that today also holds clear value for the territory.”

This framework also includes the recognition awarded by The Foiling Organization at boot Düsseldorf, which granted Malcesine the "Foiling Capital" certification and Fraglia Vela Malcesine the "Foiling Performance Base" designation, further strengthening the area’s role as a reference point for foiling development.

Luca Rizzotti, Founder of The Foiling Organization and creator of Foiling Week, commented: “Foiling Week was born as a sporting event, but over time it has become something more: an engine that, thanks to the opportunities offered by the territory, has helped generate value and visibility. The recognition of Fraglia Vela Malcesine as a "Foiling Performance Base" stems precisely from this continuous work, built on skills, vision and the ability to create long-term value.”

During the presentation, several strategic decisions were also announced, based on analyses carried out over recent months in close collaboration between venue managers and organisers. To enhance public engagement and strengthen the link with the town centre, all pump-foil, e-foil and motor-foil races of the 13th Foiling Week, scheduled from June 27th to July 5th, will take place directly in front of the town. For similar reasons, the second edition of the Foiling Sport Congress, organised by The Foiling Organization on July 1st and 2nd, will be held at Malcesine’s Scaligero Castle, overlooking Lake Garda from the heart of the historic town.

The presentation at boot Düsseldorf confirmed that foiling, when embedded within a structured strategy, can become an effective tourism positioning tool and a genuine development accelerator for destinations willing to invest in content, skills and vision.