(Los Angeles CA, January 13, 2021) - The Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT) is proud to announce it has selected Wagstaff Media and Marketing as its agency of record in the United States to help grow American visitation to Italy.

“We are looking forward to international borders re-opening, and with that, we see a lot of opportunity for tourism on the horizon,” said Maria Elena Rossi, Marketing and Promotion Director for ENIT. Added Caterina Orlando, Country Manager for ENIT, “Wagstaff’s expertise, creativity, and connections in the travel trade, consumer marketing, and media worlds will give us the competitive advantage we need to help accelerate our recovery in the U.S. market.”

Mary Wagstaff, President of Wagstaff Media and Marketing also spoke of the partnership. “We are thrilled to represent such an iconic destination. From the food, to the history, to the culture, to the adventure, and above all, the Italian people, there is absolutely nothing like Italy. Even though many Americans may know a lot about Italy’s amazing experiences, there is so much more to discover.”

The account will be led by Ernst Flach, Director, who brings over 15 years of destination marketing experience, including 5 years at Wagstaff leading the South Australian Tourism Commission and Promote Iceland accounts, as well as over 10 years in senior marketing roles at the Canadian Tourism Commission (Destination Canada). With his proven skills in consumer marketing, deep travel trade relationships, and media intel, Ernst will oversee a national team supporting ENIT in growing their business from the American market, and introducing the lesser known and undiscovered experiences Italy has to offer.

Amongst many other exciting developments, Milan has just launched the city’s new official convention bureau, YesMilano, perfectly timed to support the country’s hosting of the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics.

For more information please contact:

Ernst Flach, Wagstaff Media and Marketing at ernst@wagstaffmktg.com

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About the Italian National Tourist Board

Established in 1919, ENIT - Italian National Tourist Board- has been promoting Italy, and its beauty abroad for over a hundred years, striving to increase the quality and quantity of tourists to the country.

About Wagstaff Media & Marketing

Since Mary Wagstaff founded the company in 1999, Wagstaff has grown from a humble staff of one to an international fullservice  agency with more than 60 account executives and offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Vancouver, Canada. From the beginning, Wagstaff has been dedicated to supporting clients in all verticals of the hospitality world, including travel and tourism representation, hospitality lifestyle and culinary products, personalities, events and festivals, hotels, airlines, as well as distinctive wine and spirits brands – creating innovative marketing strategies that build brand awareness, drive business, and secure results that matter. Wagstaff was recently included in Forbes’ inaugural list of America’s Best PR Firms, and Mary Wagstaff was honored as part of Los Angeles Business Journal’s Women’s Leadership Awards 2020.